Jeanne Zimmerman: Homelessness can happen to anyone, even you

This commentary is by Jeanne Zimmerman of South Burlington, a retired educator and a clinical mental health and addictions counselor.

We have been hearing reports on homelessness in Vermont for 20-plus years. The problem continues to accelerate with this latest round of evictions of individuals and families from motels in September. They are but the tip of the iceberg of community members the state has moved to the streets since motel housing was first expanded during Covid.

At best, the use of the word “eviction” serves to downplay actions that deliberately move increasing numbers of people into the dangerous and frightening realm of homelessness.

We have known for decades that the vast majority of unsheltered individuals will experience repeated traumas that are directly correlated to the reality of unsheltered living: It is traumatizing and disabling to have no safe place to sleep or store belongings, unsheltered from extreme weather, hungry and dirty because there is no place to keep or prepare food, no place to shower or use the toilet, with little hope for better circumstances. 

Some seek to dismiss those who are unsheltered as non-contributing members of our community, saying that people who are homeless do not work or go to school. That is simply not the case. Many struggle to continue employment and school while unsheltered.

Some say there is no reason to help those who are not working for a living. Have our lawmakers and the general public considered how they might seek, interview for, find and keep a job without clean clothes, a place to sleep or charge a phone to set an alarm, not enough to eat? How they might even get to work on time or get the kids to school, with the increasing lack of affordable and adequate public transportation here in Vermont? 

Homelessness is not a character defect, nor necessarily engendered by specific actions one takes. It is often the ‘luck of the draw’ and can happen to anyone, even you and me. The ever-rising cost of housing plays a pivotal role. Some people are expelled from rentals by landlord conversions to short-term Airbnb’s to turn higher profits. Others, due to ever-rising housing costs, job cuts, or unexpected medical expenses become unable to pay their rent or mortgage.

Some, also due to medical reasons, remain caught in the opioid epidemic, trapped in a system offering little empathy or hope, long-term treatment, post-treatment support or housing necessary for safe recovery. Given that so many believe that substance use is a major cause of, or “reason” for, homelessness, let’s acknowledge how homelessness increases substance use. Exacerbating this problem is the lack of adequate substance use treatment in Vermont as compared to other states.

Thousands in Vermont are homeless and most definitely have not ‘found other places to stay’ as Gov. Scott suggested. They are “staying” outdoors, rough “camping,” unprotected from weather, theft or violence. And these are the “lucky” ones.

Others sleep in parking garages, waking to find they have been robbed of everything they own, which is likely comprised of only what they are able to carry, such as a backpack and phone. Others sleep in doorways, church steps or on the street, in abandoned and unsafe buildings or stairways, are often roused by violence, weather or police, asking them to “move on.” To where? Sometimes people walk all night long, afraid to lay down, exposed in the night to predators. 

These are members of our communities who have fallen into tragically difficult times: people we’ve known, people who are known and loved by our neighbors and other community members, people who did not “choose” this life circumstance. They want exactly what we want: to be included and contributing, holding jobs, paying the rent or mortgage, sending their kids to school, volunteering with local organizations, paying their taxes, contributing to the greater good. They want to be involved and respect, and the first thing they need is a safe place to live while rebuilding their lives.

Aggregate sheltering is not the answer. People who have PTSD due to homelessness and other traumas, along with children, elders and those with active substance challenges or disabilities with cognition or mobility, cannot be safely housed in large common rooms with no personal or familial privacy, nor place to store belongings while they go to school, work or seek employment. At a bare minimum individuals and families need separate rooms, a place to be sheltered in both day and nighttime, and on-site staff to assist those struggling to relearn pro-social behaviors, with connections to and the support of groups who can offer assistance while people work towards permanent housing. 

There has been some local progress in retrofitting older or privately owned hotels into small apartments. There are vacant buildings that may be able to be redone — one creative example is the retrofitting of the parking garage in Bellows Falls. Let’s continue this work, using similar opportunities to increase housing stock for people exiting homelessness and for working lower-income families and individuals.

Try to imagine yourself in their shoes, and consider seriously the hopelessness, fear and suffering we are actively allowing. Please stand with those calling on our legislators to house all of those struggling with homelessness. Housing is a human right, not a privilege reserved for the fortunate.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Jeanne Zimmerman: Homelessness can happen to anyone, even you.