March 28,2025
Winter Hotel Program Extended for some.
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today issued an executive order to extend eligibility for families with children and medically vulnerable individuals scheduled to exit the General Assistance program on April 1. These individuals will remain housed in the program through June 30, 2025.
This action will allow children to remain sheltered, so they are not uprooted in the middle of the school year and allow those who are the most medically vulnerable to remain housed while the Department for Children and Families works with them to plan for the future. This aligns with the compromise proposal Governor Scott offered, which the Legislature declined to include in the Budget Adjustment Act.
“I believe we all have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable. While I’ve been opposed to the Hotel Motel program because it doesn’t serve those in the program well, I have also been clear that we have an obligation to protect children and Vermonters who are most vulnerable,” said Governor Phil Scott. “This executive order does just that without unwinding the important progress we’ve made.”
The traditional summer weather General Assistance program will continue, as designed last legislative session, and work towards the expansion of additional family and individual shelter capacity across the state remains a priority for the Agency of Human Services.
Details on the specific eligibility requirements are outlined in the Governor’s Executive Order