LEWISTON – It was a quiet nighttime vigil in Raymond Park, people huddling in the bitter cold with candles held aloft to call attention to a largely unseen segment of the population – the homeless.
The night, Wednesday, could not have been more appropriate. It was the winter solstice – the darkest day of the year – and it was cold enough to make people realize just how unpleasant it might be to be sleeping in a car, on a park bench or under a bridge. It also was National Homeless Memorial Day, and the Lewiston-Auburn Alliance for the Homeless held the vigil to coincide with others across the state and country.
“Our desire here in Lewiston-Auburn is to help our communities understand that there are people within our towns that are homeless, period,” said Craig Phillips of Common Ties Mental Health Coalition, who also is a member of the alliance for the homeless.
According to the alliance, a survey conducted by the Maine State Housing Authority one night last January found 101 homeless people in Lewiston and Auburn. Some were counted at shelters or in transitional living facilities, but 26 had no shelter at all.
Terri Hutchinson, 21, has been there. She was 18 when she lived in a trailer by herself in Gray. When a utility pole on the property needed to be replaced, she couldn’t afford the $500 fee. It was winter, and she found herself without heat, running water or electricity. She crashed at a friend’s house for a week, but then had nowhere to turn. She moved to Lewiston to find shelter.
Grateful to the Hope Haven shelter and the area service organizations that helped her get back on her feet, and remembering those cold winter nights when she roamed Wal-Mart and an all-night laundromat on Sabattus Street for hours to stay warm, Hutchinson attended the vigil Wednesday to show her support and help raise awareness about the homeless.
“I was homeless this week three years ago,” she said, shaking her head.
Lauri Berry of Community Concepts said there’s a need for more awareness and more shelters in the area. “Nobody should be out here when it’s this cold, and everybody deserves a warm place to sleep.”
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