News: Major changes took effect on September 1, 2026
On September 1, 2026, Vermont’s hotel and motel emergency housing program became part of the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum, or VHRC.
The new program changes:
- how people apply
- how eligibility is determined
- how households are prioritized when there are not enough rooms
- how many hotel or motel days a household may receive
- housing-plan and case-management requirements, and
- the notices households should receive.
This page explains what we currently know about the new process. Some details may change as DCF implements the program. We will update this page.
Emergency housing in a hotel or motel
Vermont’s hotel and motel emergency housing program operates as Level 4 of the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum, or VHRC.
To apply, call DCF’s Emergency Housing Line at 1-800-775-0506, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is better to call early in the day if you can.
You may also apply on paper, through DCF’s document uploader, by mail, or at a DCF district office.
As of September 1, Vermont 211 will no longer process emergency housing applications or issue state-funded hotel or motel vouchers after DCF offices close. You may still call 211 for information about shelters and other community resources.
Even if DCF finds you eligible, a room may not be immediately available. You should still apply and ask DCF what you need to do next.
If you have a disability or health condition that makes it hard for you to apply, complete an assessment, travel to an office, use a shelter, or follow the program’s requirements, ask DCF for a “reasonable accommodation.”
If your request is denied, fill out our form and we will call you back. You can also call us at 1-800-889-2047. Be sure to give us details about your problem. Give us as many details as possible about how to reach you.
Who is eligible?
To qualify for the VHRC, DCF will ask you to show that:
- your household is homeless or at risk of homelessness;
- you are physically present in Vermont; and
- you intend to live in Vermont.
DCF may ask you to verify that you are homeless and that you live in Vermont. DCF has said that it may accept information from another person or agency, an observation by program staff, or your own statement.
If you do not have the documents DCF requests, explain why and ask whether you can verify the information another way. Enrollment in a Vermont benefit, health care, child care, or service program may help show Vermont residency, but it is not the only possible evidence.
DCF should give you a written Notice of Eligibility or a Denial Notice. Being found eligible for the VHRC does not necessarily mean that you will immediately receive a hotel or motel room.
When there are not enough rooms, DCF will consider household priority categories and the results of an assessment. Your household may have a statutory priority if a household member:
- is 65 or older;
- has a disability;
- is a minor child;
- is pregnant;
- is experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions; or
- is under court-ordered eviction or constructive eviction due to circumstances over which your household has no control.
Priority status does not guarantee that a room will be immediately available.
If a bed becomes available in a shelter, DCF may tell you that you need to move from a motel to the shelter. If you have a disability that makes it difficult or impossible for you to be in a shelter, you should request an exception.
Assessment and waitlist
If DCF finds you eligible, DCF will ask brief health questions and refer you for a separate assessment. DCF calls this the HOU-SING assessment.
DCF will use the assessment, together with your household’s priority category, to decide who is offered a hotel or motel room when there are not enough rooms. The assessment may not happen on the same day that DCF decides you are eligible. DCF has said it will not place a household in a hotel or motel until the assessment is completed.
Tell DCF immediately about any urgent health or safety needs, including disabilities, serious health conditions, medical equipment, recent hospital discharge, pregnancy, children in the household, domestic or sexual violence, or any reason remaining unsheltered would create a serious risk.
If no room is available, DCF may put your household on a waitlist. DCF says it will review the waitlist each morning. Ask whether you are on the waitlist, how DCF will contact you, whether you need to call back, and what other shelter options are available while you wait.
Limits on hotel and motel housing
Beginning September 1, 2026:
- Hotel and motel housing is generally limited to 70 days during your household’s one-year eligibility period.
- If your household used emergency housing before September 1, you will not necessarily receive a new 70 days on September 1.
- Hotel and motel stays from December 1 through March 31 do not count toward the 70-day limit.
- Households with income will no longer have to use “self-pay” days.
- The statewide room limit is 700 rooms from April 1 through November 30 and 1,000 rooms from December 1 through March 31.
DCF will determine your one-year period based in part on when you previously used hotel or motel housing. Ask DCF for a written Service Agreement showing your authorization dates, how many days DCF says you have used, how many days remain, and how to request additional days.
If you believe DCF counted your days wrong, fill out our form and we will call you back. You can also call us at 1-800-889-2047.
Exceptions to the 70-day limit
Act 143 allows DCF to grant extensions to certain households. DCF may be able to give you an extension when:
- your household is actively waiting for placement in housing, treatment or other services;
- your household has a medical necessity for continued motel housing;
- a member of your household has a disability, and there is no reasonable accessible alternative placement available; or
- ending motel housing would create an imminent risk to the health or safety of someone in your household.
You may ask DCF for an extension beyond the 70-day limit. You should fill out their online form or mail a paper application to:
DCF - Economic Services Division
Application & Document Processing Center
280 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671-1500
Apply before your available days or current authorization run out. Keep a copy of your request and proof of when you submitted it.
Housing plans and case management
DCF says that households receiving hotel or motel housing must work toward goals in a housing plan to the best of their ability and participate in case management and support services identified in the plan.
Tell DCF if:
- you do not have a case manager or housing plan;
- you are waiting for case-management services;
- DCF, Coordinated Entry, or another provider has already completed a plan with you;
- you completed the steps in your plan but are waiting for a landlord, housing program, or other agency to respond; or
- a disability makes it difficult to complete a requirement.
If you do not have a plan, ask DCF who will help you create one and what you are expected to do while you wait. Ask for a copy of any housing plan DCF completes with you. Keep a record of applications, appointments, and other steps you take toward your housing goals.
DCF has posted an example of the housing plan used by its intake case managers. DCF says that particular form is not required.
Ask DCF for notices
DCF should give you written notice when it approves or denies your application or ends, reduces, or changes your assistance. Ask for the notice by hand, email, or mail. Keep every notice and any envelope it came in. Written notices can help you understand DCF’s decision, meet appeal deadlines, and keep track of your remaining hotel or motel days.
How to appeal a decision about emergency housing
If you do not agree with a decision from DCF, you can appeal the decision. You can appeal on your own to the Human Services Board. You can also ask someone who is not a lawyer to represent you, like a friend or a case manager.
Follow these steps:
