We will continue working with the remaining youth staff to help them secure new jobs, and we will pay them for the original time period as planned.

The press release below has been updated to reflect these changes.

Burlington, VT — Spectrum Youth & Family Services announced today that its social enterprise, Detail Works, will close on September 18, 2025.

Detail Works launched nine years ago to provide meaningful employment opportunities for young people who faced barriers in traditional workplaces. In that time, it has helped dozens of youth build skills, confidence, and experience in the workforce.

The decision to close comes as Spectrum faces the same challenge confronting nonprofits nationwide: rapidly escalating employee health insurance costs. Over the past five years, these costs have more than doubled for the organization, creating unsustainable financial pressures that can no longer be absorbed without compromising other critical youth services.

“At its best, Detail Works created a supportive workplace for youth who needed a different kind of opportunity,” said Mark Redmond, Spectrum’s Executive Director. “We are deeply proud of what Detail Works has accomplished over the past nine years and grateful to the youth, staff, and community members who made it possible. This decision was not easy. Our commitment now is to ensure a smooth transition for those directly affected, while keeping Spectrum’s focus on our mission and sustaining the many programs that help young people thrive.”

Two full-time employees and ten youth staff will be affected by the closure. Spectrum is already working closely with each of the youth to find new employment opportunities. The organization will also provide financial assistance during the transition. Adult staff members are eligible to apply for open positions within other Spectrum programs.

Customers with unused gift cards may request a cash refund or choose to donate the value of their gift card back to Spectrum to support youth and families by submitting this form: spcvt.org/DWGiftCard.

Spectrum also asks that media outlets respect the privacy of the youth who have worked at Detail Works by not contacting them directly or filming the location.

No other Spectrum programs are affected by this decision, and the organization remains focused on its core mission of supporting and empowering youth, young adults, and families
across Vermont.

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About Spectrum Youth & Family Services
Located in Burlington and St. Albans, Vermont, Spectrum Youth & Family Services helps teens and young adults ages 14-24 meet their basic needs, access mental health counseling and
substance use disorder services, and get help with employment, education, and living independently to thrive as young adults. Learn more at www.spectrumvt.org.

The post UPDATE: Spectrum Youth & Family Services to Close Detail Works in September appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Open from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 24 hours a day on weekends, the shelter provides a safe, warm place to sleep, a full kitchen, access to hot showers and laundry facilities, and supportive staff trained in youth development and trauma-informed care. 

“This shelter is more than just a bed — it’s about meeting young people where they are, offering dignity and safety, and helping them take the next step toward stability,” said Mark Redmond, Executive Director of Spectrum. “We’re so grateful to the St. Albans community, the Vermont House Human Services Committee, and our generous donors for making this long-needed service a reality.” 

The shelter is located just two blocks from Spectrum’s Drop-In Center, allowing youth to access meals, case management, counseling referrals, and basic needs support on weekdays. Together, these services aim to provide a stable foundation for youth to build independence and thrive. 

The project is a collaboration with Champlain Housing Trust, which purchased and renovated the building with funds from the Department of Children and Families in partnership with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. 

“New shelters, like this one, are unfortunately needed more than we’ve ever seen before,” said Michael Monte, CEO of Champlain Housing Trust. “We are thankful to Spectrum for stepping in to fill this critical gap of services and shelter, and to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board for funding it. But we also look forward to the day when there’s enough affordable housing to meet Vermonter’s needs.”

“This shelter is a strong example of what it means to invest in both people and community,” added Gus Seelig, Executive Director of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board. “We’re grateful to be part of a project that offers young Vermonters a safe place to land and a pathway forward.” 

Daily operating costs are funded by the Department of Children and Families and countless individual donors, including an anonymous $1 million gift and a multi-year commitment from the Hoehl Family Foundation. 

“We are so happy this program has opened to help fill the need in this community,” said Stefanie Comstock, Director of Basic Needs Programs, St Albans. “We are ready to support the youth in need of a safe place to sleep and help them get on their feet as they gain skills towards independence.” 

To learn more about the shelter or to refer a young person, visit www.spectrumvt.org or call (802) 777-7882. 

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About Spectrum Youth & Family Services 

Located in Burlington and St. Albans, Vermont, Spectrum Youth & Family Services helps teens and young adults ages 14-24 meet their basic needs, access mental health counseling and substance use disorder services, and get help with employment, education, and living independently to thrive as young adults. Learn more at www.spectrumvt.org. 

About Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) 

Champlain Housing Trust serves northwestern Vermont with a variety of housing and community development programs. Under CHT’s stewardship are nearly 700 permanently affordable homes and condos, about 2,800 permanently affordable apartments, over 200 shelter beds, and over 200,000 square feet in commercial and nonprofit facilities. CHT also runs a variety of financial literacy and lending programs. More information can be found at www.getahome.org. 

About the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB)

The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board invests in the creation of permanently affordable housing and the conservation of agricultural and recreational land, forestland, and historic properties. Since 1987, VHCB has supported projects that strengthen communities, protect Vermont’s working landscape, and promote equity, resilience, and quality of life statewide. Learn more at www.vhcb.org. 

The post New Youth Shelter Opens in Franklin County to Support Young People Facing Homelessness  appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

This ruling is deeply painful. For trans and nonbinary youth, their families, and those striving to create a more inclusive and supportive world, it represents a step backward—and a stark reminder of the work still ahead.

Here in Vermont, we remain committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all young people. Gender-affirming care for minors continues to be legal and accessible in our state. Vermont House Bill 89 explicitly ensures that this care cannot be restricted or banned—something that sadly is not true in all states, including our neighbor New Hampshire.

Medical experts widely agree: gender-affirming care is not controversial—it’s essential. It supports mental health, reduces risk, and saves lives. We’ll continue to say that loudly and clearly, no matter what the courts decide.

At Spectrum Youth & Family Services, we stand unequivocally with trans youth. We believe every young person deserves access to the care and support they need to live as their authentic selves. That commitment hasn’t changed, and it never will. We will continue to be a safe, affirming space for all youth—especially those targeted by discriminatory legislation or policies.

Thank you for standing with us. We are stronger together.

The post Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on US vs. Skrmetti appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

In addition to the anonymous $1M donation, the Hoehl Family Foundation will donate $125,000 per year for the next three years to support the St. Albans Drop-In Center and soon, a new youth shelter, which is also funded by the Vermont State Legislature.

This fall, Champlain Housing Trust purchased the building at 135 Lake Street in St. Albans where the new youth shelter will be housed, and renovations are currently underway. Spectrum is hiring and training staff so that the shelter can open as soon as renovations are complete in March.

These donations are a powerful affirmation of the commitment of donors to the youth of Franklin County. The $1M donation will be used to supplement community donations over the next several years or more— ensuring that Spectrum services for youth in Franklin County will be available for the long term. These services include:

• The Drop-In Center, a welcoming space offering essential resources and support for young people in need.
• The new youth shelter, a safe haven where young people can find stability and work toward self-sufficiency.
• Youth Development Program, helping young adults aging out of state custody transition to independent living.
• The Compass Program, which works to stabilize youth and families in crisis to help them get their lives on track.
• Mentoring, connecting young people with caring, supportive adults who help them navigate life’s challenges.

“The community in St. Albans has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of all these programs, but it’s not just Franklin County residents who are donating. Both the $1M gift and the gift from the Hoehl Family Foundation are from donors outside of Franklin County who deeply believe in the work that Spectrum does,” said Mark Redmond, Executive Director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services. “They recognize the potential of Franklin County as a community where young people—no matter their circumstances—can thrive. This investment is a testament to the strength and resilience of the youth we serve.”

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Located in Burlington and St. Albans, Vermont, Spectrum Youth & Family Services helps teens and young adults ages 14-24 meet their basic needs, access mental health counseling and substance use disorder, and get help with employment, education, and living independently to thrive as young adults. Learn more at www.spectrumvt.org  

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Through generous funding from KeyBank Foundation, the Pomerleau Family Foundation, the University of Vermont Medical Center, and many individual donors, Spectrum Youth and Family Services has been able to make its Nightly Shelter a year-round resource for homeless youth. 

On May 14, 2024, Spectrum officially expanded its seasonal warming shelter operations from seasonal to year-round programming to fill the critical gap in the local continuum of care, offering a youth-friendly overnight option when other shelter beds are full.

