At CVOEO, we believe in collaboration and transparency. That’s why every week Executive Director, Paul Dragon, shares a roundup of updates and initiatives to keep everyone, from our 300+ team members to the broader community we serve, informed and connected. Here’s what’s new this week!
This commentary submitted to VTDigger is by Paul Dragon, Executive Director, CVOEO. Food, fuel and shelter are not luxuries. They are necessities.
At CVOEO, we believe in collaboration and transparency. That’s why every week Executive Director, Paul Dragon, shares a roundup of updates and initiatives to keep everyone, from our 300+ team members to the broader community we serve, informed and connected. Here’s what’s new this week!
Advocates for the homeless say Vermont is in the midst of a “humanitarian crisis” when it comes to the number of unhoused people statewide. The 2025 Vermont State of Homelessness Report, released on Wednesday, shows record-breaking numbers of homeless residents and a system overwhelmed by demand.
Vermont is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, according to a new statewide report released today. 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.
Fourteen years after she opened her Mexican restaurant on lower Church Street in Burlington, Tree Bertram sold El Gato Cantina's Essex Junction restaurant and food truck business to employee Javier Zirko on July 1. She helped Zirko write his business plan, and he worked with the CVOEO to secure funding.
"Despite the current narrative in this country - homelessness isn’t a personal failure, even as we acknowledge the important role of personal responsibility. Homelessness is the consequence of systems that aren’t meeting people’s basic needs." At a press conference held on July 30, 2025 concerning the 2025 Point in Time Count Report and the most recent Coordinated Entry data, CVOEO's Executive Director, Paul Dragon, was among those who spoke.
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.
Vermont is among 20 states that filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration’s decision to restrict the Head Start program based on immigration status, claiming it violates federal law.
On June 28, over 30 Vermont-based homelessness prevention and response organizations issued an urgent appeal to Governor Phil Scott, calling for immediate and decisive action to address a looming crisis facing nearly 1,000 vulnerable Vermonters at risk of losing emergency shelter by July 1. As of this morning, there has been no substantive response from the Governor.