Biddeford clears Water Street homeless encampment

A homeless encampment in Biddeford that at its peak was home to nearly 60 people has been vacated.

The city enacted a plan approved by the city council a month ago to clear out encampments on public property beginning July 8. As part of the plan, the city has partnered with local nonprofit community center Seeds of Hope, which will provide staffed temporary shelter for the unhoused. The plan has also created a new position of unhoused and general assistance supervisor, a role filled by social worker Jake Hammer who was previously on staff on the city’s police department.

On Monday, the plan was underway to clear out a tent encampment on Water Street that has been in existence since late last year in a dirt lot by the Saco River, between the city’s wastewater treatment facility and Mechanics Park, on the edge of downtown.

Hammer, the city’s unhoused and general assistance supervisor, along with a handful of police officers, public works staff and other city employees, was on hand at the encampment as people packed clothing into bags, disassembled tents and prepared to leave. For those who had items that needed safekeeping, the city was offering recycling bins as storage units, which would be kept locked in a school bus at the public works property.

Police Chief JoAnne Fisk said at a 2 p.m. press conference at City Hall that the clearing of the Water Street encampment was “very orderly,” and that the people who had been living there were cooperative.

“There were absolutely no issues,” she said.

Fisk said the city will continue to clear out encampments on public land.

Overnight shelter at Seeds of Hope

On Monday, construction work had just started on renovating the second floor of the former church building that houses Seeds of Hope at 35 South St.

Seeds of Hope Executive Director Vassie Fowler gave a tour of the facility after Monday’s press conference.

She said the community center can currently accommodate about 20 people on the first floor, and has partnered with the neighboring Second Congregational Church to accommodate about 30 more people in a staffed overflow space.  

“We’re not turning anyone away. We’ll figure it out,” she said.

The city has purchased zero-gravity chairs for people to sleep on at Seeds of Hope. Because of city code requirements, the center cannot have beds.

Once renovations are completed at the second floor of Seeds of Hope, the center will be able to accommodate more people overnight. The improvements will also make the second-floor handicap accessible, said Fowler. The first floor is already ADA compliant.

While there is currently only one bathroom at Seeds of Hope, the renovations will add three more bathrooms, two of which will be ADA compliant, as well as additional shower facilities.

“We don’t have all the answers, but we have to start somewhere,” said Fowler. “The conditions at the encampment are inhumane, and no human being should be living there.”

The overnight shelter will be open from 7 p.m.to 7 a.m., said Fowler. A curfew will be established – likely 10 p.m. in the summer and an earlier time as it gets colder, she said. Accommodations will be made for circumstances such as those who work late at night. People who smoke can do so outside in a courtyard, said Fowler. Substance use will not be allowed.

Urine tests, identification and criminal background checks will not be required, and dogs and cats will be allowed.

“Everyone who walks through that door is welcome,” said Fowler.

Seeds of Hope will continue to operate its neighborhood center 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday,

Those who want to stay overnight will be required to register with the city’s General Assistance program which will help the city identify the individual needs of the people staying overnight at the shelter and connect them with services, said Danica Lamontagne, assistant to the city manager.

Mayor Martin Grohman called the plan a coordinated effort to ensure the best outcome. He said the city was committed to ensure the well-being of all its residents.

“I just think it’s not a dignified existence for anyone to be living outside,” said Grohman.

Opposition to the city’s plan

Some of those who are unhoused don’t share the same perspective as city officials who see the shelter as a better option. Some dislike curfews and rules, or fear lack of personal space.

"What do I do? What do you mean? No one wants to wake up at 7 a.m. to go nowhere. That's what you have to do at Seeds (of Hope),” said Catherine, a 58-year-old who was leaving the Water Street encampment on Monday.

Linneah, 25, said she had been homeless since she was seven years old. She lived in a tent on Water Street for about a month.

"They are literally throwing us into the trash. In Lewiston, the police burned down our tents. Where are we supposed to go now? They are ignoring us. We are not being treated like human [expletive] beings,” she said.

Tammy Harvison, who lives a few blocks away from the Water Street encampment, shares some of the concerns of those who are unhoused. She is worried the city’s plan wasn’t well thought out and the shelter will not be able to accommodate the city’s unhoused population. Harvison and her partner, Chris Millard, have provided food, laundry services and other assistance to those in the encampment for the past eight months. She said she will continue to help the city’s unhoused.

Biddeford’s new plan will be initially funded with federal money available from the city’s allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Phase One of the plan, including purchase of zero gravity chairs, operational and staffing costs at the center, and other expenses, was projected to cost $319,000. The second phase is estimated at $788,000.

Late Monday afternoon, an excavation company hired by the city began clearing out the Water Street site, removing all remaining signs of life.

The Water Street property had been abandoned for many years, and the city began moving forward a few years ago to purchase the parcel, stating at a 2022 City Council meeting that it wanted to expand Mechanics Park. The city now owns the property, and the  deed was signed May 29, 2024, according to documents from  the York County Registry of Deeds.

The Water Street property will be used in September as a construction landing zone for a $3 million FEMA funded project to repair a wall along the Saco River, said city officials.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.