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Homeless Shelters, Emergency Housing and Help for People Who Are Homeless

New weekly event: Free legal advice clinic for emergency housing issues

This page has a list of shelters and programs in Vermont. It also has phone numbers for people who can help you get housing or keep housing. Also, you will find links to resources for food and other help you may need if you are homeless.

Shelters in Vermont

Looking for a safe place to sleep tonight? Call 2-1-1 to find a shelter near you.

Barre / Berlin / Montpelier

Bennington

Brattleboro / Bellows Falls

Burlington

Hyde Park

Ludlow / Proctorsville

Middlebury

Rutland

  • Open Door Mission
    31 Park Street
    Rutland, Vermont
    (802) 775-5661

St. Albans

St. Johnsbury

Vergennes

White River Junction

For more information about shelters, call 2-1-1 or go online to Vermont211.org.

Warming shelters

Churches, agencies and organizations in some Vermont towns have winter warming shelters to offer additional spaces for people who need temporary shelter in the winter. To find out if there is a warming shelter in your area, call 2-1-1 or go online to Vermont211.org.

Cooling locations

The Vermont Department of Health posts locations around the state where you can stay cool on hot days.

Need help to get or keep housing?

As part of a Coordinated Entry System, dozens of local organizations are working together to help those who are experiencing homelessness – or are at risk of homelessness. They can help you find housing and get connected to support and resources in the community. Contact the lead agency in your area to get connected.

Emergency housing in Vermont

  • Looking for a safe place to sleep tonight? Call 2-1-1 to find a shelter near you.
  • The Department for Children and Family’s (DCF) Economic Services Division offers emergency assistance / emergency housing for homeless households. For more information or to apply, contact the Benefits Service Center at 1-800-479-6151. Or call the DCF Emergency Housing line at 1-800-775-0506. If it is after business hours or on a weekend or holiday, call 2-1-1. When you apply for shelter with DCF, they will let you know if a shelter bed or motel room is available.
  • If you stay in a shelter or motel, you may have to participate in “coordinated entry.” Through coordinated entry, you will be assigned a housing case manager who will help you access subsidies and programs to help you get permanent housing. To learn more about coordinated entry, call 2-1-1.
  • If you are denied or terminated from a shelter, subsidy or emergency housing, fill out our form and we will call you back. Or call us for help at 1-800-889-2047. Be sure to give us some details about your problem. Give us as many details as possible about how to reach you. Your information will be sent to Legal Services Vermont, which screens requests for help for both Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont.
  • Vermont Legal Aid is hosting a new weekly event: A free legal advice clinic for emergency housing issues.
  • Veterans can get housing help from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program at 1-844-820-3232 (toll-free); the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838 (toll-free); or Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-666-9844 (toll-free). Vermont Veterans facing eviction or foreclosure should contact the South Royalton Legal Clinic at VLGS for advice and help.

Hotel / motel emergency housing program

Learn more about Vermont’s hotel / motel program and recent rule changes.

Vermont Legal Aid is hosting a new weekly event: A free legal advice clinic for emergency housing issues.

If you think you will be eligible for winter emergency housing starting December 1, contact DCF’s Economic Services Division now. They may be able to pre-authorize you for the program. Call 1-800-775-0506 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Learn more.

Were you in the Transitional Housing Program in 2023? Was your security deposit withheld? It’s not too late to get it back!

Help paying back rent or moving into a new place

Local Community Action Programs work with a program called the Housing Opportunity Program Grant (HOP) to help Vermonters who are homeless or at risk of not having a home. HOP may be able to help you pay:

  • back rent
  • first month's rent
  • security deposits
  • utilities
  • moving costs, or
  • short-term rental help.

Funds are limited and for rental housing only. Contact your local Community Action Program to see if HOP is an option for you.

Other resources for people who are homeless

  1. Know your rights as an unsheltered Vermonter - ACLU
  2. COTS’ Community Resource Guide for Burlington (Finding shelters, food, services, medical help, counseling)
  3. CCHAVT list of resource centers, availability of tents and supplies, public bathroom access, and free food in and around Burlington.
  4. List of cooling sites during hot weather.
  5. Help for veterans from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program at 1-844-820-3232 (toll-free); the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838 (toll-free); or Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-666-9844 (toll-free). Vermont Veterans facing eviction or foreclosure should contact the South Royalton Legal Clinic at VLGS or advice and help.
  6. Links to Resources for Homeless (HUD)
  7. National Coalition for the Homeless
  8. Our web page about Subsidized Housing
Updated: Nov 19, 2024