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Community action agencies seek $5.9M for homelessness prevention and housing vouchers

Legislative budget committee (referred to in transcript as "the committee") · February 18, 2026

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Summary

Capstone Community Action and VCAP coalition asked the committee to fund case management ($500,000), permanent housing navigators ($1,000,000), concrete supports ($1,250,000), a home voucher program ($1,500,000) and a community resource center ($650,000) to prevent homelessness and sustain low-barrier supports.

Lisonbee Caldurrera, executive director of Capstone Community Action, presented the Vermont Community Action Partnership (VCAP) FY27 request and urged funding to prevent homelessness and expand services statewide. She summarized the ask as: case management and housing retention $500,000; permanent housing navigators $1,000,000; concrete supports $1,250,000; home voucher program $1,500,000; community resource center $650,000; and HOP financial assistance at the BAA level.

Caldurrera said case management FTEs would boost client-centered coordination and long-term stability, while permanent housing navigators would support transitions into sustainable housing. She provided concrete examples of the flexible supports sought: small payments (often $200'$400) for first month's rent, moving expenses, identity-document replacement, propane for campers or emergency car repairs that help people keep or secure housing.

On the home voucher program, Caldurrera said the current, federally-funded program serves about 90 families now (212 households and 373 children served to date) and would end in June; the coalition requests $1.5 million to continue assistance for those families and expand support for up to 45 more families for 24 months. She also highlighted Burlington's Community Resource Center (run by CVOEO) as a low-barrier daytime shelter that served thousands of people and provided thousands of meals last year, requesting targeted support to preserve that hub.

Committee members asked for details about program end dates and funding sources; witnesses said the home-voucher funding is time-limited federal money that expires in June and offered to have program staff provide exact grant details to the committee. No formal committee vote was taken on these requests during the session.