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Parents, providers ask Vermont committee for capital funding to build housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Summary
Parents and program leaders told the House Committee on General & Housing that Vermont lacks specialized, permanent housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), that three pilot projects need capital to proceed, and that the state’s reliance on shared living and aging parents is unsustainable.
Marla McQuiston, a parent and organizer with the Developmental Disabilities Housing Initiative, told the House Committee on General & Housing on Jan. 17 that three pilot projects funded for planning need construction funding so adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can remain in their communities.
“The Champlain Housing Trust in Burlington is still needing $2.8 million,” McQuiston said, asking the committee to consider capital investment so the planned project can move from design to construction.
McQuiston said Vermont’s reliance on shared living (home-based community supports) and aging parents to provide housing is not keeping pace with demand. She cited a 2022 brief from the Developmental Disabilities Council that estimated a statewide need of 602 units for adults with IDD and said that figure is likely low.
The request followed a presentation from Hannah Schwartz, founder of Heartbeat Lifesharing, who described Riverflow Community, a nonprofit program that used Act 186 planning funds to renovate a house and…
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