Lebanon headline but a Hartford shelter?
Perhaps this was intended? Is the author making a correlation between the decreased use in Lebanon and the nearly-open Low Barrier Shelter in White River?
The Lebanon Shelter seems a paltry offering for a city that has much more revenue than Hartford. And why should they do better when The Upper Valley Haven has increased their sprawl further down Route 5 right across from a cannabis dispensary. Let’s not confuse this with families who are legitimately in crisis through job loss or debilitating illness where they’ve become unable to care for themselves. THIS IS NOT THAT.
According to one Hartford resident who worked on what they call the “Project Outreach Committee” 250 needles were found in Wilder in the spring of 2025. Per that same resident: in the summer of 2025, 850 needles were found behind the Main Street Museum. And now they report that 3500+ needles were picked up under the Bugbee Bridge and several hundred behind the VFW.
Hartford’s Community Outreach Division https://www.hartford-vt.org/3723/Community-Outreach-Division is working hard to meet the needs of so many who are at risk. Building a Low Barrier Shelter sends the wrong message and will likely increase the rate of homelessness and substance abuse in Hartford and the Upper Valley, rather than decrease it.