AUBURN — Mayor Jeff Harmon’s ad hoc committee on homelessness met for the first time last week, and its membership was formally announced Monday.
The 13-member committee, initially announced by Harmon during the first meeting of the new term in December, features members working in mental health, addiction treatment, workforce navigation and local nonprofits.
Harmon said he’s charged the temporary committee with assessing the current state of homelessness in Auburn and providing “advice and recommendations to the City Council to address the homeless issue” by identifying the role of city government, organizations the city can partner with, and a strategy and priorities to be undertaken.
He said the committee will file periodic reports to the City Council, but he expects the committee to complete its work in less than a year.
During his inaugural address, Harmon said it is “far past time for action” to address homelessness, and that people facing housing insecurity “is a real and serious problem that will only continue to get worse without coordinated intervention.” Harmon has also convened an ad hoc committee on housing, which he believes will complete its work within six months.
Auburn has been criticized in the past by homeless advocates for failing to address the issue, and the city’s zoning, which does not allow overnight emergency shelters. Last month, the City Council approved funding for a temporary warming center in Lewiston, the first significant collaboration with Lewiston on the issue.
The homelessness committee features Councilors Tim Cowan and Belinda Gerry; Bill Lowenstein, who has a background in addiction treatment; Elizabeth Fowler, a public health social worker; David Bilodeau, a mental health response worker with the city’s Project Support You program; and Peter Floyd from the Pleasant Street Drop-In Center at the First Universalist Church, and more.
During the Dec. 18 meeting when Harmon first announced plans for the committee, several people spoke about their struggle with homelessness and substance use.
Greg Whitney, president of the Pleasant Street Drop-In Center, called on the city to support an overnight shelter and/or a warming shelter.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.