Feasibility Study and Planning Report

For Blue Spruce House

A Transitional Community
Mount Holly, Vermont
May 20, 2011

This Study was Prepared by Blue Spruce House, Inc.

Under a Grant from the Vermont Agency of Human Services, Department of Corrections
 Introduction and Dedication
This Feasibility Study and Planning Report has been compiled by Blue Spruce House, Inc. (BSHI)
over the course of the last four months with the help of a grant from the Vermont Department of
Corrections (DOC), part of the Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS). As it pertains to the
design of a program for implementation at Blue Spruce House, it is a work in progress. The program
design described in Section 8 is the product of recommendations from many volunteers and interested
people, and we remain open to ideas and suggestions as we move ahead.
The overall conclusion is that it will be feasible to run a high-quality, highly-structured and
intensive transitional community program at Blue Spruce House in Mt. Holly. The Blue Spruce
facility consists of three separate buildings on just under 6 acres of land on Route 155. The Main
Lodge building has a commercial kitchen, large dining and living rooms, a library/classroom, two
private offices, and four large bedrooms, each with private bath. A second building has an additional
four large bedrooms, each with private bath. A third building is unfinished inside. The grounds
include space for a garden and small agricultural structures, and there is a small farmstand building.
The entire property is owned by the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), which is enthusiastic about our plans and is willing to make the property available
on a long-term basis at no cost for this purpose.
The budget that is developed in this document is for 10 residents. Our conclusion is that there
will be an economy of scale when the remaining two buildings on the site are renovated, and the
number of residents increases to as many as 20. The per-bed cost of the program should be reduced
significantly with an increase in the number of residents, but we have not included a specific budget
projection for the program at 15 or 20 residents.
Throughout the planning process, we have consulted with a wide range of people, including
volunteers from the faith community, DOC employees and contractors, mental health and medical
professionals, legislators, other government employees, former officials with DOC and other parts of
AHS, members of the recovery community, lawyers, educators, private sector employers, building
trade professionals, residents of Mt. Holly and surrounding communities and many others. We have
also benefited from the experiences shared and advice offered by a large number of former inmates,
including many who helped with the building renovations. They brought to the planning process an
important and often-overlooked perspective, and we are grateful for their help. We have also drawn
on a large number of documents prepared by or in cooperation with DOC, including many years of
Facts & Figures, the Report and Recommendations of The Governor’s Commission on Corrections Overcrowding
(2004), the Plan To Reduce Correctional Costs and Achieve Savings For Reinvestment compiled by DOC in
2007, and the report and research paper related to the Incarcerated Women’s Initiative in 2005 and
2006.
This process is dedicated to the memory of a group of women who did not survive after their
incarceration. Their individual stories have kept us moving ahead in the hope and conviction that a
program like the one we are developing here might have made a difference for Jessica Lussier, Laura
Cousins, Veronica Gilbeau and Danielle Morin.

Page 2 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study

 Executive Summary
After many months of study and discussion, Blue Spruce House, Inc. (BSHI), has concluded that
it will be feasible to run a high-quality, highly-structured and intensive transitional community
program at Blue Spruce House in Mt. Holly.
The “transitional community” envisioned by BSHI is different from transitional housing, in that it
involves a more developed program than mere safe and sober housing. The program will provide for
on-site employment and job training, activities to develop a sense of community responsibility, and
case management to help former inmates address past problems and make plans to achieve their
dreams. It is designed to address a need identified by DOC in its Plan To Reduce Correctional Costs and
Achieve Savings For Reinvestment (2007): “Expensive institutional space is taken up with non-violent men
and women whose offenses are related to substance abuse. These offenders are too often released
without effective intervention. Moreover, untreated mental health conditions frequently accompany
the substance abuse problems. Confinement of such offenders can lead not to rehabilitation, but to
anger, despair, and new offenses upon release. Engaging offenders’ families and natural community
support systems improves the likelihood of recovery.”
BSHI is engaged in discussions with several established nonprofit social service agencies, one of
whom will be selected to run the program at Blue Spruce. A paid staff of five full-time equivalents is
projected for the first phase of the project, serving up to 10 residents. If the program grows to the
maximum capacticy of 20, the full-time staff will need to increase to eight.
BSHI has considered two different population groups to be served: men and women. The
preference of BSHI, which is also shared by members of the Mt. Holly community, is for a program
serving women, particularly women with substance abuse problems who are trying to reconnect with
their children after incarceration. BSHI wants such a program to be available to women from
throughout the State of Vermont, not just women from the Rutland-Bennington-Windsor-Windham
region.
The business plan developed by BSHI anticipates governmental support at a rate of $24,500 per
resident if the population is women and $28,500 per resident if the population is male. The on-site
employment program will also require government support in the form of subsidized wages to
residents. A large effort will be made to involve volunteers from the region and nonprofit partners to
serve two puposes: enhance program offerings without increasing costs to the State, and help in the
integration of former inmates with society.
The first of three Blue Spruce buildings, which is sufficient for housing up to 10 residents, has
been renovated, but still requires installation of a sprinkler system to meet life safety codes. The
business plan includes $50,000 in start-up costs: $35,000 for completion of renovations and $15,000
in staff costs to have the program ready for the arrival of residents by September 1, 2011.
Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 3
 1. Investigation of possible funding sources
We have explored a range of private and public sources of funding for the initial start up and
ongoing operation of the project.
Money used for renovations and planning thus far has come from private donations and loans,
along with some of the money advanced by the Department of Corrections (DOC) for preparation of
this Study.
The next phase of the project is an intense planning and implementation phase, in which we will
need to have a paid staff member overseeing the remaining renovations and preparing for the arrival
of residents later this summer. We will raise part of the cost of this phase, but will need support from
DOC as well.
The costs of ongoing operations will be met with a combination of:
a. income generated from the project (program fees paid by residents and sale of products and
services produced by residents),
b. private fund-raising from individuals, churches, and foundations,
c. support from state and perhaps federal government (if grants become available).
We are confident that over time we will be able to raise a more and more significant part of the
cost of the program from items a and b above, and our 5-year cost projections assume that there will
not need to be any increase in the level of governmental support on a per-bed basis. However, in
order to get up and running and begin the program, we will need governmental funding.
Our expectation is that the primary source of government funding for this project will come from
DOC, but it makes sense for the cost to be shared with other departments within AHS, particularly the
Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (ADAP) and the Department for Children and
Families (DCF). We have made contact with both ADAP and DCF and the AHS Secretary’s Office
and feel that it makes sense to have a coordinated discussion at the Agency level to determine how
the costs are best allocated between Departments.
The initial capital investment for many of the transitional beds which DOC now supports has
come in part from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB). We have discussed the
possibility of VHCB funding for some of the remaining rehabilitation costs.
The budget that we have prepared assumes that a full schedule of activities at Blue Spruce can
be staffed by employees and volunteers of the program. However, we are exploring the possibility of
partnering with other nonprofit organizations to add to this level of staffing. If we are able to have
one or more job-training programs run by Vermont Works for Women (VWW) locate at Blue Spruce,
we would expect that VWW would be paying that staff. In addition, the nonprofit partner which will
actually run the Blue Spruce program is expected to be proficient in obtaining reimbursement from
Medicaid/VHAP for some of the treatment services it provides. It is likely that some things can
happen at Blue Spruce which will be reimbursable, which will enhance the quality and scope of the
program without adding to the Blue Spruce budget.

