‘No Place To Go’: As State Of Emergency Ends, So Does Stable Housing For Some Vermonters

The Hilltop Inn in Berlin is currently home to about 45 guests. With Vermont’s state of emergency set to expire Tuesday at midnight, so does the state’s ability to request FEMA grants to help fund emergency housing and food. (Elodie Reed/VPR)

Gov. Phil Scott says an executive order he signed Tuesday will allow Vermont to continue drawing down federal aid even after the state of emergency lifts, but advocates for low-income Vermonters say they remain concerned about the loss of housing and food aid for vulnerable residents.

On Monday the governor lifted all remaining COVID-related public health orders, and starting Tuesday at midnight, Vermont will leave a state of emergency for the first time in 15 months.

Not everybody is celebrating the pandemic milestones, however.

“Right now, as many Vermonters are ready to go out and celebrate, at this very moment there’s tremendous anxiety, because that safety and security and support system is going to end, we think, along with that [emergency] order,” said Sue Minter, executive director of Capstone Community Action. The organization spearheaded food and housing supports for vulnerable Washington County residents during the pandemic.

Read the rest of the story at VPR’s website.