LEWISTON, Maine — Leaders in the city of Lewiston continue to debate a new homeless shelter in the city.
The city council held a public hearing on the issue Tuesday night, but ultimately, councilors voted 5-2 against the shelter application.
The proposal by the Lewiston Housing Authority would have turned 104 Park St. into a 24/7 homeless shelter with 37 beds.
"Like many cities in Maine, we are struggling with the unhoused community and this shelter will go a long ways to help solve that issue," Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline told NEWS CENTER Maine prior to the public hearing.
During the meeting, some councilors expressed their disinterest in the proposed shelter.
"I guess, I’d like to see somebody suggest that this is literally not throwing tax dollars down the toilet and is nothing more than a feel-good measure," Lewiston Councilor Lee Clement said.
There were questions about how the shelter would be funded. It was planned to be paid for with a $3.7 million grant from Maine Housing, but the deadline for that funding has passed.
"The plan, if it passes, is to try and find a way to fund some or all of what we contemplated," Lewiston Housing Authority Director Chris Kilmurry said in a statement before the meeting. "Our conditional use permit is good for two years, and we spent a lot of time and resources to get to this point. It seems foolish to give up. If approved, we will look for resources. We may find them, or we may not, but the problem of homelessness still persists, so we have to try."