Page 4 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study

 2. Outline of needed resources
We will need a well-trained and supervised staff to run the program and assure that the services
are delivered to residents in a safe and responsible way and that community needs and concerns are
met. We have initiated discussions with two existing nonprofit providers and expect to enter into a
contract with one of them (or a similar entity) for the actual operation of the program. We believe
that this will be beneficial for several reasons. It will assure that there is backup to the Blue Spruce
staff in case one of those staff members is suddenly unable to perform his or her duties. It will
provide a level of managerial expertise that a new organization such as BSHI lacks. It will allow for
third-party reimbursement of portions of the program, thus enhancing the range of services offered to
residents without increasing the Blue Spruce budget. It will also enable workers in the Blue Spruce
program to have access to a comprehensive benefits package at a reasonable cost. There also may be
savings in the cost of liability insurance and other expenses of operation.
Our business plan calls for a staff of five full-time equivalents if we are serving up to 10
residents, and eight full-time equivalents if the population rises to the maximum level of 20. There
will be at least one staff person on site at all times, 365 days a year. For nine hours each day, there
will be at least two staff present.
We are actively seeking volunteers to assist in a number of ways with the program. We plan to
have volunteers involved every night with preparation of the evening meal, but will also be utilizing
them for help with 12-step meetings on and off-site and many aspects of the “individual
development” part of our program.
While the operation of the program will be handled by the nonprofit partner, BSHI will remain
active as the entity primarily responsible for community relations and recruitment of volunteers. Our
current Board of Directors of 4 members will be expanded to 9. We will continue our local advisory
board, and will invite some of its members to join the BSHI Board..

Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 5

 3. Determination of other groups
responding to same need and potential collaborations
We have met with dozens of individuals and representatives of other groups in developing the
program and exploring the feasibility of creating a transitional community at Blue Spruce. There is no
shortage of groups with whom former inmates interact in one way or another. The problem is the lack
of coordination of efforts, the fragmentation of services, and the resulting complexity and confusion
experienced by former inmates. We have established strong relationships with several of the groups
listed below, and we expect to enter into memoranda of understanding with the ones who will be
primarily involved in collaborating on the Blue Spruce project.
Groups with whom we have spoken include:
Phoenix House, Inc.
Recovery House, Inc.
Community Resources for Justice, Inc.
Dismas House, Inc.
Vermont Recovery Network
Turning Point Recovery Centers, Springfield, Rutland, Barre, Brattleboro, Middlebury, Burlington
and White River Junction, Vermont
Rutland Housing Coalition
Housing Trust of Rutland County
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
Vermont Community Loan Fund
Vermont Friends of Recovery
Rutland County Parent Child Center
Sunrise Family Resource Center (Bennington)
Rutland Treatment Court
Rutland Mental Health Services
Evergreen Substance Abuse Service
Howard Center, Burlington
Vermont Adult Learning
Community High School of Vermont
Vermont Works for Women
Northern Lights
Mercy Connection
Lund Family Center
The Church at Prison
Harvest Christian Ministries
Camp Agape
Vermont Council on the Humanities
Springfield Restorative Justice Center
Rutland’s United Neighborhoods Community Justice Center
Springfield Area Reentry Committee
AHS Field Service Directors for Rutland and Springfield

