Homelessness in Vermont impacts at least 4,500 people, including more than 1,000 children, and represents one of Vermont’s key barriers to early childhood health, safety, food security, and education. With community shelter capacity hovering at about 600 available spaces, access to the statewide General Assistance (GA) emergency housing program represents the only viable path to obtain shelter for many impacted families. Despite this reality, eliminating funding for statewide emergency shelter has been a priority of the Scott Administration. As a result, significant cuts to our emergency shelter system have left hundreds more individuals unsheltered. Last year, while our total population of homeless individuals remained largely steady, unsheltered homelessness rose by approximately 63%.

The Alliance supports efforts led by the ACLU of Vermont to reduce or eliminate unsheltered homelessness by preserving and expanding access to the GA emergency housing program for Vermont individuals and families experiencing homelessness. At a minimum, advocates seek to retain funding equal to FY26 Budget one-time and base appropriations of about $39 million.

Legislative Update

Intense discussions in the State House continue about the future of the state's emergency shelter programs. Changes are being contemplated for the next fiscal year (FY27), which starts on July 1, 2026. The House Human Services Committee is considering H.594, a bill that would create a new system of care. That bill is likely to be heavily amended in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Scott Administration has proposed its own re-design, which has an extremely ambitious timeline for transitioning away from the current hotel/motel-based GA program. Finally, the Governor's Recommended FY27 Budget provides a complicated structure that is being scrutinized by the House Human Services Committee and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. 

• According to the 2025 Vermont State of Homelessness Report, more than 1,000 children are experiencing homelessness in our state.

• There are only 600 shelter beds in the state to provide assistance to over 4,500 people, including 1,000 children (13%).

• Research shows that 50 percent of homeless children under the age of four have developmental delays, a rate three to four times higher than that of those who do not experience homelessness.

• The December 2025 Public Assets State of Working Vermont Report notes that the median price of homes in Vermont has increased by 55% between 2019 and 2024 while household incomes have grown just 15% in that time period. 

• The income needed to pay the rent for a two bedroom apartment in Vermont is about $85,000 a year, while the income of two minimum wage workers in Vermont is about $60,000 a year. This gap puts many rental units out of the reach of working Vermonters.

• Rents have increased by 35% in the last five years -- or more than $300 per month.