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.

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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“The vast majority of the youth that we serve are “transition-aged,” people who are considered adults by the law but whose challenges are unique to their age range. While “transition-aged” is defined as youth between the ages of 16-24, I’d like to speak today about the core of that range, people aged 18-22.

Most of these young people live at the intersection of a range of marginalized identities: they are teenagers, they are experiencing homelessness, they have mental health and substance abuse problems. They are disproportionately people of color or those who identify as LGBTQ+. They might be disabled or scraping by on benefits.

In our day-to-day work we see first-hand how marginalized these youth feel in their community: they aren’t considered for jobs they’re qualified for, they’re seen as a nuisance in public, they’re targeted by police as “troublemakers,” and they’re questioned over their presumed lack of motivation to “better themselves.” It’s our job to help them navigate these systems and create safe spaces for them to grow outside the glare of the public eye.

In my experience and that of my colleagues, this dynamic stands out in particular when transition-aged youth seek care in crisis situations. Specifically, I’d like to speak to some of my experiences with these youth when they’ve tried to access intensive mental health services in our community.

Last year I accompanied a young transgender woman to the hospital. We often offer this kind of advocacy and support role for folks in severe crises. For weeks this youth had been coming to our Drop-In Center reporting increasingly frequent episodes of paranoia and psychosis, accompanied by intensifying thoughts of suicide. As her crisis deepened, we made as many referrals as we could to mental health supports like counseling, medical care, advocates for survivors.

Nothing took. And then she came to Drop-In with obvious physical marks of the last night’s suicide attempt, and an insistence that it was a matter of time before she followed through with her suicide. Yes, she had a plan. Yes, we were both terrified.

At the hospital she was told in plain language that her reported mental health symptoms could not be true given the way she presented in that moment. She was told that her recent attempt must not have been particularly serious, and that her plan to kill herself did not merit further medical attention. She was discharged after about an hour with no discernable plan of care or follow-up.

I don’t doubt that this kind of invalidation added a new layer of trauma to her experience, and that she might be less likely to seek medical care when in a future crisis because of it. Despite her traumas, she saved herself. Somehow – amazingly – she traveled by herself to a different state, got herself admitted into an inpatient facility at a hospital, and stayed there for over a month. She was ultimately discharged and admitted into a stabilization clinic in Vermont before moving into a residential mental health program. 

And I will offer another brief anecdote. About when a 19-year-old, also transgender, reported to us that she was abducted for days and repeatedly assaulted before running away and making it back to the Drop-In Center. She went to the hospital, where she was seen by intake staff before getting overwhelmed and returning to Drop-In. When I went back to the hospital to support and advocate for her, she was scolded, told that she’d wasted hospital staff’s time by leaving, and that she’d have to wait longer because she left. It felt like a punishment. The forensic nurse who examined her was kind, but the damage was already done at the admission-level. She angrily refused most services and said that, if there were a next time, she’d skip the hospital altogether.

It’s really important to me that everyone here understands: I’m telling these stories not to condemn the hospital, any local clinicians, or any mental health providers who are doing an incredibly difficult job with limited resources, especially now. I understand that they have to make seemingly impossible choices, and I’m grateful for the effective care they’ve given to other Spectrum clients. I tell these stories only to show what my colleagues and I are seeing on the ground: transition-aged youth, particularly the most vulnerable, are met with skepticism and eye-rolls when they seek help in a crisis.

So, why is that?

Why are the transition-aged youth that we serve, who are among the most vulnerable folks in our society, treated like the lowest priorities in their times of need? In my opinion, the reasons that our youth aren’t taken seriously in these situations are the exact same reasons that they should be taken most seriously.  

It isn’t a secret that the trauma of youth homelessness takes a toll on people’s mental health. According to a 2019 study published by researchers at the University of Southern California, 12 percent of adolescents in the United States have considered suicide, while 4 percent have attempted suicide. For youth experiencing homelessness, the study shows that 46 percent of those surveyed had attempted suicide, and that 78 percent of those who had previously attempted would continue to make attempts.

