PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle City Council approved a financial boost to Aroostook County’s only homeless shelter Wednesday, after initially holding off on a decision in the hope that more communities across the region would support the facility.
The group unanimously authorized a $150,000 short-term loan to Homeless Services of Aroostook to help the Presque Isle homeless shelter cover expenses amid a funding shortfall.
The facility is among many that have struggled because the federal funds that sustained them through the COVID-19 pandemic have ended. Without money to operate, some shelters are at risk of closing, putting the most vulnerable Mainers at risk. The Presque Isle facility was among them, and last month Homeless Services of Aroostook Executive Director Kari Bradstreet appealed to the city for help.
City leaders visited the shelter, examined its records and consulted with other homelessness experts and agencies around the state, including in Bangor, Councilor Craig Green said.
“We feel confident that this is the right thing to do because we want to continue the good work that’s going on,” Green said. “And we want to continue this movement that is taking place in our community where we are working very hard on different facets of homelessness.”
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Though she was at first concerned about Homeless Services’ long-term financial sustainability, Councilor Meg Hegemann said she was satisfied after seeing details of the agency’s work and finances.
The loan isn’t a “magic wand,” but will buy the agency time to implement other funding solutions, some of which are in progress, she said.
In meetings with Homeless Services, city officials discussed other options, including having another group run the shelter.
“If another entity were to somehow take over these services, it would absolutely result in a tremendous increase in the cost to the city,” she said. “If it were to close, that would be an untenable situation for human beings who are constituents in this city and deserving of a safe place to exist in our city.”
Councilors first considered the loan on May 7, but tabled a decision until other solutions could be explored, including asking Aroostook County administrators to seek support from the 40 towns that don’t help fund the shelter.
The shelter sends out letters to some 70 Aroostook County municipalities each year requesting support, Bradstreet said last month. This year they received financial contributions from 32 towns.
Homeless Services plans to reimburse the city after the anticipated passage of LD 698.
The bill, introduced in February by Sen. Rachel Talbot-Ross, would provide $5 million to Maine’s emergency shelters each fiscal year from the state general fund.
Councilor Mike Chasse spoke against the proposal in May because he thought the shelter should go through general assistance funding rather than obtain a loan. On Wednesday, he said his views had changed — but the shelter needs more than Presque Isle to support it.
“At the last meeting I voted no on this, and from the information that I’ve seen I’ll be changing that vote,” he said. “Thank you for what you’re doing, I believe in what you’re doing, but this isn’t a Presque Isle problem. This is an Aroostook County problem.”
Presque Isle resident Linda Cobb, who said she had experienced homelessness, criticized the shelter, citing unclean conditions, violence, drug use and unprofessional staff.
Among other things, the shelter should create a strategic plan, reduce staff costs by using volunteers and offer on-site resources such as mental health and veterans services, she said. She urged councilors not to approve the loan but to visit the shelter and examine its records.
Green replied that councilors had visited the shelter and seen its financial documents, and were confident about the loan arrangement.
The group voted to loan up to $150,000 in short-term funding for the shelter for up to 12 months, at which point the status of the loan and reimbursement will be evaluated.
The funds will be administered by city Finance Director Laura Smith and interim City Manager Sonja Eyler.
