What is the Lewiston Unhoused Response Center?
The Lewiston Unhoused Response Center is a proposed temporary emergency shelter located on Lewiston Housing Authority-owned property at 104 Park Street, within the City’s approved Homeless Shelter Overlay District. The Center will help meet the city’s immediate need for an emergency shelter while a location for a permanent shelter can be developed and implemented.
The shelter will provide many services for individuals experiencing homelessness, including case management, service coordination, housing navigation, therapy and counseling, and access to offsite substance abuse disorder treatment. Additional funds will be pursued to offer more ancillary services to shelter guests.
How did we get here?
In December 2022, City of Lewiston staff brought together elected officials, including Mayor Sheline and members of City Council, as well as housing and service providers, including Lewiston Housing, to find resources and solutions to homelessness issues in Lewiston, including the need for a temporary warming shelter ahead of impending winter weather. Discussions turned to the need for a long-term solution, which the group agreed was needed, and these conversations continued. The City asked the community of service providers to bring forward solutions.
To answer this call to action, in February 2023, a coalition of housing and service providers, including Lewiston Housing, Community Concepts, Immigrant Resource Center, New Beginnings, and Community Clinical Services, responded to MaineHousing’s public invitation to apply for funding for proposals for solutions to address homelessness. Funding was authorized by the Maine Legislature and Governor Mills under L.D. 3.
On March 23, MaineHousing announced it will award $3.7 million to fund the creation and operation of the Lewiston Unhoused Response Center for two years.
Who decided on this location?
In September 2022, the City of Lewiston approved a new Homeless Shelter Overlay District, specifying where shelters could be located within the city. 104 Park Street is a private property owned by Lewiston Housing that is within the approved Homeless Shelter Overlay District.
Lewiston Housing did not purchase 104 Park Street with the intent to create a shelter on the property, however, we realized it was the only available property that was within the Shelter Overlay that could feasibly meet the criteria of the MaineHousing grant.
Doesn’t Lewiston already have emergency shelters?
Lewiston is the second-largest city by population in Maine, yet it does not have a public, low-barrier emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness. A Mayoral Ad Hoc Shelter Committee report to the City Council of Lewiston estimated over 1,000 residents experienced homelessness in Lewiston in 2021 and that the city requires 51-119 additional shelter beds. The Lewiston Unhoused Response Center would be the first of its kind in Lewiston and will help meet the city’s immediate need for an emergency shelter while a location for a permanent shelter can be developed and implemented.
How many beds will the Center have?
The Center will provide temporary shelter and wraparound services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, with an initial capacity of 25 beds up to a maximum of 37 beds, which is the cap under the shelter ordinance for individuals experiencing homelessness.
How is this being paid for?
Lewiston taxpayers are not funding this shelter. The Center’s creation and operation will be funded by a $3.7 million MaineHousing grant, authorized by the Maine Legislature and Governor Mills under L.D. 3. Lewiston Housing owns the 104 Park Street property, which will remain on Lewiston tax rolls and will contribute to the city’s tax revenue.
Once operational, the shelter would be continuously funded by Lewiston Housing’s Moving to Work (MTW) funding, Emergency Shelter and Housing Assistance Program funding, and other grants, foundation support, and donations. The MTW emergency shelter bed funding model has been used successfully by other public housing authorities, including the Vancouver Housing Authority in Washington.
How will the $3.7 million be spent?
The majority of the $3.7 million will be used to cover two years of operational costs and necessary startup costs, including one-time capital improvements such as showers, bathroom facilities, security systems and laundry. Only a fraction will be used for capital improvements. Once operational, the shelter would be continuously funded by Lewiston Housing’s Moving to Work (MTW) funding, Emergency Shelter and Housing Assistance Program funding, and other grants, foundation support, and donations.
There have been comparisons made between the $3.7 million cost of this emergency shelter and other proposed shelters, such as the 280-bed emergency shelter in Portland that recently received a $4 million MaineHousing grant. These comparisons do not consider the fact that the Lewiston Unhoused Response Center’s $3.7 million will cover all start-up costs and two years of operational costs, whereas, in the case of the Portland shelter, the $4 million will only cover renovation and start-up costs.
What is the timeline for this?
In accordance with MaineHousing guidelines, plans for the Center must be in place by May 15, 2023, and the Center must be open for service by October 2023.
As a temporary shelter, what will happen after two years?
This is a temporary location to help meet the city’s immediate need for an emergency shelter while a location for a permanent shelter can be developed and implemented.
Lewiston Housing did not purchase 104 Park Street with the intent to create a shelter on the property, however, we realized it was the only property that was within the Shelter Overlay that could feasibly meet the criteria of the MaineHousing grant. Permanent plans for 104 Park Street are still in development, which will take considerable time and discussions with the City Staff, Planning Board and the City Council.
Our long-term vision for 104 Park Street has always been and continues to be a mixed-use development with housing and commercial, much like the neighboring Choice DeWitt site that we are currently developing.
104 Park Street is not part of the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant and the shelter will have no impact on Lewiston’s comprehensive plan or Choice. Even in the best of circumstances, we are more than 3 years away from a resident moving into the neighboring Choice DeWitt site. As such, there will be no overlap of Choice residents at DeWitt and this shelter at 104 Park Street. For more information on the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, visit https://lewistonhousing.org/about-us/transformation/.
What will the process for finding a permanent solution and location for a shelter look like?
Generally speaking, shelters are incredibly complicated and expensive operations to fund and manage. That is why City staff and elected officials brought together experienced and committed service providers to begin discussing and formulating a long-term plan. This is a question that Lewiston as a whole needs to continue discussing and to solve together.
What is Lewiston Housing’s role?
Lewiston Housing is the coordinating agency for Hub 4 of MaineHousing’s Regional Homeless System, covering Androscoggin County. Our agency is providing the physical space and facilities management of the Center, including maintenance, janitorial, housekeeping, and security, as well as administration of the MaineHousing grant, including required reporting and fiscal management.
Does this impact Lewiston’s other planning, e.g., Comprehensive Plan, Choice?
104 Park Street is not part of the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant and the shelter will have no impact on Lewiston’s comprehensive plan or Choice. Even in the best of circumstances, we are more than 3 years away from a resident moving into the DeWitt Choice site. As such, there will be no overlap of Choice residents at DeWitt and this shelter at 104 Park Street. For more information on the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, visit https://lewistonhousing.org/about-us/transformation/.
I still have questions. Who can I speak to about this?
Please contact Executive Director Chris Kilmurry at ckilmurry@lewistonhousing.org.