The Annual Celebration this year was full to the brim of inspiration, community, creativity, and meaning. We were thrilled to have over 100 of our members there. This included a great turnout from residents, some of which walked over in groups with our SASH For All staff. To those who were able to attend, thank you. It was incredible to spend the evening with you in the wonderful Brattleboro Museum Art Center.
Our agenda this year covered the spectrum. Elizabeth Bridgewater opened the meeting with reflective remarks highlighting both the challenges of the past year and the important work accomplished, “In spite of the challenges, and perhaps because of them, the resiliency, cohesiveness and collective action of Southeastern Vermont community members is shining brighter than ever.” Elizabeth shared, reflecting on the huge community groundswell of support to fill the gap of on-site services during Groundworks’ pause, reflecting on the residents on Londonderry banding together and building a permanently affordable home in their community, and reflecting on the critical sense of community that our SASH For All program brings to the neighborhood scale, “ These are just a few example of the collective action of this community of how people are coming together with our support to Housing Trust to support one another, create new opportunities and strengthen our community in the process. And because of this, despite of the list of challenges I started with, when I look ahead, I’m feeling hopeful. And it’s because of these collaborative relationships, because of the people who step up to solve problems and because of the residents, both homeowners and renters who teach us every day what they need and how we can do better.”
This message of collaborative and compassionate care was carried forward and amplified by our guest speaker Dr. Jim O’Connell. Jim is the Director of Boston’s Healthcare for the Homeless and is featured in Tracy Kidder’s book “Rough Sleepers”. Jim spoke of the learning he’s gained over the decades working with people in Boston who are both sheltered and unsheltered and how truly critical healthcare and support are, particularly for those exiting homelessness. He emphasized that affordable housing is a key and powerful solution not only to individual health, but for community as a whole. His remarks were a reminder that although the challenges our communities are facing are very real, that we are not alone and that there are incredible people pushing forward solutions.
We were honored to present the distinguished Tom Yahn Award to the late Susan Howes, who served as Senior Housing Specialist with Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) until 2023. The award is given out annually to a community member who demonstrates a long-term commitment to the preservation and development of affordable housing and/or to the lives of those who live in affordable housing. Pat Burke of SEVCA accepted the award alongside Susan’s family.
“Susan was not only a remarkable person, but an extraordinary housing case manager,” says Pat Burke, SEVCA Family Services Director. “She took her work very seriously and worked tirelessly on behalf of folks in our community who struggle to find and stay in housing. She was encouraging, empathetic, compassionate, and a strong advocate for what she believed in. She had an amazing wit and a tremendously warm smile, and she put people at ease even in their most challenging times. She was the best at what she did.”
With board business, two new members were elected– welcome Denny Frehsee, and Kayenta Snide—and six members were reelected: congratulations Samba Diallo, Dora Urujeni, Leo Schiff, Carol Buchdahl, Prudence MacKinney, and Victor Morrison.
As we neared the close of the meeting, staff elevated some non-traditional impact numbers that illustrate our work- for instance, “The Home and Apartment Repair teams travel across the whole region, up to Rochester, down to Vernon, to meet with clients and improve the health and safety of the homes. That’s 9,161 miles over the course of the year” and “Through the development process in downtown Bellows Falls and Windsor, we removed 5,087 tons on contaminated soils”. We also celebrated the public art project we’ve been working on in community for over a year. Many thanks to the many hands that contributed to the “Home Mosaic”.
The space, the community, and the content all came together as an engaging and powerful evening. We are so grateful to all who participated. You can find a full gallery of the evening’s pictures here by Core Photography (Liz LaVorgna).
A warm thank you to our sponsors:
