An infestation of bedbugs has forced the temporary closure of a homeless shelter in North Bennington.
Stacey New, director of the Bennington Coalition for the Homeless, says that the shelter will remain closed for several months while exterminators heat and chemically treat the infestation.
In the meantime, the women and children who would normally stay there are being placed in temporary locations, including motels. But the coalition is bracing for Aug. 1, when new voucher restrictions will take effect.
New says backup plans include reconfiguring other locations to accommodate more people, and may involve housing people in tents.
She says it's not unusual to have 150 people on a waiting list for shelter.
