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Residents, service providers urge more shelter capacity and coordinated response amid rising houselessness
Summary
Multiple speakers at Shelton City Council's Feb. 4 public-comment period urged the city to expand cold-weather shelter support, address illegal camps along rail lines and continue home-preservation work; nonprofit leaders and residents described staffing limits, recent service activity and policy concerns including sidewalk access under the ADA.
Several residents and local service providers used the Shelton City Council public-comment period Feb. 4 to press the city for more coordinated homelessness services and enforcement of hazardous camps, while praising local housing programs.
The speakers said the need is growing and described limits in shelter capacity, staffing and local cleanup efforts. Erin Martenack, board president of Community Lifeline, said the shelter has opened an expanded cold-weather program but is constrained by law and finances: "We are only allowed by law to have … one staff for every 15 guests," Martenack said, adding that volunteers have been critical because the shelter is "maxed out financially." She asked the council to consider local support during freezing weather, noting volunteers cannot substitute for a long-term solution.
Why it matters: speakers portrayed rising need and short-term fixes that they say require municipal coordination or funding. Several also highlighted…
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