That is for youth homelessness. What happens when you add more layers of marginalization? For example, UCLA cites the 2015 Transgender Study as reporting that more than 80 percent of transgender people have seriously considered suicide in their lifetimes, and that over 40 percent make at least one attempt. These rates are so much higher than those of the general population, it’s hard to fathom.

And to put these two populations together, again consider that youth homelessness disproportionately affects people who identify as LGBTQ+, as well as people of color. We at Spectrum see these trends on the ground.

What I’m getting at is – as far as I’ve seen in this work – the more traumatized you are, the more marginalized you are, the more likely you are to be turned away in your hour of need. And I think that the opposite should be true.

So how do we start to address this trend?

To start, I think we should go back to the basics. The practice of Trauma-Informed Care is widely embraced as a baseline tool to help client-facing staff approach people in crisis with knowledge and compassion.

It’s rooted in a classic maxim in social work: do no harm. To quote from an article on the practice published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also known as SAMHSA: “Trauma-Informed Care begins with the first contact a person has with an agency; it requires all staff members (e.g., receptionists, intake personnel, direct care staff, supervisors, administrators, peer supports, board members) to recognize that the individual’s experience of trauma can greatly influence his or her receptivity to and engagement with services, interactions with staff and clients, and responsiveness to program guidelines, practices, and interventions. Trauma-Informed Care includes program policies, procedures, and practices to protect the vulnerabilities of those who have experienced trauma and those who provide trauma-related services.” 

Put simply, it’s a good way of treating people with dignity and understanding when they’re at their worst. So no doubt, Trauma-Informed Care is a really helpful tool to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. But maybe we need other tools, too. 

We at Spectrum have recently been told two different things: that there are more than enough beds in the state for psychiatric patients of all ages, and then that there are not.  We’re not sure who to believe. But no matter who’s right, we do know that young people in psychiatric distress are turned away at alarming rates.

So what’s happening? What’s the disconnect? If the capacity does exist, why and how is the criteria for admission failing transition-aged youth? And whether the question is capacity or criteria, I think that we should start a conversation about diverting resources toward creating clinical programs that cater specifically to the needs of transition-aged youth. 

Why specifically, transition-aged youth?

For one, beyond the trends I’ve just mentioned, countless studies have confirmed that the human brain continues to develop and mature for years into true adulthood. It’s uniquely sensitive and fragile in this growth period.

It’s also widely accepted that youth trauma and homelessness can lead to long-term mental health problems and chronic homelessness in adulthood. Instead of accepting that as an inevitability, what if we set aside resources to meet the needs of this unique population, one whose future has proven to have a profound effect on all of our social and economic futures?

If we can take lessons from this pandemic – like diverting resources upstream, like focusing on prevention and mitigation before the current becomes chronic – then maybe we can start to make lasting change.

Let’s have a conversation.“

The post Are Vermont’s Institutions Failing Transition-Aged Youth? appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

We currently have two youth coordinators that work with youth in St. Albans and see this need on a daily basis.

Seven years ago, the Vermont Department for Children and Families asked Spectrum to expand its work to Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, helping 14- to 23-year-old youth in state custody prepare for independent living. This includes assisting them with graduating from high school, moving on to college or a trade school, finding an apartment, driving lessons, and everything else needed for adulthood. Our office for this program is located in St. Albans.

As we know from our work, youth who are aging out of foster care, or addicted to substances, or grew up in households with parents who are addicted are at a much greater risk of becoming homeless.

Seven years ago, we expanded our work to Franklin and Grand Isle Counties by having two youth coordinators based in St. Albans to support youth ages 14- to 23 in state custody.

Here are some statistics on youth or their families who are at-risk of homelessness in Franklin County:

• One in every 69 children is in state custody (the second-highest in the state), compared to 1 in 105 for the whole state and 1 in 152 for Chittenden County.
• Franklin County has one of the highest rates of medically assisted treatment for opiate addiction—about 50% higher than the state rate.
• Franklin County in 2017 had the third-highest rate of drug-related fatalities in the state.
• 12.8% of Vermont babies born with Neonatal Alcohol Syndrome in 2015 were attributed to Franklin County, even though its population is only 7.8% of the state population.

