Please join me on Thursday, February 20th in Bristol for Crossing Paths, an event that highlights what an organization dear to my heart, Pathways Vermont, is doing to address root causes in order to end homelessness in Addison County and beyond.

I started volunteering with Pathways over a year ago because I was moved by a podcast interview I'd heard, where a woman told her story about how the "housing first" approach to homelessness had changed her parents' trajectory away from despair and helped them create a strong foundation for her and her siblings to finally be safe. It wasn't just about getting a free house, it was about learning the skills and receiving the services that would help them become self-sufficient and ultimately independent.

I searched "housing first Vermont" to see if there was an organization I could get involved with, and was excited to discover this work was already being done, right here and across the state.

As a Feng Shui practitioner, it's a no-brainer to me: you can't get back on your feet if you don't have a place to call home. Why we expect people who are experiencing homelessness, often coupled with a mental health crisis, to get their lives together before they even have a mailing address always seemed absurd to me. And the standard approaches have always seemed to endlessly recycle people through temporary solutions rather than end homelessness for good.

But Pathways proves that the housing first model is not only a more humane response to homelessness, it actually works better! (The housing first approach spends the least amount per person, per day compared to a motel stay, correctional facility, emergency room visit or psychiatric hospital).

If you're curious about how they do this, please join me for Crossing Paths on February 20th from 5:30-6:30. We'll have some light refreshments and hear from staff, volunteers and service recipients about why this is not only a viable solution but a paradigm shift that can create healthy communities while fostering independence.

Crossing Paths
Thursday, February 20th
5:30-6:30pm
5 Mountain St. Suite 1E
Bristol, VT

RSVP if you can: maria@pathwaysvermont.org

Please share this with anyone who might be interested.

Event Info

Feb 15 to 16, 2025

Feb 15, 2025, 8 to 9 AM

Feb 16, 2025, 6:30 to 8 PM