As the global pandemic continues and the situation changes rapidly, the VAHC is following COVID-19 news with a special emphasis on housing, homelessness, and our low-income and vulnerable Vermonters. We will be posting to our blog every few days with the latest updates.
*For the most recent information about the pandemic in Vermont, visit the Department of Health webpage.* Here is the last daily update from the Department of Health.
Information for homeless service providers from the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness For a complete set of updates, visit their website.
Shelters stay open 24/7, if possible
Shelters reduce bed capacity, as needed, to meet the space guidelines
Community Response Teams mobilize as quickly as possible to coordinate local response efforts
Materials from HUD on Disease Risks and Homelessness
Ensuring housing stability during the crisis (from the National Low Income Housing Coalition)
The NLIHC is following the federal response to the pandemic and how it relates to housing and homelessness issues: NLIHC COVID-19 info page They have called for urgent action to help the most vulnerable populations and urge advocates to call congressional offices: See their federal emergency response recommendations here. The recommendations have a number of state-level parallels that could be implemented here in Vermont.
Resources from the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition The NLIHC’s DHRC is focusing on the needs of extremely vulnerable populations. They held a national call to discuss how coronavirus will impact people experiencing homelessness. You can listen to a recording of that call here. They also have released an extensive list of news updates at the national level.
Evictions According to Vermont Legal Aid, many people are facing eviction as they are unable to work due to the pandemic and therefore cannot pay bills. As of today, there have been some changes to the normal eviction process, but notices and writs of possession are still being issued. Families and individuals who become homeless as a result of eviction are at higher risk of contracting the virus and inadvertently spreading it. A draft House bill would institute a moratorium on evictions, but with the Legislature suspended, it has not yet been acted upon (see below). With more people losing income due to the COVID-19 crisis, emergency rental and “back rent” assistance will be critical to preventing more people from becoming homeless.
Landlord response Landlords do not want to resort to eviction. As tenants are unable to pay rent, landlords and especially our nonprofit housing providers are finding it increasingly difficult to pay mortgages, fees, and other operating costs. Emergency assistance to rental property owners will also be needed. There are also concerns about access to cleaning supplies as statewide shortages develop. In order to limit exposure of maintenance personnel and tenants, many landlords have moved to emergency-only visits, meaning that routine maintenance has been halted.
Mobile Home Parks People living in parks are considered highly-vulnerable. Towns and local community response teams should be considering mobile home parks in their emergency action plans.
Information from the Agency of Human Services
AHS is focusing on “hyper-vulnerable” populations such as people experiencing homelessness and living in shelters. One major concern is that Vermonters experiencing homelessness will not have a way to safely self-isolate.
DCF’s Economic Services Division has temporarily implemented a new eligibility category within the motel voucher program called Hyper-Vulnerable. An individual is considered hyper-vulnerable when they are over the age of 60 or have an underlying health condition as defined by the CDC. Read the full memo here.
The Office of Economic Opportunity is holding weekly update calls for homeless service providers this Friday at 9am and on subsequent Monday afternoons at 3pm. Register for the calls here.
The Agency has relaxed some of it’s requirements for in-person meetings with clients.
Update from the Department of Housing & Community Development DHCD hosted an emergency meeting of the Governor’s Housing Council yesterday, which provided many updates both for and from affordable housing providers: Notes from the call. DHCD is looking into establishing an ongoing venue for housing-related COVID-19 updates and info.
Update from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board Development projects are being delayed, increasing costs and postponing ribbon-cuttings. VHCB may be able to provide capital assistance for purchase of properties to serve as emergency housing. COVID-19 update from VHCB
Update from the Vermont Housing Finance Agency VHFA continue operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Click here from an update from VHFA.
Food Security For updates about food access in Vermont during the pandemic, visit: https://www.hungerfreevt.org/news/coronavirus and VT Foodbank COVID-19 page
Legislative updates:
The statehouse has closed for at least one week starting last Friday. Before the adjournment, the House passed an emergency response bill including:
Relaxation of licensing requirements for medical care providers
Paid sick leave
Paid Family leave
Unemployment insurance
There are not any provisions for housing and homelessness
There is a draft bill proposal to increase DCF funding by $5 million for emergency response, including rental arrears and other supports for low-income renters and housing and shelter providers.
Senate committees have begun meeting remotely. The call-in numbers are available on the the weekly committee schedule. House committees will start to meet remotely as soon as they are set up with the technology to do so. All meetings are open to the public to listen in.
There are also daily 4:00 P.M. calls from the Joint Rules Committee.
Federal:
There is proposed federal relief legislation from Senate Democrats that would potentially include money for housing
The offices of Senators Leahy and Sanders, as well as Congressman Welch, are looking for input from housing and service providers about what they would like to see in a federal response.
Other VAHC member updates:
Vermont State Housing Authority: Please read the following press release from the VSHA. They will no longer be allowing outside visitors to their offices.
The Windham and Windsor Housing Trust office will be closed to the public and all communications with residents, homeowners, applicants and the general public will be conducted via phone and email: More information
Please read this press release from the Vermont Community Loan Fund. They are continuing to work with their partners to keep Vermonters healthy.
COTS is remaining open. Read the full statement from Rita Markley.
The Champlain Housing Trust office is closed to visitors but staff are still working for tenants. Visit their site for more info.
The Upper Valley Haven is still serving the community, for the latest information, visit their site.
The VT Network Against Domestic & Sexual Violence and its member organizations continue to support the needs of survivors during the COVID-19 emergency: VT Network COVID-19 update
We will be posting curated updates every few days, as needed, so please email us important news items you want us to post, bearing in mind that there is a glut of information coming at all of us and we want to minimize duplication and the amount of time people spend processing news.
The VAHC wishes everyone health in these uncertain times. Stay safe and healthy!