State again looks to Waterbury armory as a possible shelter
October 17, 2024 | By Lisa ScagliottiAs the state implements cuts to its emergency housing program using motels and hotels around the state, Waterbury’s former National Guard armory is once again on a list of locations the state hopes to use as a shelter – this time for families, according to state officials.
An aerial view of the Waterbury armory in April as contractors on site worked on upgrades to the building. Photo by Gordon Miller
Waterbury town officials this week say they learned of the latest proposal through news reports and have yet to hear any details from the state despite Gov. Phil Scott acknowledging that the administration aims to open the new shelters for families by Nov. 1.
Many questions surround the latest plan to house families whose stays at various motels and hotels through a state-funded program are running out due to caps on the number of rooms available and the length of people’s stays.
The Waterbury armory most recently was used as a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center to assist local residents with flood-recovery assistance applications. It closed Oct. 12. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
VTDigger reported data this week from the Department for Children and Families that 724 households – accounting for some 1,175 people – have exhausted their motel vouchers through Oct. 15 and have been exited from the motels. This figure includes nearly 300 children and the department anticipates about another 100 households will be forced to leave their accommodations by the end of this month, VTDigger reported.
To address the need for shelter among families with children leaving the motels and hotels, the state this week announced that it is looking to set up three new family shelters: one at the Waterbury armory, another at the former Vermont State Police barracks in Williston, and a third at an unspecified state-owned property in Montpelier.
In recent weeks, the Waterbury armory was being used by Federal Emergency Management Agency staff running a Disaster Recovery Center to work with area residents on flood-recovery assistance applications after the summer floods. That center closed this past Saturday.
Administration offers few details
Joshua Marshall, spokesman for the Vermont Department for Children and Families, noted that a key piece of the state’s new shelter plan still needs to be put into place: “These facilities will need to have a provider enlisted to support and we look forward to our continued partnership with local providers to help enable prompt facility readiness to keep children and families safe.”
In his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Scott and administration officials addressed the new shelter proposal but offered few additional specifics, particularly regarding who would run them. Scott, however, did acknowledge the need to connect with the communities involved.
“We have to engage with the communities on this. We had some outreach. We have to finalize that,” he said, noting that the Williston property needs “some minor, minor fit up” to ready it for occupancy. The former barracks on Vermont Route 2A near Exit 12 of Interstate 89 has been vacant since the state police moved south to the other side of the interchange into a new facility in late 2023.
Scott also noted that the Montpelier site may take some additional time to be ready for opening given that several buildings that he described as “houses” are being considered for use as a shelter. The Waterbury armory, however, needs little advance preparation. “Waterbury is set to go,” Scott said. “We just need some buy-in from the community in order to do that.”
Department for Children and Families Commissioner Chris Winters (standing right) addresses a community meeting at the Waterbury fire station in January. Seated at the table are town officials including the Waterbury Select Board. Photo by Gordon Miller
Local officials out of the loop
Waterbury officials say it is difficult to comment on the matter because they haven’t seen any details. Municipal Manager Tom Leitz and Zoning Administrator Bishop on Wednesday issued a statement saying: “The Town of Waterbury is aware of media reports regarding a proposal from the State of Vermont to open a shelter at the Armory. Prior to these reports, the Town was not contacted by anyone from the State. We therefore had no advance notice of this proposal, and accordingly, no ability to prepare or respond in advance.”
Waterbury’s two state representatives criticized the administration’s lack of communication with the community.
“To be clear, the administration did not reach out to community representation or town government,” state Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury said.
“Releasing this proposal without consulting or informing the community or its representatives is, unfortunately, par for the course for this administration,” said Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury. “We are very concerned about the households displaced from the hotel program, and fully expected more partnership from the administration after their efforts this spring, which resulted in inflaming our community. Waterbury expects and deserves a conversation about this important issue, instead of acting by fiat.”
Stevens, who chairs the House General and Housing Committee, was referring to a state proposal in January to open a 40-bed shelter for individuals at the Waterbury armory. That effort garnered wide interest, questions, and concerns from local officials and residents before it was ultimately shelved as the state’s plans changed.
Wood, who chairs the House Human Services Committee, questioned how a shelter could open so soon given that no contractor is in place yet to run it. “Given staffing levels at [the Department for Children and Families], I do not believe they have sufficient staff to utilize DCF staff to operate a facility. The administration has not communicated whether they would utilize other staff like they did previously (e.g., National Guard).”
