A morning walk by the lake. An afternoon sitting out on Church Street for lunch. An evening attending a show at The Flynn. These are the types of experiences that people in and outside of Vermont have flocked to Burlington for each year. Festivals, marathons, tree lightings, parades, and shops filled with local merchandise for any occasion. We’ve all had a day like this in Burlington. The beauty and vibrancy of our city has attracted millions of people for many years, helping keep it a place where all of us look forward to spending time.

In the past few years, this image of Burlington and the light it brings to our corner of the world has dimmed. People open a paper, turn on the local news, or head to their favorite online information source and see a different Burlington. A city fraught with pain, where many communities – whether it is businesses, neighbors, or those suffering from substance use disorder – are struggling to understand who Burlington is today and how we got here. 

The answer is complicated. Much of the public narrative has focused on the impact this hurt is having on businesses, the police, or consumers. But a critical part of the story has been missing, and it needs an introduction. 

What about Burlington’s youth?

Right now, there’s a thirteen year old girl at King Street Center who loves sports. Her sense of humor is magnetic, her sassiness is loud. Recently, she asked if we could help her buy sneakers so that she can try out for the basketball team. On the way to the store with Shabnam, our Executive Director, she talked about her excitement to make money next summer working on the King Street Lemonade Stand. When Shabnam asked her what she planned to do with the money, she said very excitedly, “spend it on food.” Jokingly, Shabnam told her to not go spend it all on fries. She looked at Shabnam, got somber and said, “No, not that kind of food. It’s to help buy groceries for us to eat.” Shabnam’s heart sank.

Here is a thirteen-year-old who is excited to make money so her family has enough to eat. When a child has to take on the weight of helping to ensure her siblings are fed, what wouldn’t she do? What wouldn’t you do?

This is the story no one is telling. 

Over the past two years, King Street Center has watched the needs of our youth and families become more and more invisible against the increase in public safety concerns. In the last year, we’ve invested $100,000 in additional safety measures. We’ve swept the playground for used needles daily, bussed kids two blocks to avoid certain spots on the street, and listened as youth, alumni, caregivers, volunteers, and staff talk to us about the fear they have for themselves and the community. We’ve watched resources flood in for harm reduction efforts for people with opioid addictions as the demand for drugs increases, while at the same time, the state’s legislature discusses passing new laws that risk further harming youth caught up in the supply of those drugs. We’ve seen media coverage that only cares to criminalize these kids and victimize others. 

Harm reduction for just one group is only a partial solution. Where is the investment in harm reduction efforts for youth?

The kids we are seeing in the videos that overwhelm our TVs and news feeds are kids. They are desperate for a sense of belonging and safety. And they are finding it – in the increasing number of guns and risky friend groups, where street-level violence may follow.

No story starts with picking up a gun. That is what they call the final act.

The story begins with a little girl who needs to put food on the table. It starts with the kid who didn’t have the resources to reach their literacy goals and now doesn’t want to be embarrassed in class because they don’t know how to read. 

We’ve heard in recent months that there are no resources, budgets are tight, and we must get creative. Nonprofits are quite good at that. We’ve done a lot with little for decades. But what’s happening now calls for a different approach.

If we can find millions of dollars to invest in safety measures for the person who sits on the front steps of a youth center to intravenously fill their body with drugs without consequence, then we can invest in safety protections for the youth that have to experience the impact of that action – because it does have an impact, and it causes harm. 

50% of our teens said this past year that they feel unsafe walking home from King Street Center. 

If we can invest in compassion and empathy for people with substance use disorder, we can invest in prevention and intervention efforts for our kids. Our teens should not be forced to give up critical afterschool programming in the dark winter months because their parents are scared they will not get home safely.

Our kids also deserve compassion, empathy, and most importantly, safety. They deserve to be our top priority, and be invested in equally. 

Nonprofits in Burlington are being asked to come up with solutions, and we are desperate to do so. We know what works. We know that giving kids opportunities and a sense of place and belonging is the answer. We know that the conditions of marginalization and being under-resourced creates trauma, and trauma creates pain for entire communities. We know that King Street Center programs like the Lemonade Stand, Family Support, Mentoring, and Academic & Career Exploration give them protective factors and a chance for a bright future. 

Every day we teach our kids how to support one another, we hold them accountable when they cause harm, and we set expectations of them. This is the social contract. This is what it means to be part of a community. And right now our social contract is broken. 

There is no accountability for the person who, after throwing a drug pipe in front of the Center, walks up and down the block smearing blood on cars while youth try to get home safely (yes, this happened). We are frozen out of fear of being uncompassionate. Compassion, accountability, and safety can co-exist. They must. If they don’t, we will lose our community. 

We must act now to expand our definition of harm reduction and use it as a strategy not just for those with an addiction, but also for those impacted most right now in Burlington – our youth and families. If we do not, then all we will ever have is a partial solution. And that is no solution at all.

There are many people in and outside of Burlington who are asking what they can do. This city is still the city you knew it to be. It is still filled with light and the dial can still be turned up to make it brighter. 

But it has to start with answering the question: what about our kids? 

Afterall, there is no better return on investment than a child who believes there is a future for them.