Page 6 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study

 4. Determination of entities impacted by this project
State of Vermont: Agency of Human Services (AHS)
Department of Corrections
Department of Health (Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs)
Department for Children & Families (Economic Services and Family Services Divisions)
Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (Division of Licensing and
Protection and Vocational Rehabilitation Division)
Department of Mental Health
State of Vermont Department of Labor
State of Vermont Judiciary
Town of Mount Holly
Town of Wallingford
Vermont State Government Executive Branch
State government will be impacted in several ways. We will look to the State for partial funding of the
program, but expect that the program will result in the State saving money through avoided costs that
presently come from the budgets of Corrections and other departments. According to the 2010 edition of
DOC’s publication, Facts & Figures (2010 F&F), the cost of an in-state prison bed is $149 per day ($54,385
per year). 2010 F&F p. 195. Elsewhere in Facts & Figures, the cost per year for incarcerating a woman at
Northwest State Correctional Facility (NWSCF) is estimated at $82,697 per year. 2010 F&F p. 203. In
April, 2005, when AHS launched the Incarcerated Women’s Initiative (IWI), the Agency reported that
expenses incurred when children of incarcerated parents must enter the custody of the State total more
than $25,000 per child per year. A Charge to Vermont Communities: Bending the Curve on the Number of Women
Incarcerated in Vermont Without Compromising Public Safety (2005), p. 1.
As discussed below, we are projecting a certain level of support from the State of Vermont. Our
initial work has been with DOC, but as described in Section 1 above, the support may come from
other Departments within State government.
Our goal is to make a difference in two areas that are currently very expensive for DOC. The
first is by reducing the number of individuals who return to prison during their first year of being out
on furlough, most often for violation of conditions rather than for commission of a new offense. Out
of 1,910 offenders on Conditional Reentry/Furlough in FY 2010, a total of 868 unique individuals
(45.4%) violated and were returned to a correctional facility. These violators were lodged for 1,976
different periods in FY 2010, an average of 2.3 times for each offender. While 3% of these lodgings
ended the same day, 7% ended in less than 3 days and 32% in 2 weeks, the majority lasted longer than
that: the average stay was 53 days for the 85% completed by October 2010. (Presumably, the overall
average may be even more, given that 15% had not been released by October of 2010.) 2010 F&F, p.
96. The problem with returning a furloughee to prison is that if the sanction lasts more than a few
days, it often results in loss of housing and/or employment, which makes it likely that the period of
reincarceration will be extended. If the furloughee is a parent, a large price for this pattern is paid by
the child, although that price is not one which is readily quantifiable. The price is paid, nonetheless,

Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 7

and continues to be paid as the child becomes an adult with a far higher chance of ending up in prison
than his or her peers.
The other area where we hope to make a difference is in recidivism, defined by DOC as
conviction of at least one new offense within the first three years after release. The rate of recidivism
for men and women is roughly the same, according to the 2010 Facts & Figures, p. 176. More than half
of the women released are convicted of at least one new offense within three years.
Reading the reports associated with the IWI and speaking with lawyers, probation officers and
others involved in the system, we are convinced that a program like the one we are planning for Blue
Spruce has the potential of making a significant difference in these numbers.
Vermont Court System
There is also an impact on the State of Vermont court system. Reincarceration consumes scarce
judicial resources. Particularly when it comes to former inmates who are parents, there is also a long-
term impact on children who are disproportionately likely to end up in the criminal justice system
themselves. There is also a short-term impact caused by the family disagreements which often
accompany care for children of incarcerated parents. Perhaps in part because of the high cost of
putting a child in foster care, the State often blesses kinship placements for children when parents go
to prison. These may be accompanied by voluntary legal arrangements, whether relatively informal
powers-of-attorney or formal guardianships. When parents return to the community, however, the
temporary custodians of the children do not always agree that the children should return to the
parents, and many of these disagreements end up in court. An example can be seen in a recent
decision of the Vermont Supreme Court which illustrates the burden these disagreements may place
on the court system (not to mention the burden on the individuals involved). The case was In re
K.N.M., 2011 VT 30 (March 4, 2011). Father and mother had agreed to having grandfather appointed
as guardian when father was in prison in 2001 and mother was struggling with substance abuse
problems. Father was released in 2002 and managed to turn his life around. Despite the fact that he
began petitioning the Probate Court to terminate the guardianship soon after his release, and that
grandfather petitioned the Superior Court to terminate parental rights and allow him to adopt his
granddaughter, there was no resolution of this family drama for nine years. There were court hearings,
family studies, and many papers filed, but nothing was resolved.
Towns of Mt. Holly and Wallingford
The Towns of Mount Holly and Wallingford will be impacted because the project is close to the
boundary line between the two towns. Despite the fact that neither town has a full-time police
department, our research has shown that transitional housing projects do not create a burden on police
services. In connection with a recent Dismas House proposal to create a transitional housing facility
in the Town of Hartford, Chiefs of Police from Winooski, Rutland and Burlington have all made
statements indicating that the presence of a transitional housing facility like Dismas House in their
community enhances public safety.
The plan for accommodating mothers with children which we are developing involves helping
mothers reconnect with their children and even having the children spend overnights with them at
Blue Spruce. However, the children would not be with their mothers full-time, and so would not be
enrolled in the Mt. Holly Elementary School. We have a meeting with the Mt. Holly School Principal
and a member of the School Board on Monday, May 23, to discuss our proposal with them so that we
will be aware of any possible impact it might have on the school system.

