In his annual state of the city address Monday night, Portland Mayor Mark Dion called on legislators to secure more state funding to help Maine's largest city tackle homelessness.
Portland provided shelter beds to 2,000 people last year, Dion said. And on average, more than 600 people are staying in Portland's three shelters each night, he added.
"Frankly, we are doing more than any other community in the state to meet that issue," Dion said. "We are running out of runway to meet the demand. We are running out of space. Our staff is stretched too thin. And we cannot expect our taxpayers to continue to shoulder the financial burden involved in providing these services, when half of the unhoused come from outside the city."
Dion urged state lawmakers representing Portland to "press its influence in Augusta" and bring more services and resources to the city. The issue of homelessness, he said, should be seen as a state issue.
Portland has continued to add to its housing stock. In 2024, the city approved funding that will create more than 300 new units of housing with affordability restrictions, as well as additional 439 housing units.
But Portland still needs to build more. And Dion asked the council to review Portland's inclusionary zoning rules, known as the Green New Deal, which require developers to set aside roughly 10% of units within a project for affordable housing, or pay a fee.
Public safety, Dion said, is another top concern. The mayor said he's heard from residents who believe Portland isn't as safe as it used to be. And Dion said he believes adding more police officers will help.
"Our police department, while understaffed, is doing the best they can with the resources it has," he said. "But the nature of crime has changed, the incidence of gun involved crimes has escalated and become almost routine."
Dion asked state lawmakers to sponsor legislation that would allow Portland to create its own law enforcement training academy, so new recruits do not have to wait for open seats at the state police academy. He says a municipal police training academy would accelerate the timeline for adding new officers to the field.
