After a plan to build a new, 200-bed homeless shelter in a residential neighborhood in Portland met with intense opposition, city staff Tuesday night will present some new options to city councilors.The current Oxford Street Shelter is located in a converted apartment building and garage, and is regularly well over its capacity. The new shelter plan calls for more beds, and more services on site.
The original plan released this summer, called for the new, 200-bed shelter to be built on city-owned land, in the Nason's Corner community, near the Westbrook line.
But hundreds of people - including many from that neighborhood - came to two forums in Portland, and raised their concerns about how the shelter, and a planned service center, could affect their safety, property values and quality of life.
City councilors asked staff to take another look at other locations for the shelter, and at the feasibility of creating up to three smaller shelters around the city.
