On January 20th, 2022 the State of Vermont, Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH), Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC), Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA), and CCHA (Chittenden County Homeless Alliance), and a number of other organizations around the state recognized Homelessness Awareness Day.
The day featured testimony from a number of Vermonters working to end homelessness in front of the House General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee and House Human Services Committee. This testimony was viewed by over 200 Vermonters. View the testimony here. View the list of witnesses here.
We also hosted a memorial vigil in remembrance of those who lost their lives while experiencing homelessness over the past year. Rev.Joan Javier-Duval, Unitarian Church of Montpelier, lead a non-denominational remembrance, followed by speakers from around the state with lived experienced with homelessness or working with unhoused populations. The vigil can be viewed here.
VCEH put together a display of flags in Montpelier on the State House lawn with each flag representing a Vermonter experiencing homelessness. There were 2,591 total flags with 360 of those flags representing children. The display was featured in the The Barre Montpelier Times Argus newspaper.
Many other local groups around the state held their own homelessness awareness events throughout the winter. To highlight a few: Lamoille Valley Housing and Homeless Coalition (LVHHC) lead a walk and vigil in recognition of the day. The video can be found here. Local housing groups in the Upper Valley, Bradford, Randolph and Rutland held vigils on December 21st, the winter solstice and longest night of the year, in recognition of those experiencing homelessness.
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