The top official at York County’s only emergency nightly-housing supplier issued a blistering defense Sunday, accusing skeptical taxpayers of peddling “misinformation.”
“For weeks, Seeds of Hope has remained quiet while misinformation, assumptions, and personal attacks have circulated,” said executive director Vassie Fowler.
“But when misinformation begins shaping public understanding and influencing city decisions, silence is no longer responsible. Facts matter. The community deserves them. And we are done being quiet.”
Fowler’s defense of the Biddeford low-income services facility, published by BiddefordBuzz.com, comes in the wake of divisive council budget deliberations over funding.
Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, a nonprofit entity, relies on contributions, including from taxpayers.
The center provides such things as meals, overnight accommodations, a warming center and resources assistance.
Fowler said she wanted to make clear that Biddeford taxpayer contributions finance only city residents – nobody else – for the overnight program.
The city is charged $50 per person a night, and only for verified Biddeford residents.
“If someone is not a Biddeford resident, the city does not pay for them,” Fowler said. “Period.”
For those qualifying for welfare, the state reimburses 70 percent of the cost, she reported.
“This results in a cost of $91 per household per year,” Fowler added. “This is the full, transparent math behind the program, not speculation, not rumor, not political spin. Just the numbers.
“For the price of a quarter a day, seniors, disabled adults, veterans, and medically fragile residents have a safe place to sleep instead of being pushed back into encampments, crisis, and preventable harm.”
The director said the center, which receives $480,000 from Biddeford, is not seeking an increased funding this coming year.
The budget has increased from $140,000 in 2018 to currently $1.1 million because it went from a part-time facility to a much more comprehensive agency.
The overnight program operates from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and the neighborhood center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Seeds of Hope also helps connect people with resources and assists with finding housing, Liz Gotthelf, editor of Saco Bay News, reports.
The facility is the only overnight center in York County for the homeless. York County Shelter Programs closed its emergency shelter a year ago, leaving York County without a homeless shelter.
“Seeds of Hope has a proven track record of keeping people safe at night,” city welfare director Jacob Hammer was quoted by Gotthelf.
Hammer said if it were to close, it would put a lot of burden on city services, and there would be an increase of encampments and related public health concerns.
Well said!