After a fire at the Armory Square Apartments in Windsor, Vt.,on the morning of Dec. 30, 17 residents were forced from their homes. Displaced families have been staying at the Yankee Village Motel in Ascutney, Vt., but were informed Friday that Armory Square would no longer pay for their lodging, and that they needed to vacate the motel by Monday, Jan. 14.
The fire started when Gary A. Hogge Sr., a resident of Armory Square, attempted suicide by setting fire to his apartment.
The children of three of the families left homeless participate in DREAM, a non-profit mentoring program run by Dartmouth students.
Two of the families plan to move to The Upper Valley Haven, a homeless shelter in White River Junction, Vt., until they locate permanent housing, according to Becky Chrisinger, a member of Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Windsor.
Trinity Church and Americorps have led efforts to provide aid to the families, many of whom lost the majority of their possessions. Marion Barr, the local missions coordinator at the church, compiled a list of "needs for Armory Square" and circulated it throughout the church, allowing members to donate the listed items.
"People all over the Upper Valley have been totally amazing," Barr said. "They've come together in offering all kinds of things."
In addition to providing new bedding, kitchen supplies and food, Barr stressed the importance of communicating with families because of the emotional impact on children and parents. In the first days after the fire, many children experienced nightmares, and older residents felt patronized for their low-income status, she said.
DREAM members, who met last week for the first time since returning from winter break, are still figuring out the best way to provide assistance to the children they mentor.
"We're going to keep the same DREAM process going and still bring [the children] to campus to hang out," said Ashley Mas '08, co-chair of the DREAM program at Armory Square. "From there, we'll be able to better gauge what they most need in getting back into the normal swing of things."
The families' displacement has made it difficult for DREAM members to reach out to the children, according to Emily Eichenberger '09, who has not received updated contact information for the child she mentors.
"It is incredibly tragic and something no one should have to face," Eichenberger said. "While [my partner] is only 12, she has a remarkable outlook on life. She's tough, and she's brilliant at handling rough situations."
Many residents had intended to leave the Armory Square Apartments before last month's fire because of planned reductions in the number of apartments and rent increases. No one anticipated such an immediate departure, however, and families must wait for the approval of their Section 8 vouchers, which subsidize the cost of housing, before they can pay rent at a new residence. Many families do not want their children to switch school systems, Chrisinger said. For the family of a boy who is learning-disabled, adjusting to a new school system would be even more difficult, as the Windsor educational system is already familiar with how to best accommodate his needs.
"It's really horrible because all of a sudden you wake up two weeks ago to a fire, and you don't have a place to live," Chrisinger said. "I wish they could stay at the Yankee Motel, because that's what they're used to. Moving is a lot for the kids."
