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.

#

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. 

### 

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.

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.”

###  

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  

The post Anonymous $1M Donation Fuels Spectrum Youth and Family Services’ Mission in St. Albans appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

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.

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.”

###  

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

The post Spectrum Pilots Direct Cash Transfer Program to Support Youth Facing Homelessness appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

The purpose of the grant program is to increase access to summer enrichment opportunities for youth statewide during Summer 2021. At Spectrum, this grant will support the Multicultural Youth Program’s summer workshops and activities, including:

• Weekly life skills workshops, for 30 to 50 youth, to help them build learn about things like money management, self-care and mental health, as well as strategies for planning for life after high school and overcoming common obstacles among immigrant youth. a
• The Old Spokes Home bike repair apprenticeship program for 6 individuals ages 12 to 16. These youth will learn the basics of bike repair through hands-on practice.
• The Girls’ Group program that provides girls ages 12 to 24 who self-identify as multicultural a safe space to connect with peers and explore their realities and challenges through discussions and activities on mindfulness, self-care, dance, reading, and creative writing.
• Community outreach events, which provide low-barrier activities to engage youth in learning about local resources and connect with peers

“After such a difficult year for our community and particularly multicultural communities, these funds will allow us to provide a much-needed support and relief for the youth,” said Remy-Brice Uwilingiyimana, the Multicultural Youth Program Manager. “Being able to increase our staff capacity, allows us to increase the number of young people we can impact within our programs.”

The grants were funded by federal dollars secured by Senator Sanders and administered by Vermont Afterschool. They were awarded to a variety of programs, including summer camps, libraries, municipalities, teen centers, non-profit social services organizations and more, to expand the number of weeks and slots, as well as to increase affordability and accessibility of summer programs.

“Summer is the perfect opportunity to help kids reconnect and recharge. We are incredibly grateful to our state leaders and policymakers for their commitment to the development of the Summer Matters for All Grant Program,” said Holly Morehouse, Executive Director of Vermont Afterschool. “With this funding, communities and youth-serving organizations across the state will be able to create a great summer for Vermont children and youth that will help them make new memories and emerge from the pandemic strong, resilient, and hopeful.”

All Spectrum Multicultural Youth programs are free, thanks to this incredible support. Supportive services such as transportation, snacks, and other basic needs will be provided within each program. Youth and families can register by emailing the MYP team at myp@spectrumvt.org, calling (802) 864-7423 x428 or find more information here.

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 coaching, and get help with employment, education, and living independently to thrive as young adults. Learn more at www.spectrumvt.org.

Contact Erin Barnaby, Communications Officer at ebarnaby@spectrumvt.org or 802-363-0750 for more information.

The post The Multicultural Youth Program was Selected to Receive a 2021 “Summer Matters for All” Grant appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.