PARIS — Oxford County’s only all-male homeless shelter will remain open after County commissioners agreed to extend Rumford Group Homes’ lease for another year.
Oxford County Commissioner Scott Cole said Wednesday commissioners had decided to offer the nonprofit a year-to-year contract that would be re-evaluated each spring.
“They looked at it and said, all things considered, it was good to leave things at status quo,” Cole said.
The shelter operates on the second floor of a county-owned, two-story building on Western Avenue; the first floor houses the offices for the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigations unit.
In April, commissioners mulled the option not to renew the facility’s lease for another year over concerns the building’s dual roles were incompatible.
Specifically, concerns over open windows and trash sometimes piling up outside the building presented a less-than-ideal workspace for criminal investigations.
At the time, Rumford Group Homes’ executive director, Alan Monier, said the nonprofit was operating at a $50,000 yearly loss and could not raise the funds needed for a new location should the lease not be renewed.
Rumford Group Homes has rented the space since 2004 and its second five-year lease runs out in October. The nonprofit pays no rent or utilities, but is responsible for upkeep of the building.
Commissioners opted to shorten the five-year length of the lease to allow more flexibility in finding tenants. Even with the agreement, Cole noted reservations about the arrangement still existed.
“A transient population juxtaposed with law enforcement operation isn’t ideal,” he said.
Monier said the group was happy to renew the lease.
“We were resigned to the fact they were going to end the lease,” he said. “We’re happy that we’re going to be able to provide a service to the community. It’s the only opportunity for them to get back on their feet.”
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