USM, Preble Street team up to open Portland homeless shelter during crisis

Courtesy / University of Southern Maine The USM Sullivan Gymnasium, a recreation complex that includes three basketball courts among other facilities, is being converted into a temporary 50-bed shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

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By Staff

As the coronavirus outbreak aggravates the problem of homelessness in the state, the University of Southern Maine is partnering with Portland-based human services agency Preble Street to create a temporary shelter for people in need.

Preble Street will operate the 50-bed “wellness center” inside Sullivan Gymnasium on USM's Portland campus, with assistance from the Maine State Housing Authority and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, according to a news release Friday.

The 24-hour-a-day center is scheduled to open “as soon as possible" in the gym at 66 Falmouth St. The center will house both men and women experiencing homelessness, and will conform with social distancing guidelines from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

USM said the center is expected to operate as long as the distancing requirements are in place or until the university, which closed public access March 25, reopens.

The unusual partnership is a response to the special challenges the pandemic poses for people who are homeless.

“Because we’re extremely concerned about the potentially devastating effects of the COVID-19 public health crisis on people who are the most vulnerable — homeless and immunocompromised — we're grateful to be working with the University of Southern Maine, the state of Maine, and MaineHousing on an immediate and concerted response to meet their needs,” said Mark Swann, Preble Street’s executive director.

"While countless messages implore us to stay home, hundreds of people served by Preble Street don't have a home. Our job, our mission has always been to make sure they are fed, sheltered, and safe. None of that changes, even when a virus is spreading across the nation.”

MaineHousing is providing a grant to fund some of the center’s costs, and DHHS will be conducting health screenings prior to entry. In addition, both state agencies will contribute supplies, and the USM food service contractor, Sodexo, will provide meals.

The creation of the Sullivan Wellness Center comes after the University of Maine System last week agreed to let the Maine Emergency Management Agency use UMaine facilities, services and staff to respond to the public health crisis.

“USM stands ready to assist DHHS, Maine Housing Authority and community members in the city of Portland by providing Sullivan gym as a temporary shelter for individuals who are experiencing homelessness,” said Nancy Griffin, USM’s chief operations officer.

“We know that this vulnerable population needs assistance and as a community partner we are here to do our part.”