The Burlington, Vermont city council will consider an item tonight that includes authorizing a lease for a temporary winter warming shelter for the homeless. In advance of the meeting, Mayor Miro Weinberger provided an update on why the city is proposing the idea.
According to a memo to the City Council from Burlington’s Special Assistant to End Homelessness, homelessness in the city has nearly tripled since the pandemic. Sarah Russell cited data showing that there has been a rise “in unsheltered homelessness in Burlington from 80 individuals last September to over 200 currently.”
“We have seen some expansion of shelter capacity such as the recently opened Elmwood Community Shelter and expanded capacity at CVOEO’s Community Resource Center. The need outpaces both development of shelter and housing options. So due to the significant number of people living unsheltered right now, the lack of a formal emergency warming shelter within the city is the reason why we intend to open a winter overnight shelter to ensure prevention of exposure deaths during the coldest month of the year.”
The proposal calls for leasing the VFW Post 782 building on South Winooski Avenue, which is scheduled to close for renovations next spring. Before that happens, the city plans to use the building as an overnight emergency winter shelter for up to 30 people from December 15th through March 15th. Post Commander Michelle Caver says the partnership matches their mission.
“This allows us to expand the resources needed to address ongoing housing shortages as it relates to the unhoused and it aligns with the Veterans of Foreign Wars values. And it’s certainly reflective of veterans who have served their country and in this case we are able to serve our city where we’ve experienced a hundred years of partnership. So this feels good that before we take a bit of a hiatus from the public view that we end in this way and then return after the redevelopment construction is finished that we find other ways to continue to partner with the city to address unmet needs.”
Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, emphasized that the city has established warming shelters in the past.
“Having a winter warming shelter is not new for this community. We operated this type of shelter successfully from 2014 until the start of the pandemic. During those years there were very few complaints. We are attempting to prevent exposure deaths. We are attempting to expand services and we are attempting to have another support that ensures a successful, vibrant downtown.”
The state of Vermont’s Department of Children and Families Office of Economic Opportunity Housing and Opportunities Program will provide $590,000 in funding to operate the warming shelter including any building improvements, the security contract, staffing, meals and the lease.
