Veto of essential emergency housing program reforms endorses a continuation of under-resourced hotel/motel voucher program.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2025
Contact:
Emily Hagan-Howe, Communications Director, ACLU of Vermont
[email protected], 802-223-6304 x121
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Yesterday, Governor Phil Scott vetoed H. 91: An act relating to the Vermont Homeless Emergency Assistance and Responsive Transition to Housing Program. The act would have transformed Vermont’s homelessness response system and represented the most comprehensive plan to address homelessness in recent years. Vermont currently holds the 4th highest rate of homelessness in the country, with over 4,971 individuals, including more than 1,105 children, experiencing homelessness nightly.
The following statement can be attributed to Alexandra Karambelas, Policy Advocate of the ACLU of Vermont.
“We are deeply disappointed by Governor Scott’s decision to veto H. 91. After repeated calls for reform, H. 91 proposed a viable path forward for transitioning away from the state’s current hotel/motel system without abandoning those most impacted by the homelessness crisis in our state. Without the essential reforms contained within H.91, we can expect more unsheltered people on our streets, and more of the same drastic threats to emergency housing services in the coming years.
“In the face of a growing emergency, calls to reduce the scale of our homelessness response will put more unsheltered people at risk of severe harm or death. Homelessness in Vermont has risen 356% since 2019, and our communities are feeling the impact. Now is the time to respond to this crisis with vision and compassion, rather than simply hoping that these issues will somehow fix themselves.
“We agree that there needs to be accountability for our emergency housing system, but the governor should start by looking to his own administration, which is responsible for the oversight and outcomes of the existing program. The results we have seen were entirely predictable due to the continual calls to reduce resources and supports for those this program serves. H.91 advances the kinds of evidence-backed reforms that this moment calls for, while the governor’s veto of this vital legislation endorses a continuation of the existing under-resourced program.
“The people of Vermont broadly agree that we need humane, long-term solutions to the state’s homelessness crisis. We greatly appreciate the lawmakers who worked together this session to find solutions that can best serve the people of Vermont. With the Governor’s actions, the fate of the state’s emergency housing response returns once more to the legislature. We urge lawmakers to override this disastrous decision and continue fighting to provide the support needed by communities grappling with the state’s growing homelessness crisis.”
