Is It Time To Change Tradition?
Many years ago there were poor farms run by local towns where the needy people in a community would find help and shelter. I have also heard stories from older Vermonters that when the legislature had House members elected from every town that some towns would elect the most indigent among them to be legislators so they could be safe and cared for during the winter.
Another tradition started, and I don’t know when, but it has persisted in many communities in Vermont. I suspect other places around the country may have some variation of this. In Brattleboro, Vermont we have a Human Services Committee that reviews applications from local non-profits and then allocates funding from the town budget. There has been wide support for the town using tax money to support non-profits.
