Biddeford to Begin Clearing Homeless Encampments Following Consequential SCOTUS Ruling

Biddeford is taking action to clear homeless encampments throughout the city following an influential U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision allowing cities to outlaw homeless camps.

[RELATED: New Hampshire’s Largest City Enacts Ban on Homeless Camps in Response to SCOTUS Ruling…]

“All Biddeford residents deserve the opportunity to be indoors and safe. Living in an encampment is not a dignified or healthy existence for anyone. I am pleased that the City Council has supported a new approach to services in order to set the bar where Biddeford is a city where people live inside,” said Biddeford Mayor Martin Grohman (I).

The city’s new approach to homelessness also includes the establishment of temporary overnight shelters for homeless people.

The new shelter openings are located at the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, a Christian organization dedicated to aiding the community, and the city’s Second Congregational Church, with 60 spaces available.

Although the city claimed that the housing will be temporary, it did not specify how long homeless people will be allowed to live in the shelters.

Interestingly, anyone seeking to stay in the shelters will be required to fill out an application form so that the city can verify the residency of those seeking taxpayer-funded assistance.

It is unclear, however, if the town will refuse to provide services funded by Biddeford taxes to people who are not residents of the town.

After the existing encampments are cleared from city land, all future attempts to establish encampments will be illegal, and any homeless people attempting to pitch tents will be stopped, and directed towards a shelter.

Although the clearing only began after the SCOTUS ruling on encampments, the city’s new approach to shelters was passed before the decision.

[RELATED: American Cities Can Ban Homeless Encampments, Says SCOTUS…]

Amid a growing homelessness problem, Maine and other New England states have begun to take a harsher approach to the problem.

The largest city in New Hampshire, Manchester, began clearing homeless encampments in direct response to the SCOTUS decision, and Portland began dealing with its catastrophic homelessness problem under the direction of Mayor Mark Dion (D).

In 2023, Portland had 400 homeless tents, but currently only 30 remain pitched in public.