Council advances $275,000 placeholder for homeless-services discussion; shelter and warming-center costs debated

Auburn councilors spent a large portion of their March 24 workshop debating whether and how much to fund homeless services after a multi-city request for operational money for a proposed emergency shelter in Lewiston.

Cadence Kitchen had asked Auburn, Lewiston and Androscoggin County for operational grants to support a shelter that received capital funding from Maine Housing but had not secured full operating support. The request to Auburn was $400,000. Councilors and staff reviewed operating-cost estimates: staff cited a regional per-bed cost average of about $102 per night and noted Maine’s state shelter reimbursement rates are much lower (commonly $7 per night from state housing funding and $44 per night for some federal GA-funded cases). The panel discussed a recent Lewiston warming center budget of roughly $239,000 for a five-month period as a point of comparison.

Councilors questioned the sufficiency of information in Cadence Kitchen’s request and noted that even full funding from Auburn would not cover operating costs. Several councilors favored a smaller Auburn contribution than $400,000; Councilor Walker proposed $100,000 as a modest contribution, while other councilors pushed for intermediate numbers. The mayor recommended moving $275,000 into the supplemental budget to ensure Auburn had funds available to negotiate a proportional contribution or to support warming centers if needed; councilors agreed to advance that placeholder for discussion and asked for clearer cost breakdowns before final action.

Staff clarified operational details: Auburn provided limited weekday transportation of people leaving the warming center toward service providers and used an overflow van and existing staff on Wednesdays and Saturdays for those trips; the city previously shared a warming-center cost with Lewiston and spent about $63,900 (from a $68,500 allocation) for a shorter prior season.

Councilors emphasized several points for follow up: whether Auburn’s contribution would be proportional to population or shelter use; how transportation costs might be handled; whether state and philanthropic funding could cover the majority of operating costs; and what a scaled Auburn contribution would actually buy (partial shelter operation, a warming center or transportation support). Staff and councilors agreed to return with clearer cost scenarios and options before finalizing any appropriation.