THE COMMITTEE ON TEMPORARY SHELTER VOL. 30, NO. 2 www.cotsonline.org FALL 2012 COTS celebrates 30 years of service On Christmas Eve 1982, COTS opened its doors with two volunteers on hand to welcome anyone who needed shelter. Temperatures were well below freezing. That first winter, six or seven men – mostly veterans – typically spent the night. Today, the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) is the largest service provider for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless in Vermont. COTS, a private nonprofit, governed by a volunteer Board of Daystation recovery under way Directors, operates 11 programs in July 4 storm destroys daytime shelter multiple locations in the Burlington area, including the only family shelters On July 4, a violent storm destroyed the COTS Daystation, our community’s only in Chittenden County, an overnight daytime shelter for homeless adults. This facility has been a vital refuge for the shelter and a daytime shelter for single homeless in Burlington for nearly 20 years. adults, and four facilities providing Rainwater from the intense storm flooded the city streets above the Daystation, permanent and transitional housing ultimately rushing over the walls and crashing down into the COTS’ program through for people moving out of shelter, the air exchange system. More than 16 inches of stormwater, sewage and mud filled veterans, the disabled, and the elderly. the space. Everything was lost – furniture, computers, appliances and supplies. COTS, a private nonprofit governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, For adults struggling with homelessness, the Daystation is the place to get a warm operates the only two family shelters cup of coffee on a freezing day or to dry soaked clothes. The Daystation is the in Chittenden County, an overnight COTS program where many people in need first connect with resources that can shelter and a daytime shelter for single help them return to stability and permanent housing. The program is designed adults, and for facilities providing to be a low-threshold support system and central space to connect with COTS permanent and transitional housing services and community resources. Also, 365 days a year, a nutritious noontime for people moving out of shelter, meal – the only free option downtown – is served daily in the Daystation. veterans, the disabled and the elderly. COTS staff regularly assists Daystation guests with employment and housing through support groups as well as in navigating the paperwork. They coordinate educational presentations, health screenings and veterans outreach with the VA and partner agencies. Volunteers provide haircuts. Guests receive mail, email and phone messages. They do their laundry. This year, more than 926 individuals used the Daystation. Many guests are veterans, elderly and disabled. Overall, about 95% of clients in this program are extremely low income (30% of median), while 5% are low income (50% of median). continued page 2 Daystation recovery...continued from page 1 Through the summer, COTS operated the program from two relocation sites. First United Methodist Church in Burlington has graciously offered to host the Daystation this winter in its parsonage. “First United Methodist Church in Burlington is blessed with the facilities we have, and we are grateful when we can partner with organizations like COTS to serve our neighbors,” the Rev. Mark Demers said. And, through our generous community support, COTS has replaced lost items and HomeFront is published twice a year, supplies, served lunch and searched for a permanent new home for the program. We are in December and April, by: incredibly grateful. There are still many opportunities to help with the Daystation COMMITTEE ON Recovery & Renewal; contact us to learn how: (802) 864-7402 or [email protected]. TEMPORARY SHELTER PO Box 1616 We would like to thank our amazing community for their support with the Daystation: Burlington, VT 05402 802-864-7402 Lunches provided by: Maggie Schwalbaum & Louise Merriam; Patti Wehman & fax 802-864-2612 Friends; Becky Holt & Scot Barker; Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office; Leonardo’s Pizza; Mary www.cotsonline.org Pollard & Kim Borsavage; KeyBank; VHCB AmeriCorps Member, Jen Dunlap; Karen Carlson & Friend; Rock Point School; Stacks Sandwiches; St. Andrews Episcopal Church; Established 1982 Peggy & Richard Muenier; Langrock, Sperry & Wool; 800response.com; Congressman BOARD OF DIRECTORS Peter Welch’s office; Laurie Gunn & Family; Lund Family Center; Baird 4 Nursing Unit Michael New, Chair Council at Fletcher Allen; Sally Ballin & Friends; VEIC; Texas Roadhouse; Julie Lowell & Arly Brigitte Ritchie, Vice Chair Scully; UVM Student Life; Jane Phillips; Sign-A-Rama; Trinity Episcopal Church; Vermont Beth Anderson Public Radio (VPR); Papa Frank’s Restaurant; Liz Foster; Trish Stewart; The Oxford Network; Lesli Blount The Food Shelf’s Community Kitchen Program; First Congregational Church; VFW; Saint Sean Collins James J. Fogler Michael’s College MOVE -- Baked Love program; Theresa Randall; Price Chopper on Laurie Gunn Shelburne Road; and Champlain