Who Pays For the Privilege of Divisiveness?
Last night (March 28th 2025), we received this text from an unhoused Vermonter in our network of care: “Hi,just saw what the governor did as far as the voucher program and I can’t say that I understand who qualifies now. There are quite a few people here looking at a Monday deadline…”
This neighbor is currently sheltered in a motel through Vermont’s General Assistance Emergency Housing Program. This shelter program is, at best, a bandaid for a state that really has no strategy to end chronic homelessness. The text starts to center you in the needs of Vermont’s most marginalized. You can feel the anxiety and insecurity of not knowing whether Vermont will keep you sheltered or kick you out of motel shelter, pushing you back over the cliff into the terrifying fall of homelessness again.
The text is referring to the Executive Order signed on Friday. Before we get into the Order, some context: Typically, the legislative process in Vermont tries to work for all Vermonters. Not always! But usually. It has been a point of pride of those who love this state. “Unity and Freedom” for all. And most of our legislators worked hard to negotiate and craft an equitable solution to the GA EHP motel shelter program through this mid-year’s Budget Adjustment Act. A proposal that could get Vermont through this year and set the stage to create a better solution in the coming year.
But this time, in our national political environment of increasing divisiveness and the weaponizing of differences, that process failed. No amount of hard work and good faith on the part of the majority could overcome the dogmatic insistence of the minority that all Vermonters do not deserve to remain sheltered. This minority pointed to this past election, weaponized our differences, and claimed the privilege to divide us even further.
The Executive Order dictates which community members can remain sheltered in motels through the GA EHP and which ones will be evicted in three days (April 1st 2025). The Order parses out folks with certain specific medical conditions from vulnerable people suffering from others. Have diabetes? You can stay. Have a brain tumor? You might have to go. A victim of domestic violence pregnant with a child? This Order says ‘too bad; go somewhere else.’ An American veteran with Alzheimer’s Disease; go wander the streets. The Order is so poorly constructed, details are hard to discern.
It is always the most marginalized who pay the highest price for divisiveness. Data indicate that homelessness, hunger, substance use (especially alcohol), social isolation, youth disconnection, etc. are all increasing here in Vermont. Another wave of housing-insecure neighbors will be falling into homelessness in the coming days, weeks, and months. We will see more community members living in their cars, under our bridges, on our sidewalks and in our greens, and in the woods. Please make sure you ‘see’ them. Find ways to connect, care, and collaborate to lift them up.
Green Mountain Justice and our partners will continue to support the disenfranchised through Neighbor Care and expanding networks of relationships and love-centric connections. We will continue to care, connect, and collaborate for equity and justice for all Vermonters.
