The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for the Rutland Health Service Area revealed that Rutland County, while comprising only 9% of Vermont’s population, accounts for 21% of the state’s homeless individuals in emergency housing. This staggering disparity reflects a seven-fold increase in Rutland County’s homeless population in five years, rising from 96 individuals in 2019 to 682 in 2024.
In response to this growing need, Community Care Network-Rutland Mental Health Services (CCN-RMHS) launched a street outreach program in late 2023 to provide targeted support to this vulnerable population, with a focus on building trust with unhoused individuals and connecting them to essential services as well as meeting basic and immediate needs.
The Street Outreach Program, developed in collaboration with Turning Point Center of Rutland, Rutland County Health Partners, and the Rutland City Police-Community Resource Team, originally began as a one-day-per-week initiative. It has since expanded to include integrated health efforts and follow-up services throughout the week.
CCN-RMHS has dedicated two staff members to support this vital initiative, case managers Angela French and Bailley Wright, each of whom bring specialized skills in engagement and resource connection to the effort. The pair have been central to the new program, fostering trust and rapport within the unsheltered community and making a tangible impact on a daily basis.
Their approach involves meeting individuals where they are — whether on the street, in encampments or at community meal sites — and connecting them with basic resources such as warm socks, a shower, or a listening ear, guiding them to further support if and when they’re ready. Additional support includes connecting individuals with a wide range of community resources, emergency housing, psychiatric hospitalization, inpatient substance use treatment and rehabilitation, and outpatient mental health services, among other potential needs.
‘“The Street Outreach effort is a fabulous addition to our range of programs,” stated Hillary Ward, director of adult services with CCN. “Angela and Bailley can engage anybody — that is a huge strength that they share. They instantly make people feel comfortable and feel heard. It’s a true skill.”
One notable success story highlights the program’s impact. A 70-year-old unhoused individual, struggling with chronic alcoholism, frequent law enforcement and hospital emergency department (ED) interactions, was identified through CCN-RMHS’ Street Outreach Program. Prior to contact, this individual averaged near-daily law enforcement interactions and ED visits. Through the program, they were connected to emergency housing and sobriety support services and have since achieved over 140 days of sobriety and have had no further law enforcement or ED interactions.
As the Street Outreach initiative continues to evolve, CCN-RMHS’ continuous quality improvement team will be implementing additional data tracking to further quantify the program’s impact on ED utilization, law enforcement contacts, and emergency medical responses. These efforts, combined with ongoing collaboration and community engagement, underscore the transformative potential of the Street Outreach Program in addressing homelessness and improving community health outcomes.
Laura Kass, chief client services officer with CCN, said the program’s impact is already apparent — since its inception, the team has helped 187 individuals and made over 1,000 contact points.
“Angela and Bailley have done amazing work,” said Kass. “They have been able to engage with folks who have been living unhoused for years and years — people who the police thought would never engage in getting housed.”
She added that some of these individuals have found pathways to stable housing, substance use treatment and mental health supports.
As the program grows, the team is looking to expand access to include evening and weekend hours. Through persistent and compassionate engagement, CCN-RMHS’ Street Outreach Initiative is making a difference, one relationship at a time.
Community Care Network, which is comprised of Rutland Mental Health Services and Rutland Community Programs, serves more than 3,500 people each year throughout Rutland County.
For more information, visit: rmhsccn.org.
Community Care Network staff gathered at Rutland’s 2024 National Night Out event to share resource information and engage with community members.
