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Lewiston debates rules for low barrier shelters

September 19, 2024

From WGME — Read full story here

LEWISTON (WGME) — The Lewiston City Council is debating possible changes to the current homeless shelter ordinance.

The city’s current shelter ordinance was largely written by the previous city council, who did not support a low-barrier shelter.

The majority of this council Tuesday night showed they want to remove barriers as they go forward with their plan for a city-run shelter alongside Kaydenz Kitchen.

Talks focused on whether shelter guests should be required to show identification.

“These are folks who are moving in and around from different locations, perhaps they have been unhoused for a long period of time, and they might not have an ID. So, is that going to be a barrier that we want to put in place for them to even be able to access the shelter?” Safe Voices Executive Director Rebecca Austin said.

Austin argues that with Kaydenz Kitchen operating the shelter day-to-day, most guests will already be known.

“And if they are completely unknown to the providers, it doesn’t mean you can’t be asking someone to identify themself. It can’t mean you’re not working on helping them get an ID,” Austin said.

Lewiston City Councilor Eryn Soule-Leclair wants to keep that requirement in the ordinance.

The city’s six private shelters all require guests to obtain proof of a background check from the police department before they can enter.

“People need to be identified. To me, I just see it as a really unsafe situation, and it just takes one person to make all of these wonderful intentions to go really bad,” Soule-Leclair said.

Some city leaders argue other low-barrier shelters in Maine do not require IDs for entry.

“It seems to be working well. I don’t think we need to second guess that here,” Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said.

Individual facilities can adopt more restrictive rules.

Kaydenz Kitchen hopes to open this shelter next September.

That location has not been finalized.

For additional coverage on this story from the Lewiston Sun Journal, click here.