Independence Place (IP), Lund’s 20-year old transitional housing program that has provided essential support for families preparing to live independently, will close on June 30, 2020. The Vermont Agency of Human Services notified Lund in December 2019 that it would cut funding for IP by June 30, 2020. Despite our efforts over the past two months, Lund was unable to secure another source of funding, and today informed clients and staff that the program will close in June.
The funding cut for IP marks a shift in the State’s support for transitional housing, which serves the unique needs of clients who often have a history of criminal justice and child welfare involvement, domestic violence, mental health and substance use disorders, complex trauma histories, and a lack of education and employment. Lund’s family-centered approach yields positive outcomes for clients, including less dependence on financial assistance from the State and increased safety and permanence for children.
The program houses seven families each year providing parenting support , case management, child development education, and education and coaching around critical living skills. Families also have access to Lund’s mental health and substance use disorder treatment, education, and workforce development programs, as well as referrals to permanent housing. The goal of IP is to help families transition to independent living, with limited to no supports, in the community of their choosing.
“The support I gained from Independence Place went far beyond my schooling. Through IP I found a home and learned how to maintain one properly. Staff there helped me learn how to cook, how to do laundry, how to open a bank account and most of all how to become the best mother I could be for my children. What makes this program so valuable is that it is a home and it is a family to those who do not have either.” (Independence Place client)
Lund is supporting the transition of current families from IP into safe, secure, affordable housing and helping them develop new support systems. Lund will also support IP staff as they transition to new opportunities either at Lund or elsewhere. Agency leaders expressed gratitude to staff for their commitment to providing the highest quality support and service to families at IP and to Burlington Housing Authority and Cathedral Square for their partnership.
Tricia Coates, Interim Executive Director at Lund, said, “Family-centered transitional housing is an essential service within the continuum of housing supports in Vermont. We are saddened to lose a program that helped hundreds of clients transform their lives and live independently. Lund will remain at the table as the State considers how to better address homelessness as well as poverty, addiction, trauma, child safety and well-being, and criminal justice reform.”
