Representatives from more than a dozen local agencies came together on Monday afternoon to coordinate relief efforts for the residential victims of the Brooks House fire, which struck the historic downtown building late Sunday night. According the Brooks House manager, Jacilyn Emerson, 48 of the 59 residential units in the Brooks House were occupied as primary housing for 55 to 60 tenants at the time of the fire. No children had permanent residence in the building, however several children visited parents at the building regularly. According the American Red Cross, all 59 units were classified as “units destroyed”, which qualifies the residents for the highest level of Red Cross assistance.

The Gibson-Aiken Center opened as an emergency shelter on Sunday night and will remain open until all of the Brooks House residents find appropriate housing. All Brooks House residents are strongly encouraged to register at the Gibson-Aiken Center with the Red Cross for assistance. Five Red Cross caseworkers will provide onsite case management services throughout the week.

The registration process will help the Red Cross determine immediate emergency needs of the residents. The Red Cross is primarily able to assist with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services. Local landlords have been encouraged to post rental vacancies at the Gibson Aiken Center and other agencies will be coordinating with case managers at the building.

On Wednesday, April 20th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, several organizations will be available onsite at the Gibson-Aiken Center in a coordinated effort to provide information and assistance to residents displaced by the fire. Representatives from the following agencies have confirmed attendance: Brattleboro Drop-In Center, Brattleboro Housing Authority, Economic Services Division of the Agency of Human Services, Morningside Shelter, United Way of Windham County, and Windham Housing Trust. Other anticipated participants include: the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Internal Revenue Service, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), Vermont Department of Taxes, and the Social Security Administration.

These organizations will be available to help residents apply for temporary and emergency assistance, rental housing, and security deposit assistance, as well as replace identification and other important documentation and identify other services needs. United Way of Windham County will be assisting the Red Cross with the dissemination of relief effort information locally. In addition to information available at the Gibson- Aiken Center, information about the relief effort coordination will be posted on: ibrattleboro.com, unitedwaywindham.org, and facebook.com/UWWindham.

American Red Cross Green Mountain Chapter and the United Way of Windham County are both accepting donations to assist with relief efforts. At this time, financial donations are most helpful to the current efforts. Donations can be designated for immediate Red Cross relief efforts (such as emergency shelter or clothing) or long-term needs to be coordinated locally (such as security deposits, furniture, etc.). Both the Red Cross and United Way of Windham County will accept donations for the immediate Red Cross efforts and the United Way of Windham County will be the repository for contributions designated for long-term needs.

• American Red Cross Green Mountain Chapter: Mail checks to the American Red Cross Green Mountain Chapter, 81 High Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. Please specify “Brooks House disaster” in the memo of your check. On-line donations can be made at vermontredcross.org.
• United Way of Windham County: Mail checks to check United Way of Windham County, 28 Vernon Street, Ste. 312, Brattleboro, VT 05301. Please specify “Brooks House disaster” for immediate Red Cross relief efforts or “Brooks House long-term” for the long-term fund in the memo of your check. On-line donations can be made at unitedwaywindham.org.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Brooks House disaster relief effort, please email your contact information to info@unitedwaywindham.org.