Speaking at the governor’s press conference, Department for Children and Families Commissioner Chris Winters explained that $10 million appropriated by the legislature this year is being used to open five new shelters around the state for individuals in addition to these three for families. He called the process of siting new shelters “really challenging.”
“You need an acceptable building. You need a supportive community. And you need a trusted provider to make sure it’s safely run,” he said. And while the state can offer properties in Waterbury, Williston and Montpelier, “We still do need to have a provider,” Winters admitted.
He emphasized his hope that private-sector players will step forward to complete that picture. “There are so many partner organizations and advocates out there who are emphasizing the urgency of this moment – the need for more shelter space,” he said. “We really appreciate the work of those local providers to serve all of those experiencing homelessness. We should be grateful for that and we’re really looking forward to partnering with them to set up some additional shelter space.”
Other questions Wood said she would like answered include addressing the needs of those who would use the shelter such as support for transportation and meals. Wood also asked about the time period that the shelter would be in use noting that state rules for the hotel program change on Dec. 1 to resume state funding for hotel/motel rooms during colder months.
Unclear needs
State officials have not said how many people each of the new shelters might accommodate. They say it’s difficult to assess the need for shelter as people leave the motel and hotel accommodations. Scott said he believes there are only “several dozen” children among the families currently without housing.
“Maybe there’s more,” Scott said in answering a reporter’s question at the Wednesday news conferece. “We don’t have the information as to where they went when they left the program… we don’t believe they’re out on the street, but we will find out.”
When asked how state officials will reach families who may be homeless, Scott replied, “through all of you” to the reporters. “We don’t have a direct connection with them because we don’t know where they are at this point.”
Winters said his staff is working to connect people leaving the motels with services. “I think there are a lot of success stories out there with folks getting the help they need and moving into permanent housing,” he said. “It’s a really difficult task to try to understand what the unsheltered needs are. … I think it’s going to change every single day.”
Scott said providing space for families is a priority. “From my standpoint, kids come first. They’re the most vulnerable. They’re caught in the middle of this situation and I want to do everything we can to help them.”
One issue specific to children is school. The recent motel and hotel program to provide temporary housing has not included accommodations in or near Waterbury. The governor was asked about children leaving motels in the region and their ability to remain in school.
Scott said he is thinking about this but so far staff have not figured out details. “We want to make sure there’s a continuity there for the kids if they need to get to a particular school. My thought is that we do all we can to make sure that that we get them the transportation they need to stay in an environment that they’re familiar with.”
According to Winters, however, it’s unclear whether children moving into the new family shelters in new communities will be able to remain in the schools they have been attending. “We try to keep children and families close to their support systems,” he said. “There are times when they have to move out of [school] districts in order to have a room. But in those instances, we do work to provide transportation to keep some continuity for those kids in their schools.”
The schools in the Harwood Unified Union School District would look to enroll any children who moved into the community, Superintendent Mike Leichliter said. Like Waterbury town officials, however, the district has not heard from the state about any new students who might be moving into the district yet.
“As a public school, we are ready to welcome and serve any and all students who walk through our doors. It would be helpful to learn more from the state beyond what we are hearing through the news media so we can be fully prepared,” Leichliter said.
Reporters pressed the governor about the short timeframe to get the new shelters open by Nov. 1. Asked if state employees may be needed to staff them should operators not be available, Scott acknowledged that may be a possibility.
“That’s what I was kind of getting at – we may have to get creative,” he said, noting that family shelters may require less staffing than shelters serving individuals. “So we’ll have to see. If we hit a brick wall, in some respects we’ll have to get creative, and that’s one of the ideas that we’ll have to contemplate.”
Court case over armory use
Who ultimately ends up running a new shelter in Waterbury is a question at the heart of an unresolved court case where the state of Vermont has challenged local zoning requirements that apply to the armory.
The issue began in January when the state announced it wanted to open a 40-bed shelter for individuals in the former National Guard facility by April 1. In February, the town zoning administrator notified state officials that the armory property is zoned for “government use.” Should the state use the building as a shelter run by a non-government contractor, it would need a change of use permit, Zoning Administrator Mike Bishop wrote to then-Buildings and General Services Commissioner Jennifer Fitch.
