SANFORD, Maine — As many Maine communities struggle to help people without homes during the cold winter months, one city in York County seems to have found at least a partial solution by setting up a 24/7 warming shelter for people in need in that community.
In Sanford, homeless advocates with the York County Shelter Programs have turned the basement of an old, unused school building into a warming shelter for those in need of a roof over their head during the day or night.
Sanford has had a growing encampment in the city, so the York County Shelter Programs used funding from Maine Housing to convert the former Lafayette Elementary School on Brook Street into a temporary shelter for the cold winter months.
The warming shelter is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
One man staying there named Alec told us this has given him a warm place to rely on while he works his way out of homelessness.
Megan Gean-Gendron, the executive director of York County Shelter programs, said up to 44 people can use the warming center. She said it's nearly full most days and nights.
"We've seen a huge increase in unsheltered and unhoused individuals in the area, and Maine winters are brutal. It's extremely unsafe for folks to be outside," Gean-Gendron explained. "The community, unfortunately, experienced a death at an encampment recently, and I think it is critical in our responsibility to ensure people have the option to come indoors to stay safe."
Housing navigators with York County Shelter Programs are also helping people staying at the shelter with housing applications and other work resources.
"Everyone is really nice here. And, you know, it's a hard time and everyone has struggles and you can't blame it on everyone else, so having this place and doing the stepping-stone, it takes steps," Alec said. "If you really want something and you want to work on it, then you do it."
"There are so many stories about encampments right now, but these are real people living at these encampments. These are the sisters, brothers, daughters, sons of people in our community," Gean-Gendron added. "I would want an organization like ours to open something up like this if that was my family member. I think we all would, and it's important to remember that these are all human beings."