AUGUSTA, Maine — The Augusta Planning Board voted down a proposal Thursday night that would have turned a former church in the state's capital city into a homeless shelter.
The board heard arguments for and against a plan to turn Green Street United Methodist Church into a low-barrier homeless shelter.
In addition to typical support services, the plans for the shelter would have included 40-beds, a computer lab, and a possible retail space to help teach folks job skills, according to organizer Betty St. Hilaire.
“It will serve a population of the unhoused that is perhaps not able to utilize already existing resources due to potential substance-use disorders, untreated mental health issues, or possibly criminal records," St. Hilaire told NEWS CENTER Maine before the meeting.
St. Hilaire said safety measures would have been taken to protect the local area. Several local residents expressed concern during the meeting about the types of people the shelter would bring to the neighborhood.
“This is a low-barrier shelter project,” Walter McKee, an attorney whose law firm neighbors the church, said. "Just to be clear, everybody is allowed to go there, whether you have drug addiction [or not]. There's no criminal background checks."
Shortly before midnight, the board voted unanimously against the idea.
St. Hilaire said Wednesday that her team would be getting together in the next few days and to debrief the board's decision and evaluate next steps.