We’ve met with many community leaders and providers in the St. Albans area. Each conveyed concerns about the youth challenges and needs in their community.

• The local shelter usually has a waiting list and is designed for older adults and families, it is not tailored to the needs of teenagers and young adults.
• Without a Boys & Girls Club or a YMCA in St. Albans, there is a need for a physical place where youth can go to receive basic needs such as a hot meal, clothing, help with their homework, and assistance finding a job.

One of the reasons Spectrum has selected St. Albans to expand to is that there are some very important resources in place, such as:

• the Northwest Counseling and Support Services,
• Vermont Adult Learning,
• the Community College of Vermont (who has been there for decades and is now expanding downtown!),
• the Notch, which is the federally qualified health care center,
• Howard Center, which provides addiction treatment and care,
• the Northwest Medical Center, which is one of the most highly respected and well-led medical centers in Vermont, plus
• there is so much economic development occurring in St. Albans, with new restaurants, a hotel, and a renovated city hall.

So we are proposing an expansion of Spectrum services in Franklin County!

We’d like to begin expanding our St. Albans presence with a Drop-In Center and/or youth Homeless Shelter (still to be determined).

This presence will give us a more accurate sense of what type of more permanent shelter, residence, or Drop-In Center might be needed. Once this is assessed, we may move on to provide a warming shelter or short- or long-term housing in subsequent years.

Want to learn more about how you can help?

• Please donate to the St. Albans project here.
• Contact Sarah Woodard, Director of Development, at swoodard@spectrumvt.org or (802) 864-7423 x350.

The post We are Hoping to Expand! appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Getting an accurate picture of the number of youth who are homeless is a constant challenge, here’s why…

If you walk by the Drop-In Center on any given evening and look through the windows, you’ll probably see anywhere from 10-25 young adults unwinding from their day.

They might be making themselves a cup of tea, playing Uno and joking with one-another, talking with a staff member, or helping with dinner preparations—much like any young person at the end of their day.

“The best thing about Spectrum is being able to come into a safe space,” says Jaime, a youth who regularly comes to the Drop-In Center for dinner and a shower, “it’s like a home.”

Many youth like Jaime are “partially” homeless. In just one week, they might go from sleeping on a friend’s couch, to sleeping in their car, to sleeping in a laundromat and then back to another friend’s couch.

For this reason, getting an accurate picture of the number of youth who are homeless in Vermont is consistently a struggle for organizations like us. However, there are a couple ways to try to understand how many young people are struggling to find a place to lay their head.

Point-in-Time Count

On a single night in Vermont in 2018, over 100 unaccompanied youth were counted as homeless by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). These youth were all between the ages of 18 and 24.

USICH gets their numbers by looking at data compiled by area providers, such as local shelters, drop-in centers, the Economic Services hotel program, etc.

But it’s not quite that simple.  As Will Towne, the supported housing manager at Spectrum, recently said, “These numbers are vague, and the ‘single-night number’ is most likely an undercount. It is most often dependent on how many staff members or volunteers are available on a single night to count the number of people who are homeless as well as their ability to find folks who may be living on the street or in wooded areas. And, it doesn’t include people who are couch-surfing and staying with friends, like Jaime.”

Public School Data

Another way of understanding youth homelessness in Vermont is through the public school data reported to the U.S. Department of Education. It shows that over 1,000 Vermont public school students experienced homelessness over the course of a year.

Of that total:

• over 50 students were unsheltered
• 150 were in shelters
• 225 were in motels
• 670 were doubled up (more than 1 person per room)

However, because Spectrum serves both teens and young adults (ages 16 to 23) in its housing programs, this count does not give us an accurate picture either.

Spectrum’s Role

Because of our staff, donors, and volunteers, Spectrum has been a “home” to young people who need a place to live since 1970 when it was founded.

The eight-bed Landing is one of our three housing options for homeless youth ages 16-23. Each room has two beds, and residents share a common living, kitchen, and dining area.

