Presque Isle will open a new warming center to meet growing needs

Homeless people in Aroostook County will soon have a larger place to endure cold nights.

Aroostook Homeless Services will open a new warming area at 160 Airport Drive in Presque Isle on Friday, November 1, in a building next to the Sister Mary O’Donnell Animal Shelter.

The county’s only homeless shelter purchased a nearby building in 2023. In addition to administrative offices and two family rooms, the facility now has a room for homeless people to eat and a safe place to sleep. This is a significant improvement over using the dining room floor in the main home and will serve nearly twice as many people, said Kari Bradstreet, executive director of Homeless Services of Aroostook.

“Last year we used the dining area with mats, blankets and pillows and served eight to 10 people [a night]said Bradstreet. “Now we have 15 beds available, and I think the need is even greater this year.”

Last year, the temporary warming agreement served 90 individuals from November to April, Bradstreet said. This means that during this time, 90 different people entered the warming site for one or more nights.

The Sister Mary O’Donnell Homeless Shelter has 28 family beds and 21 Aroostook Bridge Low Barrier Program beds. There are also 8 family beds at 160 Airport Drive. But this time of year, that’s not enough, Bradstreet said.

The new warming center will help, and she is grateful for a $135,000 Maine State Housing Authority grant that will keep the space open for the season.

The Presque Isle center is one of 12 centers across the state that have received a share of more than $2 million from MaineHousing specifically for area warming.

The money comes from a state emergency housing fund approved by Gov. Janet Mills and lawmakers for the third time this year, MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan said when the funding was announced Sept. 9.

The largest prize, $279,693, went to Lewiston-based Kaydenz Kitchen, which has capacity for 90 people per night. Three Bangor facilities received funding to serve a total of 93 people: Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, $30,000; Brick Church: $40,540 and Mansion Church: $60,000.

Other shelters benefiting include Augusta Emergency Overnight Warming Center, Commonspace in Bath, Healthy Acadia in Ellsworth, Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter in Waterville, New Beginnings in Lewiston, Seeds of Hope in Biddeford and Tedford in Brunswick.

Presque Isle first offered a warming center in December 2022. Funding ran out for a program that allowed the shelter to house its overflow of people in local hotels, which would have left about 70 people in the lurch, Bradstreet said. So local lawmakers and stakeholders suggested a warming shelter.

They chose the Sister Mary O’Donnell building because of its sprinkler system, which is required where people sleep, she said. From January to April 2023, 81 people used the room.

The warming center is funded through April, but Bradstreet is already planning for the future. In addition to seeking another MaineHousing grant to fund the facility through October 2026, she is also working on an idea to give homeless people more stability.

“Homelessness is very complicated. If you’re homeless, nine times out of 10 you don’t have a driver’s license or birth certificate,” Bradstreet said. “In order to apply for subsidized housing, you have to have it. If you are temporary, how do you do it?”

Bradstreet wants to install locked mailboxes where people can receive mail, with USB ports for charging devices, keeping in touch with family or seeking health or employment help. The next step is to find financing.

The new warming center will be open from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. It will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, Bradstreet said.

The area has cots and a selection of blankets and pillows, as well as a bathroom and a kitchenette. Those staying there also have access to laundry facilities. Staff and volunteers plan to have food available at night and offer portable breakfast items such as granola bars, fruit and yogurt in the morning.

Community members are already coming together to help deal with the winter influx, she said. A group is hosting a drive for granola bars and similar items, and Mi’kmaq Farms in Caribou has donated local produce that has been processed and frozen for later use.

“We have a great community. They were phenomenal,” Bradstreet said. “If we say [our needs] We have what we need within hours on social media.”

For more information, visit Homeless Services of Aroostook on Facebook.