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Portland business owners call on city, state to address homelessness emergency

Business owners say people living in the encampment have stolen and damaged their property and entered their buildings, sometimes with weapons.

PORTLAND, Maine — Business owners along Portland's Marginal Way are calling on the city and state to address the homelessness emergency in the encampment.

Business owners say people living in the encampment have stolen and damaged their property and entered their buildings, sometimes with weapons. Kristen Moustrouphis, one of those owners, said she has had to make several changes for the safety of her staff and clients: cutting back hours, sending staff to open or close in pairs, and moving outdoor equipment inside.

Some businesses have hired security guards to protect property and people. In some cases, people living in the encampment have entered businesses holding weapons, such as knives, or used needles.

"We did what we could. We got NARCAN onsite. We held safety training for our staff to talk through what to do in different scenarios as we were becoming aware that they were going to be happening. But we also don't have the tools. And so that's why we went to the city to ask for the support," said Moustrouphis.

A collective of business owners in the area voiced concerns to the city for months by e-mail and in person but felt the city's response was inadequate. They say that inaction has led to the emergency facing, not only their staff and customers but also the people living in the encampment. City data show as of Friday evening, there were more than 100 tents at the Marginal Way encampment alone.

"The most significant impact it's had is on the mental health of myself and my staff," Moustrouphis said. "Frustration is what comes to mind first with the deep acknowledgment  that it's a really complex problem."

Moustrouphis has some perspective on the situation people living in tents face: one of her loved ones was once homeless and addicted to drugs.

"I think that it has definitely grown to a point where it is becoming dangerous for the people who are in the encampment,  as well as the people who are in the surrounding area," said Kristen Dow, Portland's Health and Human Services director. "That is how encampments are chosen to be resolved, to be worked on through the Encampment Crisis Response Team when they become a public health hazard."

City staff have been working to correct misconceptions about the Homeless Services Center. They say that effort has gotten more than 16 people into shelter beds in the last month. The city and state plan to clear the Marginal Way encampment on Nov. 1, and say they have been spending this time trying to get people into shelter. Portland's shelters are full every night, Dow said.

"We're trying our best to get them into any kind of shelter or housing.  But we are also acknowledging that that's two weeks away at this point," Dow said.

The people living in the tents are struggling with unmet physical and mental health needs, including substance use disorder. Neither the city nor the state have the infrastructure in place right now to help everyone who needs it.

"This is a public health crisis, and we need to look at it like that and try a really holistic approach to address it for the individuals who are there, but also systematically," Dow said. "City staff, I know, are working on this throughout the day, throughout the week  24/7, quite frankly."

Moustrouphis believes the state needs to step in. 

"We can't wait. The call to action is now in. Waiting is what got us into this crisis," Moustrouphis said. "I trust that if the director of health and human services is asking for that support, then she needs that support," Moustrouphis said.

The Mills administration has put $55 million into the state's Emergency Housing Relief Fund since it was created in 2022, according to Greg Payne, the governor's senior housing advisor. That money is intended to help expand support for shelters and other efforts to help people experiencing homelessness. 

In a statement, Payne wrote, "The governor remains deeply concerned about homelessness and Maine's housing crisis, and she is committed to continue working in partnership with the City of Portland and other municipal officials on both short-term and long-term solutions to these issues."

"We talk a lot about the people who are in the encampments for sure, but we are the health and human services department for the entire City of Portland. And that includes both the housed and the unhoused. So, how can we address this issue and really work to solve this for both communities?" Dow said.

"I know it's not easy. I know it's complex, but the complexity of what's happening in our community is going to require a lot of solutions," Moustrouphis said.

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