HOULTON, Maine — On notoriously cold northern Maine nights, Houlton police officers often walk among people huddling under blue tarps and makeshift shelters in the town.
They pass out food, hot coffee and handwarmers.
This is a new reality in an Aroostook County town of about 6,000 where homeless encampments did not previously exist. Even five years ago, there were maybe one or two homeless people, and they always found a couch to sleep on during the state’s most frigid nights, Houlton Police Chief Tim DeLuca said.
“I am saddened by the fact that we have people who don’t have a place to go,” he said. “I don’t feel right solving this problem by arresting somebody. It’s our responsibility to try and find them an option.”
In Houlton, like many places in Maine, homelessness has risen in recent years. And while the numbers remain low compared with service centers like Bangor and Portland — around half a dozen local people — the town is struggling to find ways to help those living in encampments along Riverfront Park, behind Marden’s or in vehicles near Walmart.
The Houlton Police Department has explored solutions for the past three winters, including working with Aroostook and Bangor mental health providers, letting homeless people stay overnight in the station lobby, and regularly visiting camps with food and other supplies.
“It is affecting more people now than it once was; it is something that needs more discussion,” interim Town Manager Nancy Ketch said. “The police department is currently our first line of contact for the individuals.”
The rise in homelessness and the recent closure of the Northern Lighthouse Safe Harbor Youth Shelter in Mars Hill concern town officials.
The community is seeing the fallout of that closure, as there are some students in town who are homeless or aren’t sure where their next meal will come from, Town Councilor Fred Grant said during a recent Town Council meeting.
Police across The County are trying to help in their own communities, one community service provider said.
“I’ve heard wonderful feedback about the work that law enforcement agencies across Aroostook, especially in Houlton, are doing to support individuals experiencing homelessness,” said Heidi Rackliffe, chief program officer for Aroostook County Action Program.
ACAP is one of 10 community action programs in Maine, funded by state and federal money to provide community guidance related to families, housing, energy and workforce services.
The police department’s first priority is to connect homeless people with available resources. Arrest is a last resort, typically only used when a person is violent or damaging property, DeLuca said.
Many homeless people in Houlton come from other areas, but there are about half a dozen from the local community. For some, their lack of housing stems from drug addiction, untreated mental health issues and rising costs, DeLuca said.
Some arrive in cars packed with belongings and might stay in the Walmart parking lot for a month or two before moving on. There are single moms with children who have found refuge at local campgrounds, and older couples who can no longer afford their homes on a fixed income, DeLuca said.
DeLuca met one man who ran out of gas money and was stuck in Houlton. The chief gave him money and he moved on.
One man from California walked across the U.S. and lived for a time near the shuttered Walgreens store in Houlton. Police gave him holiday meals, handwarmers and offered other assistance, DeLuca said.
While the people appreciate the food, coffee and handwarmers, many are independent and do not want help, like a woman DeLuca said can afford housing but chooses to live on the street.
Police have tried various tactics in recent years.
In fall 2023, the police department started allowing people to stay overnight in the station lobby from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
At one point five people stayed there nightly, but there were assaults on one another and criminal behavior in the lobby that made it impossible to continue. At times it was so loud dispatchers couldn’t do their jobs and the bathrooms were damaged, DeLuca said.
Before he closed the lobby to overnight visitors on April 15, 2024, DeLuca contacted Aroostook Mental Health Services in Houlton, a mental health and substance use treatment provider. Counselors tried to help those staying in the lobby at night, but most did not want help, DeLuca said.
The station still offers shelter on the coldest nights.
Some local people help by sharing hygiene bags or warm clothing with local homeless people, according to Homeless Services of Aroostook Executive Director Kari Bradstreet, who has given them items to distribute.
And at a recent Town Council meeting, Council Chairman Ed Lake wondered if the town could turn vacant buildings into housing.
Last June, police teamed up with Community Health and Counseling Services of Bangor, and several members of the group’s Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness team came north.
They visited every homeless person they could find in Houlton, but not one person wanted their help, DeLuca said.
The Bangor team returned earlier this winter, and still there were no takers.
The reaction is not uncommon, Bradstreet said.
There is room at the Presque Isle shelter where people can have a warm bed, showers, food and laundry, but many do not want to leave familiar surroundings, she said.
Officers will gladly drive anyone to the Presque Isle shelter, DeLuca said. But they do not want to leave Houlton.
“These are human beings and they have the right to make their own decisions,” he said. “The only thing we can do is to provide basic services on those cold nights. But down to the root of it, if they don’t want to get help, they can control their own destiny.”
