Hosted by Vermont Interfaith Action in Washington County, membership includes churches in the area, Good Samaritan Haven homeless shelter, Capstone Community Action, Washington County Mental Health, Downstreet Housing and Development, Pathways Vermont and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The alliance is dedicated to working together to support the area’s most vulnerable individuals and families by providing shelter, food, clothing, housing, heating assistance, mental health and other social services — a combination of which can help avoid pitfalls that lead to greater crises such as homelessness, the separation of families, drug and alcohol addiction, crime and prison time, and associated costs for the state and communities.