[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},"mediaId",6330011,"mediaKeyId","2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a","parentId",2315216,"title","End Homelessness Vermont: hotel exits led to deaths and crisis; group urges housing-first, tiny-home pilots and alternative vouchers","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",4150000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a&start=4150&end=4150","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a/thumbnail_4150000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6330011/Vermont/End-Homelessness-Vermont-hotel-exits-led-to-deaths-and-crisis-group-urges-housing-first-tiny-home-pilots-and-alternative-vouchers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6330011-01e8ce3dfb800d8a0ad17373be6295ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156101&Signature=Zb2VqUX-H8u4LbrxJUJefe2OSjucSX14BiiDBQGOmsnCywZkB3Ru4oNMRDyXE5IsL~gfLH73ID6GGUzEX0rYlXioZpiEO7~b4PryZc1A5xp5zZIBIFR7l5298NRjCQDiw5FMYRZJtjg8nAPSWuWGGG7oQw01BC~L-91LmWqD-nB0mWCzmHlZsVOM-3wOPWC3jc3UMagU8dtqJr3mXFNnFsB1W74ymXylHq99Wfxe2BMVUppO~lRt3T8OcLtA8zXlO76pQ-D0IXKvGr5HzDhNqwhkUI8weQ7zZ8xEWj7X9VGQCfZjX18MdrzhVxRpZyNYE5W1dAxrocsaOxSV7kYB6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-14T14:01:46Z","article","Brenda Siegel, executive director of End Homelessness Vermont, told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that the state’s recent practice of allowing large cohorts to exit hotel shelter led to catastrophic health outcomes, hospitalizations and deaths.

“We had 7 of our clients die. Every client who died absolutely could have been housed,” Siegel said, recounting the fall period when many clients lost shelter and staff scrambled to respond.

Key findings and data from Siegel’s testimony:

- Phone and casework volume: Since last June, End Homelessness Vermont received roughly 2,000 calls; in January the organization made about 680 outgoing calls and processed about 50 incoming calls and roughly 80 voucher renewals.

- Interview and research program: The group completed an initial interview phase (76 individuals in June 2023) and a second phase (more than 200 interviews from September 2023 to February 2024) probing pathways into homelessness, childhood experiences and service barriers. Siegel said the data indicate high childhood adversity: about a quarter of interviewees had been in foster care and roughly another quarter first experienced homelessness as children (these two groups largely did not overlap).

- Health and safety outcomes during the unsheltering period: Siegel described multiple clients hospitalized for hypothermia, severe infections and other conditions resulting from sleeping rough, including one person whose oxygen level fell to 45 and another who required open-heart surgery after an infection traced to unsheltered living conditions.

- Cost comparisons: Citing a 2017 national estimate (adjusted as a conservative benchmark), Siegel said an unsheltered person costs roughly $35,000 per year in public costs. Using that figure for the current cohort in the “Love Hotel” program (1,425 households; about 2,280 people), she calculated a conservative unsheltered annual cost of roughly $79,800,000 compared with about $45–$49 million to shelter the same population in hotels.

Policy recommendations Siegel presented to the committee:

- Emphasize housing-first with robust voluntary services and the ability to rehouse people if a first placement is not suitable.

- Pilot and scale tiny-home villages that provide kitchens and bathrooms (not pods), using municipal or state land where possible and ensuring proper zoning and ongoing supports. Siegel recommended three pilot sites with mixed-income design; she said capital costs would be comparable to current emergency shelter spending but provide permanent housing.

- Create an alternative housing voucher model for people who do not fit the traditional voucher eligibility; allow emergency housing vouchers to be used for apartments that meet reasonable health, safety and rent-standard checks.

- Fund an Office of Housing Advocate to expand the organization’s capacity; End Homelessness Vermont currently operates with 2.5 staff and argued for more resources to provide statewide casework and advocacy.

Siegel emphasized that homelessness is solvable with the right mix of housing supply, supportive services and regulatory changes that allow adaptive, lower-cost permanent options. “Homelessness is a solvable problem. It is a housing problem,” she said.

Ending: Siegel asked lawmakers to craft a bold housing package this session that includes prevention, affordable permanent options, alternative voucher models and supports to keep people housed.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Economic Development - 2025-02-14-9:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Brenda Siegel of End Homelessness Vermont told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that unsheltering people this fall caused preventable deaths and medical emergencies, and urged lawmakers to pursue housing-first practices, tiny-home pilots, alternative rental vouchers and funding for an Office of Housing Advocate.","taxTitle","Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",37662,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},6330015,"Vermont Huts Association pitches 485-mile Velomont trail and hut network, links recreation to conservation",503,3581000,4084000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a&start=3581&end=4084","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a/thumbnail_3581000.jpg","/articles/6330015/Vermont/Vermont-Huts-Association-pitches-485-mile-Velomont-trail-and-hut-network-links-recreation-to-conservation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6330015-4c211b44d9f670985b9cc680d96519b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156101&Signature=BrgqPzxSoJcGoUGK~4KwZxcRU-msYUHbmeC7P21reeaAk-Whi-Fph1n6hKOh4LPH-hC7W-ozJrjeVOJds1JC4YkereLG6zLYllX21M8RzgPZotI01Lk~OJdA2Y0lLpeV9aGqhxcreTqW-nQFKXqUXTayFLKWENEM5F5wj96SGcwNAKPiOBpqBWG7jJLHUlDqX5-K9YCuIb7n5YJRaMolpk70ripwv3A~WxSFPNSu4-O1KyK4DNcCGJMjVDbRZydASvpvhUhwZ3Zf0KmL7JQv~1HKNFweHGxUOkN9PReWWO1Z0tQJV28-cPhmJWolPZ97U4XEZxIgGYYuITWtruBjIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","RJ Thompson, executive director of the Vermont Huts Association, outlined plans for the Velomont trail and a related hut-and-hostel network during testimony to the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee.