“We are pleased to join forces with the Pomerleau Family Foundation and other donors to help expand the vital resources that Spectrum provides,” said KeyBank Market President, Tony DiSotto. “KeyBank is a long-time supporter of Spectrum and their mission to improve the lives of disadvantaged youth and young adults in our community.” KeyBank Foundation has provided a three-year $225,000 grant to support the Nightly Shelter.

“We are proud to continue supporting Spectrum in this innovative project,” said Ernie Pomerleau on behalf of the Pomerleau Family Foundation, which has contributed $200,000 so far to the warming shelter. “Mark and his team have been on the leading edge of creating a true safety net for young persons faced with the loss of a homelife, dealing with drugs, or just needing mentoring.  Spectrum has evolved in providing housing, food, counseling, and jobs – with compassion, kindness, innovation, and professionalism.  We are lucky to have this amazing organization in our community.”

Spectrum Youth and Family Services opened a winter warming shelter in November of 2017 to provide more beds for youth facing homelessness in the harshest months. The warming shelter was a seasonal shelter, open from November through March 31.

Over the past two years, however, Spectrum’s Basic Needs Director, Christina Brown says she has been handing out more sleeping bags and tents than ever before year-round – in fact, she can’t keep them in stock.

To meet the growing need for safe youth shelter in Burlington, Spectrum’s warming shelter was re-named the Nightly Shelter and is now open year-round.

The Nightly Shelter is a low-barrier, 10-bed emergency shelter that is open every day from 5pm to 9am. Youth can then access our Burlington Drop-In Center during the day for meals, laundry, clothing, and case management.

Many of the youth who access the Nightly Shelter are new to Spectrum, and each year several youths move from the Nightly Shelter into the Landing or Pearl Street Residence, significantly increasing their odds of moving on to permanent housing.

The shelter, located at 179 South Winooski Ave, is accessible to youth ages 18-24 on a first-come first-serve basis.

Special thanks to KeyBank Foundation, the Pomerleau Family Foundation, the University of Vermont Medical Center, and many individual donors who contributed support. If you’d like to donate to Spectrum’s housing programs, please visit: https://spcvt.org/housing

If you are in need of housing you can find more information here.

The post Spectrum’s Nightly Shelter Open Year-Round appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Vermont Business Magazine writes, “MENTOR Vermont recognizes that young people are natural dreamers, but not all youth are given the same access and opportunities to achieve those dreams. A caring and committed mentor can help a young person ignite their curiosities, solidify their passions, and leverage their talents.

More than ever, youth need supportive, committed mentors in their life who see, hear, and champion them. Mentoring relationships provide individualized attention and support, a primary component of pandemic recovery. By increasing the quality and quantity of safe and effective mentoring relationships in places where young people live, learn, connect, and play, the Vermont Mentoring Grants help address the inequities plaguing Vermont youth.

Through the generous contributions of the A.D Henderson Foundation and the Vermont Department for Children and Families, MENTOR Vermont provides annual funding to mentoring agencies, investing in the creation and support of quality, long-term, youth mentoring programs.

At a time when research shows that loneliness and isolation are trending upwards, we know that relationships are powerful tools for significant change. They bring us together, help us to navigate our divides, and create a common purpose. Mentoring unites us.”

Read the entire article here.

Interested in becoming a mentor?

The post Spectrum Mentoring Program named recipient of MENTOR Vermont 2023-2024 mentoring grant appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Published: Dec. 4, 2023 at 7:50 AM EST

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Officials say a program helping homeless youth in the region is starting to make an impact.

In August, WCAX News told you about Spectrum Youth and Family Services piloting a cash transfer program that gives 10 young people a monthly stipend of $1,500, a total of $30,000 over 18 months. Recipients meet monthly with Spectrum to talk about budgeting and getting a job to monitor progress.

The youths are chosen based on their demonstrated desire to work hard.

Three months into the program, 10 youths have received the funding and Spectrum says the program is a success so far.

“We’re looking at about half of those youth already gaining permanent housing which is a fantastic outcome. Hopefully, we can continue that trajectory and get the rest of those youth housed,” said Will Towne with Spectrum Youth and Family Services.

The funding for the program came from private donors and federal funds. Spectrum will do three groups of 10 young people each over three-and-a-half years. Spectrum told WCAX News in November they estimate around 50 youths in the Burlington area are experiencing homelessness right now.

