747 Hartford Avenue, White River Junction, VT
Twin Pines will develop 18 one-bedroom apartments for adults who have experienced homelessness on a parcel of land at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Residents of the new Twin Pines building will have access to enhanced case management services provided by The Haven. These services can include linking residents to primary care and mental health services, as well as other services currently provided by the Haven on its campus next door to St. Paul’s. The goal of those services is to help residents of the new housing remain healthy, housed and integrated into the community. This model is the same one used successfully by Twin Pines and the Haven in their Parkhurst project that opened in Lebanon three years ago (described below).
Twin Pines will be removing the Rectory at the rear of the property, which was constructed in the 1920’s. Due to funding that Twin Pines is using for the project, we have been working with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation to assess the building. The Historic Preservation staff has determined that it is not a historically significant building, due to the degree of alterations that have taken place over the years.
A Successful Model: The Parkhurst Building
The proposed permanent housing plans are based on Twin Pines’ Parkhurst Community Housing property. In 2017-2018, Twin Pines developed Parkhurst in Lebanon, which has 18 one-bedroom apartments for homeless adults. Twin Pines partnered with the Haven to have its staff provide case management services to help residents access necessary services to remain housed. Opened in August 2018, the project has been a tremendous success. Some tenants have moved on to other housing in Twin Pines’ portfolio, creating new opportunities for people needing housing. Fifteen of the 18 tenants continue to work with the Haven service coordinator. It has been a model of stability with only one tenant evicted since its opening, a credit to the case management staff of the Haven.