Bangor city councilors made a decision on the last of 60 applications from local organizations seeking a piece of the more than $20 million in pandemic relief funding the city received more than two years ago.
Councilors voted 5-2 on Wednesday to fully fund the Bangor Health Equity Alliance’s request for about $694,700 to establish a resource center at the organization’s location at 304 Hancock St. The center will serve individuals most affected by substance use disorder, homelessness and mental health disorders.
Having voted on the last of the original 60 applications raises the question of what will happen to the remaining American Rescue Plan Act money. Prior to Wednesday’s awards, the city had about $4.8 million left, which must be earmarked by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by the end of 2027.
After the United Way reviewed and ranked the 60 funding applications the city received earlier this year, councilors spent the summer combing through and making decisions on the requests. This arduous process all came about two years after the city received a $20.8 million lump sum from the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, and the city still has some money left over.
With the remaining unallocated funding, councilors could choose to revisit applications from local organizations that the city chose not to fund, put the money toward city needs like installing public bathrooms, or something else.
Councilors haven’t yet decided what their next steps with the funding will be.
The Bangor Health Equity Alliance’s resource center will be open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the hope of later expanding evening hours, and will serve as a safe place where people, especially those who are unhoused or actively using substances, can go during the day.
The location will be staffed by licensed and certified alcohol and drug counselors, peer recovery coaches, and a harm reduction specialist and manager, according to the nonprofit’s application. Those professionals can work with patrons to build connections and trust with the goal of connecting people to housing, mental health and substance use treatment and other opportunities.
The resource center’s services will include testing for HIV and Hepatitis C, Hepatitis A vaccinations, overdose prevention education, access to harm reduction supplies and transitional counseling with an emphasis on people who are homeless, struggling with mental health and actively using substances.
The Health Equity Alliance hopes to begin welcoming people into the center within 90 days of receiving funding from the city, especially as the weather continues to get colder, according to the organization’s application.
Councilors Jonathan Sprague and Rick Fournier voted against the award on Wednesday, as they were unsure whether the center would be sustainable or effective after the first year. Sprague said he’s uncomfortable with the center being a quasi-medical center that’s expensive to keep afloat.
“We have a $1 million program, questionable funding, a limited number of people who could be served and a lack of coordination with other outreach workers in the community,” Sprague said. “This is a feel-good project but I think it’s pouring several thousand dollars worth of gas into a fire we haven’t been able to otherwise adequately address. I don’t believe it’s going to show sustainable results.”
Councilors also unanimously decided to devote $400,000 in COVID-19 relief funding to buy two new city sidewalk snow plows on Wednesday.
The new plows will add to the city’s fleet of five machines, which have a tendency to break down if they hit sidewalk barriers or debris, City Manager Debbie Laurie said. The new plows will hopefully allow public works to clear city sidewalks quickly after significant snowfall, even if some of the existing plows are out of order.