In 2018, Spectrum housed 71 youth—including 20 at The Landing, 58 at the Warming Shelter, and 14 at the Pearl Street Residence – which actually adds up to 92 because some youth were in more than one type of residence.  We also supported over 260 youth at our Drop-in Center, providing two hot meals a day, hot showers, clean clothes, and a friendly ear.

“We are working with Vermont communities to improve the way we collect data. This will more accurately reflect the number of unaccompanied young people experiencing homelessness, helping us to understand trends in youth homelessness in Vermont. And most importantly, areas for improvement.” –Will Towne

The post Youth Homelessness in Vermont appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

It turned out, however, that this woman didn’t own the house.

The actual landlord came knocking at the end of August, looking for the rent that Asia’s roommate had never turned over to him. The roommate was nowhere to be found.

Asia had two days to move out.

“I didn’t know where to go. I had to pack a duffel bag and I had one trash bag of things. I walked down the street and was just standing in the neighborhood like, ‘Where do I go? What do I do?’

“I went to Greer’s on Williston Road—a 24-hour laundromat—and I sat there all day and night just trying to figure out what I’m going to do. I ended up falling asleep there that night.”

Early the next morning, Asia found a storage facility down the road, and rented the smallest unit they had. “I took my duffle bag and my plastic bag, and I sat inside of the storage place and I was like, ‘Okay. I’m protected from the outside elements.’ So I started
sleeping in there. I did that for a while and still went to school, still went to work. I also got a gym membership so I could shower.”

After sleeping in the storage unit for a month, the owner noticed and asked her to leave. She gave up the unit, packed what she could into the duffle bag, and found places to sleep wherever she could—all while showering at the gym, working, and going to school.

“I slept in gas station bathrooms…just crazy situations,” she says. “But once mid-terms started to approach, I was like, ‘I can’t do this,’ it’s just physically draining, mentally draining, keeping up the same facade.”

She went to Economic Services, but she couldn’t get food stamps. “They said that I made too much based off the school loans that I got and the amount of hours I was working,” she says. “But they said I can go down the street—there’s a place called Spectrum.”

“I went to the Drop-In Center and as soon as I walked in, Christina [Drop-In senior staff] greeted me and her spirit alone is just so sweet. I let her know my situation. She was very understanding. I never felt judged. I didn’t feel alone.”

Asia asked about housing and was connected to Alex, our intake coordinator, who offered her a bed in The Landing upstairs. “And when she said that, I just couldn’t even deal with it,” says Asia. “It was just overwhelming, but she took me right upstairs immediately said I can put my stuff down and to come back later when we’re serving dinner if I’m hungry. It made me feel like I’m not the only one in this, that they’re here for me.”

“The staff were very welcoming and it just made me feel so secure and so safe. It was just opposite of what I had been feeling and it just felt so good to just take a deep breath and just say, okay, I’m going to be fine.

“And from there, things just kind of got better.”

“The fact that the community supports this organization is just amazing to me,” says Asia. “Even when I thought I was alone, I wasn’t alone. Now that I know that there are people out there that care, it just makes living each day even better and it makes me want to do the best that I can. So thank you again, even the people that I didn’t know were in my corner.”

We’re in awe…

Asia still earned a 3.8 GPA that semester and got promoted at her job, even after all she had been through.

The post Asia’s Story appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“I can honestly say that I don’t know where I would be now if it weren’t for Spectrum welcoming me with open arms when no one else would.”

Spectrum youth are some of the most resilient people we’ve ever met. Whether they’re transitioning to adulthood after living in foster care, or pushing to get through school in a foreign language, or trying to overcome a childhood of trauma, they are determined to build a life for themselves.

What they need is someone to help them figure out what their goals are, to offer a friendly ear no matter what, and to let them dream big. And all of that was made possible this year because of our incredible community of donors, volunteers, and mentors. Below is an overview of what was accomplished because of your support. Thank you from all of our hearts, to yours. You can find a PDF version of the annual report here.

Basic Needs & Stable Homes

The Drop-In Center and Supported Housing programs were open for teenagers and young adults who needed a hot meal, clean clothes, a shower, or a place to sleep.

