ANEW Place announced on Tuesday that it will cease management of the year-round shelter at the former Champlain Inn by September 30. The organization hopes to find an operator that is better equipped to manage the program at its current location on Shelburne Road, executive director Joe Domko said.
The strain on staff prompted the decision, Domko said. He also noted that the building has chronic maintenance needs due to intense use.
“These are the toughest folks to serve in a meaningful way, and we’re doing so with the least amount of resources,” he said.
Guests don’t have to be sober. Between 50 and 70 people stay nightly.
Three other nonprofits have run the low-barrier shelter since it first opened in 2014. ANEW Place took over in 2019, when the shelter — then a 37-bed facility at King Street and South Winooski Avenue — operated seasonally. During the pandemic, the program sheltered people in RVs parked at the North Beach Campground and in tents.
In fall 2020, ANEW Place purchased the former inn with $2.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds. Its operation is funded mostly through an $800,000 federal grant. The organization can’t fill 100 or so staff hours at the shelter each week and is struggling to retain managers; a larger group would be more suitable, Domko said.
In a statement, Samantha Sheehan, communications director for Mayor Miro Weinberger, thanked ANEW Place for helping “vulnerable neighbors during this time of great need” and said the city is seeking a successor.
The news comes as the state is preparing to slash a pandemic-era program that houses about 2,800 people in motels. After July 1, only about 150 families will be allowed to remain in that program.
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