Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homeless Shelter topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Shelter committee: warming center to open Nov. 1 for eight weeks; committee urges creation of homeless‑services coordinator and public‑health director
Summary
The committee reported progress on an RFP, grant applications and site selection for a permanent transitional shelter; Alter L. reports the warming center will open Nov. 1 for an initial eight‑week period contingent on funding, and the committee recommended two new city positions to coordinate homelessness response.
The Lewiston Shelter Committee on Oct. 21 told the City Council it had pivoted to respond to rapid funding opportunities and had secured a MaineHousing partnership that made a planned permanent shelter feasible. The committee recommended the city create two new positions — a homeless‑services coordinator and a public‑health director — to oversee a coordinated response beyond the single shelter.
Craig Settlemeier, co‑chair of the committee, told the council the committee mapped resources (MaineHousing grants, ARPA, private funding) and coordinated an RFP process that resulted in a partnership with Cadence Kitchen and a selected operator for a transitional shelter. He urged councilors to require data reporting from licensed shelters to inform local policy and cautioned against relying solely on the annual point‑in‑time count as the only measure of need.
Linda Scott, administrative director for Alter L. A. Transitional Shelter, said Platts Associates is preparing design plans for the selected property at 70 Horton St. She said code and fire inspections for the warming center were essentially complete and that the warming center will open Nov. 1 under current funding for an initial eight‑week program (to provide about 40 warming‑center spots). Scott said the warming center’s continuing operation through the winter will depend on securing additional funding and that staff were meeting neighbors and stakeholders proactively to mitigate concerns.
Police will provide proactive visible patrols during early warming‑center nights, Scott said. The committee noted ongoing coordination with Auburn and county stakeholders. The committee also recommended using licensing data from shelters (the licensing ordinance requires certain demographic reporting) to better target services.
Why it matters: The shelter committee’s recommendations and the immediate Nov. 1 warming‑center opening are both operational steps and signals of the city’s approach to short‑term relief while the permanent shelter is developed. Councilors pressed the committee to return with job descriptions and more detailed timelines for potential city‑funded positions.
Speakers: Craig Settlemeier (co‑chair, Shelter Committee); Chris Pignell (Executive Director, New Beginnings); Linda Scott (Administrative Director, Alter L. A. Transitional Shelter).
