Armory won’t be used as a shelter starting April 1

March 24, 2024 | By Lisa Scagliotti

Construction has been under way at the former Vermont National Guard armory in Waterbury to prepare it for future use by the state of Vermont. Photo by Gordon Miller

Work has been underway at the former Vermont National Guard armory in Waterbury as the state of Vermont prepares it to be repurposed, but it’s unclear when it may be put into use and whether it will be used as a homeless shelter anytime soon. 

“The [Waterbury] armory is still under consideration as part of the overall shelter planning,” said Chris Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families. “But we’re not planning to use it as a shelter on April 1.” 

In an interview with Waterbury Roundabout last week, Winters said the building is ready to be used, but because of steps the legislature and administration have taken in the past several weeks, the initial plans that he described to the community in January and February have changed. 

“We wanted to be careful. We were looking at the armory for April,” he said. “The legislature changed the law.”

Winters visited Waterbury for public meetings twice in recent weeks to share evolving details and answer questions about the state’s plans to accommodate hundreds of unhoused Vermonters and how Waterbury might fit into those plans. 

In late January, the facility at the end of Armory Drive that the National Guard decommissioned in late 2022 was floated as a likely temporary 40-bed shelter to be opened by April 1. People living temporarily in hotels and motels paid for by the state would be in need of new places to stay when that program was to end, state officials said. 

That announcement caught local officials by surprise and generated great public interest that included two Select Board meetings held at the Main Street fire station to accommodate the turnout. Town officials and community members asked many questions about operational details, logistics, public safety, and services for those who would use the shelter. Winters and staff from his department said a key piece would be finding an operator who would run the facility. As of last week, Winters said an operator was still not selected. 

The immediate need for the Waterbury shelter space was somewhat relieved by the fiscal year 2024 budget adjustment bill that the legislature passed and Gov. Phil Scott signed earlier this month. It contained funding to continue the state’s program to pay for motel and hotel rooms for hundreds of unhoused Vermonters through June 30, Winters said. 

That didn’t slow down work that had already begun to ready the building for use by April 1. The decision to include the armory in the state’s shelter plans set the state’s Buildings and General Services Department in motion to get contractors on site immediately. Residents along Armory Drive have seen much activity at the site in February and March.

Waterbury’s Municipal Manager Tom Leitz in updating the Select Board last week explained that work over the past two months has included installing a new sewer line, electrical service, a fire sprinkler system and temporary walls. Leitz said he has been in communication with Winters who is navigating a complex state response to the homeless crisis that is evolving daily as decisions are being made in Montpelier. 

“The homeless program is in a state of flux, to put it mildly,” Leitz told the Select Board. “There might be a need for an emergency shelter there at some point.” 

Behind the gates, contractor vehicles, heavy equipment, and large trash containers can be seen in this view from above. Photo by Gordon Miller

Town permit question

One issue to be addressed and resolved is whether the state needs a town permit to operate a shelter at the armory. Town Zoning Administrator Mike Bishop in early February wrote to state Buildings and General Services Commissioner Jennifer Fitch that a change of use permit was needed. An assistant attorney general responded disagreeing with that opinion and a requesting an appeal to the town Development Review Board. 

The review board’s next meeting is April 3. Leitz said the state request would likely be on the agenda. The board would not be discussing the permit itself, just whether it is needed as the zoning administrator recommends. 

Leitz called the state’s appeal in the matter “not a great introduction to a community” as it puts the state and town at odds. “I would be tickled pink if they’d withdraw that and simply apply for a permit,” he told the Select Board. 

Meanwhile, daily changes in the state’s program just in the past week have involved multiple new shelters that have opened around the state with some closing soon afterward for lack of use, changes to eligibility requirements for people in the hotel-motel program, and new policies being announced while it’s unclear whether the individuals affected are aware of the latest information. 

Waterbury Select Board members last week expressed frustration with trying to follow the latest information and wondering where the Waterbury shelter might fit into the state’s plans. Leitz said he is not certain as to what to expect next, either. “It would not shock me if the armory was not used as a homeless shelter,” he told the group. 

Meanwhile, state Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, who chairs the House Human Services Committee in the legislature, is involved in the ongoing discussions around the state’s homeless shelter program. Her committee is presently looking at several bills that would lay out plans for the months ahead funded by the fiscal year 2025 budget that begins July 1. 

She said it’s her understanding that the state still plans to use the Waterbury armory, but she agreed that it’s unclear specifically when and how it will fit into the overall plan. “As it stands right now, there will be a planned transition of folks out of hotels over three months starting in July, ending in September,” she said on Saturday. 

Acknowledging the local permitting issue that needs to be resolved, Wood added, “It would not surprise me to see [the state] use the armory as part of their planned transition between July and December, pending the appeal process, etc. of course.” 

Winters’ view seemed to align with Wood’s perspective. He said he anticipates that the hotel-motel program will be full to its capacity “for the foreseeable future.” But as that program phases out this summer, the state will need other options. “We need other forms of shelter. We also need to think about what happens July 1 and next winter,” he said. “[Waterbury] is still under consideration for overall strategy and shelter planning.”  

Winters concluded by saying he hopes measures making their way through the legislature to spur new affordable housing win approval this session. Ultimately, unhoused Vermonters need permanent homes to transition to from shelter accommodations, he said. 

Meanwhile, the postponement means the state will have more time to “engage with the town” on the Waterbury shelter plans, Winters said, emphasizing that the armory will likely come into play at some point. “I’m happy to come to another forum,” he said.