Cadence Kitchen seeks funding assurance as Maine Housing sets Aug. 1 deadline for shelter operations funding

Lewiston — Cadence Kitchen, the nonprofit selected to develop a new emergency shelter in Lewiston, has received a conditional state award but must show secured operating funding for the program’s first two years by Aug. 1, 2025, officials said at the Lewiston City Council meeting.

Key points - Maine Housing awarded Cadence Kitchen $2,500,000 for a long‑term shelter project, but the grant’s disbursement requires evidence that the shelter’s first‑ and second‑year operating budgets are committed. - Cadence and council advisors told the council the two‑year operating estimate on paper ran to about $3,000,000. Cadence plans to waive some administrative fees to lower the required committed operating total to about $2,600,000; that figure is the funding target Cadence says it must demonstrate to preserve the Maine Housing award. - Lewiston has budgeted $400,000 toward the shelter in FY2026; the City of Auburn has indicated a…