Dear Reader,
Your support powers journalism that holds decision makers to account — and brings Vermonters’ stories to light. Will you make a gift now during our Spring Member Drive?
Last fall, over 1,500 unhoused people exhausted their stays through Vermont’s motel voucher program – including 378 kids.
The evictions were the result of new restrictions placed on the state’s politically contentious emergency housing program. I was in the room when lawmakers agreed to them, and over the course of months, I tracked their impacts.
That meant putting in countless calls to state officials and service providers to get a handle on the scale of the situation, and their response to it. But mostly, it meant spending hours with the people directly affected by the change in policy – including many who got in touch with me after reading my initial reporting. The grandmother in Barre trying to find a safe place to stay with her six-year-old granddaughter. The Burlington family of four contemplating where to pitch a tent.
I am always deeply humbled when people allow me into their lives during times of remarkable hardship, and are willing to stay in touch over the long term. Bringing their stories to you, our readers, takes time and care to get right.
Your support helps us reveal the everyday impacts of decisions made in Montpelier. And we know the decision-makers are reading, too. After my reporting this fall, dozens of lawmakers spoke out against the motel evictions – including some who helped craft the law — and state officials opened new family shelters after we reported on the state’s lack of them.
We can’t do this work without you. When you donate to VTDigger, you’re helping shine a light on how government decisions play out in real people’s lives — and you’re helping hold leaders accountable to the communities they serve.
There is just one week left in our Spring Member Drive. If you value this kind of deep, unflinching reporting, please make a gift today. Every dollar helps sustain our independent journalism.
Thank you for your readership and support.
Sincerely,
Carly Berlin,
Housing and infrastructure reporter
Carly Berlin is a Report For America corps member shared by VTDigger and Vermont Public.
