Burlington’s only low-barrier homeless shelter will open this week in a former federal office building.
Operated by COTS, the 30-bed space at the former Social Security office on Pearl Street will admit people regardless of their sobriety. Beginning Wednesday, it will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., seven days a week, through the end of April.
The shelter is fairly bare-bones. In the main room, two rows of black cots are separated by white privacy curtains, each with a blanket and plastic tote for personal belongings. A separate room is being outfitted with a microwave, coffee station, games and puzzles.
The space is sorely needed in Burlington, where the rates of unsheltered homelessness have skyrocketed in recent years, in part owing to the rollback of the state-run motel housing program. Officials have estimated that nearly 300 people are sleeping rough in and around the Queen City.
“We try to meet the individual need that’s in front of us every day,” COTS executive director Jonathan Farrell said at a press conference on Monday, where he was joined by U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
Welch said the COTS shelter will meet a need as the state works to solve its acute housing crisis.
“This should be a cause of celebration but [also] a reminder of the urgency that our state and our country faces about getting affordable housing that’s made available to all our citizens,” Welch said.
COTS acquired the building through a program that gives away unused or surplus federal buildings for free to organizations that serve homeless people. A $1.1 million state grant created as part of the motel program wind-down paid to hire 14 staffers and to fit up the space. Contractors were still on-site Monday afternoon, installing security cameras.
Four staffers will be present at any given time, and guards from Censor Services will be on duty throughout the evening, according to COTS. When the shelter closes in the morning, guests can find other services, such as showers and hot meals, at COTS’ Daystation on North Avenue.
COTS will only operate the low-barrier shelter for one winter, after which it plans to relocate its long-running Waystation to the Pearl Street building. Currently on Church Street, the Waystation is an emergency overnight shelter, albeit not low-barrier.
Meantime, CVOEO is working on opening another low-barrier shelter at the former Champlain Inn on Shelburne Road. Construction delays have pushed its opening to February 1, city officials have said.
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