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 has opened its emergency cold weather shelter 12 times since December in response to extreme temperatures.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Foundations Family Shelter is operated by CVOEO, the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, and CHT, the Champlain Housing Trust.
The City will open an extreme cold weather shelter in partnership with the CVOEO at the Miller Center at 130 Gosse Court in response to the dangerously cold weather forecasted this week.