SmartTranscript of House Human Services - 2025-02-05 1:00 PM

[Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Good afternoon. Welcome to human services. CA is a Wednesday, February fifth. One o'clock in the afternoon. We are, picking up testimony on h ninety one, our emergency temporary shelter program bill, and, Chris Lourdes here with us to give, his testimony on the content of the bill. This is your first time in our committee? [Christopher Louras ]: Yes, ma'am. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: I will do a round of introductions. I'm Ray Garofano. I live in Essex. Also represent Essex Junction. Hi. I'm Jim Gordon Gail. I represent report middle bearing. Yeah. Hey. I'm Esme Cole. I represent Hartford. Thank you. [Christopher Louras ]: Hi. I'm Zion Eastclitz, and I represent Guilford and Vernon in the bottom of the state. I got in the bottom of the states. Important. And this got testimony. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Doug Bishop representing Colchester's Chitman trip. Brenda Steady West Westford East Memphis. [Christopher Louras ]: Good afternoon, representative. I work with the lobby of the city. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Yes, sir. And, Don, you have some Northfield also represent the land. [Christopher Louras ]: Union representative. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Do you wanna introduce yourself? [Christopher Louras ]: Good afternoon. Todd Nielsen. I represent Brandon in. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: I will go around the ground. Laurie Morrison, the assistant. [Christopher Louras ]: Action service. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Brenda Siegel, a pharmacist from. Megan Novak. I'm one of the co homes transport in the city of Atlanta. My name is Alice. Great. Thank you. [Christopher Louras ]: Thank you. And, of [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: course have testimony that [Christopher Louras ]: I I do. Just not ready to send it over to Yonder yet, but I got I've got it. And, that was gonna be one of my things I was gonna speak to first. For the record, name is Christopher Loris from the city of Rutland. I just wanna state upfront that I have written testimony. We'll be submitting a written testimony, but that's unusual for me. Usually, I spitball things. So you're guaranteed to see a show here because I've got prepared remarks that normally don't go well when I do it. But I wanted to make sure that the committee and the Vermont community have my comments in writing. So, again, good afternoon. My name is Christopher Horace. I am one of the two part time homeless response coordinators working for the city of Groton along with Megan Novak. We're working under an eighteen month contract with the City of Rutland through a grant from the agency of human services that was provided to to the city last year. Okay. We'd also offer a couple of the disclaimers because I have a few different hats. Yeah. First is I'm also a subcontractor as is Megan working with Glenn Zacca of Garnet government relations, and we are working with communities around the state as part of the, public safety enhancement team initiative that's been rolled out in Bennington, Springfield, Brattleboro, where chief James Baker, and now we're working up in Saint Jay and with these other places. I'm not wearing that hat. Likewise, I was appointed by the League of Cities and Towns to the general assistance emergency housing task force where I sat with representative McGill as co chair. I was a co chair. She was co chair with Sarah Russell, but I sat here. And I am not testifying to the task force recommendations at all today. That's that hat I'm not wearing. So, like, clearly, I was very well informed about the homelessness crisis in Vermont as part of the work on the task force. And I will need retestifying on behalf of the League of Cities and Towns while I worked with the league as their rep in the task force and have some information that informs my, testimony that I got from the league. I'm I'm not here representing the league. And finally, I am an appointee to the e nine one one board, but I'm not testifying where I'm at today. So, clearly, I'm here to offer testimony on house ninety one. And while I'm doing so on behalf of the city of Rutland, as I said, my testimony is informed by the data and experiences of other communities around the state and not just Rutland City. They've been burdened by an outside, outside sorry. An outsized burden, opponent's response due to the general assistance programs, hotel and motel vouchers. And in Rutland, specifically, we have had and we need to have a lion's share of hotel rooms participating. While that has been somewhat mitigated over the last six months, the numbers on one percent are still accurate. So first, before I get to the language of the bill itself, I'd like to offer a recommendation for your consideration as an amendment to this bill or not most likely not as a standalone because it is germane that could help communities support the unhoused as well as support the critical work of service providers and state employees in our communities. What I'm recommending, and this is and I'll, you know, share a couple individuals that concur, recommend the reestablishment of the statutory position of town service officer, which was repealed in the two thousand fifteen, two thousand sixteen session. Well before any of us had recognized that the impact of the global pandemic and what it could do to our local municipalities. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Chris, can you repeat then? I'm not familiar with Sure. The town service officer [Christopher Louras ]: Used to have similar mirror duties to the field services director, and it was a position that grew out of way back when when they were overseers of the poor and poor farms hundred years ago. Town service officers were the if you will, provided the services of DCF in individual municipalities until the sixties when those duties were taken up by the establishment of DCF and associated policies. It remained within statue under VSA thirty three, human human services, until fifteen sixteen session when it was repealed. However, when it was repealed in two thousand sixteen, the town service officer position was reestablished in VSA twenty four, eight seventy one sub b sub five, along with Vince viewers, the whole layers, shuttle inspectors and townkeepers and a few other old older positions in municipal government that are still used or but clearly have been somewhat obsolete, but they still exist. The reason I opted this up and let me get back to reading this, if you will. While the town service officer references in VSA thirty three were repealed during the sixteenth session through the passage of h five seventy five at seventy one, The TSO reference, and I'll I'll be using the word TSO because it's it's relevant. The TSO reference, its appointment language and its authority continued to be referenced since two thousand fifteen, sixteen in the general assistance emergency housing assistance emergency rules. Bulletin twenty four twelve, which went into effect on July one, and bulletin twenty four twenty two, effective July December twenty eighth. Both still have that same language referencing duties of the town service officer. Because of that, I asked the mayor of the city of Rutland to also appoint me as a city town service officer because in a previous life, I served in that capacity for four to five years and recognize the impact the positive impact town service officers can have on communities. When I wrote to the commissioner of DCF to be formally appointed so I could access the state funding just as the district directors do in our in accordance with the order. I was told that that that language should have been stripped out moons ago from the, from the emergency rule. But right now, it's still there, and that's important. And I'll say why why in a second. The the way to affect reinstituting the town service officer, oh, boy, and it all just disappeared. So this one, I'm gonna have to spitball. There are two ways that the town service officer, after you take testimony, could be reinstituted as a, to just reestablish the language as it was in BSA thirty three, either permanently or with the sunset, possibly when the, homelessness advisory committee, incorporated into h ninety one here, sunsets. Or what would be simpler would be to recognize that the physician still is incorporated in the municipal the municipal statute, BSA twenty four, and simply, authorize the DCF commissioner to formally complete the process and appoint a local town service officer to to that position. I would recommend that Adam Sancic, current field services director for Rockland and Bennington counties. He was formerly an interim statewide field services director supervisor that he or an upper state employee with knowledge of the TSL program could come and testify. Likewise, Angus Chaney of, Rutland's homeless prevention center, HPC, unfortunately, just go with acronyms as an old army guy. Both of those folks I've spoken with and recognized the benefit of an additional locally based partner in a community, that's driven to find some success in homeless response, could be assigned to such role, and the TSO could work hand in hand in partnership with not only local service providers, but also state employees and specifically the field service director. And I'll go off script here for a sec just to share one personal story that that I that I experienced as town service officer. So twelve, been twelve years ago. So it would have been two thousand sometime between two thousand and twelve and two thousand and fifteen when I was town service officer in Rutland. Our we had a unique response strategy to, the opioid crisis facing Ron, where we brought together through some of the project division, all the different stakeholders to, work with data and to identify how we could positive positively impact those who are doing harm to our community and help those individuals who are suffering as a result of the opioid crisis. So, we had shut down a property that had no water, no electricity, no heat, on a Friday. And there was a young woman who was living in that house with a number of other individuals who was essentially there's, you know, essentially being trafficked. And as town service officer, I was able to when that house was boarded up and shut down that day, took her on a Friday evening down to a local hotel as town service officer, got her placed into a hotel, ensured that she was gonna be hooked up with services from then, what what is now, new story, the women's shelter and organization provides domestic partner violence services in Rutland as well as to the methadone clinic, which is just just been stood up in Rutland. And the last I knew was when I said good value to her, I was told the next week she had engaged in services and actually had been enrolled for a time at Westridge MAT clinic. Don't know where she's now. It's successful or not, but that's a demonstration of what the town service officer can do if given the authority by, by BCF. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Chris, can I pause you? Please. Since you just spoke about the TSOs, would now be a good time to ask a couple questions about [Christopher Louras ]: If you like, sure. