Council accepts mayoral ad hoc homelessness committee report, committee recommends permanent panel and regional coordination

The Auburn City Council unanimously accepted a report Thursday from the mayor's ad hoc committee on homelessness that documents rising homelessness indicators in the city and lays out prevention, intervention and housing expansion recommendations.

The committee, co-chaired by Dave Bilodeau and Bill Lowenstein, told the council it met 14 times between March 2024 and January 2025 to gather data and craft recommendations. The report recommends establishing a permanent homelessness committee, pursuing a regional strategy with Lewiston and Androscoggin County, incorporating homelessness into the city's comprehensive plan discussions, increasing affordable housing supply and exploring prevention measures such as eviction-prevention supports and rental assistance.

Committee members highlighted several data points: project support workers and outreach teams served 301 unduplicated individuals over the last year; school liaison data show a marked increase in students identified as homeless or unhoused compared with 2019 (committee cited roughly 58 students in 2019 rising to about 230 students in 2023-24) and said approximately 13% of the city's student population is categorized as homeless or unhoused in their count. The report also noted the fastest-growing homeless cohort was people age 65 and over and pointed to limited affordable options for seniors as a contributing factor.

Recommendations in the report include creating a permanent homelessness committee to coordinate prevention and housing strategies, allocating staff or a staff position to assist with landlord-tenant mediation and eviction-prevention, exploring mandates or incentives for developers to include a share of affordable units in large projects, pursuing diverse housing types (including congregate or dormitory-style housing models), reducing stigma through public education, and actively seeking funding opportunities.

Council action: the council moved to accept the report (Order 170218225). Councilor Belinda Gary moved the order; Councilor Walker seconded. The vote was by show of hands: 7 in favor, none opposed. Staff said the full report will be posted to the city website.

Reaction: Committee members thanked the council and noted recent local developments — including the Community Resource Center (Pleasant Street drop-in) and stronger intercity cooperation with Lewiston's response teams — as evidence of progress and foundations to build on.

Next steps: The committee offered to remain in an advisory/ad hoc role until a permanent council-appointed panel is established, and recommended that homelessness be integrated into the city's comprehensive plan process.