LEWISTON — An ordinance regulating homeless shelters in the city could be approved as soon as Sept. 20, after officials capped weeks of debate over the new regulations Tuesday.
The City Council has worked toward implementing a new ordinance prior to the expiration of a controversial 180-day moratorium on shelters that was approved this spring.
Among the chief compromises coming Tuesday were language capping the number of allowed shelter beds in Lewiston, as well as language defining what constitutes a “low-barrier” shelter.
The proposed shelter ordinance was drafted by city staff working in tandem with an ad hoc shelter committee, which produced a report on the extent of the homelessness issue in Lewiston, along with recommendations on new shelter regulations.
Tuesday’s workshop was a continuation of talks from last week, as officials disagreed on a few major pieces of the proposal. One was a proposal to cap the total number of shelter beds in the city at 134. There are 83 shelter beds in Lewiston.
A proposal stemming from Councilor Rick Lachapelle on Tuesday would lower the cap to 120, but add language that states there is no cap on shelter beds for youth and families. His original proposal, which was specific to homeless students, came in response to a public comment last week that said there are about 250 homeless students in Lewiston schools.
Councilors agreed to the language, including not placing a cap on youth and families, but the shelter committee was asked to come back with additional language specific to regulating shelter beds for youth and families.
Another point receiving heavy debate was over the terms no-barrier and low-barrier shelters. Craig Saddlemire, co-chairman of the ad hoc shelter committee, said the term low-barrier refers to shelters that have limited restrictions on entry, which is considered best practice according to MaineHousing and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The ordinance language supported Tuesday would require all shelters to submit a policy describing criteria for guests to enter and remain there, but would not allow “no-barrier” shelters.
The definition of low-barrier in the ordinance includes stipulations that service is denied to people carrying weapons or exhibiting violent behavior, are in possession of illegal substances, and more.
There was some debate over whether sobriety should be required for entry, but a majority of the council said as long as substances were not allowed at the shelter, shelters should not turn away individuals seeking help.
Saddlemire said research has shown that stable housing is a huge factor in beating addiction.
“Do we want them to be dealing with their addiction on the street in public, or letting them into a shelter and then connecting them with services?” he said.
Another point that may require further action from officials is a proposal to require existing shelters to become 24-hour shelters within a five-year period of the ordinance going into effect.
While some said the existing shelters should be exempt from many of the ordinance requirements, including a 24-hour operation, others said the city should move toward the model that would provide more options for homeless during daytime hours.
“Just because we’ve done things a certain way, doesn’t mean we should keep doing it,” Councilor Stephanie Gelinas said, adding that five years would be enough time for the four existing shelters to come into compliance.
Mayor Carl Sheline said during Maine winters, many homeless with nowhere to go during the day make a “beeline to the library,” and it “places undue burden on the rest of the city, and neighboring businesses.”
Councilor Bob McCarthy said he’s concerned the requirement would put existing shelters out of business, which he said is the opposite of what the city is trying to do with shelters.
Councilor Linda Scott suggested further talks with the existing shelters.
Over the next few weeks, the ordinance will move to council votes. According to David Hediger, director of Planning and Code Enforcement, the first reading and public hearing for the ordinance will be Sept. 6.
A Planning Board hearing would be held Sept. 12 on the zoning-specific questions of the ordinance, and if a positive recommendation is received, the council would hold a second reading on Sept. 20.
Hediger said with the moratorium expiring Sept. 25, the council may want to extend the moratorium for a limited time, because the ordinance would not go into effect until 30 days after approval. He said that would give a window of a few weeks that someone could submit a shelter project under the existing rules, though he admitted the chances of that happening were “slim.”
It was unclear whether the short extension would be supported by the full council. The initial moratorium passed by a 4-3 vote.
On Wednesday, Sheline said the ordinance as proposed now “is a workable solution and represents our collective ability to come to a compromise on an incredibly important issue.”
“I appreciate the council accepting many of the Shelter Committee’s recommendations, and their recognition of the hard work done by the community members and city staff who served on this committee,” he said. “I am glad we were able to work together to move solutions to these challenges forward.”
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