BRATTLEBORO – Brattleboro’s Continuum of Care group is conducting a Tent and Sleeping Bag Drive in response to anticipated increases in people experiencing homelessness. July 1st marks another round of budget cuts by the Vermont Legislature, reducing services for General Assistance emergency temporary housing statewide. The last-resort program, which provides limited emergency motel vouchers for elderly and disabled homeless individuals and homeless families with young children, continues to experience cuts. This year, it means many families and individuals who currently qualify will be ineligible for services starting July 1st, and those who do qualify will see the length of their motel stay drastically reduced.
With Morningside Shelter operating at capacity with a year-round waiting list, and the closure of the wintertime Overflow Shelter in April, our community safety net for emergency housing is stretched beyond capacity.
As a response to the increased need, members of the Brattleboro Continuum of Care group are teaming up to run a Tent and Sleeping Bag Drive. The Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center reports that they have already had at least ten calls asking for tents and sleeping bags, and the need is expected to rise with the July 1st cuts to General Assistance.
Those with tents and sleeping bags to contribute may drop them off at the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, 60 South Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301 (phone: 802-257-5415). Cash donations for the purchase of tents and sleeping bags are also greatly appreciated. Checks may be made out to the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, and mailed to the address above. (Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.)
The Brattleboro Continuum of Care group is made up of representatives from groups including Morningside Shelter, the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), Youth Services, Children’s Integrative Services, the Women’s Freedom Center, Brattleboro Housing Authority, Windham and Windsor Housing Trust, the Veterans Administration (VA), Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing, and Vermont’s Agency of Human Services. The group meets monthly to collaborate on systemic responses to homelessness in the Brattleboro area.
Libby Bennett
Development Director
Morningside Shelter
81 Royal Road | PO Box 370
Brattleboro, VT 05302
P: (802) 257-0066 x101
F: (802) 257-0286
lbennett@morningsideshelter.org
More on the subject
Homeless Advocates Balk at New Motel Housing Rules (via Off Message; 7Days; 6/28/2013), here.
Why can't public schools with showers be used at night?
Why can’t public schools with showers be used at night for homeless people to sleep in?
You can’t say homeless people are too dirty to sleep in a public school because they can take a shower in the gym bathroom.
There is plenty of floor space in the gym to spread out a blanket and sleep on.
It would encourage children in the community to work harder on their studies, if they know, that someday, they too, could end up homeless if they don’t apply themselves.
What about the Constitution of the State of Vermont which quite clearly states that prisoners are to work for the public in view of the public?
The money the non-profit groups gather for the homeless could be used to buy a lot of land several acres large with a stream on the property, and ask the prisoners to cut down the trees and build log cabins and out-houses, and fireplaces with rocks from the ground.
Scared Rich
“It would encourage children in the community to work harder on their studies, if they know, that someday, they too, could end up homeless if they don’t apply themselves.”
Wow, great idea, we can call it the “Scared Smarter & Richer Program” . . . . . .
A little confused about this
A little confused about this one
“The money the non-profit groups gather for the homeless could be used to buy a lot of land several acres large with a stream on the property, and ask the prisoners to cut down the trees and build log cabins and out-houses, and fireplaces with rocks from the ground.”
Are you confusing or mixing up homeless and prisoners? Or are you suggesting we bring back debtor prisons hence the homeless will become the prisoners?
Being homeless has little to
Being homeless has little to do with whether or not people ‘apply” themselves. It has to do with economic situations; with social service programs being cut(even people who ‘apply’ themselves use many social service programs); with mental health issues- anyone could -given the perfect storm of unfortunate situations- become homeless. Your idea that the homeless should be allowed to sleep in schools so that the students would see them and then not want to become them is punitive and Dickensonian. Nobody WANTS to be homeless. As a society we continuously fail our most vulnerable populations and the homeless are a part of that.More and more families with children are becoming homeless. Can you even begin to imagine what it must be like to not be able to provide a safe bed for your child? They don’t need to be made examples of. And, just for the record – homeless doesn’t always equal “dirty”
Really?
I have to say, I find this comment to be pretty offensive, not to mention ignorant. Who is to say that a homeless person has not applied themselves? Sometimes bad things happen to good people.
I will not even address the likening of the homeless to prisoners in this post…..
Really?
Reformer Article
icymi (in case you missed it), fyi:
Relief for those with nowhere else to turn (via Brattleboro Reformer; 6/29/2013), here.
Yet more ...
news coverage: vtdigger, here; and, WCAX, here.