BURLINGTON, Vt., (Feb. 16, 2009) - A community effort between Champlain College, the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) and local businesses and volunteers will help ease a shortage of appropriate shelter facilities for families and individuals left homeless by the severe downturn in the economy.

COTS Executive Director Rita Markley said the new temporary shelter will be able to house up 10 families and more than a dozen individuals. The Eagles Club shelter will offer private family bedrooms, beds, shared kitchen facilities, common living space and study and play areas for children. Renovation work by volunteers and local tradespeople began Feb. 7 and is expected to be completed by early March. Construction materials, paint, furniture and appliances have been donated by numerous local companies, Markley said.

 The building, vacant since last December, is perfectly situated for COTS, whose offices and many of its service providers, are located just two blocks away. "COTS has faced long waiting lists for shelter space for families and individuals this winter and in this economic downturn, the demand for temporary housing is only going to increase," Markley said. This month, more than 42 families and individuals were being housed in motels and other temporary living situations. That's especially hard on families with children in school," she said.

Champlain College bought the Eagles Club property at the corner of Maple and Saint Paul Streets last summer and plans to eventually turn it into housing for 200 or more students. The project is part of the College's master plan that proposes to house all students - 600 on the hill and another 600 at satellite locations in the city, according to College President David Finney. 

"This property represents a big step towards the College taking responsibility for all of our undergraduate students in Burlington. We currently have more than 1,000 students living in apartments in Burlington neighborhoods and our goal is to house all of them in Champlain housing," he explained.

College officials say it could take two years or more to design and go through the city permitting process to build student housing on the site, so they began looking for an appropriate interim use for the former Eagles Club early last fall.

"Champlain has a long relationship with COTS, so it was a natural fit. Just this fall, 180 Champlain students spent a week living in an on-campus "Tent City" to help raise awareness among their peers of the need to help provide housing and financial support to homeless people. For years we had students work with COTS on projects. It's such a vital part of our neighborhood and the Burlington community," explained David Provost, senior vice president of Champlain College.

"The outpouring of help to make this happen is just phenomenal," Markley said. "It's like a barn-raising inside the building as walls are built, the kitchen facilities remodeled and several additional bathroom and shower units are added to the building. There is a ‘get it done' attitude surrounding this project that I think you only find here in Vermont." The College is initially leasing the building to COTS for 180 days for $1, with COTS responsible for heat and utility charges.

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture of Burlington created the interior floor plans which turns the second-floor dance hall into a mini streetscape of individual family bedrooms facing a common living area, a "toddler corral" and a study area for students. Expanded kitchen facilities and seating for dining replace the Club's former catering kitchen. Downstairs the former lounge area and game rooms are now bunkrooms for individuals, along with a family lounge, laundry facility, staff offices and additional bathrooms.

 "We are grateful for the very generous support of the following organizations that helped COTS to create emergency housing at the former Eagles Club," Markley said. They are: Champlain College, J.A. Morrissey, Inc., Duncan Wisniewski Architecture, Curtis Lumber, Cummings Electric, New England Air Systems, Senna and Sons Painting, New England Floor Covering, ReCycle North, Bouchard-Pierce, FW Webb of Williston, Sondik Supply, Independent Pipe, Granite Group and YouthBuild.  

While much of the furniture and building materials have been donated, Markley said she expects there will be an increased need for linens, bath supplies, toys and games for young children and kitchen supplies (i.e. dishes and utensils).  

"Champlain's willingness to allow us to use this space now to meet an immediate need in the community is what's makes the College such a valued member of the community," Markley added.

The closer connection between COTS and Champlain will also translate into additional opportunities for Champlain students to volunteer at the shelter and help with community-based projects like the annual COTS Walk later this spring, said Ashley George, service coordinator for the Center for Service and Civic Engagement at Champlain College. To learn more about COTS, visit www.cotsonline.org or call 864-7402.   Champlain College was founded in 1878, offering professionally focused majors. It has 2,000 campus-based undergraduate students on campus and is ranked in the top tier of Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the North by 2009 America's Best Colleges, published by U.S. News & World Report. To learn more about Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu.

For additional information: Rita Markley, COT, 864-7402, ext. 106.