Related Stories:

Area shelters see increased demand for homeless youth services

New program to provide monthly stipend for homeless youth

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.

The post Spectrum reviews homeless youth stipend program appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Click here to read the full article.

Here are the opportunities published about Spectrum:

Tutoring (Multicultural and New American youth)

Description: Provide academic support for New American and multicultural youth in Spectrum’s Resource Space.

Time commitment: Several hours each week

Organization: Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Location: Available upon sign-up

Contact: myp@spectrumvt.org

Mentoring (Teens and young adults)

Description: Become a positive adult role model for youth between 12 and 22. Each volunteer with be matched with a child, participate in their hobbies and help them set goals. Male mentors of color and LGBTQ+ identified mentors are especially needed. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old, pass a background check and able to provide reliable transportation.

Time commitment:

• Four hours per month over two to four sessions; minimum commitment of one year
• Required eight hours of training in one to two-hour increments

Organization: Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Location: Available upon sign-up

Contact: mentoring@spectrumvt.org

Meal donation

Description: Donate a meal large enough for 20-30 youths at Spectrum’s Drop-In Center, which provides basic needs services, warms meals, housing and case management referrals and supportive engagement to young adults between 14 and 25.

Time commitment: Varies

• Meals should arrive between 4-4:30 p.m.

Organization: Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Location: 177 Pearl St., Burlington, VT 05401

Contact:

• Main contact: cbrown@spectrumvt.org
• Contact to enter the building: (802) 777-5714

Organizing drop-in donations

Description: Help organize Spectrum’s clothing donations for youth.

Time commitment: Varies

Organization: Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Location: Available upon sign-up

Contact: dropin@spectrumvt.org

Miscellaneous volunteering

Description: Help with various Spectrum events and special projects, such as large mailings.

Time commitment: A few hours at a time

Organization: Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Location: Available upon sign-up

Contact: events@spectrumvt.org

The post Here are local volunteer opportunities to get on Santa’s Nice List next year appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Published: Nov. 28, 2023 at 5:57 AM EST

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As temperatures drop across our region, more people experiencing homelessness are looking for shelter, including Vermont’s youth.

Burlington-based Spectrum Youth and Family Services says they’ve worked with 1,434 youth this year, a 12% increase from 2022. Officials at Spectrum estimate around 50 youth are homeless and say their shelter is at capacity.

“We’re handing out tents and sleeping bags as fast as we get them in, which is something that we never had to do in the past,” said Will Towne with Spectrum.

Towne says the nonprofit is busier than ever. Their 26-bed shelter is full as are most other shelters in the Burlington area. They’re now working on other options to keep people ages 12 to 26 out of the cold.

“We’re working to try to get our winter warming shelter open and this year, hopefully, we will be able to keep that running year-round,” said Towne.

But without staffing, the 10-bed shelter isn’t running yet.

Marc Redmond with Spectrum says not being able to have a home can take a toll on the mental health of homeless young people. They plan on providing more mental health support, going from 4 to 12 licensed mental health counselors in three years. At one point they had 90 people on their wait list for services.

“It’s down to about nine now; we want it to be zero. But I think it shows the extent even though we keep expanding and adding mental health staff, the extent of the mental health difficulty young people are experiencing,” said Redmond.

An increase in homeless young people isn’t only a problem in Vermont’s most populated county.

“We definitely saw an influx of folks in that age range coming in, especially into the hotel program, the GA emergency shelter program,” Kim Anetsberger said.

Kim Anetsberger and Sherry Marcellino of the Lamoille Community House in Hyde Park say they went from a seasonal night shelter to a seasonal 24-hour shelter due to demand around the pandemic. Their shelter of 12 beds is at capacity, too. They say the county has around 70-80 people experiencing homelessness right now with roughly 30% of them being 18 to 24 years old.

“Their needs are different in the fact that they may not have the same history with homelessness just given their age. They may not have a treatment history, so it might be harder for them to get into services,” said Marcellino.

They say they often notice these young people are coming out of the Vermont Department for Children and Families, have developmental disabilities or struggle with mental illness.

“They’re graduating from the children’s world into the adult world and the bridges are just not strong enough to bring them in,” said Marcellino.

The new Lamoille Community House is opening a new 365-day-a-year shelter. It will be in Hyde Park housing 21 people, and is under construction now.

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.

