Brattleboro, VT – The Windham & Windsor Housing Trust held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 18th at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center to report to its membership, elect new board members, and recognize the impact of the newly piloted SASH-For-All program.
Close to 100 staff, supporters, residents, funders and friends were in attendance at the annual gathering, which featured a panel discussion by members of the One Brattleboro initiative on some of the collaborative strategies to wellbeing and safety currently being employed throughout the community. Speakers included BPD Assistant Chief Jeremy Evans; Dakota Roberts from the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont; Rachael Trill from Interaction Restorative Justice Programs; and Kate Trzaskos from the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance.
New members elected to the board include Jean Risman to a Resident Seat, and Patricia Eisenhaur, to a Community Service Seat.
The program concluded with the presentation of WWHT’s Community Partnership Award to the key collaborators of the SASH-For-All program currently being piloted in Brattleboro and Putney: Brattleboro Housing Partnerships, Cathedral Square and Evernorth.
SASH-for-All is an evolution of the existing statewide SASH program which provides service and support at home to older adults and residents living with a disability. The new program supports rental residents in Brattleboro and Putney of all ages.
Resident board member Ellen Snyder summarized the impact of the 3-year old program while making the presentation.
“Since we began the pilot, we’ve served 243 adults and children. Last year alone, we hosted 167 community events. 154 service referrals were made and there were over 2,600 formal individual interactions with residents. We’ve learned that 87% of participants have experienced some measure of food insecurity, 78% report struggling with missing medical and other appointments due to transportation limitations, and 50% indicate that their health is fair or poor.”
Snyder noted that some of the positive outcomes tracked include a 21% reduction in emergency room visits; a 30% reduction in reported general anxiety; a 34% reduction in suicide ideation; and a 16% reduction in reported loneliness.
“In addition, we’ve collectively prevented 19 evictions due to SASH For All interventions,” she continued. “These are wonderful outcomes at a time when the very fabric of society is been stretched and tested and at a time when we need strong and healthy relationships in the buildings and neighborhoods where people live. We are so pleased to celebrate these outcomes and to honor our collaborative partners with our Community Partnership Award.”
The WWHT 2024 Annual Report can be accessed online at www.homemattershere.org. The Housing Trust would like to thank Brattleboro Museum Art Center for hosting the evening, and event sponsors Neagley & Chase Construction Company, Savings Bank of Walpole, ReArch Construction, Servpro, and C&S Wholesale Grocers.
# # #
WWHT is a mission-driven non-profit organization, established in response to increasing threats to the region’s supply of affordable housing. We build concrete solutions to the region’s housing challenges, and provide better housing opportunities to more than 1,500 Southeastern Vermonters each year.
