Rutland Vermont Heroin Epidemic

A Call to Arms on a Vermont Heroin Epidemic NYT

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By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE FEB. 27, 2014

“You can’t separate child abuse, domestic violence and opiate abuse because in many situations, it all resides in the same house,” Chief Baker said. “Now we’ll set up an intervention, not just wait for something to happen.”

Two-thirds of the homes in the target area are multiunit apartments; Project Vision hopes to reduce that number to 50 percent within three years by buying back properties, perhaps having nonprofit groups restore them and resell them to owners who would live in them.

Mayor Christopher Louras has been going door to door with work crews as they install brighter streetlights.

“A byproduct of that outreach is to talk to neighbors and let them know that we’re interested in their quality of life and giving them a greater sense of security,” said the mayor, whose own nephew was arrested in 2012 on drug-related charges.