LEWISTON — A 12-bed emergency shelter for adults between the ages of 18 and 24 received approval from the City Council on Tuesday, and will begin operations in the coming days.
Despite some concern over the process to allow the shelter to move forward, councilors largely agreed that it is sorely needed, and that operator New Beginnings has been a long-term partner for the city in serving a vulnerable population.
The council ultimately voted 6-1 on several items needed to approve the project, including an emergency order allowing New Beginnings to operate the shelter immediately, rather than having to wait 30 days for new ordinance language regarding the licensing of homeless shelters to go into effect.
Councilor Eryn Soule-Leclair, voting against the measures, questioned why the shelter was needed, given that anyone over the age of 18 can go to the newly-opened warming center on Lincoln Street.
“I have a hard time bending the rules when they do have options,” she said, adding that there’s a lot of fear in the community. “Who’s the next to come ask us to bend the rules?”
Chris Bicknell, executive director of New Beginnings, responded that the 18-24 age group is considered “transitional age youth,” and have different daily needs than a typical adult at a warming center. Because it will be defined as a shelter, it will allow guests to sleep on cots, compared to warming centers, which operate overnight but do not allow beds.
“Experience in emergency shelters for youth can be traumatic, and in a system that is not designed for them,” he said.
He said MaineHousing provided funding for the Lincoln Street shelter and the New Beginnings winter shelter because “they’ve determined there is enough of a need in this community.”
The shelter will be at 436 Main St., which New Beginnings has used to operate a 10-bed transitional housing program for homeless youth. While there’s been some concern from the neighborhood since the shelter proposal was made public, Bicknell said there has historically been minimal issues with neighbors. He also said the warming center operated by New Beginnings last winter did not have a single call for police service.
During public comment, Matt Agren said he didn’t believe the issue rose to an emergency, and that approving it “sets a bad precedent.”
Councilor Josh Nagine, who lives in the neighborhood, said New Beginnings has been “answering a specific need” in Lewiston for years, and has responded to nearby encampments in the neighborhood to offer services to youth.
“Folks are blissfully unaware of what’s happening in this community,” he said, adding that homelessness has been an emergency in Lewiston for quite some time.
Nagine also said the council took too long to get the new licensing language approved, and if it had been done sooner, New Beginnings wouldn’t have been in this position.
Bicknell said that with approval Tuesday, New Beginnings will need a conditional use permit to allow for the expanded use of the building, but that they have staff in line for the operation.
The licensing changes approved Tuesday shift the city’s language to be more in line with MaineHousing definitions and guidelines for operating shelters, especially as the city moves toward opening a permanent low-barrier shelter.
Councilor David Chittim called the changes a “vast improvement” from the current language and forwards the council’s goal of making shelters more accessible in Lewiston.
Soule-Leclair, who has opposed new licensing language surrounding low-barrier shelters, said she believes some changes to be “unsafe.”
A shelter considered to be low-barrier is one that won’t deny entry for reasons such as being under the influence, participation in religious services, or a lack of identification.
The committee tasked with making recommendations on the licensing changes told officials that current best practice, which is tied to grant funding requirements, is that many homeless people don’t have physical ID, and that requiring one is a barrier to entry, as well as to getting someone the help they need.
Any new shelter could also opt to make its rules more restrictive than the new licensing requirements, the committee said.
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