(Host) Governor Peter Shumlin says the recent death of three homeless Vermonters has led to a new effort to reduce homelessness in the state.
The governor on Wednesday issued an executive order to reconstitute the Vermont Council on Homelessness. The interagency group is charged with developing a 10-year plan to end homelessness.
(Shumlin) "We have a rising number of homeless people in Vermont. I know that Vermont as one of the most compassionate states in the country where we care deeply about every Vermonter understands that it’s unacceptable to have Vermonters dying in the streets because of cold weather. I believe these actions will give us a better chance in our effort to end homelessness in Vermont and to ensure that no Vermonter freezes in the streets."
(Host) Shumlin also pointed to a new rental subsidy program started this month that is aimed at keeping low-income Vermonters from becoming homeless. And he appointed a new person to coordinate housing programs in the Agency of Human Services.
Shumlin says two of the deaths of homeless people occurred in Burlington and one in Rutland.