2003 Consolidated Plan for Housing & Community Development
Homeless and Supportive Housing Needs

Nature and Extent of Homelessness

Information on the nature and extent of homelessness in Burlington, and on the needs of the homeless and precariously housed, comes from the Chittenden County Continuum of Care Alliance.

The table below shows a "single-day" snapshot of the homeless and their needs in Burlington. 

Continuum of Care Gaps Analysis - HUD Table 1A

Available and affordable housing is the overwhelming need among the homeless and precariously housed (i.e., those at risk of becoming homeless) in Burlington. The lack of housing is creating homelessness and increasing the length of shelter stays, and finding housing is draining the resources of homeless providers.

Homelessness has become particularly acute for families. In 1998, the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) provided shelter to 49 homeless families. In 2001, COTS served 121 families at its shelter and through outreach services to families staying at motels or with friends; the agency had to turn away 186 families in 2001 because of lack of space. Over 200 families are now seeking shelter each year. The average length of stay at the Family Shelter has increased from 39 days in 1997 to three months. COTS has recently opened another 10-unit family shelter, but families must still be put up in motels (with providers working with the State to get emergency assistance funds to pay the motel bills) or double up with friends.

Many of these homeless families have at least one parent who is working full-time. However, in the current housing market, a full-time job does not always provide adequate income to pay for housing and other basic needs.[2] Once housing is lost, regaining it becomes exceedingly difficult - not only is available housing scarce, but the homeless are at a disadvantage in competing for the few units that are available.

The needs of women with children seeking shelter because of domestic abuse have also increased. The total numbers served by Women Helping Battered Women, which provides shelter and safe houses in the Burlington area, have increased, although those numbers are limited by the agency's capacity. In 1994, the agency provided shelter to 52 women and 78 children; in 2001, the agency sheltered 92 women and 71 children. The agency estimates that it turns away over  50 families a year. To maximize use of shelter beds to provide safety within 24 hours of a call for help, the agency has moved to a policy of more strictly limiting shelter stays to 28 days (with exceptions granted on a case-by-case basis); this requires greater resources for moving clients safely back into the community.

The number of homeless single adults - as opposed to families - served at emergency shelters in the City has dropped over the last five years. There are two shelters in the City which serve single homeless adults:[3]

There has been an increase in the number of single women seeking shelter; many are fleeing domestic abuse. The average length of stay at both shelters is around three weeks, a number which has remained fairly constant over the last three years. The racial and ethnic composition of those served at the Waystation over the last two years was:

The number of homeless youth in the City has also risen. Spectrum Family & Youth Services, which operates a shelter and provides services for homeless youth, served 260 homeless youth in the year ending October 1998. In 2000, the agency served 290 youth; in 2001, it served 318 youth.

Among the biggest concerns in providing for the homeless are: 

• Since 1994, the Chittenden County Continuum of Care has experienced the slow erosion of federal funds granted through HUD's Homeless Assistance Program - from $1.6 million in 1996 to $350,000 last year.
• The way in which HUD calculates a continuum's pro-rata need puts rural states like Vermont at a competitive disadvantage. HUD awards more points to a project if the project cost falls within the pro-rata need that HUD assigns to a community. Even a relatively inexpensive and highly efficient program will lose points if its cost exceeds HUD's pro-rata need amount.
• The emphasis on the chronic homeless (i.e., people with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance abuse problems) overlooks the fastest growing segment of the homeless population: families with children. Families have greater difficulty making the transition from shelter to permanent housing - they often require larger apartments that are more expensive and harder to acquire in a tight housing market and they must also find quality, affordable childcare for pre-school children. Single parent families are at a particular disadvantage - every time a child must stay home from school or daycare because of illness means that the parent has to miss work. For hourly wage workers without benefits, this has an immediate impact on their income. Also, youth (age 16 to 21) are not understood to be part of the chronic, persistent homeless population.
• Given the state deficits across the country, it will be even more difficult for homeless families to move out of shelter as Medicaid, food stamps, fuel assistance, childcare and other programs are slashed to fill the revenue shortfall. In addition, the state reduction in furlough housing is again resulting in more individuals and families without safe, long-term housing.

Page last updated May 13, 2003