History
Pathways Vermont was initially founded in 2009 with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to implement a Housing First Program – the first of its kind in a rural setting. Housing First asserts that housing is a basic human right and provides a model for supporting individuals with long histories of homelessness and multiple disabilities access and maintain permanent housing through long -term mental health services and psycho-social support.
Over the next few years, Pathways Vermont grew the Housing First program through formal partnerships with the State of Vermont’s Departments of Corrections and Mental Health with the goal of decreasing institutionalization (from prisons and hospitals) using the evidenced-based model.
Our experience working with vulnerable Vermonters made us aware of other unmet community needs, prompting Pathways Vermont to develop of a number of community mental health initiatives. Two of these programs, the Pathways Vermont Support Line and the Pathways Vermont Community Center provide immediate access to non-judgmental, compassionate support for Vermonters who have experienced trauma and mental health crisis. Pathways Vermont Soteria House provides residential, adaptive support for individuals experiencing their first mental health crisis, hopefully preventing the need for hospitalization.
In May 2014 Pathways Vermont was awarded designation as a Specialized Services Agency by the Department of Mental Health, the first such designation awarded to a mental health organization in Vermont since the 1980s. This action solidified our organization’s sustainability for the future and formalized its inclusion in the Vermont system of care. More importantly, this decision spoke to the true originality of our programming and the need it meets in the state of Vermont.
In June of 2022, Pathways Vermont joined a unique partnership with the Vermont Department of Mental Health and the Department of Corrections to start the Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Team in Chittenden County. The FACT team is an evidence-based forensic adaptation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) with over 40 years of research and evaluation. FACT is recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to be a promising practice.
In fall of 2023, Pathways Vermont was awarded a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for the Pathways Vermont Rural Outreach and Services Project (PROPS) Team. The PROPS team uses a peer approach to services to connect with participants who have yet to engage with other providers. The team engages and connects with Vermonters who are experiencing homelessness.
2011
The Housing First Program Grows
Housing First was our only program. We expand to include DOC and 68 people were housed by the end of 2011.
2013
Vermont Support Line
The Support Line opened and started taking calls!
2015
Soteria House!
The doors to Soteria opened and 12 residents stayed the first year.
2017
Intentional Peer Support
All direct service staff began training in Intentional Peer Support.
2019
Training
Pathways’ formalized its training by establishing the Pathways Vermont Training Institute.
2021
Department of Corrections Expansion
Pathways became the largest service and housing provider for people exiting incarceration, expanding our long-term relationship with DOC providing transitional housing to 9 districts.
2023
100,000th Call Made to the Vermont Support Line, Federal SAMHSA Grant Approved for Pathways Vermont’s Rural Outreach and Services Project (PROPS)
