DCF: Green Mountain Youth Campus delayed; Red Clover running as interim bridge while SRTF costs remain uncertain

Deputy Commissioner Erica Radke of the Department for Children and Families said the state's planned Green Mountain Youth Campus has been delayed because of local zoning and permitting issues and that the agency is using Red Clover as a temporary, secure stabilization site.

Radke said DCF and the Buildings and General Services commissioner are "actively engaged" with the town to "see a path forward" for siting the campus, but added the permitting and zoning process has "definitely slowed" the timeline and that a two-year horizon is "on the optimistic side."

Nut graf: The committee pressed DCF about program oversight, contractor histories and near-term capacity while DCF's financial director, Megan Smeaton, described uncertainty in next-year costs for the secure residential treatment facility (SRTF) appropriation. DCF officials said Red Clover is fully staffed and serving up to four youth, while other temporary programs face provider-recruitment challenges.

What DCF said about sites and capacity

Radke said the agency wants the Green Mountain Youth Campus to be sited in Vergennes but that town-level zoning and permitting—and clarifying what the town wants from a site—have delayed the project. "Until we can get the zoning and then the permitting in place, we really can't move forward," Radke said.

Until a permanent campus is ready, DCF is operating Red Clover in Middlesex as an interim, secure crisis stabilization program. Tyler Allen (DCF staff) said Red Clover is staffed and has four beds; as of the briefing DCF reported all four beds were filled. Allen described stays as highly variable: "We've had youth there as little as 1 day," and at the long end "about 145 days" for a youth who could not immediately step down to other treatment because of legal or placement barriers.

Oversight and contractor questions

Committee members pressed DCF about oversight after public reporting about the histories of companies that operate residential programs. Radke said the department vets providers and that the residential-licensing and special-investigations units were "deeply involved" when Red Clover was established. She said DCF staff make frequent visits: members of DCF's team visit Red Clover "every other week," a member of the commissioner's team visits every other week, and social workers visit monthly.

Allen told the committee that Mount Prospect Academy (New Hampshire), VPI (Southern Vermont) and Sentinel are legally distinct entities that "share leadership" but that Sentinel staff are employed by Sentinel. He said DCF has not received complaints about Red Clover since it opened; DCF acknowledged awareness of separate allegations in southern Vermont that are under active law-enforcement investigation.

Other temporary programs and provider supply

Megan Smeaton described renovations and an RFP process for a two-bed Windham County stabilization program (described at the hearing as the "Wyndham County Scribe Stabilization Program"). She told the committee renovations were underway but that the department had released the RFP three times and so far no provider had been selected.

Budget and financial position for secure residential care

Megan Smeaton, DCF financial director, told the committee there is significant uncertainty around what SRTF costs will look like in fiscal 2026 because timelines and program decisions are still changing. Smeaton said the secure residential treatment facility appropriation included a base appropriation of $3,700,000, a one-time carry forward shown at about $5,600,000 and a one-time appropriation of about $4,600,000 carried from prior years. She said the department has a Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) vehicle to address known pressures if costs materialize.

Smeaton also said a VCIN bed dedicated for DCF youth with developmental disabilities has historically been funded in part by the global-commitment program (Medicaid), and that DCF is exploring whether that cost category should be moved out of the SRTF appropriation and covered by global commitment instead.

Requested follow-ups and clarifications

Committee members requested corrected metadata for a recently submitted DCF report (the report pages showed a due date of Jan. 15 but were submitted March 27) and asked DCF to confirm a) how many youth from Vermont are currently placed out of state and b) how many would be served in state if full capacity were available. DCF said it would provide those numbers after the hearing.

Committee members also asked DCF to follow up on transport forms and the use of mechanical restraints (shackling) during transport; DCF said the data may require a manual review of transport forms to identify restraint usage and will report back.

Ending: what the committee will watch next

Committee members said they will continue oversight as the budget process proceeds and as DCF refines plans for Green Mountain, other interim programs and procurement for provider-operated stabilization beds. DCF said Red Clover will remain open as a bridge to the permanent campus and that officials will continue routine site visits and licensing oversight.

Quotes in this article are taken from the committee hearing transcript and are attributed to speakers identified below.