Isaac Evans-Frantz serves as the executive director of a national nonpartisan organization that campaigns for U.S. policies to save lives around the world. He also serves on the Brattleboro Selectboard as clerk.
BRATTLEBORO-On Aug. 12, Gov. Phil Scott came to Windham County. On his itinerary were visits to Grafton Village Cheese, Jelley's Deli in Londonderry, Jamaica State Park, and the Vermont EMS Academy (VEMSA) in Newfane.
Missing was a visit to a local agency that supports people who are unhoused.
The day before Gov. Scott's visit to Windham County, President Trump wrote on social media, "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," as he deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C. and vowed to forcibly remove unhoused people from our nation's capital.
This summer, here in Vermont, we have seen our state government remove families with young children and senior citizens with oxygen tanks from motels, without a plan for a safe place for these Vermonters to go.
Vermont must do better and lead with compassion.
Since 2020, Vermont's homeless population has more than tripled, the largest increase in any state. A top driver of homelessness here is our housing shortage. A study a few years ago found that Brattleboro was 500 housing units short of the need. There's been important progress, but much more is needed.
On May 30, a majority of the Brattleboro Selectboard voted against urging Gov. Scott to veto H.91, the Legislature's forward-looking proposed solution to move away from the state-run motel program and to regionalize homeless services.
In speaking directly with Brattleboro residents across neighborhoods earlier this year, I've heard a consistent message: Residents want to see adequate shelter for our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
This means planning shelter - including non-congregate options - with plenty of lead time, and in collaboration with our municipality, local service providers, and people with lived experience.
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I was heartbroken on April 1 when many of our vulnerable neighbors lost access to shelter in motels without the provision of even a tent and sleeping bag.
That day, I spoke with Mark Caslin, a lifelong Vermonter and military veteran who had recently survived a serious medical event and who was staying at the Econo Lodge by Exit 1. I have not been able to locate him since, and I fear for his well-being.
This happened again on July 1 when 107 children and medically vulnerable adults in Brattleboro were required to leave their motel rooms. That day, I spoke with several of these individuals. Larry Jones was one.
Mr. Jones, who has lived in Windham County for 20 years, relies on an oxygen tank, insulin pump, and walker. He told me he was afraid he would die in the woods.
This is not an irrational fear, as he requires electricity to survive, and already we know of a death in neighboring Windsor County as a result of people being required to leave the motels because their annual 80 nights of allotted shelter are up.
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Soon we will be heading into colder months, and the cold nights can begin as early as September, with freezing weather beginning in October - well before the Dec. 1 start date for the state's limited cold-weather provisions.
For medically vulnerable people and families with children, survival between now and Dec. 1 will be difficult, and harm will be irreparable. Loss of life among unhoused Vermonters in the fall has become far too common.
Now is the time to prepare. What is the state's plan for Brattleboro starting next month, in September, to ensure people stay alive?
While there may be differences in approach, there is widespread support for the common goal of ensuring no one in our community dies for lack of shelter.
In past instances, Gov. Scott's administration has rushed to stand up emergency shelters, including one last year in Brattleboro that no one used and that wasted taxpayer dollars. Advance planning with input from local providers could make a world of difference. We have skilled and knowledgeable organizations here in Brattleboro like Groundworks Collaborative, Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), End Homelessness Vermont, and Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA). These organizations, and others, have the expertise, data, and lived experience to guide more effective solutions.
Gov. Scott should come back to Windham County and speak directly with the providers, town staff, and people with lived experience, listen to their recommendations, and work collaboratively to take a humane and effective approach to ensuring all of our safety as the cold months approach.
This Voices Viewpoint was submitted to The Commons.
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