NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! Get the mayor and city councilors to staff it, then!
#PortlandME #WarmingShelter closed last night, tonight due to staffing issue
Maine's Total Coverage reached out to the city Sunday, but got no answer
Updated: 8:28 PM EST Dec 28, 2025
PORTLAND, Maine — "A warming shelter in Portland is closed for a second night Sunday cafter someone from the shelter said staffing shortages caused a closure last night.
"According to the 2025 winter warming plan, the city opens the warming shelter when the low temperature drops below 15 degrees, or there is more than 10 inches of snow accumulation. Last night, low temperatures in Portland dipped into the single digits.
" 'I know a few good people who are out there and they don't have anywhere to go because they lost their housing,' said Julie Geistert, a resident.
"The warming shelter on Riverside Street has a 60-person capacity and is often activated during the winter season. Maine's Total Coverage reached out to the city Sunday, but got no answer. When a call was placed to the shelter, a person told us a 'staffing issue' led to the closure last night. When we stopped by the shelter, we were told it would also be closed Sunday night, but were told to contact the director. We did not hear back.
" 'I think there's just too many people trying to get into those places, there's just such a problem right now, and so much of the problems they're facing are just freezing,' Geistert said."
#Maine #MaineNews #Unhoused #Homeless #HomelessShelter #MainePol #HousingForAll #MaineMall #EmptyOfficeBuildings