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The John Graham Shelter was established in July of 1980 to address Addison County’s need for emergency short-term housing. The Shelter provides a safe, clean place for individuals and families to stay. As the only shelter in the County, we serve the neediest families and individuals including children, teens, veterans, and those with physical and mental disabilities.
The Shelter offers a handicapped accessible room, a common room with kitchen facilities, a food shelf, a small playground, and a pay phone. Our resident manager lives on site to meet the needs of residents during evenings and weekends.
The Shelter accommodates up to 25 residents at any one time and offers roughly 5,000 bed nights of shelter to 180 individuals per year. The Shelter also offers a food shelf, laundry vouchers, transportation, counseling and comprehensive case management. Experienced staff members are available each week day to assist residents to find permanent housing, to look for a job, or to connect with local services. Shelter case managers also reach out to homeless individuals in hotels, campgrounds, living in cars or other substandard situations to offer food and assistance in finding housing. By offering comprehensive case management to these individuals and families, we have been able to work pro-actively with public and private landlords, leveraging housing opportunities that would not otherwise be available.
Residents at the Shelter can stay for an initial 21 days and can then apply for an extension. No alcohol, illegal drugs, weapons or violent behavior are allowed at the Shelter, and rules are strictly enforced.
Once a person or family has an individualized plan in place and are ready to move on, the Shelter offers beautifully furnished transitional apartments in Vergennes, Middlebury, or in Bristol. Residents sign a program agreement and continue to work with a Shelter case manager on issues of housing and employment. In addition residents are expected to pay affordable rents, maintain the unit, take part in a resident's association, and make personal progress on their goals in preparation for moving on to permanent housing.

© 2009 John W. Graham Emergency Shelter - 69 Main Street, Vergennes, VT - office 802-877-2677 - after hours 802-877-2048