By: Leslie Black-Plumeau

November 6, 2015

The number of people who stayed in Vermont's emergency shelters last year and the average length of their stays were at their highest point in a decade. According to a recent report from Vermont's Department for Children and Families (DCF), publicly-supported emergency shelters in the state served 4,303 people in July 2014 through June 2015, up from 3,934 in the prior year.

On average, people stayed in Vermont's shelters 36.8 days. This is higher than in any prior year since 2002--the earliest year for which comparable data is available. 

Other public programs provide homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing assistance such  as housing  support  services  and  financial  aid  to prevent eviction or help a family enter new housing. These activities served 2,164 persons in 867 households, approximately 50% of these households were literally homeless.