State aims to staff, open armory shelter by Nov. 1

October 22, 2024 | By Lisa Scagliotti 

The Waterbury armory may soon be a temporary home for up to 10 families, according to new information shared with the Waterbury Select Board Monday night. 

The Waterbury armory sits at the end of Armory Drive between Interstate 89 and the Thatcher Brook. Photo by Gordon Miller

Municipal Manager Tom Leitz at Monday’s board meeting said he had been in communication earlier in the day with Chris Winters, commissioner for the Vermont Department for Children and Families, which oversees the state’s emergency housing program. 

“As of a few hours ago, the state is going to attempt to open a shelter with state employees” running it, Leitz told the board. 

The state last week announced that it was looking to set up three new shelters to accommodate families in need of housing after their stays in state-funded hotels and motels have run out based on an 80-day limit. The latest proposal would use state-owned buildings with the former Vermont National Guard armory in Waterbury as one of the locations along with the former state police barracks in Williston and an unspecified property in Montpelier, state officials said. 

Leitz told the select board that Winters indicated Nov. 1 as the target opening date with the question of staffing being the top challenge. 

No other details have been shared regarding specifics of the new shelter operations including their duration. State rules governing the motel-hotel program change on Dec. 1 when eligibility expands for wintertime. Individuals and families in shelters may again qualify for emergency shelter in the motel program at that time. 

Meanwhile, the town of Waterbury and the state still have an unresolved permitting matter regarding the armory. Town officials have told the state the site would need a change of use permit from the Waterbury Development Review Board should the facility be operated by staff who are not government employees because the location is zoned for “government use.” The state has appealed that interpretation of the town zoning regulations to Environmental Court where there is a meeting scheduled next week to set future court action on the matter. 

The permit question would not be relevant to the upcoming shelter opening if it is staffed by state workers, Leitz noted. The state currently does not operate any shelters -- private organizations around the state run shelters for unhoused individuals and families. Earlier this year, the state briefly opened several emergency shelters staffed by Vermont National Guard members, but those sites were closed for lack of demand.

In a discussion with the select board, Leitz explained that the town permit process would take several months for an application to be scheduled, reviewed and approved, however a permit would be good for several years. 

The matter first came up earlier this year when the state initially sought to use the armory for a 40-bed emergency shelter for individuals. That plan never was put into action as the state’s shelter program changed with legislative action in the spring. 

Officials at the Department for Children and Families have not responded to inquiries from Waterbury Roundabout for more details on the armory shelter plan. 

This story will be updated.