Page 8 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study

 5. Obtaining applicable permits
In the summer of 2010, we provided information about our plans to the District Coordinator for
the Natural Resources Board so that he could determine whether our project required an Act 250
permit. On August 26, 2010, the District Coordinator issued Jurisdictional Opinion 1-379, ruling that
“the proposal by BSH to convert the former Blue Spruce Inn into a transitional housing/treatment
facility for up to twenty residents does not require an Act 250 permit.” The Jurisdictional Opinion
was not appealed, so it is final. The Town of Mt. Holly has no zoning or other regulatory process
requiring a permit.
We applied for and received a permit from the Division of Fire Safety for the renovations we
have done so far. We will be applying for a final permit from the Division which will include the
sprinkler system for the Main Lodge building. We are seeking assistance from the Vermont Agency of
Natural Resources Water Quality Division to be sure that any small agricultural buildings (green house,
chicken house or pig house) we might want to construct will be appropriately located according to
FEMA Flood Hazard maps.
We will apply for a license to operate a therapeutic community residence (TCR) from the
Division of Licensing and Protection of the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent
Living (DAIL) if the Division determines that our planned program requires such a license.

6. Outline building renovations

We began planning the renovations in the late summer of 2010, aided by a renovation plan
developed for us by HDW, Inc., a residential rental company with 75 rental units. (Copy attached).
Because of our concern that having the Main Lodge building unheated for another winter would cause
further deterioration of the structure (as had been identified in a report by Criterium-Turner Engineers
prepared for Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) in August, 2010), we undertook renovations of
the building in the fall of 2010. Our renovation plan was developed in consultation with a team of
architect, general contractor and persons knowledgeable in plumbing and electrical systems, and was
directed entirely to the Main Lodge building, since it is necessarily the one which must be available
first.
Heating System: The Main Lodge is equipped with a central hot-air system, together with
individual propane units in three of the four bedrooms and word-burning appliances in the two large
common areas. We determined that the existing oil furnace, which had not been used or serviced for
several years, was not worth repairing, so we replaced it with an appropriately-sized clean-burning
anthracite rice coal furnace. The individual propane units were serviced and used. We installed a
fireplace insert in the large living room, so that the efficiency of the fireplace could be vastly
improved, and operated a woodstove in the Library/Classroom.
The second building has individual propane units in the rooms, but it also has a functioning
central oil furnace. The ductwork, which was built in the foundation slab, is not functional, so we will
need either to find a way to repair it or install overhead ductwork if we want to make use of the oil
furnace.
The third building currently has no heating system, and we are considering a direct-vent propane
unit or that in combination with a wood or pellet stove. The final choice of heating system will
depend on the design of the interior space.
Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 9
 Weatherization: The original Blue Spruce buildings were not insulated, and a major part of our
renovation work involved weatherization (insulation and storm windows) of the Main Lodge building.
We constructed wood and plastic storm windows for all of the single-pane windows, and we are
planning to install interior custom-made storms for most of those windows as funds become available
either through private fund-raising or with help from Efficiency Vermont. The walls of the library,
living room and long hallway outside the bedrooms were insulated with four inches of rigid foam
insulation (R-28), and the floors of those areas and the bedrooms and hall were insulated with six
inches of fiberglass (R-19).
Structure: In the main building, we have created two offices by enclosing areas that were
previously open. There were some sagging problems in the floor caused by poor initial structural
design. We were able to diagnose those and remedy them by jacking up the floor and installing
additional supports.
Wet Basement: There had been serious problems with water coming into the basement when we
began work, but several of the things we did reduced this problem considerably. There is still a
significant amount of dampness caused by a crack in the foundation under one of the bedrooms and
the huge amount of precipitation that is funneled into the valley area near that crack. Now that spring
has come and the ground is thawed, we will be excavating to repair the crack and install perimeter
drains to get the ground water away from the building.
Remaining Work on Main Lodge Building: The remaining renovation that is needed for the Main
Lodge building is installation of a sprinkler system at a cost of approximately $25,000. We are hoping
to have that funded independently, but are asking for the money as part of our start-up costs in the
event that the independent funding does not materialize. There is also a small amount of life safety
code upgrading that is required (correcting prior code violations) before the first building can be
occupied, and we are budgeting $10,000 for this purpose.
Renovation Workers: The renovation work was done largely by former inmates residing at
Dismas House in Rutland under the direction of an accomplished contractor with many years of
building experience. Our experience with this phase of the renovations is the basis for our conclusion
that a similar approach can be used on the next two buildings, providing employment to the residents
of the first building and teaching them building skills as well as helping them prepare to return to the
workforce after a period of incarceration.

