Burlington to open emergency shelter ahead of extreme cold

This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.

The city of Burlington is opening a temporary cold-weather shelter for people experiencing homelessness this weekend, as temperatures are forecast to plummet into the single digits. 

The shelter will be open the evenings of Saturday, Dec. 21, and Sunday, Dec. 22, from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. It will be located at the Miller Center in the city’s New North End neighborhood, at 130 Gosse Court. 

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will provide transportation to the shelter, according to Sarah Russell, Burlington’s special assistant to end homelessness. Pickups will begin at 5 p.m. both nights from the Committee on Temporary Shelters’ Daystation at 95 North Ave. and the Fletcher Free Library.

The low-barrier shelter will be open to adults only, Russell said. Pets will be allowed. Families with children should instead contact 211 or the state’s Department for Children and Families to access Vermont’s motel voucher program, according to Russell.

People in need of shelter do not need to pre-register — there’s no set check-in time and the site will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, Russell said. 

Sleeping arrangements will be set up in the Miller Center gym, Russell said. The space can accommodate up to 100 people, but the city expects around 40-80 individuals will likely use it. 

Meals will be provided in both the evening and morning, Russell said. The shelter will be staffed by a combination of city staff and workers with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Funding support is also coming from the Vermont Agency of Human Services, according to a city press release.

City officials decided to open the emergency shelter because they estimate over 250 people are currently sleeping outside in and around Burlington, according to the release. Efforts to get an additional seasonal shelter up-and-running in the Queen City have been delayed until mid-January. 

And Vermont’s motel voucher program — which acts as a backstop when traditional shelters are full — is full itself. The state turned away 344 households during the first two weeks of December because it lacked enough room to shelter them. 

Read the story on VTDigger here: Burlington to open emergency shelter ahead of extreme cold.