We’ve experienced risk before at King Street Center — lockdowns, needles on the playground, people using drugs on our front steps. But this was different. It was a complete violation of a basic need — safety — that our children expect to find here everyday. This family should never have had to feel that vulnerable. Not in front of one of the few places they rely on to support their family. Not in front of King Street Center.

If our community believes their safety is at risk coming to the Center, then we lose our ability to fulfill our mission.

So we took action and did something none of us ever imagined would be needed. We hired private security. We did this not because it’s in our budget, but because we refuse to gamble with the safety of the people we serve. Now more than ever, kids in Burlington need a place of refuge where they can access not just basic needs, but also opportunities that build pathways to prosperity.

Unfortunately, this story is not only ours. We’ve spoken with over 20 nonprofit leaders across Burlington who’ve shared similar experiences and are also dealing with the rising costs of simply trying to carry out their mission on behalf of our community.

Local nonprofits are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into safety and security — money that should be going toward food, education, mentoring, mental health care, and enrichment opportunities. All the things our city relies on us to do.

We do this work with pride. The people who work in nonprofits are community warriors. They show up, endure secondary trauma, put aside their own needs, and serve the most vulnerable. And the cost of doing so is rising — financially, emotionally, and mentally.

At the same time, threats to nonprofits and those we serve are coming from every direction. Looming federal cuts threaten not only King Street’s food and early education programs, but the health and well-being of financially unresourced families across Vermont.

We have yet to see the full impact of cuts to food benefits, Medicaid, housing vouchers, and other safety net programs, but we know it will make things worse. Right now, more than 200 children are exiting hotels with no stable place to sleep. Vermont’s children deserve local and state investment to prevent these risks from becoming reality.

People continue to ask us if we are seeing youth at the Center get involved with drugs. Fortunately, we are not. Our prevention programs are working. What we are seeing, however, are the conditions that make this type of risk much more likely in the coming years. Demand for drugs in Burlington hasn’t slowed and our youth continue to be exposed to it throughout our community. Without strong protective factors in place, years of prevention work can be undone in an instant — leaving young people vulnerable to the very outcomes we’ve worked so hard to avoid.

That’s why we care about the health of our city and are taking the risk of speaking up to say that it is time to proactively address the demand for drugs and intertwine compassion with accountability. We need to support not just nonprofits, but also the businesses we rely on to help fund programs, employ families, provide mentorship and volunteers, and secure our downtown core. As storefronts close and people stop coming into town, those empty spaces fill with risk. And when families — King Street families — can’t afford to leave, they’re left to live in the aftermath. They will be the ones held accountable.

There are too few places for teens to go in Burlington. Too few summer programs, weekend activities, or ways to earn money safely. King Street’s teen program is the largest it’s been in years — serving 62 youth — but every program has a waitlist. We cannot expand without greater support. It is not just us. Our partners face the same barriers.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed — like there’s nothing to be done.

But for us at King Street, the path is clear. Burlington must evaluate where its resources are going and better prioritize youth. We understand there are barriers, such as financial challenges, that risk getting in the way. Investments, however, reflect our values. And right now, there is not enough investment in youth. What does that say about our values?

The time to act is not years from now when it’s too late — it’s now. We must invest in their future with the same urgency and care we bring to any other crisis. Because this is a crisis – one that is looming and will be difficult to dial back. This is the moment the child you love has climbed one step too high and it’s time to shout: “Be careful. Don’t fall.”

To our community, our elected officials, and those who shape the future of Burlington:

Please do not wait for our kids to fall. Do not let them be the aftermath of our inability to take risks for fear of discomfort, disagreement, or disruption. Let love make us brave — brave enough to act now, before the next child is caught in the crossfire of our inaction.