Left: constructing storm windows, Fall 2010. Above: the Library/Classroom

Page 10 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study
 Insulation and renovations, Fall 2010

7. Creation of a business plan including budget projections

The original idea for a transitional population at Blue Spruce was for men, particularly men with
serious substance abuse issues. In our community outreach, we encountered quite a bit of local
opposition to the idea of a male facility. In early 2011, we began exploring the use of Blue Spruce as
a facility for women, particularly mothers who want an opportunity to reconnect with their children so
that they may eventually resume full parental responsibility. There are currently no transitional
housing facilities supported by DOC where female residents can have their children with them for
overnights on a regular basis. The local attitude toward a female population was dramatically
different. Many people from the local area indicated that while they might grudgingly accept a male
facility, they would be happy to have a women’s facility and would be interested in being involved as
volunteers or in other ways were we to be serving women and helping some of them reconnect with
their children.
In terms of the business plan, local acceptance and support makes a significant difference. While
we are planning to invest heavily in staff, including having at least one staff member present at Blue
Spruce at all times, our budget projections anticipate a significant level of volunteer help and fund
raising from non-governmental sources. The budget that we have projected assumes that we will be
able to raise $15,000 in the first year from donations and fund-raising events. Our projected staffing
pattern assumes the equivalent of one full-time person coming from volunteer help. If the population
we are to serve is male, we expect those goals to be very difficult to achieve, at least in the first year.
Without achieving those goals, the level of government support we will need to support the program
will be approximately $28,500 per resident. With the female population, the level of governmental
support we will need in the first year is $24,500 per bed.
As discussed above, we believe that the immediate and long-term savings to the Department of
Corrections justify funding from DOC at the level of $24,500 per bed for the women we will serve.
However, we will seek to achieve funding from other Departments within AHS who will benefit from
the Blue Spruce program. These include, particularly, the Department for Children and Families
(DCF) and the Department of Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (ADAP). The
Blue Spruce program will have direct benefits to DCF in avoided foster care costs if we help formerly
incarcerated women become responsible parents. We believe that funding from ADAP is appropriate
at a level similar to that now provided to the Phoenix House RISE program and the Northern Lights
program.

Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 11

 Our business plan for the first year includes this operating budget, based on 10 residents. The
cost per bed will be lower if we are serving 15 or 20 residents.

Annual Monthly
INCOME
Resident Fees ($88/week) 45,465 3,789
Less: Nonpayment (15%) -6,820 -568
VocRehab Reimburse 34,122 2,844
DOC/Other State Payment 245,000 20,417
Fundraising 15,000 1,250
Sale of Products/Services 17,500 1,458

Total Income 350,268 26,481

EXPENSES
Resident Employees 68,245 5,687
Staff Salary 153,022 12,752
Benefits (25%) 38,256 3,188
FICA 10,176 848
Training and Development 500 42
Accounting/Legal 1,000 83
Liability Insurance 3,500 292
Resident Events 1,000 83
Office Expense 2,000 167
277,698 23,142

Utilities
Electricity 2,500 208
Fuel 5,500 458
Fire Alarm / Emergency 1,000 83
Phone/Internet 840 70
TV (satellite) 480 40
Cleaning 500 42
Trash Disposal 750 63
Snow Plowing 750 63
Lawn and Grounds 250 21
Repairs 1,000 83
Food 5,000 417
Mileage 3,000 250
Real Estate Taxes 8,000 667
Property Insurance 2,000 167

Total Expenses 309,268 25,772

Payment to NPAgency 30,927 2,577

Capital Reserve/Repayment 5,000 417

TOTAL BUDGET 345,195 28,766

Page 12 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study

 We expect that increases in the fund-raising that we will be able to achieve, and in growth in
income from sale of products and services, will enable us to continue to operate with a consistent
level of governmental support. Expanding to full capacity of 20 residents will also provide some
economies, so that we do not anticipate needing to have the per bed cost rise in the first five years.
Our budget assumes that our residents will be eligible for 3SquaresVT (food stamps), and that a
significant portion of their food needs will be met this way. We plan to include consumer education
and smart shopping as part of our program, and will have groups of three residents and a staff
member shopping together and purchasing food, some of which residents will use individually and
some of which will be shared in congregate meal settings. We will also be seeking food through the
Vermont Foodbank and donations from the public, and we will be growing some of it in our garden.
Our budget includes staff who will be facilitating activities that constitute the “individual
development, treatment and education” part of the program described below. However, the nonprofit
partner with whom we will be working will be experienced in Medicaid/VHAP funding, and we will
attempt, to the largest extent possible, to have additional activities available for residents which can
be independently funded in this way.
The funding request that we are making is for operational funding at the level described above.
In order to prepare for operation and to complete renovations of the first building so that we may
accommodate 10 residents, we need start up funding as follows:
1. Completion of renovations to main building, including sprinkler system: $35,000
2. Planning and program development (primarily staff salaries before residents arrive): $15,000
We expect that if we are able to enter into a working agreement with DOC in the near future and
receive the requested funding that we should be able to be ready to accept the first residents by
September 1, 2011.
The projected renovation budget for the second and third buildings is $60,000 if those buildings
are to be used as additional housing space. If some of the space is going to be used for program
needs, such as for the vocational program, the cost will be reduced.
The budget we have prepared does not address length of stay of residents. However, in our
planning, we have spent a great deal of time thinking about this issue. We believe strongly that if
Blue Spruce is to help address what was describe in research done for the IWI as the “revolving door”,
a length of stay of at least 6 to 9 months is essential. There are people who walk out of prison and
are immediately able to go out and find and hold a full-time job. There are others whose needs are far
greater than that and who are set up to fail if that is the expectation for them. While we believe that
all our residents will be capable of supported part-time employment from the time they arrive, few of
them will be able to attempt to find full-time off-site employment initially. Our plan is that it will only
be toward the end of their stay that we would expect them to do that.
Another consideration suggesting a length of stay of 6 to 9 months is the length of time that it
will likely be that women who are mothers will need before they can be thinking about resuming full-
time parental responsibility. In the case of children who are in State custody because of a mother’s
substance abuse, the Department for Children and Families generally wants to see at least six months
of sobriety before it will consider returning children to their mother’s care.

Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 13

 8. Definition and outline of programming to be delivered
We have been working for months, with help from a wide range of people, on the ideas about a
program for Blue Spruce. We have drawn on best practices from transitional and therapeutic programs
around the country and world. The problems we are hoping to address are well-known and are
described well in the following quotes from the research paper prepared by the Agency of Human
Services as part of the IWI. (Vermont Research Partnership Research Project, Complete Report, June
2007, Prepared By The University Of Vermont/Vermont Research Partnership):
The findings reveal a complexity of issues related to incarcerated women and the correctional system for which
there are no easy answers or “quick fixes.” While the data does not reveal new information, it does provide significant
insight into the challenges associated with incarceration for women and suggests potential solutions to positively impact
the rising rates of incarceration for this population. This study makes it clear that without additional integrated and
coordinated supports and a mutually accountable model of systemic reform (from across state government, the criminal
justice system, law enforcement and local communities), it is predictable that the number of women entering the
criminal justice system and getting caught in its “revolving door” will worsen.
The criminal justice system has become a revolving door for women - once they get in, they have an ever-decreasing
chance of productively and permanently reentering our communities. This trend leaves the women, their families and
children, and the public subject to serious social and financial costs. In addition, this study suggests that diverting
women from incarceration toward substance abuse prevention and treatment, and other community and relational
supports will offer a more promising approach to preparing them for productive lives in the community. Vermont is in
a unique position to integrate multiple stakeholders in a collaborative cross-systems effort to reduce the trend in
women’s incarceration and help women move towards self-sufficiency. IWI Research Paper, p. 1
Women likened their rooms [in prison] to a hospital, with up to five inmates crowded into a small room. Each
room was equipped with a television. Laundry facilities were available at certain scheduled times. A few women
commented on the food, ranging from considering it healthy, to limited, to “terrible.” Others described the facility as
overcrowded, “freezing cold,” and unsanitary. The general atmosphere was described as chaotic, lonely, sad, and
unempowering. IWI Research Paper, p. 11
Most (75%) of the women had dreams for the kinds of work they would like to do, such as postal work,
psychiatry, nursing, counseling, culinary arts, cosmetology, and design. However, they held lower expectations for what
they thought was actually attainable. Only three of the women felt confident about employability due to strong prior
work histories or because of a family business that promised them work. A third of the women with career
aspirations felt a cashier job was most realistic upon release. Others knew they lacked employable skills at levels that
would enable them to fulfill their dreams. They wanted more meaningful opportunities to learn employment skills and
pursue higher education while in jail, beyond the current opportunity to pursue a GED. One woman obtained a high
school diploma through the High School of Vermont. This was a good experience for her, but she now wants more.
She would like to have college courses and career oriented courses, as well as more opportunities to learn life skills. She
has tried correspondence courses but feels they are too expensive. IWI Research Paper, p. 14
[One woman] fears that she lacks the life skills she needs to hold a regular job and live on her own. She reports
that money is a big issue, and that she does not want to return to previous ways of making money, which involved
selling drugs. She also reported that the prison does not have adequate life skills programs. There used to be one called
“Futures” that dealt with careers, life skills, budgeting, and insurance, but it is no longer offered. When imagining
herself in the future, she talked about needing help with work and housing, as well as finding a therapist to talk to
if she were to experience the need to use drugs. IWI Research Paper, p. 20
The entire paper is available online at http://www.uvm.edu/~vrp/
IWICompleteReport_June_07.pdf.
Page 14 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study
 Our goal at Blue Spruce is to provide safe, secure and sober transitional housing where former
inmates with substance abuse issues can live, starting as early as one year before their minimum,
becoming part of a community as they receive services and develop skills that will help as they
transition fully into mainstream society. Each resident will work with a specified staff member as case
manager, and the program we expect to run will have three interrelated features:
1. Gainful Employment
It is essential that those returning to the community from prison have a chance from the day they
arrive to engage in gainful employment. To that end, we are planning to hire residents on a part-time
basis (3 hours per day), initially to help with renovations of the second and third buildings and then to
engage in on-site enterprises which might involve food preparation and processing; furniture, tailoring,
small engine repair; and construction of sheds, other outbuildings and modular units which could be
removed after sale. We have designed an energy efficiency and building trades program inspired in
part by the modular home program now run by Vermont Works for Women (VWW) at Northwest
State Correctional Facility, and we are exploring a collaboration with VWW so that they could run that
program at Blue Spruce. We are also talking with VWW about a culinary arts program, making use of
the commercial kitchen at Blue Spruce. We are projecting income from governmental subsidy of
