Downstreet Celebrates One Year of the Speranza Inn

This spring marks one year since the Speranza Inn opened its doors in Barre, Vermont.

In April 2025, Downstreet purchased the former Quality Inn building in Barre City and began an occupied rehabilitation of the property. Thanks to enormous community support, which saw over $300,000 gifted to the project through local funders, the building was transformed into the Speranza Inn—a 41-room integrated services hotel that now plays a critical role in addressing the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness in Central Vermont.

The Speranza Inn was an urgent undertaking necessitated by a stark reality: there are simply not enough homes in Central Vermont for our neighbors in crisis. With the fourth-highest per capita rate of homelessness in the country, ending homelessness in Vermont requires both long-term solutions and responsive, short-term interventions. As a trusted affordable housing provider, Downstreet was uniquely positioned to operate the Speranza Inn as a stable, high-quality site within the regional housing and homelessness response system.

Construction on the Speranza Inn was completed just one year later, and what was once an aging property now meets the needs of its guests with safety, dignity, and respect.

“We are very grateful for everyone who has helped to create the Speranza Inn over the past year. In the past 365 days, if we look at the number of rented rooms on a per-night basis, we have provided shelter to our neighbors 11,642 times. That means that 11,642 times a household has had a place to lay their head at night,” says Kathi Partlow, Director of Homelessness Services at the Speranza Inn. “There have been days that wipe us out, days that fill our cup, and days when it feels as if we are treading water, but in the past year, we and our guests have lived through the renovation of the entire site—from basement to attic. We have been able to provide an amazing community space where guests are able to cook a meal and share it with their families and each other, a laundry room that is free for guest use, and rooms in vastly better condition than when we first took over.”

Staff and guests celebrated the Speranza Inn’s one-year anniversary in the community kitchen—a beautiful space made possible by generous local donors.

“We do this because we believe that those we work with deserve a soft place to land when they need it most,” concludes Kathi Partlow. “We are looking forward to year two with an eye toward refining our work and providing the best possible space for the community we serve.”

Learn more about, and support, the Speranza Inn by clicking here.