Eleven Lamoille area non-profit organizations focused on human services and housing are coming together to host a candidate forum on October 30 from 5:30-7:30 PM at Green Mountain Technology & Career Center's Community Education Center in Hyde Park.

Together, Lamoille County Mental Health Services, Laraway Youth & Family Services, Lamoille Restorative Center, Lamoille Housing Partnership, Lamoille Family Center, Lamoille Home Health & Hospice, The Manor, Capstone, Central Vermont Council on Aging, Clarina Howard Nichols Center, and North Central Vermont Recovery Center extend a warm invitation to candidates, human services professionals, and the public to join them for a robust conversation about the well-being of local residents, including family, friends, and neighbors.

These eleven organizations employ almost 900 professionals, and they touch the lives of 35,144 individuals in the Lamoille Valley each year. In addition to managing over 300 units of affordable housing, they offer a range of supports and services that address a wide range of human needs, including supports for children and families, diverting people from entering the justice system, suicide prevention, substance abuse and recovery supports, behavioral and mental health, supported employment services, school-based services, supports for individuals with developmental disabilities, services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence including advocacy and support, emergency shelter, and a 24-hotline, and directing the only truancy program of its kind in the state. While the services offered are diverse, they have in common a singular focus on enabling everyone in this area to live fully productive and self-directed lives.

This event is to help candidates for public office better understand that human services are a core piece of the local infrastructure that sustains a healthy community. The evening will consist of facilitated small group conversations about what is working well and what needs more collective focus and support. When people fall through the cracks, the entire community is affected by it. How Lamoille's public officials respond to the needs of the region's most vulnerable citizens has a direct impact on the quality of life across the entire community.

To RSVP, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/legislative-candidate-forum-registration-50781740553