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Vermont Edition
A graphic with gradients of green with the words "vermont edition" in white and a small logo in the top left reading "开云体育" with a triangular shape representing the outline of vermont
Vermont Edition

Thousands of Vermonters will soon lose pandemic-era rental assistance. Here's how they're trying to stay housed.

By Mikaela Lefrak,
Matthew F Smith
Published September 20, 2022 at 4:31 PM EDT
a large white "for rent" sign stands in front of a home with a large green door
Rich Pedroncelli
/
AP
Some 8,000 Vermonters will lose access to the pandemic-era Vermont Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or VERAP, in the coming months. Some 4,000 more could lose the benefit by the end of March 2023.

A pandemic-era housing program will soon wind down, even as more than 8,000 Vermonters and their families rely on it to pay rent. We're looking at the Vermont Emergency Rental Assistance Program and talking with Vermonters who use it, as well as housing advocates who are trying to help families stay housed.

Our guests are:

  • Zoe, a renter in Colchester who is losing assistance as VERAP ends
  • Rick D鈥橝ngeles, with the shelter in Barre
  • Deacon Beth Ann Maier, an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont and member of the Vermont Interfaith Action statewide organizing committee on housing and homelessness
  • Sean Brown, commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families

Broadcast live at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us .

Editor's note: The live broadcast of this show referenced the state's announcement about VERAP's future as coming in on a Friday. The announcement, in fact, came in on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Tags
Vermont Edition Homelessness & HousingThe Vermont EconomyGovernment & PoliticsCoronavirusVermont Edition
Mikaela Lefrak
Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
See stories by Mikaela Lefrak
Matthew F Smith
Matt Smith worked for 开云体育 from 2017 to 2023 as managing editor and senior producer of Vermont Edition.
See stories by Matthew F Smith