Augusta residents will have an opportunity later this month to voice their concerns over the city’s homelessness problems and hear what city officials want to do to fix the problem.
The Community Forum on Homelessness will be held at 7:00 p.m. on May 28 at the Augusta City Hall’s Lecture Hall directly after the routine city council meeting.
“This forum is intended to provide residents with an opportunity to learn more about homelessness in Augusta, hear about the work currently being done by the city and community partners, discuss future plans, address community concerns, and participate in an open community conversation,” said the announcement notice.
The event will feature a panel discussion including Augusta Police Chief Kevin Lully, Kennebec County District Attorney Meghan Maloney, Community Response Specialist Dawn Kearns, and Community Services Director Earl Kingsbury.
Mayor Mark O’Brien will moderate the discussion.
The city is encouraging residents and business owners to attend.
The city’s homeless problem was highlighted during a council meeting last month when Augusta’s library director explained the severity of the drug use and homelessness issue plaguing the library, though she attempted to downplay the problem.
“I might have somebody smoking in the men’s room, or passed out, or abusing drugs in the library, and that’s not something we can manage well with volunteers and less staff,” she said.
Augusta has ALWAYS been a disappointment .
The red headed stepchild of Maine cities .
Until republicans can regain control of this place it will continue to flounder.
Democrats ruin everything they touch and they’ve done exactly that to Augusta .
It is sadly infested by thousands of state employees who survive at the pleasure of the party .
They all vote together to maintain the status quo . They won’t bite the hand that feeds them .
Plus or minus 45 years of not taking care of our mentally ill population in institutions gives us this……
It is way more profitable for all the nonprofits to have all these folks homeless. follow the money. This is big business, democrats will never solve this because they do not want to any more than the war on poverty, war on drugs etc