Thanks for coming to the Homelessness Awareness Day and Vigil!
Thank you to everyone who attended the annual Homelessness Awareness Day and Vigil at the Vermont Statehouse!
The day began with an early 7:30 a.m. start on the morning of Wednesday the 15th with coffee in the State House cafeteria. Homelessness advocates met with Representatives and Senators to highlight the important work they do on a daily basis. It was a great opportunity to network and get caffeinated before a busy day of testimony, advocacy, and solidarity.
Throughout the day, advocates took to the Card Room to educate lawmakers about the work being done across the State. Lawmakers learned about which strategies were working and what else needs to be done in order to end homelessness in Vermont.
In the morning, members of the Ve
At noon, community members, elected officials, and advocates gathered outside on the State House steps for the annual Memorial Vigil to remember our friends and neighbors who have died without homes, and to bring awareness of the struggles of those still searching for safe, affordable, accessible, and secure housing.
In
Finally, we attended the reading of a House Resolution recognizing January 15 as Homelessness Awareness Day and acknowledging the plight of Vermonters experiencing homelessness and the work you do to address their needs. The day’s devotional exercises were conducted by Stephan Marshall and Wesley Stephens, a person experiencing homelessness who read a passage to eulogize two of our neighbors who recently passed away without housing.
Thank you again to everyone who attended and helped to make this one of our most successful awareness days ever! We at VAHC hope that you will all continue to remember our friends and neighbors living without housing for the rest of the legislative session and beyond, until we finally end homelessness in Vermont.