resident wages and from sale of goods and services that the residents will produce. While much of
the work will be on-site, we are developing plans for a residence-based work program, where crews
might work off-site for a variety of customers. Residents may also take jobs off-site (primarily in
Rutland or Ludlow) after a period of safe and sober residency, and we will provide support for that
kind of gainful off-site employment.
2. Community Responsibility
A part of each resident’s day will be spent on projects necessary for the operation of the
community: routine maintenance, household chores, gardening, tending animals, etc. We are planning
to start a garden this summer on the Blue Spruce land across Route 155 from the Main Lodge building.
We also intend to have a flock of chickens and perhaps to raise a few pigs each year.
Community responsibility extends beyond the therapeutic community at Blue Spruce, however,
and will also involve participation in work crews that will assist with projects in the nearby
communities of Mt. Holly and Wallingford. We are considering, in particular, offering services to the
Mt. Holly Barn Preservation program, assisting in maintenance of affordable housing, and helping
senior citizens to remain in their homes.
Research shows, and we believe, that alienation from community is a major cause of criminal
behavior, and that integration of former inmates with society and society with former inmates is a
major way of breaking down that alienation and developing a sense of community responsibility. In
this and other aspects of the program, we are going to emphasize “strength-based” approaches that
regard our residents as gifted and talented people with something to offer to each other and to the
larger community. A major part of the case management that we envision will be to find the strengths
that individual residents have and work with them on finding ways that they can share those strengths
and, as discussed below, develop them further.
3. Individual Development (Treatment/Education)
If people with substance problems are to avoid the cycle of abuse and incarceration that plagues
many in the system, what was referred to as the “revolving door” in the IWI report, they need
treatment and education, as well as marketable job skills. Through a combination of on-site and off-
Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 15
site programs, including community volunteers, we want to be sure that when people leave after 6 to 9
months of residence, they will be able to be gainfully employed and acting as responsible members of
the community wherever they reside.
Recovery Activities. We have already begun working with recovery groups and expect that 12-
step meetings will have started to take place at Blue Spruce on a regular basis before the first residents
arrive. We will coordinate transportation for residents to nearby meetings (Serenity House in
Wallingford, the Weston Priory, the Ludlow Senior Center, and various locations in Rutland). We have
established a good working relationship with the Turning Point Recovery Centers in Rutland and
Springfield, and expect to engage with Recovery Coaches registered with those Centers to assist our
residents. We have discussed the possibility that sessions of the Intensive Substance Abuse Program
(ISAP) in which some of our residents may be required to participate could take place at Blue Spruce,
and have spoken with the Evergreen Treatment Program of Rutland Mental Health about conducting
intensive outpatient (IOP) groups at Blue Spruce which might be independently funded through
Medicaid or VHAP.
Education. We have turned the former bar room at Blue Spruce into a library and classroom
space, and have made contact with writers and other scholars who work with the Vermont Council on
the Humanities. We expect that we will be able to offer our residents writing, theatre, dance and other
activities through this collaboration.
We expect to offer residents opportunities to work on parenting and child development issues
through collaboration with the Department for Children and Families and parent-child centers in
Rutland, Bennington and/or Springfield.
With help from Community High School of Vermont, Vermont Adult Learning, Vermont Student
Assistance Corporation, Community College of Vermont and other educational providers, we want to
work on meeting a wide variety of educational needs and goals of our residents.
Spirituality. Recognizing the importance of nurturing spiritual health and growth, we will provide
residents with a wide variety of opportunities. We expect to draw on volunteers to conduct worship
services, meditation sessions, yoga classes, and other projects that meet these needs.
Case Management, Aftercare and Evaluation
“Case management” is a term that has a variety of meanings in the context of transitional
housing and therapeutic communities. For our purposes, we are defining it as a method of providing
services whereby a staff person assesses the needs of the resident (and the resident’s family, when
appropriate), and arranges, coordinates, monitors, evaluates, and advocates for a package of multiple
services to meet the resident’s complex needs. We expect that our case management will involve face-
to-face meetings with residents for at least a brief time every day. Work with individual residents will
also include work with their families, in hopes that disputes like that recounted above in the case of In
re K.N.M. can be resolved without years of protracted litigation and emotional distress.
In designing the program, we also believe that an important component of the case management
is planning for the transition away from Blue Spruce. Because we recognize that residents, even after
they leave, will still need support, we plan, as we get up and running, to develop an aftercare plan for
each resident, coordinating with whatever resources the particular individual may have to assure that
necessary support will be available after the resident moves on. We also want to keep in touch with
former residents as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of our program.