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Burlington, VT, August 9, 2023 — Ten youth facing homelessness or at immediate risk of homelessness have been selected to participate in Spectrum Youth and Family Services’ Direct Cash Transfer (DCT) pilot program. Each youth will receive a total of $30,000 over the course of the 18-month intervention to support progress toward securing housing and independence.

Spectrum’s Direct Cash Transfer program is designed to empower youth by providing them with a stable cash flow to help them pursue housing, jobs, education – whatever they need. The youth will receive $1500 per month, distributed biweekly over 18 months. Youth also have access to a one-time payment of $3000 that they can request at any time during the program to support larger expenses such as move-in costs or reliable transportation.

“Merrill Lynch put out a report in 2020, sharing that 79% of American parents help their children financially between the ages of 18-34,” says Spectrum Executive Director, Mark Redmond. “Most Spectrum youth do not have this as an option and that is why we are starting this Direct Cash Transfer program. We want to help give them a leg up, to launch them into adulthood —to give them the opportunity of financial support just like I, my sons, and 79% of American families have had.”

The youth decide how to use the money they receive from this program. Spectrum provides supportive programming to equip these young people with the resources they need to make the decisions they’ve determined are best for their lives.

“Throughout the program, the young people will have ongoing access to a case manager to support them with financial literacy, housing navigation, case management and access to referrals as needed,” Redmond states.

These ten youth are the first cohort in what Spectrum hopes to be a 3.5-year-long pilot program with three cohorts. The first two years of the program are fully funded as a Congressionally Directed Spending project through Senator Welch’s office and an anonymous donor.

Sara Brooks, Housing Intake Coordinator, brought the idea of DCT to Spectrum and was integral in the selection of the youth. Brooks states, “We knew we wanted to use this visionary new program to support Burlington’s most underserved young people – we painstakingly crafted, together with our community (staff, administrators, young people, and DCT diversity experts), an equity prioritization and lottery hybrid model to determine participants.”

To design the program, Spectrum partnered with Point Source Youth (PSY), a national organization dedicated to eliminating youth homelessness in the United States by placing power and resources into the hands of young people. PSY, an expert on Direct Cash Transfer programs for youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability, supported Spectrum in developing a nuanced DCT program specifically for youth in the Burlington and St. Albans communities. 

This DCT model, called “Cash Plus” (funds plus supportive services), was originally piloted in New York City and studied by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. While there are a few other cities with similar DCT programs for youth nationally, Spectrum is the first program in New England to pilot DCTs for youth facing homelessness.

With similar income pilots that have been studied, research shows that cash is primarily spent on basic needs such as food, utilities, and other essentials. These studies have also found that offering individuals and families struggling with poverty a steady, dependable income does not result in poor spending decisions, an increase in substance use, or reduced motivation to work.

“Cash pilots all over the world have proven that the myths surrounding DCT work are rooted in a combination of stereotypes, racism, and classism,” says Landon (LJ) Woolston, Director of Direct Cash Transfers at Point Source Youth. Having worked alongside Spectrum to design the program over the last six months, Woolston states that one of the unique facets of Spectrum’s DCT program is that the eligibility criteria prioritizes young people dealing with unique life circumstances and oppressed identities (i.e., youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth, youth living with disabilities or chronic illness, trafficking survivors, pregnant/parenting youth, etc.). “Many of our country’s homelessness systems are not designed to support youth; even when they are, they do not support all youth – which is what makes DCTs both necessary and effective,” he said.

Redmond is optimistic about this pilot program, “We have a data consultant who will be able to let us know over the next several years if DCTs are working, if the program is making a difference. Because if it is, we will make the case to continue it and to expand it.”

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Located in Burlington, Vermont, Spectrum Youth & Family Services helps teens and young adults ages 14-24 meet their basic needs, access mental health counseling and substance use disorder, and get help with employment, education, and living independently to thrive as young adults. Learn more at www.spectrumvt.org  

Point Source Youth works with communities large and small, alongside local youth advocates to ensure that experiences of youth homelessness are rare, brief and non-recurring. Our team advances affirming, data-backed solutions such as rapid re-housing, host homes, and direct cash transfers that place power and resources directly in the hands of youth experiencing homelessness—with a focus on youth who are disproportionately impacted. Learn more at www.pointsourceyouth.org

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