Northwestern (2-1) at Washington (2-1), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Washington 10 1/2.
Series record: Washington leads 3-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Washington plays its first conference game as a member of the Big Ten against the Wildcats and looking to rebound from last week’s stinging loss to rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. The Huskies opened the season under new coach Jedd Fisch with a pair of convincing wins, but a late fourth-and-goal call in the loss to the Cougars cast a cloud over the coach. Northwestern rebounded from a sluggish start to thump Eastern Illinois 31-7 last week, but lost to Duke in its only game against a Power Four school so far.
KEY MATCHUP
Washington’s red zone offense cost the Huskies a chance at victory last week. The Huskies settled for field goals after driving inside the Washington State 30-yard line and then got stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the closing moments. Northwestern is allowing just 13 points per game through the first three games and just 57.7 yards rushing per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Northwestern: QB Jack Lausch made his first career start last week against Eastern Illinois and threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 62 yards. He was a perfect 11-for-11 in the second half. While that’s an impressive debut against any opponent, the level of competition is a significant step up this week for Lausch.
Washington: WR Giles Jackson had a huge game against Washington State in the losing effort. Jackson had eight catches for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars, and has 24 receptions through three games. Jackson’s best season came in 2022 when he had 28 catches in 13 games played.
FACTS & FIGURES
It's the first meeting between the teams since 1984. All three previous matchups happened between 1980-84 and two of the three were played in Seattle. … Northwestern has allowed just one sack in its first three games. … Washington QB Will Rogers threw for 314 yards and one TD in the Apple Cup. He’s completing 77% of his passes. … Washington has won 16 straight games at Husky Stadium. … Northwestern coach David Braun picked up his 10th win in 16 career games with the Wildcats last week. He’s the fastest Northwestern coach to 10 wins since Pappy Waldorf in 1935-36.
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Washington wide receiver Giles Jackson (5) makes a touchdown catch against Washington State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
BERLIN, Vt. (AP) — This fall, hundreds of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Vermont must leave state-funded motel rooms where they’ve been living as the state winds down its pandemic-era motel voucher program. The move is prompting outcry from municipal leaders and advocates who say many don't have a place to go.
The biggest exodus — about 230 households — is expected Thursday when they reach a new 80-day limit stay in the motel rooms that the Legislature imposed starting in July. Those affected include families, people with disabilities, older individuals, those who are pregnant, and people who have experienced domestic violence or a natural disaster such as a fire or a flood.
A new 1,110-room cap on the number of motel rooms the state can use to house those people in the warmer months from April through November also kicked in Sunday. Some households who still haven't used up their 80 days have been denied rooms because there's no space, advocates say.
In the central Vermont area of the cities of Montpelier and Barre, around 100 to 140 families will be leaving motels this fall. The state estimates that about 1,000 households will be out of motels statewide, said Jen Armbrister, outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre.
Shelters in the area are consistently full and advocates are racing to find housing in a state with a housing crisis that had the second highest per capita rate of homelessness in the country in 2023, according to an assessment from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“I can’t tell you how many families I’ve sat down with and said I really pray that I would never have to have this conversation with you but we don’t have any solutions,” Armbrister said. She's had to tell them that if they don’t have somewhere to go, the best she’s able to do is put them on a list to get a tent and sleeping bags. But there's nowhere nearby to camp.
The households will be eligible for motel housing again on Dec. 1 as winter sets in. But until then, some don’t know where they will live.
Nova and Bruce Jewett must leave the Hilltop Inn in Berlin on Oct. 1. Bruce Jewett, 63, is a disabled veteran who has cancer and can't camp because of a back injury.
The couple have been looking for housing but say there's none available. They're always put on hold, or told that someone else is looking at a place or that it's been rented, he said.
“It bothers me because I'm a veteran and I don't believe that veterans should be having to deal with this,” he said.
Heidi Wright, 50, must leave the Budget Inn in Barre on Sept. 28. She has seizures, as well as depression, anxiety and emphysema, and she said doctors have talked about putting in a pacemaker.
“My hands are tied ... and I don't know what I'm going to do,” she said.
People are getting desperate, said Armbrister, who met with Wright on Wednesday and told her she would do everything she can to keep her housed.
"There’s no solutions. We’re meeting as much as we possibly can with different organizations, and teams to try to figure this out but nothing’s come up yet for a solution," Armbrister said. “It’s really super sad. It’s traumatic.”
On Wednesday, leaders from more than a dozen Vermont cities and towns said they are overwhelmed by the growing rate of homelessness in their communities and called on state government to do more to address the issue and problems associated with it.
“Our first responders can't keep up with the calls, our residents are reluctant to use public spaces, our limited staff are cleaning up unsanitary messes, volunteers are exhausted, and our nonprofit partners are at a break point,” said Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott.
The state has been attempting to wean itself off the hotel-motel program for several years now without much success, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said at his weekly news conference on Wednesday.
“It's just not sustainable on a long-term basis,” he said. “It's a difficult situation. (I) understand the point of view of the municipalities as well, but we don't have the resources either and so we're in the position we're at,” Scott said.
The long-term approach is trying to establish more shelters, he said, although he added that when the state set up emergency shelters last spring during another reduction to the motel program, few people used them.
While Vermont is working to create more housing, it can't come soon enough.
A shortage of apartments for rent in Vermont contributed to a tripling of the number of Vermonters experiencing homelessness between 2019 and 2023, according to a recent state housing report. City and town leaders say the number of people experiencing homelessness is more than 3,400, up from the 1,100 the state reported in 2020.
Vermont has a rental vacancy rate of just 3% statewide, and it's an estimated 1% in Chittenden County, which includes Vermont’s largest city of Burlington and is the state’s most populous county.
To meet demand, house people experiencing homelessness, normalize vacancy rates and replace homes lost through flooding and other causes, the state will need to create 24,000 to 36,000 homes between 2025 and 2029, according to the most recent Vermont Housing Needs Assessment.
Much of the Agency of Human Services staff effort goes into helping people find housing but the state doesn't have enough units, said Agency Secretary Jenney Samuelson.
“While we can’t afford this program, what we really need to be focused on is building housing units that the individuals we serve can afford and expanding that significantly," she said.
Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Heidi Wright, right, who is experiencing homelessness and must leave her state-funded motel room by Sept. 28, 2024, talks to Jen Armbrister, an outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Heidi Wright, right, who is experiencing homelessness and must leave her state-funded motel room by Sept. 28, 2024, talks to Jen Armbrister, an outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
