Goodman said the governor's office would not speculate on the potential use of the National Guard. "However, any potential application for funding for the Unity proposal, if funding were to become available, would be considered by MaineHousing, rather than the governor's office."
"We consider all ideas to address the urgent issue of homelessness, and we appreciate the effort by partners to propose options for housing and shelter," Goodman said. "While this would be a complex undertaking that would require, among other things, local community buy-in, involvement and support, we welcome the opportunity to work with you, your staff, GPCOG and local, regional and community partners," it says.īen Goodman, a spokesperson for Mills, said in an email Friday that the governor is reviewing the letter and the GPCOG proposal. The influx has left local officials desperate for long-term housing and shelter solutions. The letter was already being drafted before Wednesday's protest, Grondin said, and comes as Portland has seen more than 1,540 asylum seekers arrive in the city since Jan. so it can honor commitments for events scheduled at the Expo this fall. The request follows a protest that asylum seekers staying at the Portland Expo held on Wednesday, calling on the city and state to come up with long-term solutions for where they will go after the city closes the shelter on Aug. Snyder did not respond to voicemail messages or an email seeking to talk about the letter.
West was not available for an interview about the request Friday afternoon, city spokesperson Jessica Grondin said. As is the potential use of the National Guard, and what deploying those service members could look like. The likelihood of the GPCOG proposal getting approval and funding is unclear. "If Unity College cannot be used, we ask you to call up the National Guard to stand up and operate an emergency shelter for asylum seekers," it states. "We believe the GPCOG Unity College proposal offers near-immediate transitional housing for asylum seekers already here in Maine, and we ask for your support," the letter reads. When the school underwent a rebranding during the pandemic and transitioned to more distance learning, many of its facilities in Unity were left largely unused. Janet Mills dated Thursday, Portland Mayor Kate Snyder and City Manager Danielle West asked Mills to support the proposal from the Greater Portland Council of Governments to house as many as 600 asylum seekers at the rural Waldo County campus of Unity College, which recently changed its name to Unity Environmental University.
30-Portland officials are asking the state to support a proposal to house asylum seekers on a college campus in Unity or call in the National Guard to set up a new emergency shelter.
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