Upper Valley Haven Opens New Year-Round Shelter, Funded in Part by Former Senator Patrick Leahy
The Upper Valley Haven has dedicated its new year-round shelter and resource center, named the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Shelter and Resource Center, in White River Junction, Vermont. The facility, which is expected to open to guests in the coming weeks, features a 20-bed emergency shelter on its second floor and a daytime resource center on the first. Former Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) secured $2 million in funding for the project before his retirement from the U.S. Senate, recognizing his and his late wife Marcelle Leahy's public service to Vermont. The Haven raised a total of $10.2 million for the project, with $7.5 million allocated for construction and at least $2 million for the first five years of operating costs. The new center replaces the Lebanon Seasonal Shelter, a temporary arrangement that provided 14 beds for approximately three months a year and frequently turned away individuals due to lack of space.
