| Rule Number: |
26-E03 |
| Title: |
Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum Emergency Rule. |
|
Type:
|
Emergency |
|
Status:
|
Adopted |
| Agency: |
Agency of Human Services
|
| Legal Authority: |
3 V.S.A. 21 801(b)(11); 33 V.S.A. § 105(b)(2) |
| Summary:
| The emergency rule implements the new Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum program (the Program) established by Act 143 (2026), an act relating to establishing the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum. The Program replaces Vermont's current homelessness response system with a continuum of supports and services for households who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Program delivers services through a tiered system based on the household's level of need:
(1) Level 1 - prevention and diversion; (2) Level 2 -shelter services; (3) Level 2 - specialized shelter services; (4) Level 4 - hotels and motels. The Program also incorporates permanent supportive housing services and other emergency housing services, such as extreme cold weather shelters and municipal supports, into the continuum of services offered under the Program. The Program requires individualized housing plans and case management for all emergency housing placements. |
| Persons Affected:
| Households experiencing homelessness and at risk for homelessness; the Department for Children and Families; community providers serving unhoused populations; hotels/motels serving unhoused populations; and municipalities. |
| Economic Impact:
| The Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum represents a structural reorganization of the state’s emergency housing system with an estimated $82.6 million annual expenditure for fiscal year 2027, designed to shift resources from hotel/motel placements toward prevention, shelter capacity, and permanent supportive housing. The economic impacts vary across the groups affected by this rule. |
| Posting date: |
Sep 01,2026 |
