462 flags encircled the Taylor Park fountain over the weekend, one for every person in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties who was homeless in 2023. “These are our neighbors, people we know and see every day, who spent some portion of last year not knowing where they were going to sleep that night.”
Vermonters are recognizing Homelessness Awareness Day this Thursday. The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity held a vigil in Taylor Park to show support for the unhoused.
St. Albans, VT- Community members in St. Albans joined forces to support those fighting homelessness. A blanket drive organized by the Samaritan House collected over 100 blankets.
The shelter provides temporary housing and assistance for those without homes in Franklin and Grand Isle communities. But Ben Kaufmann, program director at Tim’s House said because of the persisting housing crisis and dropping temperatures, each day has become more difficult to meet demand.
Housing Demystified is an overview of the housing network in Vermont. Each chapter focuses on a different housing topic. This guidebook covers how we talk about and measure our housing shortage in Vermont, what resources exist for people experiencing homelessness, what we mean when we say “affordable housing,” and more.
As the weather turns colder and Vermonters begin looking towards holiday cooking and cozy nights in, NorthWest Family Foods in St. Albans is busy stocking the shelves and feeding the locals.
Leaders and community members are celebrating the reopening of the Community Resource Center after it was closed for about two weeks, as renovations to improve capacity and efficiency are now complete. The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity runs the resource center, as well as Feeding Chittenden in the same building. Leaders commemorated the new renovations on Thursday. Burlington community members now have a bigger space to get services in the Old North End. Phase one renovations on the Community Resource Center have ended, allowing for a higher capacity.
Nominations are open for the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity’s New Hope Award, which honors individuals in Vermont’s New American community.
Kelly Hamshaw and Daniel Baker, senior lecturer and associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences department of Community Development and Applied Economics — with the Mobile Home Program, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity — were awarded a grant to study the urgent needs in Vermont manufactured housing communities impacted by July 2023 flooding.
The low-barrier homeless shelter at Burlington's former Champlain Inn will have new management this fall. On October 2, the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity will take the reins from ANEW Place, the nonprofit that has owned and operated the Shelburne Road shelter for the past four years. The Champlain Housing Trust will assume ownership of the building and manage the property.