From Hardship to Housing with a Little Help

Nicole Hawley is no stranger to hardship. Born in Morrisville and growing up in central Vermont her family always figured out how to make ends meet, sometime depending on public assistance programs when needed. It’s the reality for many Vermont families without a lot of resources and low wages.

As an adult, from time-to-time, she’d also access the same programs. But, she says, “The last few years have been especially tough.”

In 2021, she lost her home in a fire. Then health challenges with her two children pushed them further away from the stability she yearned for. One child was diagnosed with diabetes, the other autism. Both needed specialized support in their school settings that were hard to find.

A move to Essex, with a job and the right school settings for her children seemed like a miracle. “It was such a wonderful resource,” she explained, and a place that her kids had found comfort.

But then she lost her job, and soon she was facing homelessness. As frightening as that was she feared for her children’s loss of the new-found stability in school. The family ended up at Harbor Place in Shelburne, Champlain Housing Trust’s motel, and the school was able to sustain transportation for her children to continue.

“My family called Harbor Place home for nine full months. We shared a single room with two queen beds, a dorm-sized microwave, mini fridge, and a bathroom. It was not ideal, as we didn’t have a kitchen to cook in,” she recalled. “But it gave us privacy, gave my kids a consistent place for the school to pick them up from and drop them off at, and allowed us the freedom to come and go as we needed throughout the day… luxuries that aren’t always afforded to those living in shelters.”

Support from Harbor Place staff also ended up helping her find an apartment. She and her children are now at Susan’s Place, permanently affordable apartments in Essex that CHT created from another former motel. It’s a little tight, but they can stay in the same school district, have a connection to community, and access to available services on-site.

And as Nicole says, “We have a sense of security. Without this, I don’t know where my family would be right now.”