What’s new: A steady stream of federal and state funding cuts in recent years means that more and more, we rely on the generosity of people like you to keep our doors open. In 2018, 33% of the funding for our housing programs came from you, our donors. This year, that percentage rose to 48%, and in 2020, we expect it to be 59%. Thanks to you, we know we’ll be here for the next youth who needs help.

From the left: The Winter Warming Shelter. A group meeting at the Landing (short-term housing). A youth room at the Landing.

260 youth served at the Drop-In Center

33 youth served at the Winter Warming Shelter

50 youth served at the Landing (short-term transitional housing)

37 youth served through the Transitional Housing Program

Life & Survival Skills

This year, teenagers and young adults learned how to find and keep a job, get into and pay for school, budget for an apartment, and other critical life skills.

What’s new: Spectrum’s Multicultural Youth Program set up a Help Desk in the libraries of Burlington and Winooski High Schools to help multicultural youth with anything from tutoring, to driver’s ed, to preparing for life after high school. The Help Desks were staffed with assistance from our partners: the U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants and Burlington’s Community Economic Development Office.

From the left: Youth staff at Detail Works, working with head detailer, Jasmine Wood. Yuol Herjok Yuol, Multicultural Youth Program outreach coordinator, speaking with senior Halima Said at Winooski High School’s Help Desk.

160 youth served through the Youth Development Program

112 youth served through Jump on Board for Success

283 youth served through the Multicultural Youth Program

14 youth served through Detail Works

Prevention & Intervention

Every day, teenagers and young adults are working through substance use and mental
health challenges with our therapists, befriending positive adult role models in our mentoring program, and practicing self-care through the health clinic housed in our building.

Spectrum mentors and mentees at ECHO Lake & Aquarium Center’s Community Science Night.

What’s new: In January 2019, the Vermont Department of Children and Families asked us to launch a new program called Compass, which works with youth who are at risk of going into foster care, becoming involved with the justice system, or otherwise facing a crisis. We offer intensive support to both the youth and the family to help them get their lives back on track.

319 youth served through Riverstone Counseling

106 youth served through Mentoring

794 youth served through the Pearl Street Youth Clinic

Thanks to all of the donors, volunteers and mentors that have supported Spectrum youth. It is because of you that they thrive. As one youth recently said,

“I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful for your donation. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to have a good life, a better life that I want.”

The post A year of “you-are-not-alone” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Thanks to your support, our warming shelter housed teens and young adults who had nowhere else to stay this past winter.

A safe haven during the winter months

The past few winters have been challenging for young people facing homelessness in Burlington. All area shelters have been full, including the adult warming shelter that was launched four years ago, and our Drop-In staff often had to turn youth away at the end of the day not knowing where they would spend the night.

Luckily, thanks to generous community members like you, our warming shelter served 33 teens and young adults over the course of the winter who had nowhere else to stay.

One of the youth who came to us had been sleeping at the airport. Another, in a laundromat. Another, in a parking garage. Some stayed with us only a few weeks until they were able to find permanent housing, while others were able to move into the Landing, one of Spectrum’s residences, as beds opened up.

“The shelter provided people with an opportunity to regain some stability in their lives,” says Will, the Supported Housing Supervisor at Spectrum. “When you think about homeless people and housing programs, there are often people that just need a week or two of stability to get their feet back under them.”

“Last year, we had full occupancy in our other housing program and months-long waiting lists. That wasn’t really acceptable. We felt like we needed to do something about it.”

A community effort made possible by you.

The community truly came together to support this project. Bishop Christopher Coyne and Father Lance Harlow were kind enough to host the shelter at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral. The Community Health Centers of Burlington donated cots, and the UVM Medical Center volunteered to do laundry. The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf’s Good Food Truck and parishioners of St. Joseph’s provided many meals.

Financial support for the shelter was provided by the Argosy Foundation, UVM Medical Center, the Hoehl Family Foundation, Debra and Bill Gottesman, Vermont Federal Credit Union, an anonymous donor, Janet Farina, parishioners at Our Lady of Grace Church, and generous donors like you.

