2025 Vermont State of Homelessness Report Reveals Alarming Scope of Homelessness Across Vermont

2025 Vermont State of Homelessness Report Reveals Alarming Scope of Homelessness Across Vermont

Report Uses 2025 Point in Time Count Data and Most Recent Coordinated Entry Data to Provide Detailed Study of Homelessness in Vermont

Montpelier, VT - Vermont is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, according to a new statewide report released today by the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, Chittenden County Homeless Alliance, and the Vermont Balance of State Continuum of Care. The report shows record-breaking numbers of unsheltered homeless residents and a homelessness response system overwhelmed by demand and undercut by funding cuts and affordable housing shortages. The 2025 Vermont State of Homelessness Report, released today, paints a stark and urgent picture of a state at a moral crossroads.

“This report makes one thing clear - we’re at a breaking point,” said Sarah Russell, Special Assistant to End Homelessness for the City of Burlington and Co-Chair of the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance. “While communities continue to work diligently to secure permanent housing for our neighbors, our rates of homelessness are not reducing. Shelters are overwhelmed, and temporary solutions are being dismantled faster than permanent ones are built. Without bold, immediate action, more Vermonters will be pushed into crisis.”

On a single night in January 2025, 3,386 Vermonters were identified as experiencing homelessness, including 633 children and 215 seniors over the age of 65, according to the state’s federally mandated Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. This number marks a more than 200% increase in homelessness since 2020.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Paul Dragon, Executive Director, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO). “This crisis is the direct result of long-standing policy failures and underinvestment in affordable housing and homelessness prevention services. We are witnessing the human cost of those decisions.”

The report highlights that Vermont’s shelter system is operating well beyond its capacity. The state’s current shelter capacity is just 602 households - a small fraction of the need. Meanwhile, Vermont’s only statewide emergency housing backstop - the General Assistance Emergency Housing Program - has seen deep cuts, now serving just 1,017 people, down from more than 2,200 in March.

“We continue to do all we can to support people in need, but our shelters are at capacity, staff are working tirelessly, and the demand for services continues to rise,” said Taylor Thibault, Co-Chair of Chittenden County Homeless Alliance. “The pandemic showed us that when Vermont prioritized basic dignity and well-being, it made a meaningful difference. As we look ahead, we hope to see policies that reflect the current reality - recognizing that housing supports health, fosters stability, and upholds human dignity.”

The report also draws from Vermont’s Coordinated Entry system, which captures a more comprehensive snapshot of unhoused individuals throughout the year. As of June 2025, at least 4,588 Vermonters - including more than 1,000 children and 269 seniors - are currently experiencing homelessness. Disturbingly, more than three-quarters of unhoused Vermonters have been without permanent housing for over 90 days, and nearly one-third have been unhoused for more than a year.

“These numbers aren’t just data - they represent our neighbors, children, and elders who are living without shelter. The crisis is no longer looming; it’s here, and Vermont’s response must match its scale,” said Kim Anetsberger, Executive Director of Lamoille Community House and co-chair of the Balance of State Continuum of Care. “We are long past the point where temporary fixes are enough. Without urgent and sustained investment in permanently affordable housing and emergency shelter, more Vermonters will be left outside, and more lives will be lost.”

The report draws a direct line between state-level policy decisions and the increase in unsheltered homelessness. For example, changes to eligibility rules in the GA Emergency Housing program during the winter of 2024–2025 left hundreds without access to emergency shelter on the coldest nights of the year.

“Every day I meet families who are doing everything right - working, caring for their kids, trying to stay afloat - and still end up in a motel or on the street,” said Mary Gerish, Bennington Housing Authority & Co-Chair of the VT Balance of State Continuum of Care. “This system sets people up to fail, and we need to change that.”

The report concludes with a series of urgent recommendations for lawmakers and the Governor, including:

• A long-term funding strategy for permanently affordable housing, including homes dedicated to those exiting homelessness;
• Expanded emergency shelter capacity, designed to meet the complex needs of people with disabilities, children, and those with mental health or substance use challenges;
• Stronger homelessness prevention tools, such as eviction defense, rental assistance, and supportive services; and
• Ending harmful policies that criminalize and stigmatize poverty and drug use.

“This is not a crisis of scarcity - it’s a crisis of will,” said Frank Knaack, executive director of the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont. “We can either continue on the current path - where more and more of our most vulnerable neighbors are forced to live in cars, tents, or other unsafe places - or we can choose bold, sustained action to end homelessness. We know exactly what works. All we lack is the political commitment to act.”

The 2025 Vermont State of Homelessness Report can be found here.