Council authorizes RFPs for day space as staff outline park enforcement and hours options

The Bangor City Council on Monday authorized staff to issue requests for proposals for a staffed daytime center to serve people experiencing homelessness, after city staff outlined options to manage increased daytime park use following the closure of warming shelters.

City Manager Lou told council staff are seeing more people spending days and nights outdoors near downtown and proposed a police detail focused on parks "for so long as we need it" to monitor behaviors that violate city ordinances, particularly in Pierce Park. Lou said the city’s initial estimate for an added officer detail is "in the neighborhood of up to $606,180," a figure he described as approximate and dependent on staffing choices.

Doug Benjamin, director of Bangor Public Health and Community Services, described a day space as an "evidence-based intervention," saying day centers reduce the time service providers spend searching for clients and serve not only people experiencing homelessness but also newly housed residents who lack supports. Benjamin told council that local providers had seen about "70 people a day" at day services and up to "120 people a night" at warming centers on the coldest nights.

Councilors debated whether to accelerate staff work on a day space now or allow the newly forming homeless advisory committee to lead. Some members urged a faster approach, arguing that identifying a site and issuing an RFP would give the advisory committee a clear first task; others cautioned against committing to long-term municipal funding without clearer accountability and community partnership.

A councilor moved to allow staff to explore and send out RFPs for a day space; another councilor seconded. The council conducted a roll-call vote and the motion passed unanimously.

City staff said issuing an RFP would let the city gather concrete proposals and cost estimates from provider organizations; staff indicated the process would include reporting requirements and likely rely on the public health director’s knowledge of the provider community. Lou told the council that a day center would likely be costlier than winter warming shelters because it generally requires paid, trained staff rather than volunteer overnight shifts.

Next steps: staff will prepare and post an RFP for a day space to solicit proposals and will report back to council and the advisory committee, which councilors agreed should have a role in reviewing proposals and advising on accountability and service expectations.