A Biddeford homeless overnight shelter, enmeshed in a budget battle with city councilors, announced Friday it’s opening a second facility.
Seeds of Hope said it is assuming operation of York County Family Shelter in Sanford, according to Biddeford Buzz.com.
Beyond a canned press release containing fawning accolades for the York shelter’s years in operation, Seeds of Hope officials offered no information to help the public understand how it intends to finance the new facility, especially in the face of its own budget hassles.
The announced expansion of the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center comes as center officials catch flack from taxpayers over its yearly budget request.
Center executive director Vassie Fowler last week lashed out at critics she claimed were peddling “misinformation and personal attacks” amid her pleas for continued public funding.
Yet Fowler failed to disclose in her response at the time that she was planning to expand operations.
Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, a nonprofit entity, relies on contributions, including from taxpayers for its $1.1 million annual spending program.
The center provides such things as meals, overnight accommodations, a warming center and resources assistance.
The facility is the only overnight center in York County for the homeless.
York County Shelter Programs closed its emergency Alfred shelter a year ago, leaving York County without a homeless shelter.
York’s board of directors cited “significant and growing financial limitations” when it shut down and laid off 20 workers.
It wasn’t immediately clear Friday how the Biddeford center can finance the York operation if York officials couldn’t make it work.
York officials said last year they no longer had enough financial support to maintain the $5 million annual operating budget.
They said they often were forced to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond funding from the state’s taxpayers.
The board said even with grants from private donors, it was getting harder in recent years to break even.
“They said they often were forced to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond funding from the state’s taxpayers.” I have been a Maine tax payer for the last 55 years and I do not recall ever being asked to pay to run a flop house for New England’s druggies.
Build it and they will come.
Give it away and they will stay.
There’s a reason it’s illegal to feed the bears in national parks.
The progressives are getting to eat what they sowed. Enjoy.