Voices From the Edge (Podcast Series), Episode 1: First Responder, Left Behind

Welcome to Voices from the Edge

We’re excited to launch this new podcast series that amplifies the stories and wisdom of neighbors living on society’s margins. At Green Mountain Justice, we believe that those most affected by injustice and inequity are the ones who hold the keys to solutions—and their voices deserve to be heard.

Our first episode features Jessica, whose story powerfully illustrates this truth.

When Jessica answers emergency calls as a volunteer EMT, she races to help neighbors in crisis. But for nearly two years, no one came when her own family was in crisis.

Despite working full-time and serving her rural Addison County community as a first responder, Jessica and her three children lived in a single motel room—caught in Vermont’s impossible housing catch-22. She earned too much to qualify for assistance programs but too little to afford rent anywhere.

While Jessica responded to emergencies for families safe in their homes, her own children did homework on motel beds. Her story reveals the fundamental failure of systems that depend on workers like Jessica while abandoning them to housing insecurity.

🎧 Listen: “First Responder, Left Behind

Jessica’s journey embodies what we know at Green Mountain Justice: those most affected by injustice hold the keys to understanding our broken systems—and the wisdom needed to repair them. Her voice joins our growing collection of conversations that center the experiences of neighbors whose stories demand to be heard.

Voices from the Edge amplifies the wisdom of those living on society’s margins, demonstrating that proximity to suffering reveals crucial insights for justice and healing.