homelessness

From the Mayor's Office and Burlington Parks Rec and Waterfront:

Mayor Miro Weinberger and community partners provide an update on the progress of several initiatives to support people living without shelter in the community, including the Administration’s proposal to create a temporary winter warming shelter for the cold weather season.

With Mayor Miro Weinberger; Sarah Russell, Special Asst. to End Homelessness, City of Burlington; Paul Dragon, Executive Director, CVOEO; Michelle Caver, VFW Post 782; and Miranda Gray, Deputy Commissioner of Economic Services Division, Department for Children and Families.  

From the organizer:

The Chittenden County Homeless Alliance (CCHA) is holding a community meeting on Thursday, June 8th at 4:30 in the South Burlington Library. The CCHA is comprised of individuals and organizations in Chittenden County who provide support services and resources for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability and who want to work together to make homelessness rare and brief. The CCHA meets monthly, we hold two community meetings every year with the goals of 1.) Providing information to the community about how the organizations are working together to make homelessness rare and brief in the community and 2.) Encouraging community members to participate with the CCHA for advocacy and to ensure our work is informed and guided by members of the community.

The CCHA is particularly interested in our work being informed and guided by community members with have lived experience of homelessness. This input will help inform and improve the services the organizations provide in the community and guides strategic planning and resource allocation. 

From CVOEO and Vermont Folklife:

"In Our Words, In Our Community" is a collaborative public arts and humanities exhibit created by Vermont Folklife and photographer Macaulay Lerman, in partnership with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, that amplifies the voices of our neighbors experiencing the complex dynamics of homelessness, food insecurity, and economic challenges. This exhibit is guided by direct input from a group of Vermonters and the social service workers who aim to address their daily needs.

"In Our Words, In Our Community" opens a window into the wide range of lived experiences in our region. Vermont has the second-highest per capita rate of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. This statistic reflects a painful and difficult fact–as Vermonters we all face economic injustice because we are one community. None of us succeed until we all succeed. Through "In Our Words, In Our Community" we work to challenge well-worn narratives about poverty, and to foster a deeper understanding of the experiences and perspectives of those who are often overlooked.

From VICII:

Burlington has often been called one of the most liveable cities in the United States. Yet, even in a cold Vermont winter, unhoused people are without shelter and support from their city. This winter City authorities made the situation worse for those unhoused people who had formed a community in Sears Lane. In a surprise move, the City bulldozed this encampment summarily and sent the residents to the streets. In this questionable process the City destroyed the belongings of the residents, some of it priceless, like photographs, tents, and art work.

For more information: vicii.org