Committee reviews bill to replace general assistance emergency housing with new statewide program

A Vermont House Committee on Health & Welfare meeting on a draft bill to create a new statewide emergency housing program focused on how the state will authorize community action agencies, oversee use of hotels and motels, and report progress to the legislature.

The draft would create a new chapter establishing a program (referred to in the draft as Vihar/VHART) intended to replace emergency housing provided through the state's general assistance program and to move emergency housing toward higher reliance on community-based shelters and permanent supportive housing. The bill text directs the Department for Children and Families (DCF) and the Agency of Human Services (AHS) to set statewide standards, convene regional advisory councils, and conduct implementation and needs-assessment reporting on an accelerated timetable.

Committee members and advocacy groups pressed for clearer funding responsibility, protections for people with disabilities, and workable definitions for who is eligible. Community advocates raised concerns about a proposed domicile requirement that could make it harder for people without IDs or fixed addresses to access services. Ren Siegel of Homelessness Vermont told the committee, "It was an agreement' . . . I worked with Vermont Center for Independent Living," describing edits intended to avoid violating disability rights and the ADA when sheltering people in hotel/motel blocks. Commissioner Chris Winters of DCF said staffing and startup for temporary shelters have proven costly: "It's not inexpensive to set up a shelter," and the department used state properties and out-of-state contractors for recent temporary sites, which increased costs.

Key provisions in the draft bill discussed at length

- Authorization and reauthorization: The department would authorize community action agencies (CAAs) to serve geographically distinct regions if they meet infrastructure, reporting, and…