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Absolutely. So I'll start. So two questions. Right now, do towns and municipalities receive money from the state in any way to either set up warming shelters or assist in, homeless preventions? [Christopher Louras ]: Great question. Only through the local partners. And that was one that was the main that was absolutely the main reason why, Mayor Dundas, worked with the state to get that grant for the city. So, Megan and I could work in that space because the community, Ruttland had no municipal individual who could fill that role in coordinating and facilitating discussions. Since Megan and I came on board, we were fortunate to work with Angus. And the first step we may have was to stand up from four up to twelve. So eight additional emergency shelter apartments managed by Angus and the homeless prevention to get families eight additional families into, you know, a an apartment where they would have a level of autonomy and also be able to engage with service providers. That was step one. Steps two and three, which we're still actively pursuing, is working to stand up a family shelter, working with the state. We have we meetings with state, actors every ten weeks to work on this at the at the level of, deputy secretary Christian McClure runs those meetings. So we're trying to stand up a family shelter, in Rotland for up to thirty individuals and also trying to stand up a single shelter for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, each of those have run into another roadblock, so we're going to continue to work on that. So this also would be the right time to say that the funds that we we were working with the state to try to stand up these other shelters. We're part of the last year's budget of the ten million dollars. And I was, you know, tuned in to this committee and the work on the Budget Adjustment Act. So I will say that I would hope that the monies allocated to extend the hotel program, if passed by the legislature and signed in the BAA, don't impact Rutland's funding for its shelters that we've been desperately trying to stand up. And I'm just just sharing that because that seemed to be a little bit of the tone when last week when you were taking that that testimony. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: So My other question Different comments. Not yet. That's known as the money that's known as the when you hear the hombres Yeah. Those are those that go to communities through and that support the shelter bailouts and things. Separate money from the GA bounce. My other question is about the TSO is would having a TSO be required for municipalities to actually access the money directly rather than partnering with community organizations? [Christopher Louras ]: I would say, yes. But we would still partner with the organizations because individuals would have to enroll in coordinated entry Services. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Yeah. [Christopher Louras ]: And and engage with the service providers who are managing those hot funds. So the TSO really, in in my view, would really fill the role that Megan and I are filling right now, which would be to coordinate and facilitate in those communities where there isn't the infrastructure in place and the personnel in place, like we had, you know, Sarah Russell up in Burlington doing that work. And I can say that down who is Vernon way, That That's me. There you go. That oh, one of the issues that John Potter, town manager of Brattleboro spoke to in some VLCT meetings was he would like to have a Meagan order press. And I I based on my own personal experience when I previous life, when I named myself, town service officer, I can say that it it it can make a difference. And I would say if any TSO leaves the reservation and starts to act in a way which doesn't comport with the goals of the state, DCF, and the local field services director. Clearly, the the township software can't really affect any action unless blessed by the DCF commissioner. And as he as a DCF commissioner, he or she can authorize, they can also take away that forage. So, like, a question. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Go ahead, representative. [Speaker 2 ]: Just so I have some clarity, I'm not familiar with the old model of [Christopher Louras ]: the [Speaker 2 ]: TSO. Is this a position do any state funds or any state funds allocated to help stand up the TSOs, or is it something simply that the town does, but once designated and if designated again through legislation, would have certain authorities? And that's really [Christopher Louras ]: Yes. [Speaker 2 ]: Where the the need for a change They request. [Christopher Louras ]: It's a great question. And they have and would have the authorities to act and to access state funds for reimbursement for services that are provided. I can tell you in Rutland's instance that for me as a TSO, I had never and would not going forward, build the state for my time. But there is authority to do that, but, of course, that will all be be managed. I think they're recognizing the price of being housed in Vermont, that it's well known in most, you know, of the larger communities, the impact that's being had. And I'd say it would supplement and not supplant any services currently being provided by any service providers. And from my perspective, someone needs to be passionate and driven in order to do the TSO the right way, and that's not a money driven thing. So if anybody I would say if anybody said, yeah, I'll be TSO. Just hook me up with some scratch. I'd say that's not who you'll be. I think it's a balance a volunteerism that yeah. I'm just [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: I'm confused. Is it county wise or each each place? [Christopher Louras ]: Each individual municipality, including every town, used to have to, by April fifteenth of each year Name. Name a town service officer. That name would be forwarded to the DCF commissioner, and the DCF commissioner would formalize. Where would they be based out of? In that individual town, all two hundred and fifty one. That's the way it was originally set up. