Report: Homelessness the biggest issue for Vermont children

According to Building Bright Futures’ (BBF) annual report, Vermont’s children have issues surrounding caregiving, mental health, and homelessness.
More than 30 percent of children under the age of 12 live in households with incomes below 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which is the benchmark for qualifying for many benefit programs. (Sixty-three percent of children who live in poverty in Vermont live in rural areas).
More than 13,000 children under the age of 18 or 12 percent of that demographic, lived in food insecure households in 2020 (down from 14 percent in 2019). But of that 12 percent in 2020, 33 percent were ineligible for federal nutrition programs.
And, 32 percent of households are cost burdened by their rent or mortgage...