FCS Board of Directors Addresses Community

22 Nov FCS Board of Directors Addresses Community

Posted at 21:30h in General News by

For nearly fifty years, Freeport Community Services has enriched lives, connected neighbors, and helped those in need in Freeport and Pownal.

Beginning in January of 2022, eighty families were abruptly placed in two hotels in Freeport as temporary shelter by the City of Portland, the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, and Prosperity Maine. FCS quickly responded by providing food, clothing, cooking essentials, transportation, and connections to resources within the community.

Just as abruptly, in late October we learned that the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program facilitated by Maine State Housing Authority, which was funding the stays at one hotel, had ended. ERA was a temporary rental relief program established during the height of the pandemic with federal funds and was always expected to end.  As a result of the end of such funding, all families housed at the Best Western Hotel were given eviction notices in November.

This past Friday, we learned that ERA funds have been extended for a short period and will cover the cost of the hotel for the month of December. Our State Legislature may have the opportunity to vote on December 7th after being sworn in on an emergency package that could extend housing funds through the month of April. FCS is actively involved in advocating for the safety of these families and for a better solution to the complex issue of homelessness statewide. However, FCS alone cannot solve the wide-ranging impact that the ending of Emergency Rental Assistance will have or the individual crises that will result from it within our community and in our state.

For further details on the history of this issue and how you can help, please continue reading below.

A Need Arose, FCS Responded

When the City of Portland placed the first family at the Casco Bay Inn, we understood that they could need support for up to a year as they searched for and eventually secured housing. As the scope of need that these families had revealed itself along with the lack of existing resources, it became evident that FCS needed to step in to do what we do, to help those in need in Freeport and Pownal. Whether those in need are our neighbors who have lived in Freeport for generations, or someone newly arrived after traveling to the United States for the safety of themselves and their family, FCS has always been here to help without prejudice. Luckily, we have a community of generous and engaged people ready to work alongside us.

FCS was able to support the New Mainers by extending our core services to these new families.  We quickly established a satellite food pantry at the Inn, provided weather appropriate clothing, cooking necessities and transportation, and set up weekly emails to the community that communicated ways to help. We also established a weekly provider meeting amongst those coordinating health care, school enrollment, ELL classes, and more. As we learned of a second hotel, the Best Western, stepping in to address expanding homelessness, it was evident that our efforts would need to double.

The FCS Board of Directors is proud of the incredible work our agency has done and the amazing staff who creatively, enthusiastically, and professionally addressed the needs of those at the hotels. This time last year, our staff was already at capacity, and we were assessing ways to streamline processes and identify efficiencies. When this need arrived on our doorstep, our staff, board of directors, volunteers, and community all gave a resounding, “yes!”

Support From Our Community

We have been very fortunate to have the generous support of our community, and support from other nonprofits, foundations, and local and federal government. We were successful in our grant requests. These funded our work with the New Mainers and we hired a temporary Food and Resource Navigator to work fulltime for one year with the families at the hotels.

Together, we have provided food for over 200 people at the hotels each week. We have ensured that students have the school supplies they need to succeed. Our volunteer drivers have brought families to their medical appointments, grocery shopping, and to catch the bus down to Boston for their immigration hearings. We have purchased winter gear for each person, ensuring they will be safe and warm this season. Our community has contributed funds for bikes and helmets, for monthly YMCA passes, for reflective gear so that people can walk safely on Route 1 in the late afternoon, and so much more.

Recent Developments & Underlying Issues

While the Freeport hotels were always intended as a temporary solution, no one expected things to take such a significant, problematic turn. The funding source for those families at the Best Western hotel, Emergency Rental Assistance, or ERA, ended in November and the families were served eviction notices. Since then, the State has secured an extension of funds to pay for hotel stays though the month of December.

The housing situation for these families remains dire. On December 7th, the legislature may have the opportunity to vote on an emergency package that has the potential to extend funding for shelter by hotel situations into April of 2023.

The heart of the issue is a statewide housing shortage for everyone of modest means, including these New Mainers. New Mainers and others arrived in Freeport hotels because the need in our urban service areas grew beyond their capacity. That so many of those we care about within our community are struggling is indicative of how widespread homelessness is within our state. The solution to this problem is complex and will not be soon resolved.

Seeking A Long-Term Solution

Small communities are simply not equipped to solve this problem. The State of Maine must take a wholistic approach. This will involve the Governor’s office and the state legislature working with the Maine State Housing Authority and private developers. FCS supports and encourages our local, state, and federal government agencies to address this immediate housing crisis as expeditiously as possible.

Freeport Community Services alone cannot solve this emergency. Securing housing is not part of FCS’s core mission or our role as General Assistance Administrator.  As a responsible private nonprofit, we must be here for our community for the long term. That means carefully planning for and monitoring our services, while maintaining our financial health. Because of that diligence alongside the strength and generosity of our community, FCS was able to stretch temporarily during the Pandemic and for several months to meet the needs of New Mainers.

We need to ensure that we are here for the next fifty years to address hunger within our community, to keep the lights on and the furnaces going, to help families celebrate the holiday season, and to provide safe, enriching summer camp experiences for the children of Freeport and Pownal. FCS will continue supporting the basic needs of those at both hotel locations, ensuring families remain fed, warm, and connected until the last person moves out.

We know the heart of our community is huge and that you want to help. FCS is fielding dozens of calls and emails a day. People are concerned about what is happening, they want to help, and they have ideas for solutions. We are so heartened by this outpouring, though at the same time, the sheer volume of calls and emails have been overwhelming.

You Can Be Part of the Solution Right Now

We are sure many of you feel the same deep sadness that we at FCS feel for families facing this crisis. There is a simple, but effective way for everyone to help right now. Help us by advocating for a comprehensive and strategic solution with our elected officials. FCS is working alongside some of the most talented and dedicated partners to ensure that the state hears the magnitude of the issue.

Please add your voice. And know that we will not stop advocating until an adequate solution is in place.  You can help by contacting the following officials and agencies with your concerns and ideas related to this housing crisis:

Maine needs a comprehensive and strategic solution to the crisis of affordable housing. We need our local, state, and federal government agencies to address this immediate housing crisis as expeditiously as possible.

Additionally, please consider volunteering time or making financial donations to several local agencies working hard to combat a number of issues affecting our community – Preble Street Resource Center, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Tedford Shelter, Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC), Catholic Charities of Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), Hope ACTS, Wayside, Oasis Free Clinics, and Freeport Community Services.

And finally, understand that we are doing everything we can to responsibly serve our community.

Signed,

The Freeport Community Services Board of Directors

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