[A] gathering on the steps of the Statehouse for an annual vigil recognizing homelessness in Vermont drew a star-power visitor.
The vigil, held in conjunction with Homelessness Awareness Day, attracted about a 100 people Thursday, including state officials, political candidates, representatives, and national housing advocates.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., spoke out against some of his colleagues in the Senate in Washington, calling for more federal funding to support housing programs.
“Homelessness anywhere in a nation as wealthy as ours, people who are hungry in a nation as wealthy as ours, people who are cold in a nation as wealthy as ours, it’s immoral,” Leahy said.
Leahy was introduced by House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morrisville, who said the event is “about remembering that we are judged by how we treat those that are the least fortunate among us.”
Two House committees heard from state officials and organizations that work on emergency shelter and affordable housing over the course of two days of testimony. On Thursday morning, Dr. Megan Sandel, a Massachusetts pediatrician, compared the public health importance of housing to vaccines.
“What we know is that access to housing is an essential component,” Rep. Ann Pugh, D-South Burlington, chair of the House Human Services Committee, told the crowd.
Several candidates for higher office spoke during the event as well, including gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter, and contenders for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination Rep. Kesha Ram, D-Burlington, and Sen. David Zuckerman, P/D-Chittenden.
Dr. Sam Tsemberis, who founded the Housing First model, which has been implemented in Vermont and many other states across the country, joined the vigil.
Housing First, run by Pathways Vermont, puts people who are homeless directly into stable housing, and without requirements such as sobriety or mental health treatment that they say could be a barrier.
Reducing homelessness is about investing resources, Tsmeberis said, but it’s not necessarily about investing more resources.
“It’s a tight budget year always,” Tsemberis said, “How you target and prioritize makes all the difference between an effective program solution and something that just .. doesn’t produce the results.”
