WATERVILLE — Interim City Manager Cornell Knight told the City Council on Tuesday that Waterville’s Impact Task Force is continuing its work, bringing together 12 city employees, business owners and residents to address local challenges.
The task force has been meeting since April to identify gaps in services for homeless people and recommend solutions.
“The (homelessness) problem is getting worse,” Knight said. “Last year before winter, we had an estimated 27 unhoused persons. This year, the police figure it is about 43.”
The task force has studied models from other communities. Its Housing First program emphasizes providing stable housing for chronically homeless people before addressing other challenges they face.
MaineHousing runs a program called Home for Good, which is expected to release its next round of funding in January.
At the task force’s last meeting, staff members from Preble Street, a Portland group aiding homeless youth, gave a presentation. The organization operates three buildings with 85 units and offers in‑house social services. More than 150 people are on its waiting list. The program is run through Avesta Housing, which relies on vouchers and requires tenants to contribute 30 percent of their income toward costs.
The task force is considering an application for the Home for Good program on the recommendation of Katie Spencer White, president and CEO of Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services. The proposed shelter would be located at 8 Highwood St.
“The program relies on vouchers, and, at the same time, funding for vouchers is being reduced,” Knight said. “It’s really a problem.”
White said she will evaluate options over the next month.
The task force’s next steps include determining backup provisions for when the warming center reaches capacity, exploring transportation service options and expanding work with landlords. Members will also collaborate with the city of Augusta, and some staff members have already attended Waterville’s meetings.
They are “inviting county staff to meetings because this is a regional problem and we need more housing options,” Knight said.
Councilor Flavia DeBrito, D‑Ward 2, who serves on the task force, raised concerns about General Assistance funds. She said Waterville is not complying with Title 22 of the Maine Revised Statutes, which requires municipalities to provide emergency aid — including food, shelter and medical assistance — to eligible residents.
“We are seeing a lot of people who qualify for (General Assistance), especially with housing,” DeBrito said. “We do have allocated funds for transitional housing and essential needs, but it seems like people are getting denied.”
DeBrito said that over the past month, she has received numerous calls about residents being denied General Assistance funding. She said “GA is not really meeting the people where they are.”
She cited the case of a homeless family with three children who sought General Assistance but were denied. The family was granted two additional nights in a hotel after DeBrito intervened.
Knight quickly interjected that the claim was inaccurate, saying the city is meeting needs under the law. He said General Assistance is allocated based on application, not entitlement, and has a maximum set annually by state auditors. Knight stressed that Waterville has been in compliance with application requirements for more than 35 years.
Councilor Spencer Krigbaum, D-Ward 5, said he agreed that claims should be verified before discussing the possibility of awarding more General Assistance. He cautioned that unless there was real evidence the city was being “overly stingy” with its allocations, treating it that way was the wrong approach.
Council Chair Rebecca Green, D-Ward 4, attempted to steer the discussion back to the task force report, saying General Assistance issues were not within the task force’s jurisdiction and should be handled by the appropriate city office.
Turning to the broader issue of homelessness, she asked, “What are some of the things we can do as a city to mitigate this problem, especially with the coming winter?”
There was heated disagreement over whether General Assistance should be a focus of the task force.
“(General Assistance) and public assistance are what really hold the community together and help it thrive,” DeBrito said. “That is part of the task force — to look at Waterville as a whole and how we are going to help Waterville thrive.”
Mayor Michael Morris and Green pushed back, with Morris noting that the task force’s stated goals included addressing issues, such as housing vouchers and paramedicine, not General Assistance funds.
“When we first put this together, the focus was on exploring risk-share models, encouraging public-private relationships to remove barriers for tenants, promoting constructive community behavior and fostering community partnerships and civic engagement,” Green said.
“What’s being discovered is what a complex problem housing is, and there is a lot of education that needs to go on.”
Councilor Brandon Gilley, D-Ward 1, sought to rein in the contentious discussion, reminding the council that “people need help, and we are in a position to help them. Let’s do what we can to accomplish that goal, and then we can go from there.”
As winter conditions grow harsher, resource allocation for the homeless population is expected to become even more dire.
The task force aims to find a sustainable solution to the growing crisis, but continues to struggle with defining the exact problems it needs to address.
