Portland plans to open a new, 180-bed shelter for homeless asylum seekers later this month, expected to free up capacity at the city's Homeless Services Center.
The shelter will be located in a renovated building in the city's Riverton neighborhood. The plan has been in the works for months, supported by a $4.5 million grant from MaineHousing.
Developers Collaborative is handling renovations and will also own the building. The shelter itself will be run cooperatively by the city and the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition. Speaking at a council meeting Monday night, city manager Danielle West said the asylum seeker shelter will help free up space at other facilities.
"That will then in turn open 100-120 beds at the Homeless Services Center," she said, "so that we would be able to create that capacity that we've been talking about with the council to address the significant need in our community."
The new shelter is expected to open on Nov. 29, and Portland is hiring more than 40 positions to staff the facility.
At the same time, FEMA funding to support the city's asylum seeker resettlement efforts is set to end next month. The city is asking state and federal officials for $700,000 per year to fill the gap.