“When this project is finished, it will be about 485 miles from Canada to Massachusetts,” Thompson said, describing a multiuse corridor optimized for mountain biking while remaining accessible to hikers and skiers.

Project and conservation goals: Thompson said the Velomont links existing trails, town centers and backcountry huts. The association currently operates 15 huts and expected three more to break ground in 2025; when complete, the Velomont would host roughly 30–45 huts and downtown hostels, some with long-term housing units.

Economic and workforce impacts: Thompson presented 2020-era estimates indicating roughly 35,000 annual visits and about $6 million in annual sales activity tied to the trail corridor, along with an anticipated payroll and training effect for several hundred young workers building and maintaining huts and trail segments.

Conservation examples: Thompson cited the Rolston Rest parcel (roughly 2,700 acres across Chittenden, Mendon and Killington) and a 735-acre community forest near the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail as instances where recreation-focused projects supported land protection. He said the Velomont could catalyze conservation of roughly 200,000 acres by linking trail corridors and conserved parcels.

Ending: Thompson asked the committee to support the VHCB statutory funding request and asked lawmakers to consider regulatory changes that would reduce permitting delays for trail conservation and recreation projects. “Protecting the corridor and parcels through which the trail will pass will absolutely ensure Vermonters have continued access to this expanding public resource,” he said.","RJ Thompson, executive director of Vermont Huts Association, told the committee the Velomont — a multiuse trail routed into rural towns with huts and hostels — could expand outdoor access, support conservation of large tracts and produce economic activity along the route.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},6330020,"Cathedral Square outlines senior housing openings, geothermal pilot and asks for VHCB support",628,2849000,3477000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a&start=2849&end=3477","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a/thumbnail_2849000.jpg","/articles/6330020/Vermont/Cathedral-Square-outlines-senior-housing-openings-geothermal-pilot-and-asks-for-VHCB-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6330020-59d5bc67248fa0c588b4322c2594f85b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156101&Signature=IXItrLdk4xe8Yn~AW4E-IGPysHDfGvLE6-Ntp-Yo1hTMb3Oa3916PkS3KQ11gmkBPci53ibY3XHKcDpQbWAC-e7P8yZrdKIdLmg5j1AhAC0IPphc8uVRW3vvnwFEQZHZncYOMJ1GeQM4sEOgdXbqrU11qlE5HIHY2zj1kHquWmu34ShQe6SYpOn9uigU86T1xqzioutQ2RKGy4jUUYGZjQXV5eh3~7U4AK6ke81fE16jWnvvWSZ9UcA~Tw2-2WE9K96Jfwrhtdl2qX4MbE5pgYc~1RwnQzskbR9SsfZ1GvcKfrV6Gad3yMm2u~Od~ADEivuFmBEIxQhsJb77nBEhWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cindy Reed, real estate developer with Cathedral Square, briefed the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on multiple senior housing projects and building features intended to extend affordability and reduce long-term costs.

“We're very excited that we've moved new residents into Kelly's Field 2 in Hinesburg,” Reed said, describing a 24-unit small-housing community adjacent to a previous 24-unit building that together form a 48-unit campus with on-site services.

Nut graf: Reed told the committee Cathedral Square projects are designed to serve older adults, include on-site services such as SASH (Support and Services at Home) and housing-retention work (SHINES), and incorporate energy-efficiency investments. She also reiterated the sector’s request that the legislature fully fund the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board at its statutory share.

Project updates Reed provided:

- Kelly's Field 2 (Hinesburg): 24 units, soon moving in, five units filled by people coming from homelessness.

- Reed Commons (St. Albans): a 33-unit project under construction in a cleaned-up brownfield neighborhood; Reed said the building is slated to open in August and will include a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, SASH services and rental-assistance vouchers for very low-income residents.

- Mabelwood Commons (Rutland) and Massingdale projects: Cathedral Square and partners are serving neighborhoods with mixed-income developments and efforts to connect residents to jobs and services.

Reed said Cathedral Square is using an energy-efficient geothermal system in a recent project and that the per-unit development cost for that building is in the mid six-figures: “It's 560,000 per unit,” she said, adding that a federal investment tax credit for the geothermal system contributed about $1.2 million of leverage for that project.

