Spring 2023 UpdateWith your generous support, we have made excellent progressin establishing a permanent home for Soteria House. We areexcited to share this brief update which outlines the steps wehave taken over the past six months and what's next.
Due Diligence CompletedNoteStructural Engineering Report - Foundation -Harde Engineering September 2022Structural assessment offoundation Zoning and Life Safety Review - SASArchitects October 2022 Preliminary architectural review Topo Survey - Krebes and Lansing November 2022Assess topography, utilities, andother onsite data Boundary Survey - South Mtn SurveyFebruary 2023 Survey boundary of the property ESA Level I - LE Environtmental January 2023 Environmental review- no issues Legal Review of Title January 2023 Title clean from environmentalissues A Permanent Home for Soteria HousePathways Vermont continues to move through the due diligence steps and raise funds for thepurchase and renovation of the property at 141 Maple Street, Burlington. This property will ensureSoteria's important ongoing place in the system of care, allowing Pathways to continue offering thisessential alternative form of mental health care for decades. Purchase and Sale of 141 Maple StreetWe’ve worked with Champlain Housing Trust through our legal counsel to negotiate a Purchase andSale contract finalized and signed in early March with a planned closing on or around May 15, 2023.Closing depends on several factors, including but not limited to approval from Champlain HousingTrust funders for the sale of property, title search, and completion of due diligence necessary toclose on the property.Due Diligence Completed
Due DiligencePlanned DateNoteEnergy Assessment March 2023 Blower testing to rate envelope ofcurrent building Asbestos, Lead, and Mold Testing April 2023 Required prior to demolition Geotechnical and Soil Testing and Sampling April 2023 Necessary for additionNoteDue Diligence OutstandingDesign and PlanningPathways retained Bren Alvarez of SAS Architects, Burlington, VT, in December. The preliminarydesign for the building, completed in early March, is below. A budget based on the initial design isexpected by the first week of April. Schematic drawings prepared by Artisan Engineering will alsobe completed at that same time. The due diligence listed above is in preparation for the initial stageof construction and to gather more information to inform the cost estimate and plan. Legislative RequestOn February 24th, Jason Young, Soteria Manager, and Hilary Melton testified at the statehouse forone-time funding with a favorable reception. After a supportive letter-writing campaign, we arewaiting to hear about the possibility of this one-time funding of $985K.
Preliminary Design by SAS Architects
ItemTentative DateNoteDue Diligence August 2022-May 2023 See above chart Closing By May 312023 Title work in process for Mayclosing, approval from CHTfunders required to close. Design finalized and approved alongwith budget By June 302023 Prelim design in place, waitingon final design, budget andcost analysis changes. Demolition and Reinforcement ofstructure Fall of 2023 First phase of construction Some interior construction Winter of 2024 Second phase of construction Construction of Addition and final phaseof construction Spring 2024-Summer 2024 Third phase of constructionTentative Construction Timeline**The tentative schedule outlined above depends on a wide variety of unknownfactors, including but not limited to the following; design changes, adjustments tothe budget, permitting, availability of contractors, grant requirements, and additionalrequired technical data.
Wright Cronin, Chair, Board of DirectorsHilary Melton, Executive DirectorJenny Johnson, Director of PropertyDevelopmentJason Young, Soteria Manager Champlain Housing Trust SAS Architects Dept. of Mental Health Artisan EngineeringKenneth R. Adams, Inc.ConstructionCommunity Partners & Project TeamA Permanent Home for Soteria House brings together a dynamic group of organizations andindividuals, all sharing the common goal to ensure that Vermonters will always have access to thisinnovative mental healthcare alternative. Fundraising & GrantsIn April, we will begin scheduling informational sessions so current and prospective donors can visitthe building, see the plans, and learn more about the project and program. Offsite sessions atvarious locations around the state will also be held throughout spring and summer, hosted by boardmembers and friends of Soteria. In addition, several grant applications are in process to support theproject.
What is Soteria House Vermont? Soteria House Vermont is a home-like environment providing alternatives to hospitalization forthose experiencing psychosis for the first time. Open to all Vermonters, it is currently located inChittenden County. Soteria House residents, many of whom are young adults, may stay for 3-6months or longer. Soteria provides a less restrictive setting and promotes self-expression andcommunity as primary sources of healing. Antipsychotic medications are de-emphasized, althoughavailable through an on-staff psychiatrist. At Soteria, people move naturally through crises becausethey are in the right environment. Short-term outcomes are comparable to hospitalization, andlong-term outcomes are far better. Creating a community of former and current residents and staffmembers allows an approach of ‘being with' people rather than ‘doing to’ them. $2,625$547The daily cost of operating SoteriaHouse Vermont in 2020 was $547 perbed, nearly one-fifth the $2,625 perday for psychiatric hospitalization.Almost everyone at Soteria suffersfrom an acute stage of psychosis. Ifthey were not here, they would behospitalized.Over the pasttwo years,Pathways hasturned away 45referralsstatewide dueto lack ofspace.Soteria House BackgroundThe first Soteria house was founded in San Francisco, USA, in 1971. The work of thishouse was based on the philosophy that “being with” or being accompanied during acrisis could have similar or even better therapeutic outcomes than hospital methods,particularly in a small, supportive, non-hospital and family-like environment with low orno medication. This initiative showed such promising results that it led to the opening ofmany Soteria-like services internationally, including Israel, Germany, the UK, Switzerland,and in the United States, Soteria Vermont.Today Soteria House Vermont is the only program of its kind in the United States. Fundedby the Vermont Department of Health in 2014, it is now in its 8th year of operation and is aviable and strong component of our Vermont mental health system of care, with a proventrack record.
Contact InformationJenny JohnsonDirector of Property Developmentjenny@pathwaysvermont.orgHilary MeltonExecutive Directorhilary@pathwaysvermont.org