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Portland city leaders anxiously await help with plan to house asylum seekers

Mayor Kate Snyder wrote a letter to Gov. Janet Mills at the end of June asking for her support in housing the immigrants at Unity Environmental University.

PORTLAND, Maine — On Wednesday, Portland city leaders met with asylum seekers living at an emergency shelter to address concerns about living conditions the immigrants raised at the end of June.

On June 28, families living at the Portland Expo protested the lack of food options, short shower times, and sleeping arrangements of cots. At the time, city leaders said they would check back in two weeks, which is what a city spokesperson said prompted Wednesday's visit.

That spokesperson, Jessica Grondin, said city staff have increased showering times and tried to add more food options, but she said "the food networks we are using are already strained."

The larger question city leaders are trying to answer is where to house these roughly 300 people when the Expo stops operating as an emergency shelter on Aug. 16. The Expo will return to its main function as an event space, particularly for sports.

The city has a 180-bed shelter specifically designed for asylum seekers that leaders expect to come online by November. That shelter is for singles; the people living at the Expo are families.

Mayor Kate Snyder wrote a letter to Gov. Janet Mills on June 29, asking her to support the idea from the Greater Portland Council of Governments to house asylum seekers in dormitories at Unity Environmental University in the town of Unity. City staff said the governor has not yet responded.

UEU's president, Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, said the following in a statement on June 30:

“Before asylum seekers could be housed at Unity Environmental University’s campus in Unity there would need to be a comprehensive plan between the institution, the town, the state, county agencies, and advocacy groups, as well as adequate funding. At this time, no such plan exists.

The number of asylees that could be housed at our Quaker Hill Road facilities would depend on a range of factors. There has not been a meeting between GPCOG, Unity Environmental University, the Governor’s Office, and the Town of Unity to discuss the full scope, feasibility, timing, and infrastructure support required to effectively accommodate and provide for the potential influx of asylees at our Quaker Hill Road facilities.

We remain willing to help, but will not put the cart before the horse.”

Mayor Snyder acknowledged the complexity of the idea in her June 29 letter to Mills. She again asked Mills to use the National Guard to stand up an emergency shelter if the UEU dorms will not work out.

In an email statement Wednesday, Dr. Khoury said the university's stance remains the same.

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