As Motels Empty, Advocates Seek Camping Gear for Homeless Families 

Advocates and government officials in Burlington are asking people to drop off camping gear for homeless families as the state motel program winds down, saying that some people will have no housing options aside from tents.

The city and the Burlington School District "do not view this as a solution under any circumstances," said a news release they issued jointly on Friday. "These measures are purely designed to meet basic needs during a crisis."

They called for the state to quickly set up emergency shelters for families with children.

In the meantime, Burlington will make up to 12 campsites available for free at the North Beach Campground for families that are being forced out of motels. Sarah Russell, the city's special assistant to end homelessness, is accepting referrals at [email protected].

Donations for campers can be dropped off from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity at 255 South Champlain Street in Burlington.

Requested items include flashlights, tarps, tents (eight-person ones are ideal), rope, coolers, large water jugs, propane stoves and tanks, cooking supplies, and funds for firewood.

COVID-19 contributed to a housing crisis that has caused rents and home prices to soar in Vermont. The pandemic also led Vermont to house people in motels around the state. Officials have been trying to end the program, which Gov. Phil Scott says is not sustainable. Towns and cities, meanwhile, have been pleading for help as new restrictions force people out into the cold.

Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said the fact that families have no option but to sleep outside was a "tragic milestone." Tom Flanagan, Burlington's school superintendent, pledged to ensure that students can maintain access to schooling "during this difficult time."

Brenda Siegel, the executive director of End Homelessness VT, said more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, will be forced out of motels by mid-October.

"Letting people suffer the most catastrophic of outcomes is not who we are in Vermont," she said in a statement on Friday. "These are our fellow Vermonters."