Several hundred people being sheltered in South Portland motels could be allowed to stay for another year, under a plan before the city council tomorrow.
As of last week, 367 unhoused people, including asylum seekers, were staying at six motels in South Portland, which face a Friday deadline to stop serving as de facto emergency shelters.
The proposal calls for moving all of those people to the Howard Johnson hotel, which is already housing around 200 asylum seekers.
MaineHousing would cover the cost, using emergency shelter funding approved by the legislature earlier this year. The state would also reimburse the city for any General Assistance benefits provided to the hotel residents, up to a cap of $65,000, and for unpaid ambulance calls to the hotel.
Catholic Charities would be contracted to provide support services, replicating a similar partnership at a hotel in Saco also housing several hundred asylum seekers.
The arrangement would last through June 30th, 2024. The plan explicitly states that no further extension will be granted.
Dozens of asylum seeker families currently living at the Howard Johnson had been granted a one-month extension, and face eviction by the end of July.