Page 16 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study

 Staffing
As indicated in the budget section, we are planning to have a paid staff of five for the initial
phase of the Blue Spruce program. We regard that as the absolute minimum number of people we will
need to have on a regular basis to deliver the services we have described effectively. We will have
staff people on site 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. For nine hours per day, we plan to have two
staff members on duty. We believe this is essential to enable residents to succeed in the program and
to reduce the risk of violation of conditions. We also expect to recruit volunteers on a short- and
long-term basis to enhance the program offered without increasing cost. We are exploring use of
workers provided by Vermont Associates for Training and Development, Inc., Americorps and
Volunteers for Peace. We would also like to participate in the temporary subsidized work placement
program offered by Reach Up’s Community Service Employment Program.
Although we are not in a position to hire anyone at the present time, we have been very grateful
to have interest expressed from a number of highly-qualified individuals. The resumes of Graham
Parker and William Simoneau, (potential employees) and Joe and Penny Hauser (interested volunteers)
are attached as typical of the kind of people we expect will be involved in the Blue Spruce program.

9. Definition of population to be served (in conjunction with DOC)

DOC has recognized the need for the kind of facility we are planning. A 2007 DOC Report on
controlling costs noted that “Community-based substance abuse treatment-oriented residential
treatment centers could relieve the pressure on prisons, reduce recidivism, and result in enduring
benefit to offenders and their families.”
As we have explored the possibilities for the use of the Blue Spruce project, including
conversations with local residents, state officials, former inmates, faith-based volunteers,
representatives of other programs and treatment professionals, we have identified two major options
for the population to be served.
1. Treatment/Transition Facility for Up to 20 Men
This would involve men identified by DOC as safe to return to the community but in need of
housing that will be safe for them as they make the transition. Many of them are people whose lives
have been negatively affected by substance abuse, and the transition time must include appropriate
treatment of drug or alcohol dependence.
2. Treatment/Transition Facility for Up to 20 Women, Particularly Mothers
Seeking to Reconnect with Children
This is by far the preference of the local community, and it is the population which the BSHI
board would like to serve. One possible variation would be to use the third building (the one that is
currently a shell) to provide affordable rental housing to seniors, who would be able to participate in
some of the activities of the therapeutic community (such as meals) if they wished. They might also
be able to be involved with the women and children in a kind of “Foster Grandparent” role. (The
current Mount Holly Town Plan identifies a need for 4 to 13 units of affordable rental housing for
seniors.) If the third building were used in this way, that would reduce the number of women in the
program, since our Act 250 status limits our total resident population to 20.

Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 17

 10. Documented utilization plan of building for DOC
transitional housing
We view the program we are proposing for Blue Spruce as something different from and more
comprehensive than transitional housing, which is the reason we are calling it a “transitional
community.” As described above, there may be some former inmates who come out of prison
immediately ready to reenter the community, find employment, afford housing, and resume family
responsibilities. They do not need much beyond a small transitional grant to help them move into an
apartment. But there are others who lack life skills, have significant substance abuse and other mental
health issues, need education and job training if they are eventually to make a successful transition
into independent living in the community. Without a place like Blue Spruce, they are almost certain to
end up back in jail, perhaps as the result of a new offense, perhaps as the result of a violation of
furlough conditions.
For the people in the first group described above, it may well make sense for them to go to
transitional facilities in the area of the state from which they come or the community to which they
will ultimately return, and for those facilities to be located in a large population center. For people in
the second group, it makes little sense to say they cannot come to Blue Spruce because they are not
from the Rutland-Windsor-Bennington County area. DOC can send them to a central correctional
facility regardless of where they are from; if they are sent to a treatment facility like Valley Vista or a
program like Tapestry, they do not need to come from the Bradford or Brattleboro area. In fact,
particularly with people struggling with addiction, keeping them away from the streets where they did
their crimes and nurtured their habits may be a very good thing. People in the recovery community
have remarked on how ideal a location Blue Spruce is: close enough to Rutland and Ludlow so that
residents may transition toward eventual employment and residence there, yet far enough away that
the people, places and things that caused the individuals problems in the past will not be readily
accessible.

11. Conduct informational meetings with community and other

public relations as needed
We have engaged in a variety of efforts to reach out to the local community and solicit ideas from
community members. We held a well-attended public meeting in June of 2010, and heard many
concerns about the project raised at that time. The planning which has gone on since then was greatly
influenced by concerns and opinions expressed at that meeting. We notified the Mt. Holly community
by means of the monthly newsletter and e-mail newsflash of our plan to establish a local advisory
committee and appointed people who responded to our solicitation for members. In January, we
hosted the 12 Benedictine Brothers from the Weston Priory, located just 8 miles south of Blue Spruce.
Together with representatives of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, owner of the building, and several of the Dismas House residents who had helped with the
renovations, we had a good opportunity to talk about the progress we had made and our hopes for the
future. While we continued to be involved in outreach on an individual basis and made clear that
visitors were welcome while we were doing renovations during the fall and winter, our next public
meeting was in February when we asked for an opportunity to report on progress to the Mt. Holly
Planning Commission. The meeting was very well attended by members of the public as well. In
April and May, we hosted planning meetings and dinners at Blue Spruce, inviting (via the e-mail
Page 18 Blue Spruce Feasibility Study
 Meeting with Brothers from Weston Priory, January,2011

newsflash) interested residents to sign up if they were interested in attending. We had long discussions
about resident concerns and heard clearly that the local preference is for a women’s facility. In June,
we will be attending another public meeting sponsored by the Planning Commission, and we will be
having further planning/informational meetings and dinners at Blue Spruce. Several of the
community members contributed cooked dishes for the last dinner, and we hope that we will be able
to build on this foundation so that when we open for residents there will be a core of volunteer cooks,
willing to come in and share the evening meal with the residents. We have indicated a willingness to
speak with individuals or groups with ideas about the project, transitional housing, substance abuse
recovery, services for families, etc. and have invited interested people or groups to contact us if they
have questions or ideas.
We have also made a concerted effort to notify area legislators of what we are doing and have
had many productive discussions with senators and representatives about Blue Spruce. We expect to
host an open house, discussion and dinner for legislators at Blue Spruce in the next few weeks.

Blue Spruce House, Inc.

Directors: Wendell Beckman, Will Hunter, James Reemts, Jeanne Zammataro
Mailing Address: 414 Center Road, Cavendish, Vermont 05142
Phone: (802) 259-2345
E-mail: bluesprucehouse@gmail.com

Blue Spruce Feasibility Study Page 19