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HHS director says winter warming shelter not funded in proposed Portland budget; Grant losses cut public-health staff
Summary
HHS Director Maggie McLaughlin told the Finance Committee that several public-health grants expired, causing a loss of eight full-time positions, and said an independently estimated seasonal warming shelter would cost about $770,000 and is not included in the proposed operating budget.
Maggie McLaughlin, Portland’s director of Health & Human Services, told the Finance Committee on April 30 that the department has absorbed grant losses that led to the elimination of eight full-time positions in public health and that the proposed operating budget does not include funding for a standalone winter warming shelter.
“Some of that has echoed through to us,” McLaughlin said of changing federal and state grant priorities and explained that much of the public-health unit is grant-funded. She said HHS has adjusted programming and used other resources where possible, and that the budget includes an opioid-settlement spending estimate of roughly $520,000 matched against anticipated settlement revenue.
McLaughlin and her HHS team reviewed several service highlights: Behrend Center (a skilled-nursing facility) provided short-term rehabilitative care to 23 people and long-term care to about 170 last year; OEA (Office of Elder Affairs) conducted roughly 398 home visits and had 69 day-program participants; the General Assistance program served about 4,000 households; and the HOPE outreach team connected 46 people into housing.
On the warming-shelter question, McLaughlin said staff ran several cost scenarios and that a model operating nightly from December through mid-March under specified assumptions (building size, staffing, etc.) produced an estimate of about $770,000. She added the city does not currently have an identified permanent space for such an operation and that responsibility for some warming-shelter events in prior years fell to other operators. “The winter warming shelter was not included in this budget,” she said, and the HHS committee is continuing to examine options and potential amendments.
Bridget, who oversees harm-reduction services, told the committee the syringe-exchange program is primarily funded by the Maine CDC at a bit over $200,000 annually for supplies and staff; other local, state and federal grants and modest city funds also support the program. “We are primarily funded from the Maine CDC,” she said.
Councilors pressed staff on shelter capacity, costs and whether the City could use Behrend or partner with MaineHealth to utilize available beds for short-term step-down care. McLaughlin said the City is continuing conversations with MaineHealth and other partners and will return with more detailed cost and funding options at a future meeting.
The Finance Committee did not adopt budget amendments during this session. The department presentations will be followed by additional budget discussions at upcoming meetings.
