I had worked in this program for quite some time, and you are correct. It is an absolute disaster in every aspect. A lot of the hotels are absolutely negligent towards the state guests and their hotel conditions, with some of the staff throughout the state who I had been appalled by their behavior to not just the guests of the state, but people in general. I had witnessed a hotel manager shout orders at a disabled woman who was smoking a cigarrette on one of the curbs in the parking lot, exclaiming that she wasn't allowed to sit while she was smoking. Any disobedience would be met with the threat of eviction, and in the absence of the possibility of eviction, they would often be subjected to intense and consistent harrassment.

And the faults of the program don't lie with the hotels exclusively. I have seen countless incidents where economic services would out right lose or misplace paper work for people in desperate situations, putting people at risk for not only being unable to find housing, but for those who were looking to renew their housing as well. Economic services would also deny housing to most people that would require extra paper work. Immigrants of recent arrival would be looked over because they would have to be assigned a social security number. I only knew of one agent would was legitimately attempting to help, and would not look at the acquisition of a social security number as too much work. It's hard to say how many immigrants have been denied housing because of this.

Another big problem is the people living off of the program themselves. Most of them anyway, but not all. Some of the shittiest people I have ever come across in my life had been involved in this program(Guests, ESD, and Hotel staff.). I knew of one mother who would regularly leave her children unattended for hours at a time, sometimes leaving them with full diapers. Yes, diapers. They were that young. DCF wanted nothing to do with that case. And there were so many other instances of similarity. Some people came as recovering drug addicts, doing their best to change their lives. Many of them good people. But then there were those who had no interest in self improvement, inviting drug dealers and fellow users over to their rooms, threatening the safety of not only sober guests, but those who were trying to recover from addiction as well. Mental health was also a huge concern. I had worked with many people who had needs that far surpassed the hotels' accommodations.

Then there are the actual paying guests who visit these hotels. People who are lied to about hotel involvment in this state program. People who pay a lot of money to enjoy a restful night but who are instead fooled. Kept up at night by domestic disputes, arguments, barking dogs, police and rescue visits, etc. Everytime I would see a paying guest walk in to any of the hotels, I would wish I could tell them to run.

I could go on and on. I have far to many horror stories to share about this program. It is a fucking circus.

Although I would like to add a comment about the Days Inn, and the comment OP had made regarding them. The Days Inn in Colchester was top of the line in terms of the best places to be assigned through ESD. I was there when complaints about the doors not locking were circulating. First of all, it was only one door that was not secure, and to no fault of the door's. Although there is a bit of a security concern. An individual who did not seem to be of sound mind had walked right through the front doors, and began trying to open several doors to find a room to sleep in. They had found a door that was not fully shut and had walked in disturbing the sleeping guest. After the staff had been alerted, and the individual escorted out, the door was tested extensively after the guest had claimed his lock had not worked, allowing the individual access. The door was tested extensively and was found to operate just fine. It seemed the guest hadn't latched their door that night. Of course the guest, in his malcontent, stuck to the narrative that the doors in the hotel were not secure. I can confirm, that that is bullshit. Although, from my experience, the majority of night shift staff that Days Inn has held over the course of this program had often been wholly negligent in their duties. They often do not care enough, or are too busy sleeping, to stop any unidentified persons walking into the lobby at night per hotel policy. I must say though, besides their night time staff, Days Inn had been extremely accommodating to their guests, going so far as to even keep copies of completed paperwork for their guests, for when ESD would inevitably "lose or misplace" said paperwork. Anyone with a complaint regarding Days Inn, was often the source of their own problems.

As I said, I could go on for quite some time. Conclusively, the housing program is an absolute shit show. Composed of careless state workers, negligent hotels, and a vast number of shit people who have no right taking advantage of the program. And I didn't even touch on the role of law enforcement and security personell(Or rather, the lack thereof). The program should be reformed, and be more careful in their selection of applicants. Until then, this program is nothing more than a trash can where the state throws their unwanted, so they can keep their fabled pristine image of the Burlington and Montpelier areas free of the very real and underlying examples of the state's struggle with homelessness, mental health, addiction, and crime.