By a narrow margin, the Portland City Council on Monday night rejected a proposal to expand capacity at the city’s Homeless Services Center.
It was the second time the council has voted on the measure, which would have declared a temporary state of emergency and added 50 more beds to the shelter.
The measure, which was first rejected two weeks ago, lost on a 4-4 tie vote, with one councilor absent.
Councilor Regina Phillips asked that the panel reconsider it Monday, because she believes the situation has evolved.
“There’s been a different message. And the number of folks that have gone to … the Homeless Services Center has increased. And I’m confident that if we give this another couple of weeks, the number will increase even more,” Phillips said.
City officials said that nine people from Portland’s largest tent encampment on Marginal Way have accepted shelter beds within the last week. The Maine Department of Transportation also announced that it will clear that encampment on Nov. 1.
City Councilor Anna Trevorrow said the need for more capacity has not gone away.
“I definitely believe that we need to expand capacity, but, you know, I feel like we have one large institution. Expanding capacity from here really needs to be done in sort of a smaller shelter model, where we can really address those barriers that we’re hearing,” Trevorrow said.
The city is now exploring whether privately run shelters around Portland can expand capacity at their own sites through an incentive program.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.