On accessibility and design: Reed highlighted elevators, step-in showers and other universal-design elements intended for aging-in-place residents, and stressed that on-site services and eviction-prevention efforts reduce returns to homelessness.

Ending: Reed asked the committee to support funding for VHCB and to consider regulatory relief that has shortened permitting timelines in downtowns and village centers, steps she said have helped multiple Cathedral Square projects reach construction and preserve affordability.","Cathedral Square described recent moves-in at a Hinesburg senior project, progress on Reed Commons in St. Albans and conceptual village-center work in Highgate, and asked lawmakers to support VHCB funding and regulatory relief to speed projects.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":55,"_73":55},6330024,"Housing developers urge lawmakers to fund VHCB, extend permanent affordability to protect units",2718,92000,2810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a&start=92&end=2810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2315216-91aa93487415b3432563702656f6120a/thumbnail_92000.jpg","/articles/6330024/Vermont/Housing-developers-urge-lawmakers-to-fund-VHCB-extend-permanent-affordability-to-protect-units","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6330024-cebfc3ca23f7516f85c30796fad4a529/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156101&Signature=Cccbl1iir4WUdk2~6WaIzSbQxKd61xPXj2jezh64wQo~iVAKP2xaTJ~Ja~AEXOX0iHQ1JwOeQZpU3LVX5OksNPJemPZUIztMRI0mteRJfhiYz~3Uvi-PHgYRTVb3yFD73rb2SykzCsYpDxqh1g7XSJYvayy~mgWUhCVAg86Ha-olsRfdwRS4sHRRzdR1aszjeSueqkpOKQxAyoY9dwO~LYf0sCiVSnqvUQB0mBkPhDtwaeK7ceMKmcYLI-g4wsQN73ru6lkOXBYByoSSN~m3guKroVyFjx7fKBmQTiO3Qsk~dNpER7oORdIC3aJag3FHYuKGLzaa0bEU5THXsk8TAg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nancy Owens, president and cofounder of Evernorth, told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on Valentine’s Day that permanent affordability covenants and steady state funding are essential to preserve Vermont’s affordable housing stock.

“Permanent affordability is a value and a policy that we committed to right from the start,” Owens said, describing projects Evernorth has developed and financed across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Owens said VHCB and other state resources have leveraged private bank equity and federal tax credits to fund thousands of units. She told the committee that, since 2020, VHCB-funded activity has supported 2,275 multifamily rental homes in Vermont, including roughly 1,900 newly created units and almost 700 reserved for people exiting homelessness.

Why it matters: Owens warned that when affordability covenants expire, units can convert to market rate and be lost to the low-income housing inventory. She argued that extending or preserving affordability reduces long-term replacement costs and protects residents who otherwise could be displaced.

Key points Owens offered to the committee:

- Many states’ housing finance agencies lengthen federal minimums; federal low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) programs typically require a 30-year covenant, while some HFAs incentivize or require longer periods.

- Evernorth’s internal 2023–2025 review of 18 tax-credit transactions found an average total development cost (TDC) per unit of about $524,000 in Vermont compared with roughly $424,000–$430,000 per unit in Maine and New Hampshire — a gap Owens described as “about $100,000 a project, not 50%.” She cited labor availability, regulatory timelines, density and qualified allocation plan (QAP) cost-cap differences as contributing factors.

- Preservation can be less expensive than replacement: Owens used Wickham Woods, a senior project in Essex, as an example. She said nonprofits acquired and renovated the property in 2003 for $3.35 million (about $72,000 per unit at that time), later added units, and are now financing another round of investment costing roughly $173,000 per unit; the total per-unit capital investment to preserve the 65 homes is now roughly $245,000 per unit.

Owens pressed for a longer-term financing strategy and argued for a state-level leveraging fund to work with 4% bond credits to preserve existing properties. “We need a long term plan, right, where we consistently are funding groups like VHCB to use as this leverage with the 4% credit,” she said.

Committee context and request: Owens and other witnesses repeated an ask that the legislature fund the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board at its statutory share — roughly $36,900,000 for fiscal year 2026 — and consider regulatory changes to speed permitting and allow density bonuses for projects that combine housing and conservation aims.

Ending: Owens said she would supply the committee with transaction-level data comparing closed tax-credit projects in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire to help lawmakers quantify drivers of the cost gap.

","Evernorth and partners told the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that permanent affordability covenants, consistent VHCB funding and targeted preservation financing are necessary to prevent loss of existing affordable units and to stretch state dollars.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

End Homelessness Vermont: hotel exits led to deaths and crisis; group urges housing-first, tiny-home pilots and alternative vouchers

Vermont Huts Association pitches 485-mile Velomont trail and hut network, links recreation to conservation

Cathedral Square outlines senior housing openings, geothermal pilot and asks for VHCB support

Housing developers urge lawmakers to fund VHCB, extend permanent affordability to protect units