Gov. Scott delivers plan for hotel-motel program evictees
They said it's all about collaboration and fluidity because there isn’t one simple solution to help the people who will soon be unhoused.
They said it's all about collaboration and fluidity because there isn’t one simple solution to help the people who will soon be unhoused.
They said it's all about collaboration and fluidity because there isn’t one simple solution to help the people who will soon be unhoused.
Friday afternoon, Gov. Phil Scott and cabinet members announced their plans to help evictees of the hotel-motel program. They said it's all about collaboration and fluidity because there isn’t one simple solution to help the people who will soon be unhoused.
"There’s no doubt this is going to be challenging because each has different needs and abilities," said Scott.
The Scott administration said the hotel-motel expansion was never meant to be permanent and it’s not the best way to help homeless Vermonters.
"When you consider many in the program are no better off than they were three years ago after spending almost $200 million you can see why we conclude there must be a better way," said Scott.
One of those plans is restarting the General Assistance Housing Program which will provide a 28-day extension after the July 1st deadline for eligible Vermonters.
"They include those who are experiencing domestic violence, those 65 and older, children with families who are up to six years old, those with SSDI, and women who are pregnant in their third trimester," said Jenney Samuelson the Secretary of the Department of Human Services.
The administration also invited outside organizations to offer bids to create and staff new homeless shelters or expand existing ones.
"We’re looking for ideas, we know some of the best ideas come from outside of state government. Part of that Request For Proposal is to set up emergency shelters and to provide staffing," said Chris Winters Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.
The administration also says the real issue behind all of this is the lack of permanent housing and the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been spent on this program is not helping that.
"While it was a necessary stopgap during the pandemic, continuing to fund and making it the focal point of our housing program is preventing us from achieving our goal," said Samuelson.