College’s Dining Services. Joyce Hagan George Hubbard In-kind donations provided by: Logic Supply Co.; Dealer.com; State of Vermont’s Catherine Kronk Waterbury offices; KeyBank; Champlain College; Action Moving and Storage; Vermont Paul Lekstutis Michael H. Lipson Energy Investment Corp. (VEIC); Gadue’s Dry Cleaning; Systems & Software, Inc.; The Marc H. Monheimer Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf; Faith United Methodist Church; EJU Ecumenical Food Jeffrey Nolan Shelf in Jericho; Green Mountain Aquatics; Burlington Country Club and The Edge swim Ron Redmond teams; College Street Congregational UCC; Fletcher/CSI; Oleet & Co., LLC; University Steve Roberts Mall; VCHIP, and many, many others. Debra Royce Patrick Thornton Tom Torti 30 years...continued from page 1 Rita Markley, Executive Director What makes COTS unique is that while Save the Date we help people who are homeless and in A United Way crisis, we also work to create systemic Member Agency CandleliGht VIGil change that will end homelessness. Each 5:30 pm, December 20, 2012 year, we help more than 2,000 people City Hall steps, Church Street Marketplace who are homeless or at risk of becoming At this year’s memorial service to honor homeless with shelter, prevention, those served by COTS, we will share Editor personal stories and light a candle for those Becky Holt outreach, and housing. helped by COTS in its 30-year history. Writers This year, as we mark 30 years of Nicolle Marshall & Gillian Taylor service to our community, COTS 30th Anniversary Gala Designer looks forward. We celebrate COTS’ March 20, 2013, Hilton Lisa Cadieux, Liquid Studio commitment to innovative solutions to The focus of the dinner is on the future end homelessness through prevention, and how preventing homelessness is vital FOLLOW US ONLINE retention and rapid re-housing. to ending it. We will spotlight innovative www.cotsonline.org strategies and honor community partners, We invite you to join us. www.facebook.com/COTSonline businesses and individuals who have @COTSvt worked toward COTS achieving this aim. www.cotsonline.org COTS HOMEFRONT FALL 2012 2 New and working at COTS Annual Meeting & Volunteer COTS Housing Resource Center Appreciation Breakfast launches COMPASS The COMPASS (COMPrehensive Assistance toward Self This October, COTS held its 2012 Annual Meeting & Volunteer Sufficiency) is a risk-guarantee program designed for families Appreciation Breakfast, where we recognized our tremendous and individuals who are able to pay rent but have a damaged community support: rental or credit history that creates a major obstacle to housing. Wilma Rayta Volunteer of the Year Award: The COTS staff work with the households on strategies to Blue Star Mothers of Vermont, led by Valerie Palotta and Beni improve their credit standing, as well as with the issues Twitchell, have provided incredible support to the residents that prompted past problems. COTS also provides financial of COTS Canal Street Veteran’s Housing. They host monthly support: The COTS risk guarantee pool, funded by private dinners, coordinate fundraisers and hold in-kind drives for foundation support, ensures that if a landlord does have veterans moving into a permanent residences. expenses (such as an eviction or extreme damage) from Community Partner Award: First United Methodist someone in the COMPASS program, COTS will cover those Church of Burlington has generously offered COTS the use of costs to an agreed upon limit. If, however, after 1-2 years of its parsonage this winter to host the Daystation, COTS’ daytime success without problem, the resident will enter a standard shelter left homeless by a July 4 flood. The church has been a landlord-tenant agreement. The funds then will be used to good neighbor again and again to COTS – and families to help another household in need. individuals in need. This program’s goal is to help households with a difficult past Leahy Leadership Award (Advocacy): Sr. Irene overcome it and create a successful new start. Duchesneau is a COTS founder and a tireless advocate the Home Again provides transitional poor and disenfranchised. She has been a visionary leader in housing for families working to provide health care for those in need, as well an early supporter for COTS’ prevention initiatives. Home Again is a transitional housing program for families. After a brief shelter stay, families move into apartments leased Business Hero Award: North Country Federal Credit by COTS, allowing families to immediately begin restoring Union provided a $15,000 grant to help get the COTS’ their housing credit and landlord references. Housing Resource Center’s Security Deposit Loan Program started, and they continue to help us to administer the program. This solution also lets children avoid the challenges of They run credit checks on program applicants, set up the loan congregant shelter living. with participants, and are available to clients for other services COTS staff continue to work closely with the families, like budgeting and opening other accounts. supporting them on their plan toward a goal of permanent, Samara-Anderson Walk Award: St.