After months of renovation, Front Porch, Vermont's only around-the-clock walk-in mental health urgent care, opened four overnight beds Wednesday. The facility in Newport City had previously been limited to 23-hour stays, but now people can stay up to 10 days without a doctor's referral or hospital admission.
“You can come here. You can stay here, in your community,” said Kelsey Stavseth, executive director of Northeast Kingdom Human Services, which runs Front Porch. “It’s about stabilizing in your community, so you don’t need to leave.”
The expansion cost $1.9 million in renovations, covered by $2 million in state funding and $1 million from the organization's reserves, according to Erica Perkins, director of communications. The original land and building cost $1.3 million.
Front Porch opened in June 2024 as the state's first 24/7 walk-in mental health urgent care, offering an alternative to hospital emergency rooms. Since then, 96% of people who have used the service have returned to the community, Stavseth said.
The four bedrooms are designed to feel home-like, with pine furniture and nature photos. Services include group therapy, individual counseling, and peer support. “We’re not authorities. We’re not experts,” said peer support staffer Byron Savoy. “I think one of the most significant things that we do is just to listen to people.”
No minimum severity level is required to access care. “Stress and anxiety can come from a flood. It can come from losing your housing. It can come from losing your job,” Stavseth said. “Just show up and we’ll figure it out with you.”
Originally reported by VTDigger.
Photo: Famartin (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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