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: See, I'm on the slide for the North County side. Yeah. Okay. That's it. Okay. Yeah. We can have, but talk to I [Christopher Louras ]: would say more discussions about [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: previous spelling. Yeah. But go ahead. [Christopher Louras ]: Yeah. Because I I do think it, I just want to offer that up as something that could be inserted into language, and I think would be impactful at the local level, the municipal level in each community, recognizing the needs of of those individual communities. Okay. So I'll share a prompt that my testimony and looking back at what I drafted really centers on three themes concerning what concerning Holmes' response. First would be municipal participation and partnerships. The second would be equitable distribution, geographic distribution of resources and of those individuals who need them, and that it be a data driven approach that the parties can agree on with what data should be used to draft policy, and I'll speak to that a little bit later. It really comes down to the difference between point in time versus coordinated entry and what information is available, in individual communities and statewide. Also broadly, homelessness in Vermont, I think we all recognize as a statewide challenge that requires a statewide solution and a statewide response. And currently, there are communities around the state that, are overburdened and struggling with simply because they are the places where, through the pandemic and the shelter first model, individuals were sheltered. And they were sheltered in those locations where the hotel and motel owners raised their hands to volunteer to take part in the program. It did so without the associated the associated resources that were needed to manage those those large populations in those communities. So at this point, I'm just gonna try to do it as a a walkthrough, but I'm not gonna touch on it's not line by line. It's simply the lines that I think are of are of import. So in section one, sub paragraph five on page two. It does speak, you know, under the in the intentions, speaks to geographical hold up. Okay. It speaks to both geographical issues and, I think, accessibility issues. So there's there's a recognition, you know, in the intent that geographical equity does does play a role. Likewise, on subparagraph b, the membership of the advisory committee, as well speaks to geographical considerations, which I'll address later, but as well as demographic and diversity considerations. To the latter, we recommend that the word age be added to the list of diverse populations, including black, indigenous persons of color, as well as regard to socioeconomic status, geographic location, gender, sexual identity, and disability status. I think we found, at least, our work in Rutland, that individuals who are over the age of sixty, over the age of fifty, but age is a factor that should be addressed because the aging population, and we know our demographics are aging, have different needs than the younger populations. And I think just to call out age could be could be helpful. Likewise, disability status should also be expanded to explicitly reference those with mental health conditions, including those with substance use disorder. And while, you know, disability status is broader, I think the lived experience of those people with substance abuse challenges and or if they've got the dual diagnosis of a mental health condition, that should be called out as well to include those individuals. Section two of that same sec that same paragraph assistance and meetings for the advisory committee, Consideration should be given to those individuals who may have transportation or technological challenges to ensure that they can be represented as well, whether that would be to distribute distribute meetings around the state or to provide adequate hardware, software connectivity for remote work as we we don't wanna create a situation where we're, you know, getting people who are really with lived experience, who have a great deal of the offer, and I'll I'll I'll specifically, Sheldon LeBaron, who who worked on the general assistance emergency housing task force. Individuals with that degree of expertise, knowledge should not be have have any barriers to preclude their participation. Just wanted to share that. Section four, sub twenty two zero two, page five, establishment. Page five. Both, provision number two and oh, rather b I'm sorry. B two and let's get the glasses on. C one taken together as well as with paragraph twenty two zero eight, winter shelter on page twelve. The plain language here, and I won't read it to you, reflects that movement of individuals across districts and counties, will be kept to a minimum, and there is some value in that. And even if it's allowed to have that intrastate travel between shelters and or interim shelters such as hotels and motels, nothing in the language of the bill reflects that the that individuals can be moved, relocated from one place to another. These provisions fail to take into consideration the intrastate movement of individual individuals being relocated under the shelter first policy across the districts and the counties that occurred from twenty to twenty four. And there are some communities that the data absolutely reflect, are have that, as I said before, an outsized burden without the commensurate resources to support the spike in homelessness they experienced between twenty twenty and twenty twenty four. It resulted in an undue burden on those communities in the state where hotel and motel owners defacto drove homeless policies in the state of Vermont, and the resources and services failed to follow those individuals. And the equitable distribution of individuals with critical needs have been concentrated in certain