Homelessness advocate warns Senate bill H772 would accelerate evictions and harm people with disabilities

Brenda Seagull, executive director of End Homelessness Vermont, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 22 that H772 "as drafted does not create a balance" and instead would create a faster eviction process that will disproportionately harm people with disabilities and households in poverty.

Seagull, who identified herself for the record, urged lawmakers to slow the bill and to add disability protections and clearer notice rules. She said the bill provides no accommodations for people who cannot read, are visually impaired, or lack reliable electronic access—and that accelerated timelines would undercut available safety-net remedies such as homelessness-prevention grants (HOP). "A rapid process with no disability protections means that people will be unable to access it," she said.

She presented preliminary research from a voluntary survey conducted Sept. 2023–Feb. 2024 of 200 people in five counties: 84 respondents reported an eviction, and many who lost housing lived with significant health issues. Seagull said 76% reported a physical health condition and 92% reported mental-health conditions in the sample. She warned a 10-day cure or similar short timeline would not provide time for HOP applications, payment plans, or appeals.

Seagull gave several case examples to illustrate the consequences of expedited evictions: clients with cognitive or sensory disabilities who could not read notices, households punished for accessibility-related damage caused by nonaccessible units, and older adults threatened with eviction on neighbor attestation alone. She said current protections and processes are uneven in practice and that the proposed reforms would shift burdens onto tenants—requiring answers, filings, and payment motions under tight deadlines that many clients cannot meet.

She recommended either substantially revising H772 to include disability accommodations, notice safeguards and access to counsel/advocacy resources, or converting the proposal to a study so stakeholders can design an equitable approach. "This bill would create more homelessness," she told the committee, urging lawmakers to consider equity and data before accelerating eviction timelines.

The committee did not take questions because of time, and the chair said Seagull could return with written testimony and additional details.