Recovery partners, residents press committee to include funding for certified recovery residences in FY26 budget

Candice Gale, director of community relations for the Vermont Foundation of Recovery, told the House Committee on Human Services that Recovery Partners of Vermont is seeking increases to state funding for certified recovery residences and related supports in the FY26 budget and in bill H.218.

"Vermont certified recovery residences are structured, supportive homes designed to help individuals sustain their recovery," Gale said, describing residences as peer-led, accountable settings that provide a step between intensive treatment and fully independent living.

Gale asked legislators to include a $360,000 increase in base funding for certified recovery residences in the FY26 state budget. She also asked the committee to support three items tied to opioid-settlement and governor priorities in H.218: adding $300,000 to an existing $1,200,000 base in the bill, a $325,000 scholarship pool to cover first-month fees for people entering recovery housing, and support for a $1,000,000 governor-recommended stabilization-bed allocation. Gale said an additional $300,000 from the Opiate Abatement…