One Brattleboro Members Discuss First Steps with Selectboard
Members of One Brattleboro, a coalition of leaders addressing public health and safety challenges in town, began holding regular meetings in the summer of 2024 to develop strategies for effective collaboration and data sharing across its network. In a follow-up to the Community Safety Fair that was held last fall, members of the group provided the public with another look at their work to date, including early successes and challenges, during a Selectboard meeting held on March 20, 2025.
In 2023, Brattleboro was identified as a community with higher-than-average rates of violent and drug-related crime. This led Governor Scott’s Public Safety Enhancement Team to engage consultant Ret. Lt. Jim Baker, who helped Brattleboro coordinate a cross-sector response. This effort united more than two dozen local agencies under the banner of One Brattleboro.
Prior to its formation, some agencies had worked together on similar data-sharing efforts, though in a less formalized capacity. Christine Hazzard, the Executive Director of Brattleboro Housing Partnerships, said her agency began collaborating more closely with the Brattleboro Police Department around data about a year and a half ago. As that relationship developed, it became clear there were limits to what the two agencies could accomplish on their own.
Even with the newly established One Brattleboro group incorporating perspectives from more agencies, she was initially uncertain what a wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary team could achieve.
"But I remember one thing very clearly that came out of our first meeting," Hazzard explained to the Selectboard. "That was what Jim Baker said to us: 'we're not going to police our way out of this; we all need to work as a community to get this done.'"
After a few months, she said One Brattleboro coalesced around that unifying principle, even if the room was filled with distinct agencies with unique missions.
"We started to identify the gaps in services, and we started coming up with a plan," said Hazzard. "I felt hopeful about what we could do in town, and I felt empowered by the fact that we were working together."
She said she has already seen improvements in care coordination as well as situations being resolved before they escalate.
Windham County State's Attorney Steven Brown said that One Brattleboro helped break down silos that existed between agencies, which "has allowed us to forge relationships that I never would have had [and] work toward a common goal."
Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Evans said that One Brattleboro aligns with a broader initiative within the police department to build stronger partnerships in the community. That work includes Project C.A.R.E., an interagency effort established by the police department in 2018 to respond to the opioid crisis.
"The silos that Steven mentioned have always been a stumbling block for us," said Evans, adding that One Brattleboro has helped formalize relationships.
Evans said another positive development has been the implementation of the “situation table,” which is a public safety model that has been developed in communities around the world over the past decade. The idea is to align a community’s existing resources to help those who are experiencing acutely elevated levels of risk, meaning they are at serious risk of bodily harm or death. Fifteen of the agencies represented in One Brattleboro have been meeting regularly to identify which agencies are working with those at-risk individuals and determine what resources the group can provide.
Brooks Memorial Library Director Starr LaTronica said the situation table has benefitted library staff who interact with at-risk members of the public. She said the situation table model has provided reassurance that these individuals are on "everyone's radar, so we don't have to worry so much as a library staff [if] this person is going to be okay."
Elizabeth Bridgewater, Executive Director of the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, noted how One Brattleboro has opened avenues for more coordination between groups to provide services, whether that’s working with the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont for direct outreach or offering community meetings with Interaction (formerly known as Youth Services).
"We're trying to come at this challenge from two angles: accountability and safety, and also compassion,” said Bridgewater. “I think that is a great example of what One Brattleboro exemplifies."
If you are interested in learning more or joining the conversation, send an email to members of One Brattleboro at [email protected].
Watch One Brattleboro's full presentation to the Brattleboro Selectboard below.