values around the state more so more so than others. And I think that, while it's there is a great deal of value in going forward trying to limit relocation. The plain language reflects that wherever individuals in need of services are right now in the district, that's where they will remain. And for those communities that saw inordinate spikes in in homelessness due to the location of hotels and motels, you know, that that needs to be addressed somehow. And, you know, to support that, the point in time report from twenty twenty three, in its executive summary, states the and this is twenty twenty three, the relatively smaller increase in persons experiencing homelessness in Chittenden County, and I have the chart that came from the PIP report as part of the testimony, in Chittenden County is likely due to the extremely tight market for hotel rooms in the county, which required people to relocate to shelter in other counties. That's taken directly from the point in time report, and the numbers reflect that that is in fact the case. With the counties of Rutland, Windham, Washington experiencing the greatest the greatest increase, from previous years. In Rutland's instance, for eight to ten years, Rutland had one hundred homeless individuals plus or minus five. The point in time count reflects such. And in twenty twenty four, that number was six eighty two, an increase of six ten percent. Looking at the rates of homelessness around the state, Rotman's numbers I'm sorry, Rotman. The state's numbers between twenty nineteen and twenty twenty four went from one thousand eighty nine to three thousand four hundred and fifty eight for the point in time. And it's resulted in a homeless rate in the state of fifty three individuals for every ten thousand population. In Rockland County's instance, where the numbers really are concentrated in the city and town of Rockland, our homeless rate using the county numbers is one hundred and thirteen individuals per every ten thousand population, which rivals on the data that I researched, rivals the San Francisco's, San Diego's, New York City's, Boston. And clearly those cities for generations, I'd say, have not been able to adequately manage the homeless populations in their communities. Likewise, Robin as an example, at double the state rate and rivaling the rates of those large municipalities, I would say, reflects that they, the burden is an undue burden on the community, especially without the resources. So that that is a piece that I just speak to you all the data. That's the point in time report data. There are similar numbers that can be reflected in the coordinated entry data, but the daily and weekly core data entry data really reflects those who are eligible. And when the numbers are between fifteen hundred and two thousand there, we find that a thousand to fifteen hundred individuals identified in the point in time report are not incorporated into those coordinated entry numbers. So there's I'm I'm just sharing there's different data that reflect different realities, and I really think it'll be incumbent upon the committee to dive into that. And if not, agree on a common set of data to at least make sure all different data points are given consideration. And I have written a little bit later here, but I'll speak to it now. That disparity of data is also evident in the work that's being done in the Chittenden County, the continuum of care versus the balance of state continuum of care. The numbers and the work and the resources done in Chittenden County, if we could get that same type of thing done in balance of state, we could. But the data as it's currently collected do not provide for that degree of data analysis at the balance of state. So it's it's something I think should be addressed, but don't have the answers for it. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: So who's in charge of collecting the data for balance of state? [Christopher Louras ]: Each of the lead agencies, I believe. And then it gets [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Okay. [Christopher Louras ]: And then it gets incorporated into the HMIS data through the state's contractor. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: So I'm understanding you to say that the balance of state data collection is not [Christopher Louras ]: As robust. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: As robust and consistent I would [Christopher Louras ]: use that as robust. Go ahead, Julie. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: There was one kind of category that the balance of state was not collecting that made it hard to there's a lot of, like, back end kind of things. That has been fixed. [Christopher Louras ]: Oh, that [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: has been fixed. Now we're all collecting all of the same data. [Christopher Louras ]: Yes. Thank [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: you. So when we grow, like yeah. Thanks. Our our data will be a lot more meaningful when we look at it statewide. [Christopher Louras ]: Yes. Thank you. But I think, you know, the that's perfect, but we still need to understand that the point in time data with its challenges is very you know, it's critical data. It's used to, as you all know, by HUD to distribute resources. And that data do reflect that there is still that equity issue across the state. Let me get back to where I was here. Sub twenty two zero two on page five. Subs c two and three, which go from page five to page six. That it states that the hotel or motel operator shall secure temporary emergency shelter capacity. Wait. I'm sorry. I started the wrong language. If the department determines that a contractual agreement with a hotel or motel operator to secure temporary emergency shelter capacity is beneficial to improve the quality, cleanliness, or