Council calls for year-round shelter and deeper state cooperation
The Burlington City Council on Monday unanimously approved a 10-point safety resolution that asks the state to identify a location in Chittenden County for a 100-bed, low-barrier year-round shelter as the city prepares for the coming winter season. The measure also asks the mayor to expand coordination with the governor’s office to secure short-term supports.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak described the resolution as months in the making and designed to push the state to provide resources beyond Burlington’s municipal capacity. Under the resolution’s terms, the proposed shelter would be staffed by the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, while the city would retain a role in reviewing data and determining how it might support a facility that could be located anywhere in Chittenden County.
Context: an ongoing city-state partnership on safety and health
The action builds on prior cooperation between Burlington and state government. In August 2025 the city and state agreed to a set of measures intended to address chronic safety and public-health problems linked to homelessness and substance use. That earlier response included several items the new resolution reiterates:
- Convene a committee of local and state law enforcement agencies to develop a coordinated response to drug trafficking and related crimes.
- Examine trends among juveniles involved in violence, drugs, and drug possession to design intervention methods.
- Hold a public health strategy discussion involving the Department of Health and the Department of Mental Health.
Part of that prior effort also involved redeploying Vermont State Police officers to downtown Burlington to supplement local patrols; the state returned those officers in early August, according to the council's discussion.
What the resolution requests and next steps
The newly approved resolution asks the mayor to formally deliver the document to the governor and to report back to the council on progress. It calls on state leaders to find a concrete site in Chittenden County for the shelter ahead of winter, and it emphasizes local review of operational data so Burlington can provide targeted support if the shelter is sited outside city limits.
| Request | Detail |
|---|---|
| 100-bed shelter | Low-barrier, year-round facility; staffing by Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity |
| Coordination | Deeper relationship between mayor's office and governor's office for short-term solutions |
| Law enforcement/public health actions | Revisit committee structure, juvenile intervention trends, and public health strategy discussions |
Council members voted unanimously to approve the resolution at the meeting. The measure directs city leadership to keep lines of communication open with state partners and to return to the council with updates on any commitments secured from the governor’s office.
Advocates and city officials have argued that winter presents acute risks for people experiencing homelessness, and the resolution signals Burlington’s priority of securing immediate, state-backed capacity before temperatures drop. By asking the state to site the shelter within Chittenden County and to staff it through an established regional agency, the council aimed to pair urgency with operational experience.
The request also reflects wider concerns about public safety and health tied to homelessness and substance use in Burlington’s downtown. Councilors framed the resolution as part of a broader, coordinated approach that blends enforcement where necessary with expanded treatment, sheltering and mental-health supports administered at the county and state level.
The mayor must now deliver the resolution to the governor and report back to the council on any state responses or commitments. Burlington residents, service providers and neighboring municipalities will watch closely to see whether the state identifies a site, allocates funding, and mobilizes the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity to staff the proposed facility before winter.
