Ellen Pratt

WSESU confronts homelessness among its students

School staff, social service agencies try to find safe alternatives for students in difficult living situations

The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) has identified 90 school-aged children and youth in the district who are experiencing homelessness.

This is 10 more than were identified last year and includes about seven "unaccompanied youth" - older teenagers who are separated from a parent or guardian.

Tricia Hill is the district's McKinney-Vento liaison (named for the federal legislation that funds the position), required at every school district that receives Title I funds. In this position, Hill identifies homeless youth and addresses the barriers to their success in school.

In a recent interview, Hill, who started in the position this school year, and her predecessor, Carole Rayl, who held the position for six years, talked about the challenges and successes of this work.

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For Vermonters, a cascade of crises lead to food insecurity

Higher food costs, coupled with an end to pandemic aid programs, causes demand at food shelves to soar

Two in five Vermonters are experiencing food insecurity, reported Hunger Free Vermont in a recent virtual briefing on the hunger in the state. The federal government defines food insecurity as households being, at times, unable to acquire adequate food for one or more household members because they have insufficient...

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In Putney, a housing crisis flies under the radar

More than 40 people are unhoused in one small town, and residents struggle with a crisis that’s seemingly invisible

People experiencing homelessness live in a range of conditions. Some live in motels, like the more than 93 Brattleboro households participating in the state's General Assistance Emergency Housing Program. Others, largely uncounted, live in tents in the woods, in friends' barns and sheds, in cars, garages, and campers -

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Middle ground

On a recent mid-October day, tourists mingled with locals in Village Square Booksellers, a young DIY-er in jeans bought a screwdriver at J&H Hardware, and clusters of lunchgoers sat in the windows of the Moon Dog Cafe. Groups of children, home from an early-release school day, played in the neighborhood park. A train chugged in the distance. Fall Mountain, a blaze of autumn color, towered over the falls that gave both the town and the mountain their names. And in...

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Ranks of the unhoused keep growing in state

The number of unsheltered people in Vermont is increasing, according to Chris Winters, commissioner of the Agency of Human Services' Department of Children and Families (AHS/DCF). "We're seeing as many people coming into homelessness now as are exiting - even more," Winters reported at the Sept. 27 meeting of the Joint Fiscal Committee. Statewide, as of Sept. 27, there are 874 households in what has been dubbed the "June 30 cohort" sheltering in motels through the state's Transitional Housing Program.

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One town struggles with housing issues

Short-term rentals (STRs), like those listed on websites like Airbnb and VRBO, are adversely affecting the housing market. That's according to the town's "Housing Needs Assessment and Strategy" report, published in April. The report acknowledges that, while not solely responsible, STRs have contributed to rising housing prices and a decline in the availability of long-term rental housing. There are more than 300 active short-term rentals in the Londonderry area, an increase of 62% over the past three years, as reported...

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Funding in place to move families living in danger of flooding

With the final piece of financing approved on Sept. 11 by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, Tri-Park Cooperative Housing Corporation, which owns three Brattleboro mobile home parks - Mountain Home Park, Glen Park, and Black Mountain Park - is set to implement flood resiliency projects outlined in its 2020 Master Plan. The majority of the $6 million in federal and state grant funds assembled for the project will be used for a voluntary buyback program to relocate 26 Mountain Home...

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Flood plain will be restored by Whetstone River

It might seem crazy to buy land with the hope that it will flood, but that's exactly what the Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) has done through its purchase of 12 acres along the Whetstone Brook. With permits in place, VRC and the town of Brattleboro are jointly cleaning up and restoring the land to its former flood plain status in an effort to reduce future flood damage downtown. VRC, whose mission is to permanently protect special lands along Vermont's rivers,

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