Dear friends,
This month, our newsletter will be a little different because the work feels a little different.
Right now, Vermont is experiencing a statewide emergency with flooding, road closures, and a lot of uncertainty as waters continue to rise and recede. Please be safe and stay strong.
Before the rain began, we could see it on the sidewalks of Burlington and throughout communities across the state: people living on the streets, in our parks, and in make-shift camp sites everywhere. There are more people in shelters than ever before, and more people living precariously even after finding an apartment.
The challenges of increasing housing costs coupled with the post-pandemic mental health crisis and a dramatic rise in different forms of addiction have impacted our community and have created these conditions. And for many who are experiencing homelessness, but not all, there needs to be a medical and treatment response to their addiction and trauma.
We need more affordable housing – and are working as quickly as possible to create it – but people need support, too. We are prepared to do more here at CHT as well as supporting and partnering with other great community organizations that can provide services. The strategy is called Housing First, and we think help needs to come right after housing to be successful.
The temporary solutions, such as the emergency Elmwood Community Shelter and Harbor Place, are just stopgaps. CHT has and is creating hundreds of apartments that directly house families and individuals exiting homelessness. Please know that this continues to be a priority for us.
It will take some time to get through this. Although it is not our sole responsibility to solve this crisis, we will do as much as we can.
At the same time, we recognize the need to offer additional supportive services in our apartments and to invest in community building activities to ensure the safety and security of all residents.
As always, I expect to hear from you and look forward to hearing your feedback. Feel free to send me a note.
I’m also hoping you’ll join us at our Annual Members’ Day Picnic next month – one way that we engage in creating and fostering an inclusive community.
