Green Mountain Meandering Missives

Updated (view Update: P.S. below): P hoto: Person living unhoused outdoors resting on a bench in Montpelier, the capital city of Vermont (photo shared with the direct consent of the person pictured; image credit: Morgan W. Brown). This evening (July 17, 2024), the Montpelier City Council  will be taking up three different -- yet somewhat related -- items concerning homelessness and related matters (view meeting agenda, here ). The first item, which is within the consent agenda, concerns the Good Samaritan winter overflow shelter lease request for use of the former Country Club building as had been done last season. The second and third item s (number 6 and 7), regard the growing rates of people living unhoused within Montpelier in general and how best to address these and related matters (read related memo,  here ) as well as downtown business owners raising concerns about it [as well as their economic financial struggles related to other matters] (read related memo, ...

Updated (view update, below): Photo: An old homelessness awareness vigil poster (of mine): Housing removes "less" from homeless In 2013, after four (4) years of being permanently housed since my last go around that had lasted twelve (12) lengthy and grueling years of living unhoused (aka homeless ), I penned a commentary piece within which I posed the question within the title of it asking what works best to end homelessness (via vtdigger ), here , and stated: [...] I have been extremely supportive of “housing first” models and most especially Pathways Vermont, which serves this small rural state well. The fact is, it works. [...]  Nothing has changed my mind concerning these matters. It is still what I believe.  Permanent, affordable, safe and decent housing works where most other methods fall short or fail. In fact, the housing first model is still considered the best approach to ending homelessness (via Urban Institute, Housing Matters ; February 14, 2024), here : [...] ...

  Although being retired from my thirty-plus years of volunteer activism and advocacy concerning various matters (including housing, homelessness and mental health), having learned of a press conference being held at the Vermont State House today regarding Housing First Vermont, since it concerns something rather near and dear to my heart, I attended in support of the cause.  Being retired, does not mean I stopped caring about these and related matters. Far from it. Photo: Housing First Vermont press conference placard (more photos of the press conference, here ). Update : Housing First Vermont:  Evidenced-Based Solutions to Homelessness:  2024 Policy Recommendations  (six page informational handout; scanned from hard copy; via Google Drive) , here . News articles and reports coverage of the press conference (this section will be updated as additional news coverage about the press conference becomes available): Brattleboro Reformer , here ; Vermont Public, here ...