Brattleboro Starts Initiative to Assist Unhoused Neighbors

August 5, 2024

By National Co-op Grocers®

Brattleboro Food Co-op (Brattleboro, Vt.) is taking a unique and proactive approach to building community connections to serve unhoused individuals in their area.

The co-op’s downtown store is located next to a city park with a large unhoused population. Over the past couple of years, the co-op has been experiencing incidents of individuals harassing customers and stealing products from the store.

Brattleboro’s Security & Community Outreach team started thinking of ways to alleviate the problems while also addressing some of the conditions that cause them. The team began proactively approaching unhoused individuals in and around the store and asking them what they needed. This led to the launch of a new initiative: The co-op will provide a food item at no cost for anyone who asks.

“If you’re hungry, we’ll give you a slice of pizza or a bowl of noodles. If you’re thirsty, you can get water from our hydration station or, if it’s cold, a cup of coffee and a place to keep warm,” says Anthony Santorelli, Brattleboro’s general manager.

The strategy is working. Santorelli says that since the program’s implementation, thefts have decreased from four or five a day to fewer than one a week.

“It’s all about trust,” he says.

Brattleboro continues with food offerings, though and they now also provide space in the store for community partners who can connect individuals with transitional housing, drug treatment or food benefit programs. Key community members are available to meet with people in the café seating area for several hours each week.

“Once a week, a social worker comes to the store, sits in the community area, and talks to whoever is interested. We help people find housing, get IDs, deal with substance abuse and get access to other services,” Santorelli says. “Our Security & Community Outreach team has also driven people to rehab centers, helped them find shelters and just been advocates for them.”

The co-op’s actions are gaining attention in the broader community.

“Other organizations see what we’re doing and realize they can provide assistance and other services,” Santorelli says. “Maybe we offer food and then they can provide coffee or some other necessity.”

Santorelli also says that staff response to the initiatives has been overwhelmingly positive. “Part of what we do is support the community. That’s very important to our team members that we are doing the right thing here.”