“The operation was really great. Being able to use their space was amazing” says Will about St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral. “Father Harlow, who is the priest at St. Joseph’s, came in almost every single day and helped out as well.”

When asked what he would like to tell community members, Will had this to say: “Thanks to everyone who helped support the shelter this year. You really gave people the chance to regain some stability in their lives.”

And best of all? We didn’t have to turn anybody away.

The post Everyone Had a Bed This Winter—Thanks to You. appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“Every person that I have met is an amazing human soul, whether they realize it or not.”

A group of students from Champlain College recently set out to tell the story of the young people that use Spectrum’s services, resulting in a short documentary titled “Spectrum Voices”. The teens and young adults featured in the documentary are getting the help that they need thanks to kindhearted and generous people like you who support Spectrum’s programs.

Want to learn more about the lives of the people that you’ve helped? Watch “Spectrum Voices” today to hear their stories.

The post Hear the stories of the youth you’ve helped support. appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

I’m guessing you already know the kinds of services Spectrum has to offer and I’m also guessing you have some assumptions about the individuals Spectrum works with.
Before I accessed Spectrum services, I assumed every person was homeless because they were in foster care or in some other type of unfortunate living situation. Boy was I wrong.

Every individual who utilizes these services is as one-of-a-kind as the circumstances that brought them there. I am no exception. Three years later, I still find a knot in my stomach and a little water in my eyes when I think about the events leading up to moving into the Landing, Spectrum’s emergency shelter.

However, when I think about how far I have come and everything I have accomplished, I am amazed and overflowing with gratitude. Four years ago, I was on top of the world after being accepted and awarded presidential scholarships at all of the colleges I applied to. I was graduating magna cum laude, I couldn’t wait to get out of the seemingly small and mundane town of Burlington, and I was ready to take on the world to make a change. What I didn’t know was that I would return less than a semester later and make my impact here.

It’s still too painful for me to delve into specifics about my return, but it happened at the end of 2015. For many months after being back in Burlington, I somehow carried on with life. I smiled, I made commitments, and I packed up the house I had lived in for 15 years and watched it start its own new adventure with its new inhabitants. Despite all this sadness that was weighing me down, I continued to smile, and have summer adventures and just take life day by day. Except I’m a planner and spontaneity was not, and still isn’t, my forte. So, summer 2016 can basically be titled “The Summer of Pretending.”

Like most things in life, I found that the pretending was manageable until it wasn’t. By the end of the summer I found myself falling down the all-too-familiar rabbit hole of depression, anxiety, and more.

I managed to pull myself out of the rabbit hole with assistance from inpatient psychiatry at UVMMC and, when I was ready to be in the world again, I came to the Landing.

Without a job or school, I spent my days at the Drop-In Center and what I realized after about ten minutes of being there was that I was not ready to be in the real world. I was still seriously depressed and anxious and, for lack of better terminology, a “hot mess”. I might have been out of the rabbit hole but I wasn’t ready to wander away from it.

Fast-forward two years and here I am. I have now been living on my own for nearly four months. I also just took a midterm for one of the two classes I am taking at CCV. Neither of these things would be happening if I hadn’t found people to encourage me to wander a little farther from the rabbit hole every day. And I definitely wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t had Spectrum help me understand the importance of building and maintaining healthy connections with positive peers in my community.

I still don’t have a job and I am still a hot mess, but I have something that I didn’t have when I first came to Spectrum. I have a wonderful community of people who support me with pretty much anything and everything, and I have an endless amount of gratitude for the work that they do and the people who support them. I have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of what being successful in life means, and I have a clearer idea of who I am and who I want to be.

I don’t know what I would be doing these days if I hadn’t stumbled into Spectrum when I did, but I know I am so glad I did. And I’m really glad it wasn’t easy because now I know what I stand for and what I value. Today, I am standing here because of Spectrum, and Spectrum is here because of people like you who show support—whether it’s making meals, making monetary donations, or being crazy enough to sleep outside in March. So, from the bottom of my heart to yours, thank you!

The post “Spectrum is here because of people like you.” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.