Cathedral Square outlines HIP pilot to reduce evictions among residents exiting homelessness
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Summary
Cathedral Square CEO Kim Fitzgerald told the Senate Institutions committee about SASH supports and the housing incentive program (HIP) — a five‑year pilot that offers a monthly $50 cash incentive plus $50 placed in escrow for participants exiting homelessness; presenters reported 25 active participants, 145 incentives paid and a fundraising goal of roughly $180,000 to scale to 60 participants.
Cathedral Square on Feb. 13 presented program details aimed at preventing evictions among tenants who previously experienced homelessness.
Kim Fitzgerald, identified in the session as Cathedral Square CEO, said the organization manages 28 properties in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties and currently has about 1,100 units in its portfolio. Fitzgerald described SASH (Support And Services at Home), a wellness and care‑coordination model Cathedral Square helped create, and said federal funding for SASH is scheduled to expire at the end of the federal fiscal year (09/30), a potential funding cliff for embedded clinical services.
Fitzgerald said Cathedral Square recorded 19 eviction starts in an 18‑month span; of those, 12 involved people who had come from homelessness. To reduce recidivism and stabilize tenancies, Cathedral Square developed HIP (Housing Incentive Program), a five‑year menu‑based program for people exiting homelessness that pairs voluntary support services with cash incentives. Under HIP, participants who complete agreed activities and maintain good tenancy receive $50 in cash and have an additional $50 deposited into an escrow account for that month, Fitzgerald said. Program staff described the approach as flexible and tailored: participants choose services from a menu and can propose alternatives that meet their goals.
Fitzgerald reported the pilot currently serves 25 active participants and that Cathedral Square has paid 145 incentives totaling more than $7,000 to date. The organization hopes to scale to 60 participants and estimated it needs roughly $180,000 in fundraising to sustain a five‑year model at that scale. Fitzgerald also said 22 of 25 HIP participants have enrolled in SASH and 15 have met at least once with a mental‑health clinician embedded through SASH supports.
Fitzgerald framed the program as prevention‑oriented, saying early engagement can reduce calls to police and avoid escalation that leads to eviction. She asked legislators to continue supporting programs and funding streams that help providers keep people housed.
What happens next: Cathedral Square will continue fundraising for HIP and sought state support to maintain SASH and other embedded services when federal funding ends.
