Housing and Homelessness Alliance urges lifting General Assistance caps, renews statewide funding asks

Frank Mack, executive director of the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, told the General & Housing Committee on Jan. 15 that Vermont’s emergency housing system is overwhelmed and urged legislators to remove recent caps on the General Assistance emergency housing program and maintain funding for homelessness prevention and housing production.

Mack said Vermont recorded a “record number” in the point‑in‑time count released last year — reported during his testimony as 35100 — while the state’s emergency shelter capacity is 585 beds. “We literally had families with children being given tents and saying goodbye,” Mack said, describing how caps introduced last session forced exits from hotel and motel placements.

The Alliance framed its priorities across three “buckets”: emergency shelter and homelessness response; services to keep people housed; and production of permanently affordable housing. Mack said the organization backs continuation of the hotel‑motel backstop — commonly called the General…