Committee reviews draft revisions to statewide homeless services bill, asks for rate-study and report back before implementation

The committee met to review unedited changes to a draft bill revising statewide homeless services policy, walking through versions 5.1 and 5.2 and flagging edits on definitions, case management, appeals, reporting and payment rates.

Chair opened the session and said the committee would walk through Katie’s edits to the draft and then take feedback from the Vermont Network and the Agency of Human Services. The draft replaces some uses of “continuum of services” with the term “program components,” inserts definitions for “shelter” and “highly structured shelter,” and adds a formal definition of “low-barrier shelter” that emphasizes minimizing entry barriers while preserving case management and housing supports.

Katie, working from draft 5.2, summarized changes to case management: each eligible household would be assigned a lead case manager (with an option to request a change), and services would be informed by household acuity and would include connections to public assistance, health care, employment and…