House recognizes Homelessness Awareness Day; member and advocates read poems and urged compassion

Members of the Vermont House observed Homelessness Awareness Day during the day's devotional. Representative Michelle Boslin of Westminster led the devotional and said she would share words from someone with lived experience — two poems by Morgan Brown of Montpelier — rather than speak only from her own perspective.

Representative Boslin read 'Homeless Sneakers,' which opens, 'Restless thoughts toss and turn without end, deep within, mind, body, and soul, whether day or night, about once again becoming homeless,' and read a second poem titled 'In Lieu of Flowers, Remember and Care for the Living,' which urged care for people who are unhoused rather than memorializing them after they die. Boslin thanked Morgan Brown for sharing his work and noted that Brown had been unhoused for more than a dozen years before finding stable housing and had recently served as a justice of the peace in Montpelier.

A member from Waterbury announced that the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, Vermont Interfaith Action, and the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance held an event in the card room that day (available until 5:00 p.m.), had testified earlier to the House Human Services and General and Housing Committees, and were hosting refreshments afterward. The member described a daytime vigil on the State House steps as 'very, very cold' and referenced the 'cold weather exception' as a policy tool to ensure people experiencing homelessness have a place to stay during extreme weather.

A member from Westminster introduced several housing advocates present in the chamber, naming Molly Shimko (Housing and Homeless Alliance of Vermont), William Velardo (Support Services For Veterans and Families), Brenda Seagull and Rebecca Dupree (End Homelessness Vermont), and Capstone representatives Kimberly Welch, Chris Shoffner, and Tammy Fagasue. Two children from The Compass School in Westminster were also recognized as guests.

Speakers framed the observance as a reminder of the human toll of housing instability and urged continued legislative and community work to address homelessness; no specific bills or floor actions on homelessness or housing policy were taken during this portion of the session as recorded in the transcript.