City says no easy solution to Portland’s homeless crisis as it seeks state, federal aid

More than 150 people attended an information session on homelessness in Portland on Tuesday, but the major takeaway from the event was that there are no easy solutions to the crisis.

Dozens spoke, suggesting options such as using vacant buildings owned by the University of Maine system to house homeless individuals, decriminalizing camping on public land, setting aside city-owned land for encampments, setting restrictions on the proximity of encampments to residential neighborhoods, and hiring a contractor to build temporary shelters.

A homeless encampment at the Department of Transportation Park & Ride lot on Marginal Way in Portland on June 6. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Organized by the Portland City Council, the Portland Homelessness Information and Listening Session was held at the Ocean Gateway event center overlooking Portland Harbor, several miles away from the closest homeless encampments and city shelters. And at least one person pointed out that the venue isn’t accessible to most of the population the event was designed to help.

Many agreed that Portland cannot continue to provide resources alone. City officials said they need Gov. Janet Mills, the Legislature and other communities to help find housing for asylum seekers and others who have no place to live.

City Manager Danielle West said Portland is trying to garner federal and state help.

“I think everyone recognizes that this is a statewide issue,” West said, adding that Portland is the state’s only municipality that operates a homeless shelter. “We are a very welcoming city. We want to help people, but it is difficult to manage all of that on our own.”

On June 2, West and Mayor Kate Snyder sent a letter to Gov. Janet Mills requesting state assistance. They asked Mills to support L.D. 1644, which would increase the state’s share of General Assistance costs from 70% to 90%.

Mills’ chief of staff, Jeremy Kennedy, in a letter dated June 9, said the administration will continue to provide support.

“The sudden and unpredictable influxes of asylum seekers is fundamentally a national problem, and, as the Governor has long called for, Congress must overhaul the country’s broken immigration system, which is unfairly placing a tremendous burden on both states and communities like yours.”

Kennedy said the governor will continue to engage with the city and other municipalities to consider shelter options.

The Portland City Council voted 8-1 Monday night to approve a contract to provide services to asylum seekers that include assistance with housing, health care and education at a new shelter at 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway. Developers Collaborative will own and manage the 180-bed shelter while the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition will help provide services. The shelter will open in November.

Mayor Kate Snyder said she often is asked why the city just can’t buy an office building and turn it into a shelter.

“I wish there was a simple solution, but it’s not,” Snyder said. “When providing a shelter you also need to provide staffing and services.”

A couple of West End residents said some of the homeless campers there scare them. One woman said a camper screamed at and threatened her son. On another occasion, that same man defecated in a park.

Jim Devine said he has been homeless on multiple occasions, but now lives in an apartment on Gilman Street.

“I didn’t get born being homeless,” said Devine, who worked much of his adult life as a master electrician. Incidents like the one described by the West End residents sadden him, he said.

“It disturbs me. These people are just trying to exist,” said Devine, who suggested Portland set aside a city-monitored campsite for homeless people.

Mary Cook, a senior director at Opportunity Alliance and an advocate for the homeless, reminded the audience that the purpose of Tuesday’s session was to find a solution to homelessness, not to demonize those who have to live in tents.

“It’s about helping people,” said Cook, who urged the city to decriminalize camping on public land.

The Portland Expo opened April 12 as a temporary shelter for asylum seeking families who came to Maine from the country’s southern border, but it was filled to its capacity of 300 families within a week. The city said the Expo will be closed Aug. 16 as its prepares to host fall and winter events. Portland stopped accepting asylum seeking families at the Expo as of June 5.

The city formed an Encampment Crisis Response Team whose primary mission now is to relocate a large homeless encampment of about 49 tents on the Fore River Parkway Trail that grew in size after the city removed another large encampment from the Bayside Trail.

Portland currently hosts and staffs a total of 654 shelter beds including 208 at its new homeless services center on Riverside Street, 146 at its family shelter on Chestnut Street, and 300 temporary shelter beds at the Portland Expo.