Vermont § 28 - Executive Order No. 33-28 (No. 03-25) [General Assistance Emergency Housing]

§ 28. Executive Order No. 33-28 (No. 03-25) [General Assistance Emergency Housing]

• WHEREAS, Vermont’s long-standing General Assistance emergency housing program (also
  known as the hotel/motel program), was originally intended as a temporary safety net
  providing hotel rooms to Vermonters with emergency needs for a limited duration; and WHEREAS, as an emergency alternative to congregate shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic,
  Vermont lifted all eligibility requirements and all caps on length of stay and paid
  for this expansion with $115 million in FEMA funds for the period March 2020 through
  June 2022; and WHEREAS, despite the pandemic-specific intent of this expansion, the discontinuation
  of federal funding for it, and every other state ending similar programs, the Vermont
  Legislature has maintained an expanded number of emergency hotel/motel rooms; and WHEREAS, the hotel/motel program will cost Vermont taxpayers an estimated $45 million
  for Fiscal Year 2025 as compared to less than $5 million per year prior to the pandemic;
  and WHEREAS, the hotel/motel program does not provide any services or wrap around supports,
  including substance use disorder and mental illness, and the isolation of hotel rooms
  makes it difficult for service providers to engage with those who refuse the services
  they need to become stable and exit homelessness; and WHEREAS, the hotel/motel system puts vulnerable and predatory populations — children
  under 19, individuals transitioning from incarceration, those in early recovery and
  others actively selling and abusing drugs and alcohol — all together; and WHEREAS, there have been 135 deaths in the hotel/motel program over the last 5 years,
  with almost half of those attributable to overdoses, many others attributable to untreated
  health conditions and 2 homicides; in 2024 alone 29 lives were lost; and WHEREAS, the program is legislatively capped at 1,100 available rooms for a maximum
  80-day per year stay to allow for individuals and families to seek suitable shelter
  and housing options except during the months of November 1, 2024-March 31, 2025 when
  the program ballooned to 1,461 households at a cost of almost $16 million for that
  period; and WHEREAS, the Legislature’s established eligibility criteria for the hotel/motel program
  is, a first-come, first-served approach for those seeking to enter or be reauthorized
  for GA, which does not allow priority to be given to children under 19 and the medically
  most vulnerable; and WHEREAS, for the period April 1 to June 30, 2025, the State shall implement a process
  for prioritizing the allocation of a maximum of 1,100 rooms for families with children
  under 19 and the most medically vulnerable, as set forth in this Executive Order;
  and WHEREAS, for the period April 1 to June 30, 2025, for the families with children under
  19 and households verified by DCF as the most medically vulnerable in accordance with
  this Executive Order, and who are currently in the hotel/motel program, the 80 day
  maximum shall be waived for the period April 1 to June 30, 2025, to allow time for
  DCF to ensure these households have access to existing social services, healthcare
  and the supports needed to transition to suitable long-term housing, a family shelter
  placement or transition to a skilled nursing facility, as appropriate; and WHEREAS, I have determined these actions are necessary to manage and administer the
  hotel/motel program in an efficient, effective and fiscally prudent manner that substantially
  accomplishes the legislative purposes for which these taxpayer funds were appropriated. NOW THEREFORE, I, Philip B. Scott, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor
  of Vermont by the Constitution of the State of Vermont, Chapter II, Section 3 and
  Section 20, 33 V.S.A. § 101, 33 V.S.A. § 105, Act 113 of the laws of 2024, section E.321 (“Act 113”), and 32 V.S.A. § 704a, do hereby ORDER AND DIRECT AS FOLLOWS: 1. I hereby direct the Commissioner of DCF to implement the following for the period
  April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025: Priority eligibility: DCF shall identify the households currently in the hotel/motel program with custody
  of children under 19, and the most medically vulnerable as of March 31, 2025 and reauthorize
  those households for the period April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, subject to the terms
  of this Executive Order. DCF shall immediately notify those households with priority eligibility that they
  may remain in place through June 30, 2025, subject to the terms of this Executive
  Order. “Medically vulnerable” for purposes of priority eligibility shall mean an individual
  who: i. meets the Medicare definition of “homebound,” such as someone who relies on the
  medically necessary assistance of another person or medical equipment such as a wheelchair
  for mobility and other essential functions; ii. who requires a lifesaving device that requires access to electricity, such as
  an oxygen concentrator; iii. is in active cancer treatment or treatment for severe kidney/renal disease, or
  severe liver or heart conditions; iv. is actively receiving Medicaid-eligible or Medicare-eligible “home-based” nursing
  services (like VNA visits, or hospice); or v. is a woman in the third trimester of pregnancy or a woman who will enter the third
  trimester of pregnancy during the period April 1, 2025 to June 30 2025. This Executive Order shall take effect upon signing and shall continue in full force
  and effect until midnight on June 30, 2025, at which time the Governor, in consultation
  with the Vermont Agency of Human Services shall assess the hotel/motel program and
  determine whether to amend or extend this Executive Order. Dated March 28, 2025.