please feel free to browse our Flynn Food Shelf or by reaching out to your grade level school counselor (Emily Russen, grades 3-5 or Jill Everett, grades K-2). They would be more than happy to put together a box for you! **If you are in need of perishable items such as milk, eggs, cheese, or butter please let your school counselor know as those items are not housed in the Food Shelf.

We know that at times, life throws some barriers and hardship our way. If you and your family are struggling for resources, please browse the following community resources for support. If you need additional support or would like to speak through some options, please reach out to your grade level school counselor (Emily Russen, 3-5 and Jill Everett, K-2). They would love to talk with you.

Housing:

• Section 8 Assistance – The Section 8 Existing program provides rental assistance to help eligible families live in safe and decent housing of their choice. With funding provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by local public housing authorities, as well as VSHA, this program utilizes privately owned existing housing stock.

Families, elderly, disabled and single people whose income falls within the income guidelines qualify for this program. After a person applies and is determined eligible, they are placed on a waiting list until funds become available to assist them. When funding becomes available, a certificate or voucher is issued.

A voucher is the written guarantee of VSHA to the tenant or prospective landlord that the voucher holder is eligible for participation in the program. The voucher is used by the holder in locating a house or apartment of his/her choosing. The voucher sets forth the bedroom size the family needs and outlines the family’s obligations under the program and the period of time the family has to locate suitable housing.

VSHA also administers a Project-Based Voucher and Moderate Rehabilitation program. Both of these programs are project specific housing rather than open market. Tenants are selected from the existing waiting list, owners and/or managers determine suitability and VSHA determines eligibility for participation in the program. The subsidy is attached to the UNIT and NOT to the family. Therefore, if a family vacates a Project-Based Voucher or Moderate Rehabilitation unit and still wishes to have a subsidy, they must reapply under a different program. 

• Burlington Housing Authority – BHA provides federally-funded rental subsidies that make housing truly affordable for extremely low-income families – those earning at or below 30% of median income – by reducing the tenant’s portion of rent and utilities to 30% of their income. 
• Winooski Housing Authority – Same objective at BHA but in Winooski.

Shelters:

• ANEW Place – Serves individuals 18yrs and older. Families must go through COTS.
• COTS – COTS advocates for long-term solutions to end homelessness and provides emergency shelter, services, and long-term housing for people who are experiencing homelessness or are marginally housed.
• Elmwood Community Shelter – Provides specialized support services to people with mental and medical health issues, substance use disorder, and other challenges with accessing traditional shelter options.  The screening process for ECS is operated from a low-barrier perspective—meaning that they do not require that people be sober, compliant with mental health or substance use disorder treatment.  While engagement to on-site social services and housing resources are strongly encouraged, guests of the shelter are not required to participate in these programs to maintain guest-status at the ECS.
• Motel Voucher – Eligibility includes:
  • Lost housing due to no fault of their own, 
  • Cannot afford to pay for housing, and 
  • Experienced a catastrophic situation, such as a fire, flood, or natural disaster OR the household contains a vulnerable member.

Food:

• 3SquaresVT – Food support.
  • Eligibility includes:
    • Family’s gross household income is equal to or less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level, or
    • Families with children that receive the VT Earned Income Tax Credit.
• WIC – WIC is the USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. WIC provides food benefits, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, counseling and programs for pregnant Vermonters, parents and caregivers with children under 5.

Employment:

• Department of Labor – The Vermont Department of Labor is comprised of four major divisions: Workforce Development, Labor Market Information, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation & Workplace Safety.
• Working Fields – Working Fields is a staffing agency with a unique peer support model born from their founder’s experience in recovery, incarceration, and socially responsible business. They work with any motivated jobseeker to fill entry-level through senior positions for employers across Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Jobseekers receive ongoing support via peer coaching and strong account management. They also work closely with community organizations to provide necessary resources or referrals. Their mission-driven, person-centered, relationship-focused approach promotes equitable hiring practices, long-term retention, and diverse, inclusive workplaces. Together with their partners, they provide everyone the opportunity for employment.

Additional Resources:

• CVOEO – Through a variety of programs, CVOEO provides individuals and families with the basic needs of food, fuel and housing support in times of crisis, and helps them acquire the necessary education, financial skills and assets to build a stable future in which they thrive.

Child Care Resource – To find the application for subsidy, select the “For Families” tab above and then “Helping Pay for Child Care”. The application must be printed.

PTO Corner

DECEMBER PTO MEETING: Thursday, December 5th at 6:30 PM in the Library at school. Free childcare is provided. Our remote link is: https://meet.google.com/srx-jqeb-eoq . Our remote set-up is actually pretty great these days — genuinely feel free to join online!

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Huge thank you to the family volunteers who helped make this year’s play with Very Merry Theatre such a resounding success. So grateful for the contributions of Adam Garcia, Irena Cibra, Cyndi Warwick, Amanda Reid, Kate Taylor, Renee Lavalley, Holly Burbo, Bobbi-Jo Van Guilder, Christine Callahan, Kelly Levis, Stephanie Black, Marijke Kopecky, Maggie Bogosian, James Townsend and Renee Lauber, Genevra MacPhail, Kelly and Chris Mathieu, Emily Copeland and Pete Land, Tessa Valyou, Rob Landry, Diane Bensel and Kenzo An, Lisa Dold, Russell Chou, and countless others we are sure we’re inadvertently missing here!

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As we approach Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to help us fund the catering for the annual Flynn Family Traditions Dinner on January 24 (Save the date!!). In addition to the potluck element we’ve always had, this year’s Family Traditions Dinner will be a feast that includes favorite dishes from local restaurants to help us connect and celebrate as we come together.

The Family Traditions Dinner has a long history at our school. Help make sure we’re all well fed at this year’s event by making a donation today (Venmo: @JJFlynnPTO). https://account.venmo.com/u/jjflynnpto