City HallWednesday, November 4
Portland's council approves $735,000 for a winter warming shelter at Riverside
The Daily Portland team
If you've been wondering where Portland's winter warming shelter will land, it's the same spot as last year. The City Council voted 7-2 Monday to use more than $700,000 in opioid settlement money for a nightly shelter at 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway. WMTW puts the amount at $735,000, down from an initial $900,000 proposal.
The downtown plan fell through. Seeds of Hope, the Biddeford nonprofit, told city staff it was no longer willing to run a shelter at Elena's Way over “community resistance and regulatory challenges,” and Preble Street declined too.
The council backed the Riverside shelter 7-2
- $735,000
- in opioid settlement money approved for the shelter
- 7-2
- council vote to fund 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway
- 5-4
- vote that failed on a limited state of emergency
- $1.2 million
- estimated cost of the Riverside proposal
Sources: Maine Public, WMTW, The Portland Press Herald
Councilors also voted down expanding the Homeless Services Center. A proposal to declare a state of limited emergency to expand the center failed 5 to 4. Supporters said it would provide an additional 50 beds sooner. The city still has to hire staff, and Assistant City Manager Dena Libner said the center already has 15 vacancies.
- Opening: likely sometime in December
- Getting there: shuttle service from the peninsula
- Also funding it: MaineHousing
- People under trespass orders at the Homeless Services Center: more than 50
The council approved less than the $900,000 first proposed
Source: WMTW
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Initial proposal | $900K |
| Approved | $735K |
Sources: Maine Public, WMTW, The Portland Press Herald