The state will once again pay for lodging for low-income Vermonters who experience homelessness in hotels and motels for most of Vermont’s cold season, regardless of daily forecasts.
But that promise of help comes with a number of caveats.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Children and Families’ Bad Weather Policy (informally known as the Cold Weather Policy) took the state to cover the cost of emergency housing in motels during extreme times. Relaxed eligibility for the General Assistance Program. Cold. But the shelter only guaranteed him one day at a time, and its activation was entirely dependent on the weather.
Last year, under pressure to allow hundreds of Vermonters experiencing homelessness who were kicked out of pandemic-era assistance programs back to their motels, the state relaxed its cold weather rules significantly. Those with less than $24,000 may be sheltered in motels from Nov. 22, 2021 to March 1, 2022, regardless of projections, DCF said at the time.
This year, the state made a similar announcement. From December 15th to March 15th, 2023, temporary shelter at motels is available regardless of forecast and can be granted in increments of 30 days maximum.
But that rule won’t take effect for another month. From now until December 15, and from March 15, 2023 to April 15, 2023, emergency housing for the cold will be approved locally based on stringent criteria.
- You should expect the temperature (or wind chill) to drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Temperatures should be forecast to be below 32 degrees and the chance of precipitation should be greater than 50%.
- Based on the towns where DCF’s local offices are located, you should expect either condition to be met for at least three hours between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am.
This is despite the National Weather Service forecasting the first snowstorm of the season for Vermont early Wednesday morning, according to the Washington DCF website, on Wednesday in 11 of the state’s 12 regions. It means that the bad weather policy will not be enforced. However, people experiencing homelessness are eligible to seek shelter under this policy in most areas on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Tomorrow is a blizzard.”
Plummer also notes that motels and hotel shelters will be subject to availability, with few seemingly open to Vermont’s most vulnerable people. A capacity list released on Wednesday showed rooms were “very limited” or completely unavailable in 10 of the 12 regions in the state.
As the massive influx of federal cash during the Covid-19 crisis dries up, Vermont has seen some We are downsizing our major housing programs.
A DCF spokesperson said Tuesday that no one in the department will be available to answer reporters’ questions until Wednesday afternoon.
DCF regularly posts updates on motel capacity and whether severe weather policies are in effect. on that website.
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