Help for Your Legal Problem

Emergency housing in a hotel or motel

The emergency housing hotel / motel program is run by the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF). If you are experiencing homelessness, call DCF’s Economic Services Division at 1-800-479-6151. It is better to call first thing in the morning if you can. If it is after hours or on the weekend, call 2-1-1.

Even if you are eligible for emergency housing, there may not be a motel or hotel room available in your area. DCF posts a list of availability every day on their website. Even if this chart says there is nothing available in your area, you should call the Economic Services Division to see if something has become available or if they can place you in another region.

Emergency housing through June 30, 2024, for some vulnerable Vermonters

Because of the Budget Adjustment Act (BAA), the state extended emergency housing for some Vermonters with disabilities or other situations that make them vulnerable. You need to call the DCF Benefits Service Center at 1-800-775-0506 or visit a local district office to ask for this housing.

One of the ways to qualify for emergency housing between now and June 30, 2024, is if you have a disability or serious medical condition. If so, you will need to ask a health care provider to fill out this form to give to DCF. The form asks if you have a disability or health condition that makes being unsheltered particularly dangerous to your health and welfare.

If you think you should be eligible for emergency housing and have been kicked out or 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 some details about your problem. Your information will be sent to Legal Services Vermont, which screens requests for help for both Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont.

If you were part of the “June cohort”

If you were sheltered in a motel or hotel through DCF’s Economic Services Division as of June 30, 2023, then you were part of the “June cohort.” You were authorized to stay in a motel or hotel until you find a place to live or until April 1, 2024.

Members of the “June Cohort” were also given an extension to stay in emergency housing until June 30, 2024, by the Budget Adjustment Act (see above).

Note that there are a number of rules and exceptions that apply to the June cohort, including that you must:

participate in coordinated entry and case management
engage in your own search for alternative housing options, and
contribute 30 percent of your gross household income toward the cost of the hotel or motel housing.

Also, you can be kicked out of the June cohort sooner if:

you are offered an alternative housing placement but do not accept the offer within 48 hours
you find your own housing placement
you do not participate in coordinated entry or engage in your own housing search, or
you are asked to leave the hotel or motel housing due to misconduct.

New rules starting on July 1, 2024

On July 1, 2024, new emergency housing rules will go into effect. If you or a member of your household is in one (or more) of the following categories, you will be eligible for up to 80 days in a motel in a 365-day period:

is 65 or older
has a disability (receives SSI or SSDI, or submits a verification form signed by a health care provider)
is 19 or younger
is pregnant
has experienced the death of a spouse, domestic partner, or minor child that caused the household to lose its housing
has experienced a natural disaster
is under a court-ordered eviction or constructive eviction due to circumstances over which the household has no control
is experiencing domestic violence or other dangerous or life-threatening violent conditions that caused the household to lose its housing.

Starting on September 15, 2024, there will be a cap on the number of motel rooms in the emergency housing program. We believe this will mean that some eligible households will be turned away. DCF has not yet sent out rules about how this will work.

There will be a period of winter emergency housing (what used to be called Adverse Weather Conditions) from December 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. This period does not count toward your 80 days in a 365-day period. If you used your 80 days before December 1, you will be eligible for a motel voucher during this time. There will not be a cap on motel rooms during this period.

This year, winter emergency housing will only be available to you if you or a member of your household is in one or more of the categories listed above. From December 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, DCF is supposed to provide other shelter options to people without a place to stay who are not in one of these categories.

Was your security deposit withheld?

Were you in the Transitional Housing Program in 2023 with an occupancy agreement with the motel you were staying in? You may have had some or all of your security deposit withheld incorrectly when you moved out. These security deposits were paid to the motels on your behalf by the Vermont Department of Children and Families (DCF) to protect against damage or provide a payment at time of move out. A settlement has been reached with the owner of the following motels: Cortina Inn (Rutland); EconoLodge (Montpelier); Hilltop Inn (Berlin); Pine Tree Lodge (Rutland), and Quality Inn (Brattleboro). If you stayed in one of these motels during 2023, you may be entitled to the return of some or all of your security deposit. Learn more about filing a claim.

Where to find help

If you think you should be eligible for emergency housing and have been kicked out or 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 some details about your problem. Your information will be sent to Legal Services Vermont, which screens requests for help for both Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont.

We recommend contacting Community Action agencies or calling 211 to see if your community has other housing options.

More information: See our page with resources for people who are homeless.