The town’s permit process involves a several-page application, a $50 fee, and an appearance before the town Development Review Board.
Announced first to state lawmakers in Montpelier, that shelter plan also took local officials by surprise and sparked great community interest. Waterbury Select Board meetings where Winters and other state officials attended to discuss details attracted several hundred community members who raised many questions and concerns. Local officials and residents however expressed willingness to accommodate a shelter in the community if the state addressed a variety of issues regarding its operation.
Ultimately, the proposal was set aside as state lawmakers and the administration worked out an extension of the motel and hotel housing program.
But state officials continued to pursue their disagreement over the zoning issue, challenging Bishop’s interpretation of the town regulations to the town Development Review Board; the board in turn agreed with Bishop. In July, the state filed an appeal of the review board’s decision with the Environmental Division of Vermont Superior Court and so far, the matter has yet to have a hearing in state court.
On Wednesday, town officials said their position on the zoning matter has not changed. “The state has every legal right under its current zoning approval to operate the Armory building as a shelter, provided they are doing so with state employees,” they wrote in their statement. “Should they utilize a third-party vendor to directly operate the facility, a new zoning permit is required.”
The permitting process to be heard by the DRB, have the board issue a decision and then clear an appeal period taked several months. “This is a standard process many residents and business owners follow, and the law is clear that it also applies to the state,” the town officials said. “We do not believe it is burdensome, but because the state has not contacted the town, we do not know how they intend to operate the facility.”
When asked about the Waterbury zoning permit issue at his press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Scott replied: “That is the challenge we face with almost every community. [It’s] very difficult to put an emergency shelter anywhere in the state. We have heard previously when we outfitted the armory that they were not willing to let us move forward without a zoning permit... So it's not a surprise, but thanks for the information. We’ll take it up with them.”
Responding to a press inquiry on Thursday, Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator with the state Attorney General’s office, said a conference is scheduled in Environmental Court on Oct. 28 to set the schedule for the Waterbury zoning appeal.
July: Inside the Waterbury armory
The permit issue pertains solely to the use of the property. The state Buildings and General Services Department earlier this year already made a number of upgrades to the building that did not require any local permits. For example, a new heating, cooling and ventilation system was installed, the kitchen was upgraded, bathrooms and showers were expanded.
In addition, a wooden structure was built inside the main space of the building to create a partitioned area presumably for shelter use. When a Vermont Civil Air Patrol cadet group of several dozen teenagers used the space for a summer camp program in July, the space served as a communal bunk area. At the time, the space with partial walls and no doors did not contain separate units that could function as individual rooms for families in a shelter setting.
The bigger picture
News of the new family shelter proposal came soon after a press conference Tuesday in Montpelier with representatives of many of those organizations Winters referenced. It was led by End Homelessness Vermont and Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont coalition. The End Homelessness organization is headed by Executive Director Brenda Siegel, who was the Democratic challenger to Gov. Scott in the 2022 election. Siegel has been a leading voice calling for reform of the state’s handling of emergency housing efforts. Her group works directly with people in emergency housing situations, specializing in assisting those with complex needs including disabilities and medical conditions.
Tuesday’s press conference featured numerous first-hand accounts from providers struggling to help those dealing with the effects of the cuts to the state’s General Assistance Emergency Housing Program. They called for the state to continue the motel and hotel program either by executive action by the governor or a special legislative session. They specifically spoke out against using congregate shelters as an alternative to the motel program.
“Large-scale congregate shelters simply won’t be safe physically, mentally or from a public health perspective going into cold and flu season,” said Libby Bennett, executive director of Groundworks Collaborative in Brattleboro, a shelter operator.
Siegel said the situation over the past month as individuals and families have had to leave the motels and hotels has been “even worse than I imagined.” Speaking at the State House alongside other advocates, she said, “I don’t think my heart and mind would allow me to fully comprehend the pain of watching people in wheelchairs, people with dementia, people on oxygen, children and babies being exited from hotels.”
Julie Bond is executive director at Good Samaritan Haven in Barre which runs emergency shelter and food programs in Central Vermont. She echoed Siegel’s dire assessment saying that cuts to the emergency housing program are causing dire harm to individuals and families — many with critical medical and mental health needs —who now have nowhere to go. “We’re working frantically to keep people from dying,” she said, calling the circumstances for many “impossible, immoral and untenable.”