New Recovery Shelter Opens in Burlington to Address Addiction Homelessness
The Bridges Recovery Shelter will provide clinicians, recovery support, and a sober environment for unhoused individuals in recovery.
News, Press, & Perspectives
Bridges Recovery Shelter opening in Burlington; How advocates say it fills a gap in care
The Howard Center, CVOEO, and the Vermont Department of Health have come together to open a new recovery shelter in Burlington. Health care providers have said the space fills a unique gap in care, because the city has not had a shelter dedicated to substance use recovery and sober living.
New shelter addresses ‘real gap in our system’ for unhoused people in recovery from addiction
A new shelter is opening for unhoused people seeking recovery from addiction. Located in the Queen City’s downtown, the Bridges Recovery Shelter will be the first of its kind in Chittenden County and among just a few in the state.
Burlington emergency shelter shields community from the cold
Burlington has opened its emergency cold weather shelter 12 times since December in response to extreme temperatures.
Cold comfort? Unhoused advocates say more support needed during frigid weather
This winter New York, Vermont and much of New England have experienced bone-chilling temperatures, with wind chills dipping past 40-below zero. In Vermont, officials are opening Extreme Cold Weather Shelters for the unhoused when the wind chill reaches 10-below zero.
Soulia: VT emergency housing reform bill scrapped for a bill nobody has seen
Representatives Eric Maguire (R – Rutland-5) and Teresa Wood (D – Washington-Chittenden) introduced H.594, a 30-page bill establishing the Temporary Emergency Housing and Accountability Program for fiscal years 2027 and 2028. On February 3, the House Human Services Committee heard testimony indicating most of its provisions will be replaced by a committee bill that hasn’t been written yet.
Lawmakers working on homeless program bill: Hear from Vermonters who've lived it
People who experienced the state’s “hotel-motel program” told lawmakers what it was like for them and what they hope to see — and not see — in a new bill being contemplated to reform it.
Extreme cold shelter opens in Burlington as temperatures drop
Emergency shelters are activated when there is a risk of below-freezing temperatures. One shelter in Burlington planned for a full house Thursday night. Sarah Russell and her staff at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity have set up an extreme cold weather shelter at the Miller Center in Burlington. She said it has been a hard winter so far, especially for people who do not have somewhere warm to lay their heads.
‘Disaster response’: The extraordinary efforts to prevent homeless Vermonters from freezing to death (VTDigger)
This recent coverage from VTDigger and Vermont Public places CVOEO’s Emergency Cold Weather Shelter within Vermont’s statewide emergency response to rising homelessness, increased unsheltered counts, and reduced emergency motel capacity. Read it for a glimpse into the effort CVOEO staff invest to connect people with this emergency service.
New family shelter opening in Burlington, offering stability and path to permanent housing
A new family shelter in Burlington will be opening its doors to many families on Wednesday to help homeless people find stability and a path to permanent housing. With this pattern of intense winter weather, officials said the new space is definitely needed, and that nine families will be moving into the shelter on Pearl Street in Burlington.