A slide from Kennebunk’s Jan. 23 presentation on homelessness Courtesy image/Town of Kennebunk
KENNEBUNK — In December 2023, over 90 people representing 24 municipalities in York County gathered for a legislative summit focused on homelessness to share data and discuss solutions.
The summit came together with the help of York County Community Action, an organization that plays a key coordinating role in the region’s response to homelessness, and gave local organizations and leaders a chance to connect with lawmakers about the ongoing crisis.
As of Dec. 12, 2023, the lowball estimate of people experiencing homelessness in York County was 200. State-wide numbers show that homelessness has increased dramatically across Maine since 2021.
As a follow up to the summit, Kennebunk hosted a session to share some of the town-specific figures related to homelessness at the Jan. 23 Select Board meeting. Kennebunk’s Deputy Director of Community Development in the Social Services Department, Karen Winton, and the town’s two Behavioral Health Liaisons, Rachel Schlein and Tricia Ledoux, gave a presentation to attendees.
Winton, Schlein and Ledoux are the main points of contact between the town of Kennebunk and homeless residents.
Winton’s office administers financial assistance and other resource programs to people in need. Schlein and Ledoux are employed by the police department and co-respond to dispatches when there is a mental or behavioral health concern at play; they will often do follow-up calls, helping connect people with resources and other community supports.
Here are five of the most important things they relayed at the meeting.
Homelessness in Kennebunk is on the rise
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Kennebunk increased 30 percent between 2022 and 2023. During the time period of July 2022 to November 2022, the town counted 13 individuals experiencing homelessness; during the same period in 2023, the town counted 17.
The number of encounters between the town and homeless individuals has increased by 253 percent when looking at the same two comparison periods. The town tallied 141 interactions in 2023, up from 40 in 2022.
Encounters is defined as the number of times that Schlein or Ledoux worked on a homeless person’s “case,” which could include having a face to face interaction with them, having a phone call, or connecting them with services.
Interactions have risen primarily because there are more homeless people in Kennebunk these days. But also, Schlein said, there’s been an increase in the acuity of the situations people have found themselves in — whether that’s a complicated family situation or substance abuse disorder issues. She also pointed to the lack of available housing as a key driver of the increase. Fewer referrals for housing means Schlein and Ledoux will work with individuals for longer.
Kennebunk is spending more on temporary housing to support homeless individuals
Kennebunk’s Social Services Office administers a number of programs to help economically struggling community members. Those services include a fuel and tax assistance program and the Kennector transportation program.
The office also administers a General Assistance program — a means of accessing financial assistance for people having trouble affording basics like medication, food and rent. By law, every municipality has a General Assistance program. The state currently reimburses towns for 70 percent of their General Assistance costs.
In fiscal year 2021-2022, the town spent $7,420 through the General Assistance program, and $35,292 the following fiscal year — a 375 percent increase.
Funding for temporary housing made up the vast majority of the expenses. That could mean a hotel or motel or some other very short-term housing solution, not an apartment with a year-long lease.
“Another challenge with temporary housing means there are no inherent supports set up,” said Winton.
“When you’re placing someone in that temporary housing, unlike a shelter program where you would have case management (and) connections to other resources,” there’s less support programming.
York County’s resources fall short of what’s needed
The York County Shelter Program has 36 adult beds and 16 family beds, all of which are full, according to Winton. All of those beds are located in Alfred.
“It’s very difficult, as you’ve just heard, to get specifics and exact numbers (on homelessness), but it’s around 200 (individuals in York County). And then you think about the number of beds that are available. There’s no way to make that work,” said Winton.
Previously families and individuals tended to stay in shelters for an average of three months, but these days it’s closer to nine months. Winton said that’s largely due to the lack of available housing, but also due to other burdens on the system.
Additionally, York County has 64 warming center chairs, far fewer than what’s needed.
The county is also strapped by a lack of space in mental and behavioral health inpatient programs. The state should have 650 mental health beds based on population, but only has 330. In York County there are 40 beds at a facility in Sanford, though currently only 30 are available due to staffing issues. There are only six beds for people on MaineCare.
The State Legislature is considering multiple bills that would allocate more funding to combat homelessness
Presenters highlighted two bills that state lawmakers are currently considering that would boost funding for homelessness support systems — LD 2136 and LD 2084.
LD 2136 would increase the annual state subsidy for shelter operations, bumping up the state’s contribution from $2.5 million to $12.5 million. The legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Housing held a public hearing on that bill and another piece of legislation — LD 2138, which would give an additional $2.5 million to low-barrier shelters — on Jan. 23.
Maine’s shelters have been sounding the alarm on budget shortfalls due to increased demand, staffing challenges, and lack of revenue. As of December 2023, at least one was in danger of closing.
If passed, LD 2136 and LD 2138 would be tantamount to a fivefold increase in the amount of current state funding put toward shelters.
The other key bill highlighted by presenters was LD 2084, which would replenish funding for programming that supports people who are victims of domestic violence and other crimes.
The bill would allocate $6 million to shore up funds that go to organizations like Caring Unlimited, which has a shelter program. That bill also had a hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 23 in the legislature’s Judiciary Committee.
Homelessness doesn’t look the same for everyone in Kennebunk
To give listeners an idea of the types of people they work with, Ledoux and Schlein described some of the personal experiences of homeless people in town.
One person they highlighted was a 50-year-old man who struggles with mental health issues. He had inconsistent access to therapy and medical care due to lack of transportation, and as a result he was kicked out of his shared apartment and lost his job.
One woman in her 20s with multiple children has been homeless for a year and half. She’s been living in her car and staying with friends off and on. She became homeless because her landlord increased her rent, making her home unaffordable.
Another single mother in her 40s with a cancer diagnosis was living with her two teenage daughters in a rental home. When the lease was up, she couldn’t find other affordable housing and has been moving her family from hotel to hotel. Despite all the moving around, she’s worked hard to keep her daughters in school.
Ledoux read a quote from the woman, who said, “my heart breaks for my girls, they did nothing to deserve this. I can’t help us if I’m sick and there’s nowhere to live. I don’t want to move them from their school with all the other things they’re dealing with.”
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