Safe Shelter + On-Site Services at Downstreet's Speranza Inn
Every person deserves a safe, stable place to call home.
For nearly four decades, Downstreet has been committed to making that vision a reality by providing a wide range of affordable housing options in Central Vermont—along with the essential support services that help individuals and families maintain stability, meet basic needs, and build toward a better future.
In spring 2025, Downstreet expanded this commitment by purchasing and launching operations of the Speranza Inn, a 42-room service-integrated hotel in Barre. Formerly a Quality Inn, this facility now plays a critical role in addressing the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness in Central Vermont.
DONATE TO SUPPORT THE SPERANZA INN
Why the Speranza Inn?
We took this step in response to a stark reality: there are simply not enough homes in our region to house everyone in crisis. And while our core mission is to develop and steward permanently affordable housing, we recognize that ending homelessness requires both long-term solutions and responsive, short-term interventions. The Speranza Inn offers both stability and support, bridging that gap.
By acquiring the Speranza Inn, Downstreet ensures this vital community resource remains in mission-driven hands—protected from speculative market forces and managed with compassion and accountability. As a trusted affordable housing provider, we are uniquely positioned to operate this service-integrated hotel as a stable, high-quality site within the regional housing and homelessness response system.
What We Need: $300,000 to Transform the Inn into a Healthy and Safe Environment
We are actively fundraising for $300,000 to make the Speranza Inn not only livable, but restorative—a space where people can reclaim dignity, find stability, and take next steps toward permanent housing. These funds are in addition to over $4 million that has already been secured for renovations.
Our vision requires:
- Direct case management services that help guests maintain their current shelter, meet basic needs, and secure permanent housing
- A community kitchen, on-site food pantry, and microwaves and refrigerators/freezers in each room to help ensure consistent access to food and support autonomy in daily routines
- Emergency response fund that will provide flexible assistance to meet urgent needs like transportation, winter clothing, essential hygiene products, or other resources not otherwise immediately available
- Health and safety upgrades required for the occupied rehabilitation of the building
These investments are modest in scope but powerful in outcome. They move us beyond simply housing people—they help us support healing, stability, and long-term success.
SUPPORT THE SPERANZA INN
The Speranza Inn is more than a hotel—it’s a bridge to stability, safety, and hope.
With your support, we can transform this space into a community asset that meets people in their most vulnerable moments and helps them take the next step toward a brighter future.
Please give today—and help make recovery, healing, and dignity possible for hundreds of Vermonters.
Our Model: Housing First, Services Right Away
Under Downstreet’s stewardship:
- 30 rooms are reserved for households referred through Vermont’s emergency housing system.
- 12 additional rooms, following occupied rehabilitation, may offer flexibility to serve local needs—such as families in crisis, individuals exiting hospitals or shelters, and those awaiting permanent housing.
All guests benefit from dignified, stable accommodations—conditions that foster healing, trust, and connection. Crucially, we provide 24/7 on-site staffing and wraparound support services, including:
- Case management
- Crisis intervention
- Mental health and recovery supports
- Access to food, employment, and healthcare resources
Services are voluntary but grounded in person-centered, trauma-informed care. We meet people where they are—using harm reduction strategies, assertive engagement, and relationship-building to help them move forward.
Context: The Crisis is Growing, and Resources Are Shrinking
Vermont now has the fourth-highest rate of homelessness in the country, and the crisis is worsening. The gap between income and housing costs is growing. In Washington, Orange, and Lamoille Counties—Downstreet’s service area—over 2,000 renter households are severely rent-burdened, paying more than 50% of their income on housing.
At the same time, state and federal funding for emergency and supportive housing is declining, even as the number of people in crisis continues to rise. That leaves community-based organizations like Downstreet to fill the gaps. Without projects like the Speranza Inn, too many Vermonters will remain trapped in cycles of homelessness and instability.
Will You Help? Double Your Impact
Downstreet has secured a generous matching grant that will double the impact of every gift, up to $100,000. Your direct gift will go to support the specific, life-saving work that matters most to you. At the same time, you’ll help strengthen the broader foundation of Downstreet’s work through the matching funds. Click here to donate now.