access to services for those households, temporary shelf facility, primarily authorized to enter into those agreements. Of of no quality and cleanliness, I would say over the last four years, there have been some challenges in certain hotels with respect to sanitation sanitary conditions, cleanliness, and access to services at those at those hotels and motels. And it further states that they shall, you know, comport with the accommodation act pursuant to ninety SA one thirty nine, holding a lodging license issued by the Vermont Department of Health and complying with licensed lodging establishment rule and the Vermont Fire Building and Safety Code. All good stuff. But I rec we recommend that language be inserted to reflect that, that the state authority, should not be used to interfere or replace with any municipal health or safety codes or supersede the actions of municipal officers in addressing habitability, sanitary conditions, or cleanliness, which local officials are charged with formally overseeing in their municipalities. Because indeed, there have been instances over the past several years where health officers and building inspectors have been disregarded by state officials and have been, and have created public health and safety hazards in some of the hotels. And this goes back to that local municipal partnerships is that the consideration should continue to be given for the local health officers who understand what's happening on the ground in their communities that they not be, disregarded in their actions and that they be held up. Household eligibility numbers one through nine and those are the qualifications for eligibility. There's been significant discussion for the last six months, especially about the state's decision making regarding how to accommodate different individuals or households through rulemaking. And while relevant officials, I've got to say, you know, do and have agreed with and applaud the state's folks on families, we recognize other policymakers and practitioners feel otherwise. We recommend that the committee take testimony and general assembly through statute prioritize the stated categories one through nine, provide any avoid any future disruption or disagreements about the prioritized populations. From my perspective, having sat the LLC for two years, up in the health care committee in the o six, o five, o six, I recognize that, you know, the work that you do is consequential, and I really think it should be up to y'all to decide what the priorities are for the individuals when we have finite resources to manage. But that's my opinion because I have that level of regard for the work that's done in this building. Even though I ran out of here in two thousand and seven with my hair on fire asking mister wizard for help because I didn't wanna be a legislator no more. So I dated myself for Tootles the Turtle. Sorry. Twenty two zero seven, reporting, page ten. And this goes back to what I just described before. So I apologize. I'm not going to be redundant in talking about the need to have some standardization of data across the straight state and an understanding of what datasets are identified and are used to craft craft the state policy. I think rightfully, we all held up Vermont's position as having the second highest rate of homelessness in the country a couple of years ago, and now we're to number or down to number four. But I think those numbers are real. And I don't think anyone should be disregarding point in time or, and in looping and in place, just referencing solely the coordinated entry data because the PIT is valuable as problematic as it can be. It's still a standard that's been established for for ten years. And that's the extent of my testimony if you all have any questions. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Thank you, Chris. Chris, go ahead. I'll just say to your final the point is, yes, we went down to fourth in the country, but our rate of homelessness still went up. That wasn't, like, a good thing. Homelessness is [Christopher Louras ]: You're right. I'm [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: It just means Yeah. Yeah. I'm just, like, highlighting that. It just means [Speaker 2 ]: Thank you. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Yeah. So [Christopher Louras ]: Thank you. Because I will I will echo that formally for the remarks that just because other states passed Vermont, we're still worse off than we were two years ago or last year. So thank you for that clarification because that's recognized by by me and by these valleys. I have access. [Speaker 2 ]: So to your point of equitable distribution, can you shed some light on how that plays out, perhaps, just from the example you know best, Roland? How does that play out with respect to utilization of services on the communities where there may be inequitable distribution of those participating in the program? [Christopher Louras ]: Great question. But I'll try to say it in one sentence. It means that and I spoke basically spoke to it before that Rotman historically had a hundred plus or minus five individuals who were homelessness, who were who were experiencing some sort. And we had a level of a level of resources and services being provide by the local partners, local providers. Homeless prevention center, Brock, Ventura and Opportunity Council, the the Community Action Agency, and Rottman Mental Health, as well as New Story and Rottman Housing Authority had playing, you know, smaller roles. And the way it played out was those same resources now were expected to provide adequate services to six times that many individuals. And just as throughout the state, each municipality in dealing with homelessness, that that have individuals in their community are all over birth. We recognize that. Thirty four hundred and fifty eight people is a lot of individuals who need a lot of resources, and you hear about burnout by providers. That's real. Providers in some instances potentially going into their bunkers and only working on what they need to work on rather than looking to establish new programs or new ways to for outreach. It's it's just that the the resources and the service providers are overburdened. And in some communities, specifically, Rutland, Brattleboro, Barrie, Berlin, more so than other communities are are even have a greater degree of frustration and burnout because they are serving a population seven times or six times what they used to serve. Whereas other communities maybe are still, trust me, overburdened, but only overburdened because they've had a doubling or a fifty percent increase in homelessness. I don't know if that answered the question, so I'll ask again if it didn't. I I tend to do that. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: I think you might have a follow-up. Yeah. [Speaker 2 ]: Well, I'll follow-up and then on back on your earlier topic about the TS representative. The the follow-up for now. Yeah. So that relates to the impact on the partners who are located or collocated within your community. [Christopher Louras ]: Yes, sir. What about direct municipal? Oh. Okay. Missile services. Yes. The I can only speak to Rutland City, Rutland Town, Rattleboro, and culture Because I've, you know, interacted with the town managers in Colchester and for Attleboro and spoken with the municipal officials in in Rowland Town. And it the data for calls for service to hotels, I don't have the numbers with respect to the exponential increase, but there's been an exponential rise in calls for service to the hotels where individuals are housed. And that impacts, obviously, police services. By your services, I was surprised that the numbers that your town manager shared in Colchester with respect to response to the hotels. I don't know if it's the same. He had shared that ninety percent of Chittenden County's hotel rooms for voucher programs a couple months ago were all in were in Colchester itself. So Colchester, clearly, he was saying, you know, had an outsized burden for the rest as compared to other communities in Chittenden County simply because none of the other towns were except for South Burlington were homes to hotels where the hotel owners chose to participate. You know, I've I know I recognized I've I'm going to say it. I recognized I've, possibly made enemies in the past by highlighting that there were no individuals housed at the Woodstock Inn, no individuals housed in the Equinox Hotel in Manchester, no individuals housed at Track Landing Lodge. And and it's not just the fact that there are county seats or where the services are where folks landed because there are some other, you know, communities that did not have any participating hotels that were relatively and somewhat insulated from the challenges of homelessness in Vermont, which is why I said it's a statewide problem. And if individuals and if individuals don't find themselves located under the shelter first policy in STOW, Ben STOW is relatively insulated from the homelessness challenges in the state of Vermont. And I think there just needs to be a recognition that that is that homelessness is a statewide problem, and there are representatives not representatives, which capital are like the folks, but municipal officials and state officials who don't recognize the impact that homelessness is having on the larger communities like like Burland. [Speaker 2 ]: And then again, the second section, circling back with respect to your TSO. TSO. [Christopher Louras ]: Okay. [Speaker 2 ]: I believe our community has a health officer. Mhmm. If that is still something that is statute and exists across the state, if it's some of these roles that you're talking about for reinstating a TSO role, we'd simply be incorporated into the authority in the role of the town health officers. [Christopher Louras ]: Yep. And if I were running the town, I'd say, yo, appointed health officer. You are now the appointed town service officer. And so it doesn't need to be, you know, a separate volunteer. But there should be the authority to do so for those communities that either have a part time, you know, a part time health officer or no health officer at all. And under statute and under the rule as the emergency rule as it's still written, a town service officer can cross town lines, and the single individual can be a town officer for different communities. And if I hadn't been told by the by the second by the very sorry, by commissioner Winters that I really didn't have the authority, I was going to reach out to the folks in Bendon and reach out to the folks in Rottlantown and reach out to folks in West Rockland because we recognize that while Rockland has challenges, those communities abutting Rockland, you know, we'll see that overflowing that challenge as well. I think having one person in that area, at least in Watkins instance, would be a would be a benefit. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Any other questions for Chris? I Thank you. [Christopher Louras ]: Well, thank you so much. And I'll [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: just send your remarks to Laurie Yeah. So we can post on. [Christopher Louras ]: Michelle, I'll just step out and boom, they'll be they'll be sent. Good. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Yeah. So much. [Christopher Louras ]: I'm not the one who can multitap. So if I try to do it sitting here, get disconnected. [Vice Chair Golrang "Ray" Garofano ]: Appreciate your time. Thank you. [Christopher Louras ]: Otherwise, I'd grab Megan at Purdue for a second. Any questions for Meghan? [Speaker 2 ]: Thank [Christopher Louras ]: you. Thank you.

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