This letter is by Brenda Siegel, of Newfane. She is a drug policy and housing activist and was the Democrat nominee for governor in 2022.
The Committee Of Conference has reached an agreement on the budget as it affects people currently utilizing the General Assistance Motel Program. This agreement creates a preventable humanitarian crisis caused by a state sponsored unsheltering of nearly 3000 people, including 500 to 600 children. This is a deliberate and abject failure of our state legislature and governor to care for those who are most vulnerable in our state.
In the past couple of months, nearly 200 people utilizing the program have written to their legislators as well as Senate Protem and Speaker of the House, telling their personal stories and pleading with them to treat their lives with the same value that they give their own values. I can’t imagine any other constituency who would be ignored in such an overt and overwhelming way.
People in power have a responsibility to treat the lives of fellow human beings with dignity and that has not been achieved in the proposed state budget. According to recent data, 10% to 30% of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness will die as a result. That is 300 to 700 of these individuals. We are trading the lives and well being of fellow humans for “other priorities”, because “the program just has to end some time”. We should instead be creating a responsible transition that does not leave people unsheltered.
This legislative session myself and other advocates have offered multiple proposals and plans that would create that transition. Those plans received very little or no consideration. Vermont has the second highest rate of homelessness in the country and we are responding to it by orchestrating an unsheltering of almost all of our most vulnerable.
I have visited 16 hotels and spoken to 1000 of these individuals. Those exited will include people on oxygen, people who have just had surgery, people in recovery, people with mental illness that has finally been stabilized, 500 to 600 children, single moms, people who have devices that need to be plugged in and more. This is one of the most cruel acts that our state government could perpetrate among those who struggle the most with poverty.
When these families are sent outside with nowhere to go, they will be exited to our downtowns, to our communities. Our communities do not have the resources to support a mass unsheltering of people across the state. This will not be a few people without what they need, this will be thousands of individuals who are desperate for survival and our state government will have put them there.
There is no excuse for the suffering and pain that will be caused by this inhumane budget.
If I ONLY knew the Gov. of Texas, I’d tell him to send TEN busloads of illegal “climate refugee illegals” directly to Shelburne Farms so THEY can put them up….TONS of available open land to do so. Shelburne Farms is all ROCKEFELLER and VANDERBILT money. They are among the richest people in VT. I know someone who works for ROCKEFELLER’S. These familie’s Trust Funds run well into BILLIONS and all these Rockefeller & Vanderbilt descendants are good at, is blithely inheriting massive money, living high on the hog, and blowing huge $$$ to force feed WOKE and Climate Change onto the rest of the poorer VT populous. Nothing else. FYI? All the Rockefeller & Vanderbilt Trust money came from now illegal monopolies, labor exploitation, ruthless business deeds, and back then there was NO INCOME TAX.
If you don’t believe me, read this detailed expose’ on how the Rockefeller’s near single handidly manufacture and fund massive amounts of Climate Change litigation, all LAWFARE…directed by the Rockefeller Trust foundation…and much is spearheaded by a direct descendant gal living in Shelburne Farms….it’s not right to print her name, but you can find it. She goes by her married name…so fewer people know her, her position….and power behind the curtain.
https://energycentral.com/c/og/how-rockefellers-manufactured-climate-liability-campaign
Look closely at the expose’ link of the Rockefeller’s Climate LAWFARE….and WHO is a top Legal outfit recipient of MONEY from the Shelburne Farms Rockefeller? You guessed it….THE CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION….CLF…she funds the CLF to do “LOBBY & LAWFARE work in VT… and it is the CLF that was the main lobbyist for the just passed VT Climate bill. So if you want to blame someone…look no further than Shelburne Farms. Oh, how I wish we could see ten busloads of new, illegal climate refugee’s dumped onto Shelburne Farms grounds…. for them to take care of..ha-ha.
There is a pretty easy solution Brenda, walk your talk. All legislators should adopt every family to come live in their homes with them, easy peasy.
The VTgOP can offer them jobs.
Of course we have no shelte for anyone because VT is a snob because of our influx of flat landers not allowing local people to solve their local housing problem.
Bring them into your homes and let’s talk after that.
Sorry, ms. seigel. Vermont is kinda tapped out right now, with a 8 + Billion dollar annual budget.
Many of these fine people currently enjoying accommodations provided by Vermont taxpayers have arrived here in the last 5 years. Of the 1000 you allegedly personally spoke with, how many arrived here for the above average benefits and accommodations parceled out by our legislature?
Maybe going back to where they came from would be their best option?
Vermont isn’t really all that affordable, you know.
I heard this morning there is a threat to hold up the budget to get the money in to fund the “homeless emergency.” I believe the panic in Montpelier is the fact that busloads of “new arrivals” will be dropped in Vermont sanctuary cities/towns shortly. Portland Maine is reporting way over-capacity and conditions getting out of control. New York City is a lost cause descending into chaos. Chicago, IL black community is raging as the “new arrivals” are taking over their spaces and taking their benefits. Brownsville, Texas report shows “new arrivals” receiving DHS welcome bags containing brand new smartphones and court dates scheduled into 2027. It appears the despots under the Golden Dome have wildly overplayed their hand. They may have rewarded themselves with grand benefits and extra coin, but the reality is they set themselves up for a grand finale fall. Their best option is to bail out and run. The boomerang is coming right at them now and Vermonters best brace themselves for roundhouse gut punches.
Very important to keep people homeless, as housing them would cause a massive drop in letters to the editor about finding used needles in playgrounds and parks.
Ship them to San Fransisco and LA CA. At least they won’t freeze to death.. The bigger question is why are these people unemployed when there are so many businesses looking for workers? If they just don’t want to work I just don’t care about taking care of their lazy azzes…
Maybe all those “night flights and bus deliveries” weren’t such a great idea?? Typical liberal policies. Where is all that liberal money needed to support all this? Why it’s in their pockets and bank accounts where it will remain. This, like all other stupid, expensive ideas will end up funded by the working class, and the barely getting by class,through MORE TAXES WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!
Easy solution. Go where the money is. I suggest a TENT CITY be built at Shelburne Farms. They are massive Trust Fund babies, from the Vanderbilt lineage. The family that runs it now us UBER LEFT WING and gives massively to Climate Change issues. I also know there are ROCKEFELLER family trust funders $$$$ in Shelburne too. So why aren’t they doing the “right thing” and bringing all the homeless to set up encampments on Shelburne Farms…which has PLENTY of open land…. and even put them up at the Shelburne Inn.
OOOOPS! Guess what. they will never allow it :)….typical Liberals & double standards……. NIMBY
Well said Jeffrey. Well said..
I am ok helping US citizens long enough for them to get a JOB ..then they can move on just like myself and millions of others had to do.. Illegals are illegal and need to be removed. We are not the savers of the world.
That’s genius.
Climate refugees you know…