To the editor:
My name is Abigail Lanfear and I am 15 years old. Last night, Josh Lisenby and Brenda Siegel slept out on the Statehouse steps to push the Governor to take the following actions:
1. Accept the Federal Funding For Emergency Motels
2. Fully reinstate the GA Motel Program, including people who have already been exited and are currently without shelter until everyone can be safely and consistently housed.
3. Eliminate the arbitrary and out dated 84 day limit on emergency motels
4. Cease asking our most vulnerable neighbors to trade their shelter for money.
This afternoon at 4, youth will be joining them to protest and sleep out. We believe that the Governor’s claim that he is extending the program is not enough: He needs to fully reinstate the program for the 1000 people who were kicked out in July. He needs to make sure this is not just an extension, but that it is a longer-term reinstatement that lasts more than 30 or 60 days. It needs to last until federal money times out.
We will not stop until real action is taken. Youth are standing up and speaking out to make sure Vermonters are safely housed.
Abigail Lanfear