Lamoille County’s First Year-Round Homeless Shelter Ready for Guests

The Lamoille Community House is officially ready for guests and is expected to open its doors on Monday. (Courtesy of Lamoille Housing Partnership)

Hyde Park, VT—The Lamoille Housing Partnership on Friday celebrated the official completion of Lamoille County’s first year-round homeless shelter.

The shelter is called the Lamoille Community House and has 21 bedrooms, a shared kitchen and an office space where service providers such as social workers can meet people at the shelter. The shelter is the only year-round homeless shelter between Burlington and Barre.

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s latest Point in Time Count shows that Vermont has the second-highest per capita homeless rate in the country this year, as it did last year. Kim Anetsberger, executive director of Lamoille Community House, says the recent rise in homelessness highlights the need for more shelters.

“During the pandemic, we expanded our services to reach hotels and outdoor residents during the warmer months when our seasonal shelters were closed. We helped more than three times as many people as we would normally help in one winter and it proved to our community that there was a need for a year-round shelter,” said Anetsberger.

People staying at the shelter will have their own bed and room. The project cost a total of $4.3 million, with $4.1 million coming from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, $100,000 in energy incentives, and funds raised locally by the Lamoille Housing Partnership.

The shelter will open its doors to guests on Monday, July 1. Those interested in staying at the shelter can call 802-521-7943 for more information and eligibility checks.