BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A spike in retail theft, homelessness, and domestic violence. Lieutenant Jason Wetherby of St. Albans says it was the busiest summer he’s ever seen. Now the community is taking addiction and public safety into their own hands.
St. Albans resident Melinda White says there’s a hole in her city.
“We sometimes hope, well the feds will come in with the state and we’ll fill it up with bucket loaders, that is something we can’t rely upon. They can help, but the reality is if all of us grab a shovel, we’re gonna fill it a lot better,” said White.
Inside of it, a crisis of addiction worsened by a housing crunch and domestic violence.
“We see an incredible amount of trauma in Franklin and Grand Isle, people experience domestic and sexual violence usually more than once if they grow up in Franklin and Grand Isle,” said Shannon McMahon from the Lauris House.
The trauma leads to an increase in crime that Lieutenant Wetherby says the St. Albans police force encountered this past summer.
“We had approximately 11,450 calls for service. With approximately 14 patrol officers. I’m not a mathematician, but that’s a lot of calls per officer,” said Lieutenant Wetherby.
To address the issue, the St. Albans community, the non-profits, and different branches of the justice system that serve them convened in city hall Thursday night for a mini-summit. Neighbors heard the facts and began discussing solutions. The summit’s purpose is to form ties between service organizations, to work together instead of independently.
Brad Ferland, who co-organized this summit with Melinda White, says he’s seen progress in the city, but there’s still work that needs to be done. He thinks better Medicaid reimbursements to rehabs, more sober housing, and a stronger-handed justice system would improve the city’s public safety and health.
“The problems that St. Albans faces, like most communities we see is there’s a lot of good happening, but there’s a lack of coordination,” said Ferland.
The larger, statewide summit will convene on August 1st in Essex Junction at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds.