From: Dennis Ferrante
This is happening daily all around 55 Portland Street. Please refer to pictures on the following pages.
Rachel Minkovitz
Hi Portland Planning Board,
I’m a Portland resident and I’m emailing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application to turn the 5 Portland Street facility into a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Unhoused people deserve a place to be safe and they deserve care, and during the winter, they’re especially vulnerable.
Please approve this application.
Best, Rachel Minkovitz Rachel Minkovitz
Hi Portland Planning Board,
I’m a Portland resident and I’m emailing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application to turn the 5 Portland Street facility into a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Unhoused people deserve a place to be safe and they deserve care, and during the winter, they’re especially vulnerable.
Please approve this application.
Best, Rachel Minkovitz Riley McNeil
I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. With so many people sleeping outside during a public health emergency and as winter approaches, this initiative is desperately needed. Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. Please do not leave people out in the cold.
Best,
Riley McNeil Susan Payne
To the Planning Board:
As we head into winter, it is imperative that we provide adequate shelter to our most vulnerable residents. I urge you to work with Preble Street Resource Center to approve additional shelter space ASAP.
Thank you for your consideration,
Talya Davis George Street Portland Tim Stokes
Hi. This year has been very trying. I commute 30+ miles to work at a restaurant on Preble Street since rent in Portland has become unsustainable. The restaurant I have worked at for the past 3 years has always been close to everything at the shelter; many of the employees are regulars and in non-covid times, we provided a temporary pitstop for the more well mannered of the homeless population - especially in cold times.
This year, we can’t do that. And because of lack of action by the city, neither can the completely willing staff of Preble Street resource center. This past week alone multiple unsheltered people came into the restaurant disheveled and and messed up, one of them was maskless refusing to leave and harassing customers. Many of these people struggle with addiction, and without a place to reliably go at the end of the day they are more likely to use, becoming harmful to both themselves and others, such as our staff and our customers.
This is your responsibility. Though converting the resource center to a 24/7 shelter for 40 people does not solve this problem, it is a starting point; it is a point of relief for both the homeless population and all of the businesses between marginal way and monument square - that is a lot of places, a lot of people.
Most importantly it provides humane conditions for a few of Portland’s homeless and restores important jobs to people who fervently desire to do their work helping these people who struggle.
This is a much bigger issue, one with an ugly history in Portland. Open Preble Street as a 24/7 Wellness Shelter, then open another one.
Tim Stokes Acacia Wakefield
To whom it may concern, Hello there! I’m messaging you asking for you to please allow the wellness shelter to be built. We need this kind of care for our homeless population in Portland. Especially as so many people are navigating these terribly difficult times. You can judge a place based on how they treat the most vulnerable members of their society. Thank you for your consideration! Best regards, Acacia Alex Fernandes
Hello,
I am writing you today to ask you to please approve the application to convert the Preble Street Resource center into a 24/7 wellness shelter as the people of Portland Maine are asking. This will house and support 40 people. Have you ever known what it's like to be out in the cold with inadequate clothing for 1 hour? 2? How about sleeping out there? This will really help someone feel like they matter, and that the world doesn't have to be cruel all the time. Thank you so much.
-Al Anne Pringle
FYI. Just forwarding a report published today on SeeClickFix:
Description
Excessive trash in front of 55 Portland St. left by the people handing out there. The owner committed to keeping it clean but it usually looks this way lately. Please find a way to keep them in compliance. Daniel Rosenheck
Hello,
I am a resident of Portland, and I believe that providing a shelter at 5 Portland street would greatly benefit the Portland homeless community and the community at large. Getting people off the streets and into a safe space will help us grow as a community.
I hope the vote is yes on Shelter at the old Resource Center.
Thanks, Daniel Danielle Dellaquila
I wanted to take a moment to say that I support the new shelter on Preble St. What a wonderful and well needed resource it would be for the city of Portland. Hank you for all the efforts that people are fighting to see this project through.
Sincerely, Danielle Dellaquila 75 Cumberland Ave Portland, ME Dear Mayor Kate Snyder,
I am writing with grave concerns about our neighborhood dealing with the Loitering and illegal activities at 55 Portland Street and the repercussions that are affecting my neighborhood are untenable. Over the past two weeks there has been an increase of individuals hanging out and around the area of 55 Portland Street, using drugs, fighting, camping and littering 24/7. The compounded daily influx of people doing unlawful activities and hanging around all day and night is cause for stress and anxiety. I assume a lot of these individuals have issues of substance use and mental disorders, they're loud and disorderly. I live and run my two businesses out of my residents about a block away, on a one way street and in order for my clients and guest to get to me they need to go through that area. Needless to say, driving through and seeing this activity gives them pause. I could only imagine what the neighboring residents and business must be going through in that area. A couple of weeks ago I did call Preble Street Resource Center and talked with Andrew Bove about my concerns for making 55 Portland Street a food drop-off. I told him I was concerned the location was a bad decision considering (COVID-19) the tight space and the proximity to residents and business and my fear that 55 Portland Street would turn into a hang out center attracting bad actors. Mr. Bove informed me they would do a better job picking up and supervising the area and that people shouldn’t be hanging around the building, but this didn’t happen, and a couple of weeks after our conversation 55 Portland Street is a danger zone. My request to you is to please ride by 55 Portland Street, if you have not already and see the chaos and unlawful behavior (I attached photos). I would think PCRC could find a better place to distribute food. I hope they will see the need to discontinue their food drop at 55 Portland Street and move it to a more suitable location that wouldn’t adversely impact a neighborhood. Perhaps Marginal Way parking lot, or somewheres on the Back Cove walking trails would be more suitable. I know over the summer individuals were setting up camp in front of City Hall and they were eventually dismantled, I would only expect 55 Portland Street to have the same consideration. I hope you can do everything within your power to make this right. Please see attached photos. I thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Dennis Ferrante
Sent from my iPad Eleanor Prior
-- The Rev. Canon Eleanor N. Prior She/Her/Hers Canon Pastor, The Cathedral Church of St. Luke 143 State Street Portland, Maine 04101 (207) 772-5434, x 22 http://www.stlukesportland.org/ [email protected] Please note that I am generally in the office Monday - Thursday. Faith Tourigny
I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. With so many people sleeping outside during a public health emergency and as winter approaches, this initiative is desperately needed. Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. Please do not leave people out in the cold.
Faith Tourigny Gretchen Greenberg
Member of the planning board I expect you have received many comments regarding the wellness shelter sponsored by Preble Street.
There are mixed opinions. I am far from an expert on homelessness and cannot imagine the day to day difficulties of those who are homeless.
The model certainly seems like a good one, with some exceptions. The fact that people can house their belongings and work with a caseworker is positive. The fact that it is 24-7 is a disruption to the neighborhood. The number of individuals seems high given there is already a shelter in that area. Is a preponderance of homeless shelters and services in one area the best model? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know and have empathy for people who live in Bayside who unfortunately experience crime and property damage.
I also strongly believe that Portland should not have to shoulder the burden of housing and caring for all homeless, particularly when many individuals are from out of state and out of town. I wish that Preble sought another facility in another town for its mission. However, the use of their current building is logical given that it is already owned.
Housing a reduced number of individuals, like 25, seems like a compromise. I trust you will do what is best for all of Portland.
Gretchen Greenberg 165 Delaware Court Portland, ME 04103 Hilda Taylor
I read with interest the recent ar cle in the Bang or Daily News regarding the City's intent to revisit Preble Street's plans for a new shelter at 5 Portland Street. Mark Swann's comment, above, is so ridiculously laughable that I was dumbfounded when I saw it.
The constant police presence required because Preble Street refuses to take responsibility for the ac ons of their clients once they step out the door most certainly costs the city money. The repeated visits from the fire department and EMT's are likewise expensive. The increased crime in the neighborhood that affects both residents and the homeless has economic and societal impacts. My neighbor's apartment was recently broken into and she's too afraid to stay here un l B ARS can be put on the windows. While she was here yesterday picking up some things, we heard what sounded like fireworks coming from Portland Street. But it could've been gun shots and we just had to shrug it off as the new normal. There were several people already camped out in front of 55 Portland Street (the site of Preble Street's new offices and ???) at the me who , if they weren't the source of the sound, were probably somewhat ra led a t the prospect of sleeping out while bullets are flying. Preble Street may be delivering food regularly but, judging by the amount that's le rejected on the streets, it's a symbolic gesture, at best, of their "caring."
I don't doubt that Preble Street has lined up public and private financing for this new venture-they're very good at that. But when it comes to las ng and meaningful r esults and accountability, Preble Street comes up short. I understand that the collapse of the Joyce House proposal was not the city's fault but I urge you to con nue t o seek solu ons tha t will spread people out-not just socially by 6' but geographically throughout the area. I'm concerned that this is the first men on I'v e seen of the possibility of the new Riverton shelter plan falling through and I'd be very interested to hear what "Plan B" is.
Sincerely,
Hilda Taylor 17 Hanover Street, Resident owner since 8/1/1994 (207)761-9651
Isobel Curtis
My name is Isobel Curtis and I currently live on Montreal Street in Portland. I deeply care about those currently experiencing homelessness In Portland and I believe all humans deserve to have thier basic needs met.
I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. With so many people sleeping outside during a public health emergency and as winter approaches, this initiative is DESPERATELY needed.
Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. Please do not leave people out in the cold. We can all do our part to care for our others during these trying times.
Thanks you in advance for taking action.
Sincerely, Isobel Curtis Jim Hall
I am disappointed that you didn’t address the direct question I asked during public comment tonight.
Here it is in written form:
How will the applicant actively mitigate the real and measurable human impacts of choosing to congregate those least able to manage their own behaviors at operations that are embedded directly in a residential neighborhood?
It seems that the board has already decided to fast track approval of this application, but I would appreciate a direct answer to this question from the applicant before you rush to approve.
Thank you, Jim Hall Cedar St
Jim Hall
In case I wasn’t clear below about the legal ramifications, this is directly relevant whether the applicant meets general conditional use requirement #3:
The design and operation of the proposed use, including but not limited to (… some explicated examples… ) will not have a substantially greater effect/impact on surrounding properties than those associated with surrounding uses or other allowable uses in the zone.
Portland’s police chief pointed out that we know there WILL be new impacts on surrounding properties. We also know that security patrols are one thing that is effective at mitigating neighborhood impacts from Oxford Street (which is likely seen as a “surrounding use” even though this shelter is illegally zoned). In order to legally meet general conditional use, the applicant must provide a similar mitigating effort.
Thanks for your consideration, Jim Hall Josh Radford
My name is josh and while I don’t live in Portland city limits I feel it is important for the planning board to approve the Preble Street application to provide housing assistance to those who are struggling. Maine winters are hard enough to deal with in the best of circumstances and it is our duty as good humans to provide assistance where needed to those less fortunate. Do the right thing and help people who need it. Approve the Preble Street application. Regards, Josh Karen Wentworth
Good Evening,
I am writing to urge you to approve Preble Street's conditional use application. I am a resident/property owner in Bayside (24 Hanover St) and I don't want to see my neighbors and members of my community sleeping outdoors this winter. Please allow Preble Street to provide this important service that our city desperately needs.
Thank you, Kelley Sigovich Leah Champagne
Hello,
I’m writing to ask you to please approve Preble Street’s application to convert the former resource center into a shelter. I can’t imagine spending even one night out on the street in the freezing cold and feel that our neighbors in need deserve this shelter and that their lives may even depend on it.
Sincerely, Leah Champagne Liza Moore
To whom this concerns,
I hope you will approve the plan to open the Preble St day shelter for overnight accommodations.
Thanks,
Liza Moore Freeport ME Martha Petersen
As a Portland resident, I have seen the difficulties that many in our community face - those without a home or place to sleep, especially as the cold winter approaches (actually, arrived last night, in ice and snow and cold). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are even fewer spaces for those in need.
I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. This initiative is desperately needed, and I support the efforts of Preble Street to meet this need. Portland is a stronger city when the welfare of all is a priority, especially this year.
Please do not leave people out in the cold.
Martha D. Petersen
42 Highland Street Portland, ME 04103 Dec 8, 2020, 11:52:17 AM (3 days Morgana Warner-Evans Dear Planning Board, My name is Morgana and I live in Parkside. I work with formerly homeless people at a local mental health agency. I ask you to approve Preble Street's emergency shelter proposal. Having a safe, warm place to sleep is necessary for people's mental and physical health. The city must act quickly to make sure nobody is left outside this winter. Preble Street has experience working with unhoused people and is well positioned to serve their needs. Please listen to their proposed solutions and approve their application. Thanks, Morgana Warner-Evans 84 Park Ave #2 Sarah Lynn Green Good Afternoon, I am writing to ask the board to approve the Preble Street application. Thank you for your time, Sarah Green 18 Casco St. Portland, Maine Bonnie Amadei I own 91 Forest Ave in Portland Maine and strongly disagree with the approval for an Emergency Shelter. Is the city of Portland blind to what Bayside is dealing with every day! I kick the homeless off my property none stop, along with picking up used needles in my parking lot. I had to call the police 3 times this summer. One time was for homeless people constantly urinating on my front porch that made the entire property smell like pee. It became so bad one of my tenants moved out causing me financial issues. Stop allowing Bayside to the city's dumping ground for the homeless. It's time for another neighborhood to get a homeless shelter and spread the joy. Help....us property owners and tenants by voting NO on another shelter in Bayside. Thanks, Bonnie Amadei Britney McCollem Hello, My name is Britney McCollem (44 Deering St Portland 04101) and I’m writing to you to demand that you support the Preble Street application for a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. It’s truly shameful that it hasn’t been approved already. In the last three weeks alone at least 4 unhoused folks have died in the freezing temperatures. Please take action in favor of our community!! Britney Fw: 5 Portland Street renovation application Assign… Subscribe 1 view Dec 15, 2020, 11:54:25 AM (13 days [email protected] ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "[email protected]" Dear Planning Board members: We are writing as residents of neighboring city, Westbrook, and members of First Parish UU, Portland. We have both spent many years working in Portland, supporting Portland businesses and social services, and some years living within the city. As neighbors we are proud of the many accomplishments of Portland over the more than 50 years we have lived in the Greater Portland area. Recently, we have been grateful for your generous response to people arriving unexpectedly seeking asylum. We attended the planning board zoom meeting last week and heard a few voices expressing concern about the effect on the Bayside neighborhood. From our perspective, it is hard to see this opportunity as other than a win-win for the residents of Portland. Having 40 people currently on the streets able to sleep and go to the bathroom in a safe and supported environment can only be a positive situation for all. As such, we strongly urge you to expedite this application and allow Preble Street to move quickly amid rising Covid-19 concerns and winter weather already here. Sincerely, Cliff and Jane Hoover FRIENDS OF DEERING OAKS PO BOX 10416 Portland, ME 04104 To Portland Planning Board Re Proposed Emergency Homeless Shelter - 5 Portland Street December 28, 2020 As the Board knows from our prior comment (October 15, 2020), Deering Oaks has experienced serious issues arising from the decision by Preble Street to shut down services long-offered at 5 Portland Street, now the proposed site of a 40 bed “Wellness Shelter”. While we oppose the proposed “emergency shelter” in that location, for the reasons stated, it appears that the Board may be disposed to grant conditional approval to this proposal. Based on our prior comments on impacts experienced in Deering Oaks and also those cited by Bayside and Valley Street residents (regarding Florence House), we strongly suggest the following: ~Conditional Approval should be granted for no more than a two-year period (as was done in 2007 for temporary shelter for women) to allow time to evaluate: how well the Management Plan is implemented, what impacts have emerged in Deering Oaks and other locations and perhaps not adequately addressed by Preble Street, and how well the targeted population is being served; ~Preble Street is targeting an especially vulnerable segment of the homeless population: those living outside and with serious medical and mental health/addiction issues. This population should not just be “prioritized”; the shelter should be limited to accommodating only those most in need, so beds are available to them and not already assigned to other homeless individuals. This limitation should be a condition and monitored to assure that the represented purpose of the “Wellness Shelter” is fulfilled ; ~Toward this end, in addition to the categories to be monitored (Section XI of the Management Plan), outcome measures of progress toward recovery should be established and monitored (e.g. creation of a Wellness Action Plan, progress toward recovery from addiction, appoint-ments made and kept with counselors and psychiatrists, regular use of prescribed medications, etc.); ~Daily trash removal by Preble Street (Section VII the Management Plan) should extend down to Deering Oaks and include the “Edwards Lot” to where people migrated last summer and where they go to eat food delivered. It is common practice for the Board to evaluate impacts beyond the immediate project area (e.g. traffic impacts, stormwater impacts) and to condition approval on mitigation of predictable impacts. It should not be the City’s responsibility to clean up after a Preble Street service and Deering Oaks should not be degraded by trash, as it was last summer ; ~Preble Street has apparently long required clients to sign a “Service Agreement” (Exhibit 5 of the Management Plan). The existing Agreement is inadequate should be expanded to include the client’s active engagement in developing a “Wellness Action Plan” and observing the expectations/rules of use of public space (parks, open spaces, and sidewalks): no smoking, no littering, no drug use, etc.). Like any other park user, Preble Street clients must be held accountable for their behaviors, criminal and civil, both in the shelter and in public spaces; ~Since clients will be free to come and go and as concern has been raised that the shelter space cannot comfortably accommodate 40 socially-distanced people during the day (Laura Underkuffler comment, 12/5/20), we are concerned that clients will leave and congregate in Deering Oaks as they did last summer. We urge that the Management Plan require Preble Street staff to reach out to shelter clients during the day to assure that they are not engaging in illegal or unhealthy activity in Deering Oaks or other public spaces. The targeted clients will not improve their lives unless they are actively supported in overcoming patterns that have affected their existing life status and that are harder to overcome in a location that has long permitted them. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of these constructive suggestions. Anne Pringle, President Friends of Deering Oaks [email protected] Dear Planning Board, I am writing to ask you to please approve the Preble Street shelter application so that the unhoused members of our community have a place to stay this winter and beyond. In these difficult times we must do everything we can to help one another, especially those most vulnerable. I believe the shelter is a step in the right direction therefore I ask for your help in this matter. Thank you and kind regards, Monika Ryder Bennell To whom it may concern, Please approve the Preble St application to allow a permanent use shelter location. As the temperatures drop and the pandemic continues to spread it is essential that we provide resources to our neighbors experiencing houselessness. Thank you for your consideration, Ryder Bennell Preble Street Application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views sadie o Good afternoon, My name is Sadie Ouillette and I am a resident and taxpayer here in Portland, Maine. I am writing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application for a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. 64 unhoused people died in 2020. 2 people froze to death, if not more. Others died of chronic health conditions, suicide, overdose, and other preventable causes. With your approval, the wellness shelter will offer crucial, life-saving services. Something as simple as a warm place to stay could have prevented at least 2 deaths. Portlanders, both housed and unhoused, deserve dignity, respect, and care. If you agree, you must approve Preble Street's application. Thank you for your time, Sadie Ouillette Samara Yandell Dear Portland Planning Board members, I am writing to express my support for the conversion of the Preble St day use facility into a 24 hour shelter designed using the successful model of the Sullivan Gym summer shelter. Our homeless neighbors have been devastated by the pandemic and loss of services. With the extreme cold weather and recent deaths of several unhoused men and women, it is extremely important to move quickly on this approval. I live in downtown Portland and understand that some people in the area might not approve of this change. I’d like to remind the planning board of the importance of providing safely and human dignity over concerns focused on real estate development and property values. Many thanks for all you do for the city, Samara Yandell 51 Monument St Sarah Lawrie, CMT Hello, I’m writing to advocate for a permanent, 24/7 wellness shelter to open ASAP for our unhoused neighbors. Please approve this. Thank you. Your neighbor, Sarah Lawrie 17 Deering St. Sasha Saedan Hello, my name is Sasha Saedan and i am writing this email in support of Preble Streets 24/7 wellness shelter. Unhoused folks in portland face unimaginable hardships, especially during the Maine winter and the government needs to take action to support these people of Portland. Thank you, Sasha Saedan Savannah Perico Good morning, I wanted to take a moment today to reach out expressing the support of the implementation of a permanent 24/7 Wellness Shelter. As a resident of Southern Maine in two towns over the last few years with consistent commute through Portland, I have seen the unhoused crisis that our neighbors face. I believe it is crucial for these individuals whether they are on their own, accompanied by a partner or family members should have access to care, meals, housing, and other amenities that they deserve. The winter as we know here in Maine persists despite our wishes for it not to. I simply cannot imagine not having access to a place to go during a snowstorm, during the freezing cold temperatures, and even on a perfectly "good" day. It does not make sense to me how this can be denied. It hurts me deeply to know that people who aspire to have comfortability, accessibility and opportunity just like myself do not have it. I am using this passion towards this topic to call to action. Please highly consider the structure needed for the unhoused population in Portland and approve Preble Street's application - this community desperately needs it. Thank you for your time, Savannah Perico Spencer Lupo To whom it may concern, Please approve the opening of a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at Preble St Portland. Let’s put the building to good use! After everything people have endured this year the least of their worries should be finding a warm place to sleep! Making the world a little brighter starts here and now! Please approve the Preble Street application! Best Spencer Lupo A concerned community member Suzanne Balbo Dear Planning Board Members, Please support the application for the Preble Street 24/7 Wellness Center. It is imperative to keep people housed and warm this winter. Thank you, Suzanne Suzanne Balbo Zero Waste Maine [email protected] [email protected] www.zerowasteme.org Tony Lawless Good morning, I am writing to ask that you approve the Preble Street housing application for the permanent, specialized 24/7 wellness shelter. Kind regards, Tony Lawless [email protected] Hello, I’m writing in support of Preble Street’s application for the permanent, specialized wellness shelter. This year was one of the deadliest for the unhoused community in the city, and the winter has barely begun. No one should have to sleep outside throughout the winter when other options could be made available. Thank you, Aisha Simon Alex Richards To whom it may concern, While you’re reading this email on this chilly day, presumably in your heated office or home office, id urge you to stop and think why a 24/7 wellness center needs this much consideration? I would think it’s a no brainier. These individuals that are homeless are being denied a chance to get back on their feet with help from social workers, caseworkers as well as the rest of the staff tat would be at the center, you hear constant complaining via social media about the homeless “town” in Portland, those people who are being denied BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS, this would literally be a step in the right direction to get rid of the homeless “towns” people have the audacity to call “eyesores”. Here is your chance to change things and above all, do the right thing. Be the ones who bring something good out of this not so great year of 2020 that we have all had to traverse together. Thank you for reading, Happy new year, Make the right decision, -Alex R. Alex Richards, Career Advisor Workforce Solutions 190 Lancaster St, Suite 200 Portland, ME 04101 Mobile: 207-747-8690 Alexandra Doudera Hi Planning Board, My name is Alexandra Doudera and I am a resident of Portland and am writing to you today to urge you to approve the conditional use application for Preble Street to open a permanent, specialized, 24/7 Wellness Shelter. It is critical that we take care of our unhoused population here in Portland, now more than ever, and this is an important step to do so. Please reach out for follow up if you would like. Thank you, Alexandra Doudera Alexandra Doudera Saltwater Classroom Founder & Executive Director saltwaterclassroom.com Alexandra Harris Dear Planning Board, My name is Ali Harris. I live at 87 Vesper St. in Portland. I believe we need more places for our homeless neighbors to stay this winter. Please approve the Preble Street Emergency Shelter application and help prevent more people from waking up with frostbite this winter. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Ali Harris (802)793-4502 Amy McPheeters I’m writing to advocate for a permanent, 24/7 wellness shelter to open ASAP for our unhoused neighbors. Please approve this measure in care a solidarity for our neighbors who are unhoused. Thank you. Your neighbor, Amy McPheeters Andrea Levinsky Dear Planning Board, Please approve the Preble Street application for the Wellness Shelter! This is an extremely important resource to help people in our community. With this shelter, people can not only get their basic needs met but also be able to get themselves back on their feet and therefore no longer rely on city services. As a reminder, the building is owned by Preble Street, zoned to allow for emergency shelter, and sheltered 75 people regularly for many years when Preble Street donated this facility to the City of Portland as its overflow space for the Oxford Street Shelter. Please allow Preble Street to continue to do what they do best! Thank you, Andrea .-- Andrea Levinsky Pronouns: She/her/hers 207 838 9267 Anna Badalament To whom this may concern, I am a resident of 174 Ridge Rd in Portland, ME. I am writing to urge the planning board to support the Preble Street application regarding the 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Everyone deserves a safe, warm place to sleep at night. And in a pandemic, there is an even greater need to support one of our most vulnerable population groups. Preble Street is a crucial institution in Portland and I ask that the planning board do what is necessary to advance their mission. Have a happy new year, Anna Badalament -- Anna Badalament [email protected] (508) 395-3139 Arthur Kaufman I would like to urge you to consider approving the application for the 24/7 Wellness Center Shelter on Preble Street to house homeless people during this winter. I am sure that it can be utilized safely during the pandemic to assure that nobody dies from the cold this year. Thank you. Arthur Kaufman Becky Brosnan Planning Board members, I am saddened to know that so many people in Portland are sleeping out in the cold. It is extremely dangerous and unacceptable. I recognize that Covid-19 has made everything more difficult, and that shelters cannot be operated as usual this winter. Please accept Preble Street's application to open a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. It will surely save lives. Thank you, Becky Brosnan Camille Lachesnez-Heude Good morning! My name is Camille Lachesnez-Heude. I live at 1 Walker Street, Portland, ME 04102. I believe we need more places for our homeless neighbors to stay this winter. Please approve the Preble Street application and help prevent more people from waking up with frostbite this winter. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Camille Carrie Ryba PLEASE approve the Preble St application for a permanent shelter! We need to provide housing to those who cannot provide their own... until they can. Thank you, Carrie A concerned community member, parent, and mental health advocate Christina Perazio To Whom it May Concern, This email is a request for you to approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 wellness shelter. We must find a way to safely provide shelter for ALL residents. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Christina Perazio DuBois, Christopher M To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to you today in the fervent hope that you APPROVE the Preble Street conditional use application to open a for a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter for the Unhoused & At-Risk Communities. It is heartbreaking walking to work every day & seeing sleeping bags, cardboard bedding, & discarded clothing items frozen over, knowing that there are spaces trying to gain approval to help those in need. PLEASE APPROVE this much-needed resource for those who have been suffering since this pandemic took off! Respectfully, C. DuBois Preble Street Shelter Application Assigned… Subscribe 0 views Deanna Burrell To Whom it May Concern: Please approve the application to open a permanent shelter. It is cruel and inhumane to leave our fellow man out in the cold while protecting landlords' right to price gouge. Let's take care of Portlanders. Thank you. [email protected] Dear Planning Board Members: Please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Now is the time to do what needs to be done to help our homeless population. Thank you. Deb Wray Edith Tierney Hello, I am writing to ask that you approve the Preble Street application. This is a rough year for everyone but when the cold of this winter really hits it is inhumane to expect people to sleep outside. Thank you for your time, Edith Tierney Ella Sevy To the City of Portland Planning Board, As a resident of Portland, I urge you to approve Preble Street's application to create a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. As you know, Maine's weather can be brutal, especially in the winter. No one should have to sleep outside ever, but especially in freezing temperatures. Portland is letting its people down by allowing anyone to suffer on the street when there are solutions at hand. Preble Street's proposed shelter would be a big help for those who need somewhere to go. Thank you for your consideration, Ella Sevy Elisabeth Lovin Hello, I have lived in Portland for five years. I have lived in Chicago, Taipei and New York city. The fact that I see the same frequency of unhoused people clearly sleeping outside here as I did in those larger cities is very confusing to me. It doesn't square with what I sense Portland to be--a compassionate, progressive little city. Every night when I take my dog out for a quick pre-bed walk, I feel the temperature and think of the unhoused people in my community who can't go back inside to a warm house, and it feels beyond unconscionable that we can't open some doors for people to sleep in warmth and safety through the winter. Please approve the Preble Street application. Thank you. -- Elly Lovin Movement,Yoga and Dance Education Teaching Artist, Maine Arts Commission 207.303.5210 Emily Connelly Hello, I am writing in support of Preble Street’s conditional use application for the permanent and specialized 24/7 wellness center. This year with an out of control pandemic has been extremely difficult for so many, and we know there is an ever growing need for support for people experiencing homelessness. Preble Street provides much needed support already, and helping them expand to provide 24/7 care for 75 additional people would help keep more people safe, getting any help they need, and out of the cold. Thank you for your consideration. I hope you decide to help those who need us most and approve Preble Street’s application. Emily Connelly Portland resident Emily Wolf I'm writing as a Maine resident to show my support for approval of the Preble Street 24/7 Wellness Shelter application to open a permanent specialized shelter. It breaks my heart to see people in Maine sleeping outside at any time but especially in winter. We need to take care of the most vulnerable citizens of our community. I can't believe how many people we have lost this year due to homelessness. Again this is heartbreaking. Please approve this shelter. Thank you, Emily Wolf West Forks, Maine Emma Cost To whom it may concern, I am tired of seeing so many unhoused neighbors in Portland sleeping outside. No one deserves to freeze to death. I urge you to please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. We need to take care of each other. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Emma Cost Resident of Portland Emma K. Hello, I am writing to implore you approve the Preble Street Application for a Wellness Shelter to aid in the housing of unsheltered individuals. We are all people together in this world and all deserve shelter- food- warmth and compassion. Best, Emma Steinbach, She/Her/Hers Georgia Gibbs I am writing to ask you to support the new 24 hour shelter on Preble street. The state of homelessness in Portland Maine is horrific, the proposed shelter could help many individuals gain access to possibly life saving services. Thank you, Georgia Gibbs. [email protected] Dear esteemed planning board members, I am writing today to implore you to approve Preble Streets application for a permanent wellness shelter that will be open all day and all night for those who are in most need of services. As a community- we can only be measured by how we care for the most in need in our community. By approving Preble streets request the Planning board would be making it possible for Preble street to do what they do best and help others. Preble street is a very high functioning non profit organization that does amazing work with a marginalized population that many service providers actively avoid. I am grateful for the mission and vision of Preble street and I do hope they are permitted to do what they do best by the planning board approving the application. Thank you for your time and service. -Gloria Aponte Clarke Munjoy Street. Gloria Driessnack Dear Portland Planning Board, I am writing again to ask you to approve Preble Street's application to create a new 24/7 Wellness shelter for 40 people, with additional caseworker support to foster sustainable outcomes (i.e. linking individuals to permanent housing). This new shelter with supportive services will come at NO cost to the City. Based on the latest ESAC numbers (Nov 2020), the City had an average of 401 individuals residing in shelters per night. This does not include another 282 individuals who were assisted by GA and given temporary emergency shelter at hotels during the month of Nov. In addition, the City has seen a significant drop in the number of individuals they were able to link with permanent housing this year - between March to Nov 2020 the Oxford Street Shelter has placed 55 individuals in housing compared to 136 in the same time period for 2019. No doubt this is in part due to the pandemic as the City has been stretched thin providing services. But this is even more reason to grant Preble Street their application. Preble Street is offering the City, again at no cost, to be an additional resource in not only sheltering 40 individuals but also providing critical housing assistance. Thank you and hope you are keeping well during these times. gloria sclar 25 Sandy Terrace Portland, ME 04102 Haley Plante Hello - I am writing to urge the planning board to approve the permanent use of the current emergency use facility as a wellness center. This type of facility is long overdue in Portland and will provide consistent and compassionate care for Portland residents that need support. As a former resident of the West End and continuing resident of Portland, it is heart wrenching to think that so many will have to endure the cold of another winter outside. Please approve this application so that these folks can be treated with the care and respect every Portland resident and person deserves. Thank you, Haley Plante Ingrid van Duivenbode I’m writing you in hope that you will carefully listen to the plans that Prebble street has to open a 24/7 wellness center. After a successful experiment this summer, there is great hope and willingness to open a new permanent wellness center. As a city we can’t allow so many people to be out in the cold. Basic needs need to be met for a person to make any plans for a path forward. Without shelter and food these people are forever stuck in just survival mode. If we can offer them food and a safe shelter, then we can start working with them on the next steps to find housing/ jobs etc. This would be a path forward for all involved, not just spinning around in the same circle. Please vote in favor of this shelter plan asap. Sincerely -- Ingrid van Duivenbode, Freeport Jacob Markowitz Good morning, I'm writing this email to show my support to approve the Prebble Street Wellness Shelter. Right now more than ever, Portland needs to continue to look out for and support its most vulnerable populations. I am a resident and public school teacher in Portland and want to continue to see our city do the right thing when it comes to our homeless population. Thank you, Jacob Markowitz Jaimee Lambert To Whom It May Concern, I am writing today to ask the board to please approve the Preble Street application. This is a building owned by Preble Street and already zoned to allow for emergency shelter. It is a proven resource, having sheltered 75 people regularly for many years when used by the City of Portland as overflow space. This resource is essential, especially as we move into the coldest time of year. Thank you for your time, Jaimee Lambert 15 Libby Street -- Jaimee Lambert she/her/hers 207-212-4197 [email protected] Please approve the Preble Street Application to offer more housing for our homeless Maine residents. Thank you, Jennifer Thomas Preble Street Conditional Use Application Assign… Subscribe 0 views Julia To Whom It May Concern, I am emailing to voice my support of the Preble Street Application and to urge its approval. There are too many people in Portland that are left without a home in this uncertain time, where we face some of the most brutal conditions of the year on-top of being in the midst of a global pandemic. Preble street provides and reliable support system for those in need, and now more than ever, people are looking for safe, warm spaces. A permanent wellness shelter would give a large portion of Portlanders the sense of security and safety they need, 24/7. Thank you for your consideration, Julia Dearden Karen Buldier If there is ANY way that we can help those in need, that are sleeping outside, let’s! Let’s show them some kindness, please approve the Preble Street Application Karen Buldier Kate Berry To whom it may concern, I am writing to ask that you please approve the application for Preble Street. There are so many who could benefit from it. These cold winter months are hard enough without the constant threat of not having a warm place to sleep and a helping hand. Best, Kate Berry Kathleen Nash To Whom It May Concern: Please approve the conditional use application for the Preble Street Wellness Shelter. These people need a safe and warm place to stay. Do the right thing for everyone and approve the application! Sincerely, Kathleen Nash North Berwick, ME Katie McNally Hi there, My name is Katie McNally and I live on Greenleaf Street in East Bayside. I'm writing to ask you to approve Preble Street's application to open a permanent 24/7 shelter. This year sees a record amount of homelessness here in town and as we all know, Portland was in a housing crisis to begin with. Providing shelter, food, and other essential services to our unhoused citizens is the most effective use of our resources in terms of getting them off the street and turning their lives around. Please make the responsible, efficient, and just decision and allow this shelter to be opened. Thank you! -Katie Katie Weiler Hello - I am writing as a concerned member of the community about approving the preble street application for shelter. We should be a city that has space to keep our more vulnerable populations safe. Thank you Katie Kelley Spy Hello and happy holidays! Please allow Preble Street to provide the care that people desperately need this winter. Best, Kelley Leah Ciffolillo To whom it may concern, Thank you for your time. I am writing to convey the importance that your next hearing prioritize and approve the application from Preble Street for the Wellness Shelter. Homelessness can be deadly, especially during the winter in Maine. As a social worker, I’ve seen the positive effects of the temporary wellness shelter and hope that you will enable Preble Street to continue these efforts long term. Many of my clients’ lives depend on it. Best, Leah Ciffolillo UNE Master of Social Work ‘21 Leanne Galligan To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to urge you to please vote in favor of of Preble Street's conditional use application---no one could argue in good conscience that there is not a dire need for their services at this time, particularly when there have already been reports of unhoused Portlanders freezing to death this year. It is absolutely imperative that the city do everything in its power (including approving this application) to assist its most vulnerable citizens. The fact that so many have been outside living in the park for the better part of this year is astonishingly callous and cruel. Please allow Preble Street to continue their vital services of providing support, shelter, and dignity to Portlanders in need by approving their application. Thank you. elizabeth kovarsky Please approve Preble Street’s application for our unhoused neighbors to have 24/7 shelter. It shouldn’t be a hard choice, we all deserve shelter. Best, Maine resident, Liz Kovarsky Lore Burbank Dear members of the planning board, I urge you to vote in favor of the Preble Street conditional use application. Our homeless citizens in the city of Portland and surrounding areas need this facility. Thank you for reading and please vote yes. Sincerely Loretta H. Burbank Preble St 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Dec 29, 2020, 4:56:28 lynn bachelder Hello, I would like to write to offer my unconditional support for the use of a 24/7 Wellness shelter to help fill the needs of our in housed citizens. Portland needs to do better than allowing folks to sleep outside and not have access to basic hygiene and services. Thank you, Lynn Bachelder Makenna Barley > > Hello, > > I am writing to support and advocate for the approval of the Preble Street application, in order to house homeless in our city. > > Thank you! > Makenna Barley Marcello Santomenna Hello, I am writing to advocate for the approval of the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent shelter. I believe both in the urgency of the homelessness crisis in the midst of a pandemic and the kindness and professionalism of the Preble Street staff. Thanks, Marcello Santomenna, 17 Comment on Preble Street conditional use application Assi… Subscribe 0 views Maureen Wissman Hello, I'm writing to share my support for Preble Street's application for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Our unhoused community needs this, and I ask that you vote to approve it. Sincerely, Maureen Wissman 36 Vesper St Portland 10:22 AM (3 hours ago) Meg Reilly Hello, My name is Meg Reilly and I live in the West End. I’m writing to express my support for your approval of Preble Street’s conditional use application so the city of Portland can be proud of keeping its residents warm and alive this winter. Thank you, Meg Mercedes Lake Hi there! I’m a Portland Mainer of two years, and I implore you to move forward with Preble Street’s application for the 24/7 wellness shelter. It’s necessary to the integrity of the city of Portland and to the capacity for human kindness. Thank you, Mercedes Lake Molly Garson Hello, Please consider approving Preble Street Resource Center's conditional use application for a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. It is critical that we care for our unhoused community members by having a wellness shelter available. Thank you, Molly Garson Biddeford, ME Nina Earley Dear Planning Board, I was just driving through town (Congress and Franklin streets, I live in the India street neighborhood), and it’s clear that our unhoused neighbors need extra help, especially this year, and especially when it’s cold outside. Please approve the Preble Street application. A permanent 24/7 wellness shelter would go a long way to help those who need a little extra help (now and in the future). There are many needs that go beyond a safe and warm place to sleep, especially in the winter, and I don’t see any real reason not to support those organizations willing and able to do this difficult work in our community. I want to live in a community that supports all its members, and I sincerely hope that Portland is one of those communities. Thank you, Nina Earley Noa Shems Hi there, I am writing to ask you to approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at the public hearing on Tuesday, Jan 5. Thank you, Noa Shems, Portland Approve the Preble Street application Assigne… Subscribe 0 views Olivia Leary Hello, my name is Olivia Leary and I feel very strongly that the city opens a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter for the houseless people in our community. With even colder winter nights approaching, it is completely negligent to ignore this entire population of people who still deserve basic human rights. If this shelter is not opened soon, more homeless people will die this winter due to the elements, and I really hope this ~fact~ will stir empathy in your heart. I did some research and I found an article in the Press Herald that reads, "More than 60 homeless people died in Portland in 2020, a dramatic increase from previous years, according to Preble Street." I have volunteered at 2 different locations with houseless populations and all I can say is that I have a lot more psychiatric problems in common with them than I probably have with you. The only difference between myself and the houseless people is that I had a support system of people to keep me from being "street homeless" and I had access to all the mental health services I've needed to reach this place of recovery in my life. I am lucky, and they are not. Please remember that you probably have more in common with homeless people than you do with the wealthy elite. We are all the same, in this together, and the residents of this town know there are funds available. How are you choosing to prioritize those funds? Green energy and developing the city is important, but there are literally people dying on your watch, and there will be even more if this shelter is not authorized. This was a harsh e-mail, but I did use to be homeless and live out of cars, and my heart aches for every person I see on the sidewalk sitting with purple hands. I am extremely poor at this time and I can't keep spending my personal money on hand warmers.... 12:06 AM (yesterday) Parker Beckom To whom it may concern, I ask that you please approve the Preble Street application and help our neighbors who are homeless, before winter gets worse. Our neighbors deserve safety and shelter and care, like everyone else, during this incredibly difficult time. Please show your support and approve this application, and show that Portland cares about all of its residents. Sincerely, Parker Beckom Patrick Jones Hi, My name is Patrick Jones. I live at 7 Sherman St, Portland, ME 04101. I believe we need more places for our homeless neighbors to stay this winter. Please approve the preble street application and help prevent more people from waking up with frostbite. Thank you for considering. Sincerely, Patrick Jones Peter Allen Dear Portland Planning Board members, Does anyone in the City of Portland know more than Mark Swann about the homeless popula on and how to best serve them? The clear answer is no, and therefore you/we should trust that Preble Street's proposal for a Wellness Shelter is in the best interest of all Portland residents. Please vote to pass this cri cally needed proposal. Thank you, Phil Coupe Rebecca Hello- Please open the Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St. permanently. I went for a walk today in this beautiful 38 degrees. I was glad to come home to a warm space. I can’t imagine not having that very basic comfort. People don’t belong on the streets, especially in these brutal wintry months, while navigating life through COVID-19. Rebecca Cohen This is my third appeal to the Planning Board about this issue. I am not a professional homelessness advocate nor a Portland citizen with any more power than my own single voice. Nonetheless, I believe this is a matter of human decency, so I've have stepped up to come to you, repeatedly, to convey my simple message: Please, please approve Preble Street's conditional use application for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. So many people have faced so many hardships this year - deaths of loved ones, personal illness and job loss among them. For many of those hardships, there has been little to nothing the community can do to help them, other than stand by them and advocate for them as they wait out the pandemic. Preble Street's application provides you, the Planning Board, the great power to do something at this harrowing time. Approval will make a tremendous difference to those amongst us suffering most immediately. Whatever potential future disadvantages approval may hold for the rest of us - the fortunately housed - those potentialities carry less of a moral impact than the benefits they would provide those currently less fortunate than ourselves. I am using what power I have to help them, financial as well as vocal. Please use the greater power that you possess to do what you have the privilege to do. Please do the right, humane thing. Thank you. Rebecca L. Cohen Mitigation Investigator 50 Gray Street #2 Portland, Maine 04102 (678) 361-6773 [email protected] reid urban Please allow this wellness shelter at Preble to get the go ahead. These folks know what they are doing and it is in such a right geography. People can access all the services they need and are near hospitals for medical care. This is right action .Don't drag your feet when this is so needed and so ready. Act now. Sincerely, Rev Mait Honan CITY OF PORTLAND PLANNING BOARD Brandon Mazer, Chair Maggie Stanley, Vice Chair Marpheen Chann Sean Dundon Bob Dunfey David Silk Austin Smith Planning Board Members Please accept my testimonial for the approval of the conditional use variance to be given to Preble Street Resource Center for the renovation of 5 Portland Street into a 24 hour shelter for Portland’s highest risk citizens. Individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty are neither choices nor aspirations. They are the result of systemic failures, misfortunes, and mistakes. Many of our fellow citizens here in Portland are not so far away from similar catastrophe. These individuals are seeking help, relief, and security. The staff at Preble Street Resource Center(PSRC) are people, individuals with compassion and skills, seeking to provide a human to human exchange/response/effort with people in dire life circumstances – essentially a response and relief where there is no other to be found. PSRC is a nonprofit organization established to expressly assist people experiencing homelessness, housing, hunger and poverty issues. It advocates for solutions to these problems. The request by Preble Street Resource Center is one part of the solution to these problems. PSRC is a state and nationally recognized organization for its sound business operation (20+ years), approach to the contemporary issues (Asylum seekers, COVID), successful and speedy implementation of new/alternative solutions, and highly dedicated and competent professional staff. 1. PSRC request is responding to a pressing city need – homelessness, poverty and food insecurity. 2. PSRC is offering a partial solution to one of the City of Portland continuing and pressing concerns. 3. The requested variance is consistent with historical uses of the facility – both by PSRC and City of Portland (overflow overnight shelter facility). The variance request will allow an improved facility (clean and secure) with 24 hour oversight by an experienced and qualified staff. 4. PSRC has the history, expertise and recognition by the state and federal agencies/authorities to manage such a facility. 5. PSRC is proposing an immediate solution to a crisis that cannot wait any longer – Winter has arrived. I strongly urge the Planning Board to approve the conditional use variance requested by Preble Street Resource Center. Our fellow citizens are hurting and in need. Their only “crime” is they do not have the choices many others have. Preble Street Resource Center is offering to help them in their need. What a human thing to do! Thank you for your consideration. Rick Bertaska Concerned citizens employed in the Neighborhood Resident of Peaks Island Ricki Avant I would urge you to support Preble St Wellness Shelter in every way possible... Ricki Avant, LCSW,LADC Dear Members of Portland’s Planning Board: As you grapple with how best to serve the homeless of our citizen-family, I offer you the thoughts and words of two of Western Civilization’s greatest minds regarding those less fortunate than ourselves. One a poet, the other a scientist. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, arguably the best drama ever written, Lear, a narcissist with overwhelming power, falls from power, and soon finds himself cast out at night upon a heath during a raging storm, exposed to the elements as he had never before been. Lear’s own experience of homelessness jolts him to awareness of how as a ruler he had neglected the needs of those who experienced such dire circumstances on a daily basis. The king has fallen from power to abject destitution, but in Shakespeare’s moral calculus, he rises from callous indifference to compassionate concern, from an inability to see the weak to deep regret over his former blindness. Speaking to power structure everywhere, Lear urges it to “see the houseless,” to “expose thyself to feel what wretches feel ...and [thereby] show the heavens more just.” Charles Darwin is, politically speaking, probably the most consequential of scientists. From his time on down to today, those who serve only the rich and powerful, use Social Darwinism to argue that those with wealth and comfort deserve both since, according to nature, they are the fittest. Darwin rejected such reasoning as bad science and argued that “to neglect the weak and helpless” would gain only a temporary benefit while creating “an overwhelming present evil.” Shakespeare and Darwin, two of our greatest thinkers, urged compassion and concern for the homeless, the vulnerable, the ones most in need. I believe they offer a fitting cultural context as you decide how to respond to the homeless members of our citizen- family here in Portland. Sincerely, Robert M. Schaible, Professor Emeritus Arts and Humanities University of Southern Maine 27 Birchvale Dr. Portland Rosemary Santoro I am writing as a housed member of our community that you please approve the Preble St. application. Warmth and shelter is a human right. Please use your positions to keep people safe during this year of great uncertainty — too much damage has already been done, it should not be left to continue harm.Thank you for using your power to keep people safe, warm, and housed during this cold winter. Rosemary Santoro Portland, Maine resident Fwd: Preble Street shelter application Assigne… Subscribe 0 views Ryan Swanzey To members of the Planning Board: Please approve the Preble Street application to turn a previous temporary houselessness shelter into a permanent 24/7 wellness center. Houselessness is a complicated, multisymptomatic crisis that, at its core, is a direct result of the continued insistence in this society that the very most basic of human needs must be commodified, so that an increasingly small share of the population may enjoy even more disposable income and lifestyle than they otherwise would. Houselessness is ultimately a moral failure of those who tolerate it, who blame the houseless for their predicament, or both. Portland has a special responsibility to unmet basic human need as the economic engine of the state of Maine, with citizens who enjoy a lower unemployment rate and a higher median income than those who live in other parts of the state. Portland would be wise to avoid walking farther down the road of gentrification and lifestyle in spite of obvious unmet human need and unresolved societal ill. Look no further to the continued civil disobedience in major metropolitan areas on the west coast, such as Portland and Seattle, to see what lies ahead in the medium term for cities that fail to adequately address unmet basic need. In Portland, a city I visited during election season, businesses’ windows are boarded up with plywood, and tourism and the city’s reputation have together decreased (in part due to covid, and in part due to the intersectionality of social crises manifesting itself in the streets). Other angry residents have initiated violence against city efforts to address these crises in a haphazard, “too little too late” fashion. Dozens of the more than 100 semipermanent public toilets have been defaced and made inoperable, with a handful of citizens even calling in death threats to homeless advocates for daring to attempt to provide basic services. Houseless individuals living in makeshift communities have been subject to controversial “sweeps” this winter. This is in spite of CDC guidance to avoid dispersing houseless individuals for, if nothing else, Covid mitigation and basic service access. Portland, Maine, is not building a city from scratch, and it has its fair share of intersectional problems associated with unmet basic human need, the commodification of basic human need, and gentrification and ever increasing cost of living as the backdrop to such issues. But it still has opportunity to make serious progress before an outright toxic and dangerous local political climate arises, before good faith efforts to address issues become untenable and before Portland damages its critically important reputation as a safe, family-friendly tourist destination where all human life is valued, even if a given human life is unable to secure safe and stable housing on his or her own, in the short or the long term. Approving this application is another step in the right direction and in the best economic and humanitarian interests of the city and state. Ryan Swanzey Monmouth, ME Sabrina Warner I hope that you will agree to creating a Wellness Center at the Preble Street location. Shelter at this time of year and assistance anytime of year is crucial to those who, currently, cannot provide for themselves. Thank you, Sabrina Warner North Yarmouth, ME sadie allgood To whom it may concern on the Portland Planning Board, Good afternoon, my name is Sadie Allgood and I am a citizen of Portland who resides at 28 Dow St. I am asking you to please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. I beg you to make this application approval your priority as multiple unhoused people of this city have already died from freezing temperatures this winter. This should be on your conscience since you have the power to stop these deaths. No one should be forced to sleep outside in these temperatures. No one. You have an opportunity to do the right thing here and the citizens of this beautiful city are watching to make sure you do. Thank you for your consideration and time. Sadie Allgood Sam Cook Please approve the Preble Street application. The winters we have in Maine are too cold and rough for any person to have to sleep in. Please approve the application and give them somewhere safe and warm to go.-- Thank you, Sam Cook He/Him/His Preble St 24/7 wellness shelter Assigned t… Subscribe 0 views Dec 31, 2020, 9:29:02 PM (2 days Samantha Wolf Dear Planning Board, Please approve the application for the Preble St Wellness Shelter. 2020 has been cruel, and many folks have just barely survived to greet the new year. Make it easier for those without shelter in our community in 2021. It's logical, it's reasonable, and it's humane. Thank you, Samantha Wolf Samuel Bush Hello, My name is Sam Bush. I am a citizen of Portland. I have been a Portland resident for almost fifteen years while residing at 175 Danforth Street. I am writing to ask you to please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent and specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. I oblige you to make this an absolute priority as this is a significant problem that needs immediate attention. You have the opportunity and obligation to help citizens of this town without shelter in winter weather. Please do the correct thing and help our city provide for those in need. Thank you very much. V/R Samuel Bush 207-899-8782 Sandy Farrin Please approve their conditional application so they can again help the homeless this winter. Thank you for your consideration. Sandra Farrin Sara Salamanca Good Afternoon, My name is Sara Salamanca and I feel very strongly that the city opens a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter for the houseless people in our community of Portland, ME. With even colder nights approaching, it feels completely negligent to ignore this entire population of people who deserve basic human rights. If this shelter is not opened soon, more houseless people will die this winter due to the elements. I did some research and I found an article in the Press Herald that reads, "More than 60 homeless people died in Portland in 2020, a dramatic increase from previous years, according to Preble Street." Please hear what the people have been fighting for since the beginning of the pandemic. We all are more like houseless people than we realize. We are lucky, we have shelter. We are lucky. Housing shouldn't be won based upon luck. Housing is a human right. In Regards, Sara Sara Frajnd Hello there- I’m writing to express my support of the Preble Street conditional use shelter at 5 Portland St. I cannot be at the meeting on Jan 5th, but I would like to raise my voice in support. Everyone should be able to have a safe place to sleep in the winter and my family and I are concerned about the growing amount of homelessness in the area. Thank you for taking my voice into consideration as a supporter of the Preble Street shelter!! Best- Sara Frajnd Sara Wilson Frajnd Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Sarah Barton Dear members of the Portland Planning Board, My name is Sarah Barton and I live in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood at 163 Cumberland Ave. Apt. 1. I am emailing to strongly urge you to approve Preble Street’s conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter on Portland Street. Housing is a human right. I want to live in a city that believes this and puts this value into action. Preble Street has a long track record of ensuring Mainers have access to basic human rights and I trust them to run their new Wellness Shelter professionally and with deep care and compassion for everyone who enters its doors as well as for the shelter's neighbors. I’m writing this letter from the warmth and comfort of my own home and I’m guessing you’re reading it while warm and comfortable as well. We are privileged and lucky. There are people all across this city who, during these cold, cold winter days and nights have no such place to call home. Each day that passes is one more day people are having to endure this harsh and unnecessary reality. It’s time people in power and those with privilege, like me and you, to stop bargaining with other people’s lives. Your decision literally may be the difference between life and death for fellow Portland residents. I hope you will listen to the many voices shouting their support for this proposed project.Our city deserves this and our neighbors deserve this. Again, I strongly urge you to approve Preble Street’s conditional use application. Thank you for your consideration and time. Best, Sarah Barton [email protected] 518-772-8520 Sarah McEachin Please approve Preble Street’s application. This is a necessary community resource, especially this time of year. Thank you. Sarah McEachin Sarah Somes Hello, I am writing to ask that you please approve the Preble Street conditional use application to turn the facility at 5 Portland Street into a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. The people of Portland need our help, and I believe it is incredibly important to approve this application. Thank you, Sarah Somes Please approve Preble Street application Assign… Subscribe 0 views Seren Sinisi To whom it may concern, please approve Preble Street’s application for a conditional use permit to protect our many vulnerable neighbors from the elements this winter. Approve the Oxford Street shelter. Thank you, Seren Sinisi (207) 329-8775 Old Crow Ranch oldcrowranch.com Like us on FB: www.facebook.com/old.crow.ranch Preble Street shelter 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe 9:54 AM (2 hours [email protected] Good morning. Please permit Preble Street to open the shelter at 5 Portland St so no one has to sleep outside this winter. Thanks so much for your time and consideration. —Shannon Wright (Portland resident) Shea Quill Hello, To whom it may concern, during these cold days of winter no one should be left to sleep outside. If the use of this facility would benefit the overwhelming homeless population in Portland it seems like an easy yes! Thanks and hope you all do the right thing. Thanks, Shea Quill Preble Street Wellness Center Assigned t… Subscribe 0 views sloan .e My name is Sloane Andrews and I am reaching out to urge you to vote in favor of the conditional use application to open a permanent wellness shelter at 5 Portland street. Many of our community members are reliant on the resources this kind of facility has formerly and could continue to provide with your backing, particularly in this moment of unprecedented economic precarity and its coincidence with the seasonal urgency of winter in Maine. The people of Portland, unhoused and housed, continue to demand with conviction and clarity that our resources be allocated to meet the needs of our under resourced neighbors-- your support on this is one of many ways to answer the call. Thank you. Preble Street Application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Jan 1, 2021, 11:54:27 Sophia Spelman Hello! My name is Sophia Spelman, and I am a resident of Falmouth. I urge you to approve Preble Street’s conditional use application to run a 24/7 wellness center. Having volunteered with Preble Street in the past, I’ve seen what good they do for vulnerable community members. Homelessness in Portland is appallingly high, and it has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. I shutter to think of the conditions the homeless community will face this winter. Approving this application is a good step toward supporting our community members. Thank you, Sophia Spelman Winter Shelter for the Homeless Assigned … Subscribe 0 views Stacey Casale Good Morning, I am writing to request that you approve the Preble Street conditional use application to open a shelter that will help keep people off the street during our cold Maine winter and provide them with access to services. Thank-you, Stacey Casale Resident City of Portland Stacey Farrington ------Forwarded message ------From: Stacey Farrington Dear Planning Board members: I am writing in support of the Preble Street application to open a permanent shelter for homeless people at 5 Portland Street. I believe this to be the most compassionate response in a time when we are all keenly aware of the need for a safe and warm place. Please, vote in favor of a permanent shelter. Thank you. Sincerely, Stacey Farrington Gorham, ME Jan 1, 2021, 10:14:32 AM (yesterday) Stephanie Pridgeon My name is Stephanie Pridgeon and I'm a resident of Portland. I am writing to voice my support for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter proposed by Preble Street. The center would provide much needed space for Portland's homeless population, and I strongly support approving the application. I'm aware of the potential strain that this could put on the neighborhood, and I agree that this strain needs to be addressed and mitigated. But the moral urgency of providing space for people who need to be housed ought to be prioritized. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Stephanie Pridgeon Sue Timpson To whom it may concern, It is with great urgency that i ask that you approve the 5 Portland Street shelter. I have volunteered at Preble Street the past 9 months and have seen how devastating the homeless issue is for Portland. Many of these people have lost jobs due to the virus and are trying to take care of their families. People wait in line for food at the food pantry. I have seen the changes in the population of folks who are looking for help. The homeless problem is our problem. We are as strong as the weakest person in our community. How can we not try to help those who are homeless and are sleeping in the cold. It is beyond my comprehension that our community would not do all we can to help those in need. Sincerely, Sue TImpson [email protected] (207) 671- 1197 Susan Dobrovolny Happy New Year! With 2020 somewhat behind us, we still endure, the pandemic, food shortages, unemployment & many other grim conditions in our world. I have been fortunate to have had a roof over my head & food in my belly my entire life. I could not imagine the brutality of enduring the outdoor elements & hunger. With this said, please strongly consider the approval of the 24/7 wellness center, allowing for shelter & warmth for those who have none. May 2021 be kinder to us all. Best S. Dobrovolny -- Susan Dobrovolny Placement and Purpose Design 207-699-9131 https://www.facebook.com/Dezinendiva/ Susan Ketner I implore the board to grant permanent housing for the homeless being considered by Preble Street. If we don't take care of all of humanity, we are a lost cause. Sincerely, Susan Ketner OOB Human and retired RN Health Educator LoGiudice, Susan E. This message was sent securely using Zix® I am writing to urge the Planning Board to approve the conditional use application for a wellness shelter. I am a Portland resident and have watched the changes in the East Bayside community over the last few years. It seems clear to me that the deteriorating condition is as much a function of reduced support for folks in need as anything else. The increased deaths of homeless people and the increased need due to Covid both cry out for us to provide our support wherever we can give it. While I understand the concerns of the residents of East Bayside, they must be balanced with the needs of our community. Preble Street has proven itself to be a steady, thoughtful, helpful presence in our community. We should support them. As an aside, as a resident of Briggs Street in the West End, I understand that my neighborhood too will be changing in this regard, with the anticipated SROs in the Amadeus building and the redevelopment of Mercy Hospital. That’s fine with me; we should be all acknowledging and integrating into our neighborhoods housing that fits the needs of all. Thank you for reading this. Susan E. LoGiudice, 207.791.3218 Tel 207.233.5184 Cell 5 Briggs St Humanity 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Susan Yandell Dear Planning Board Members. I support the conversion of the Prebble St resource center for use as a 24 hour shelter. All lives matter. Thank you. Sue Yandell 51 Monument is St. Portland . Suzanne Hunt I am opposed to granting Preble Street a conditional use permit. The organization has lied repeatedly to the public and has no credibility. For eight years I worked in the area of the Preble Street Day Shelter, I saw no effort on the part of the organization to monitor illegal activities apparent to anyone walking by. From littering to drug trafficking all activities were tolerated by Preble St. This may be their social philosophy, but does the City of Portland have to change its zoning requirements to enable this organization. I hope not. I look forward to Portland creating responsible adequate shelter for homeless. Thank you, Suzanne Hunt 36 Winter St Portland 04102 772 6695 sydney alberg To the Portland Planning Board: I am a strong supporter of Preble Street. I urge the board to vote to pass the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. In these troubling times it is critical to do all we can to help those in need of support. Respectively, Sydney Alberg Tiffany Ha My name is Tiffany Ha, I'm from Portland and I'm a resident of Gray. I am encouraging you all to approve the Preble Street application. As a new year quickly approaches and temperatures drop below freezing, it is critical for the unhoused residents to have shelter. Please do the right thing. Thank you Todd Grove Greetings, As a resident of Munjoy Hill and property owner in the city, I wish to make my view known that I strongly recommend passage of the Preble Street application for a permanent wellness shelter at 5 Portland Street. The people who use the vital and life saving resources at Preble Street must continue to be supported and it is your duty to protect and preserve their rights. Thank you for doing what is right - even in the face of opposition. Sincerely, Todd Grove 9:22 AM (3 hours ago) Trace Salter To Whom It May Concern, I am an Instructor at Portland Adult Ed and a Volunteer at Preble Street. I am writing to encourage you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. During this pandemic, Preble Street is leveraging all possible resources to protect our most vulnerable neighbors. If this property can be zoned and approved as noted in the application, then perhaps we can prevent more people from having to endure sleeping outside during this harsh season and beyond. Yours respectfully, Trace Salter We need to take care of each other! Assigne… Subscribe 0 views tginn8 Cold it is outside we all know it is unbearable and I can't imagine anybody having to sleep outside in these unbearable horribly cold conditions! As humans being human, It is our duty to take care of one another please open the Portland Street shelters thank you. Tracy Ginn William Haigney The world is a cold hard place. No one cares. But just think if you were mentally ill. Most homeless are. Give them a place inside to rest. Approve the Preble Street Application. It's the right thing to do. William Haigney 149 Poulin Road Wayne ME 04284 Zachary Walker Please approve Preble Street’s application for our unhoused neighbors to have 24/7 shelter. It shouldn’t be a hard choice! We all deserve shelter! Approve Preble Street Application Assigne… Subscribe 0 views Zoe Brokos This email serves as a request to approve Preble Street's application for a 24/7 wellness shelter which is unfortunately beyond necessary in Portland. The Oxford Street Shelter continues to be unsuitable for many people with complicated mental and physical health needs and the free-flowing CTOs are inhumane- in the middle of winter and a pandemic. Enough is enough. People are not "shelter-resistant". If the shelters provided are not working for the people who need them, it's time to allow Preble Street to open this specialized shelter to help the issue of homelessness in Portland. Thank you. Zoe Brokos 412 Ocean Ave. Abbey Nelson Hello, my name is Abbey and I feel very strongly that the city opens a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter for the houseless people in our community of Portland, ME. With even colder nights approaching, it feels completely negligent to ignore this entire population of people who deserve basic human rights. If this shelter is not opened soon, more houseless people will die this winter due to the elements. I did some research and I found an article in the Press Herald that reads, "More than 60 homeless people died in Portland in 2020, a dramatic increase from previous years, according to Preble Street." Please hear what the people have been fighting for since the beginning of the pandemic. We all are more like houseless people than we realize. We are lucky, we have shelter. We are lucky. Housing shouldn't be won based upon luck. Housing is a human right. Abbey Nelson Abigale Howell Hi there , Please approve the Preble St application for the wellness shelter . Concerned constituent, Abby Howell -- Abigale R. Howell The University of Texas-Austin B.A. Psychology 603.817.4087 Alice Grant City of Portland Planning Board, Please vote on January 5 to approve the conditional use application for a 24/7 wellness shelter at 5 Portland St. This should not be a difficult decision. This is not an entirely new use out of the blue. The location is zoned for emergency shelter and was used for years by the City as its overflow shelter. Winter is upon us and this shelter is needed to provide a place for people who will otherwise remain outside in the cold. As you know, Preble Street has been a steadfast provider of services over the years that would otherwise fall upon State and local government. Preble Street can be counted upon to run an effective 24/7 shelter. Alice Grant Cape Elizabeth Allie Rimkunas Sincerely, Allie Rimkunas Allison Holt Please sign the preview street application. No one should sleep outside in the winter. Allison Killeen To Whom It May Concern: I implore you to approve the conditional use application for Preble Steet Wellness Center. Everyone deserves to have access to a safe and warm place to stay. It’s the right thing to do for these individuals. Thank you, Allison Killeen South Portland, Maine Amelia Moore Dear Planning Board, I am writing to ask that you approve the Preble Street application for a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. I am a Portland resident and a Preble Street volunteer. I've witnessed firsthand how the Preble Street staff strives to fill voids and help people meet their basic needs with dignity, often with a sense of humor and joy. I am beyond confident in Preble Street's ability to create and run this Wellness Shelter and believe that it is critical for our city. Thank you, Amelia Moore Amy Wyatt Sincerely, Amy Wyatt Amy Wyatt Sincerely, Amy O. Wyatt Ann Dodd-Collins Dear Planning Board members, I understand you will be voting on Preble Street's application to open a 24/7 Wellness Shelter in the former Resource Center on Portland Street this coming Tuesday. Please vote Yes! I volunteered at the Resource Center soup kitchen from the time I moved to Portland five years ago until March. I still volunteer at the Teen Center. In that time I have seen good people who have the odds so stacked against them that they have lost all hope. I've seen decent people who took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and don't know how to get out of the mess they are in. And I've seen unbelievable grace and kindness among people who have nothing but could teach many of us how to be a better neighbor. Traditional shelters may provide a bed for the night, but they only treat the symptom of homelessness. The 24/7 Wellness Shelter will not only provide a safe place to sleep but the resources needed to treat the root causes of a person's homelessness. It is desperately needed. Please vote Yes when you meet on Tuesday. Sincerely, Ann Dodd-Collins Phone: 207-232-9576 Address: 120 Pleasant Ave, Apt 3 Portland ME 04103 Anna Brewer Good morning members of the Portland Planning Board, I am emailing to respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. With so many people sleeping outside during a public health emergency and as winter continues, this initiative is desperately needed. Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. Over 35 years ago, when the City of Portland opened what is now Oxford Street Shelter, the City made a commitment to sheltering everyone in Portland who needs it. Today that commitment is waning as a record number of people are going unsheltered. We MUST act to reverse course. Lastly, the Portland Press Herald reported on December 21 that a record number of people experiencing homelessness in Portland died in 2020. We cannot let 2021 continue on the same course. Please vote to approve Preble Street's application. Thank you, Anna Brewer 37 Payson Street, Portland Anna Grywalski Please approve the Preble Street application to open the wellness center. Everyday I see more and more people trying to exist in the freezing cold with nothing to shelter them from the elements. These people need our help. Please approve this to care for our unhoused neighbors. Thank you, Anna Grywalski Annie Draddy To Whom It May Concern, Please approve the conditional use application for the Preble Street Wellness Shelter. People need a safe and warm place to stay during winter. Do the right thing for everyone and approve the application. Sincerely, Annie Draddy Portland, ME Annika Moltz Dear Planning Board Members, I am a resident of Portland, and I live in the East End. I strongly support opening a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St. It is winter. We are in a crisis on many levels. Even on the best and warmest days, people deserve opportunities and care from our city, and that care is particularly crucial in times of greatest need. Please make it possible for Preble Street to continue its work to house and support some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Please approve their application. Thank you, Annika Moltz Preble Street shelter 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Dec 31, 2020, 11:51:01 AM (2 days [email protected] > Hi! > Please approve Preble Street’s application for a wellness shelter!! Mutual aid & community care is critical in these dark times. Please consider being a part of the solution. > Many thanks, > A Mainer Atticus Wasklewicz Good evening, My name is Atticus Wasklewicz and I am a resident and tax payer here in Portland, Maine. I am writing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application for a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. Everyone deserves to have the right to a place to sleep, especially in these cold months. However right now many people are left unhoused and on the street. With your approval, the wellness shelters could not only offer a place to stay for these people, but also potentially life-saving services they may need. Thank you for your time, Atticus Wasklewicz Becca R. To whom it may concern, Please approve the Preble Street Application, it would be a great help to our unhoused neighbors, especially during this difficult time. Thanks for the consideration, Rebecca R. Bernadette M Burks Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 10:21:27 -0500 Subject: Preble Street application To Members of the Planning Board: I am not a Portland resident, but I hope you will allow me to weigh in regarding the current application for Preble St. My daughter, a social worker, was employed by Preble St. years ago and I gained unique insight through her informed and compassionate vision. I have served as a volunteer and remain a supporter. From this vantage point, I have had the opportunity to see their dedicated work first hand. Sadly, the issue of homelessness, and the many underlying causes, have only grown more widespread during the pandemic. I applaud Preble Street's efforts to create informed solutions to a serious societal problem that won't simply disappear on its own. In continuing partnership with the City of Portland, long known for its reputation of supporting social justice causes, Preble Street can effectively improve upon their existing model. In short, it is a way to positively respond to the understanding concerns of neighbors and abuttors. Thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of this difficult issue. Wishing everyone a Happy 2021! Bernadette M. Burks Arundel, ME Preble street 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Beth Gomberg To Whom it May Concern, It’s been a long and trying year for all of us. It was difficult for those of us that had all of our basic needs met, and presumably unbearable for those that did not. Maine winters do not allow for people to sleep outside in them. We do not need to see any more people die than we already have. Please, please approve the application for Preble Street. A wellness center would save lives. Best, Beth Gomberg Resident of Portland, ME Betty Haymon I have volunteered at the Resource Ceneter and Teen Center for 20 plus years. I know how important the services offered by the Preble Street organization and staff mean to people facing homelessness. Preble Street has been trying to get this application approved for months. Meanwhile our homeless friends are out in the weather sleeping, eating and trying to survive. PLEASE approve this application. If you have any doubt about the approval of the application, I ask that you take a moment, close your eyes and envision your son, mother, daughter, husband homeless. See them sitting on a snowbank or standing in the rain eating out of a paper bag or laying under a tree or make shift shelter waiting for another day to end. Preble Street is their life line to food, resources and shelter. The nor ester weather is coming. PLEASE approve the application so the wellness center will be ready to help our friends soon. Sincerely, Betty C. Haymon [email protected] Bonni Hamilton Dear Fellow Mainer and Planning Board Member, Please approve the Preble Street application. Let's ensure all Mainers have a warm and safe place to rest their heads, be fed, and be offered a path toward a better future. Thank you for your consideration, Bonni Hamilton, Eliot Cada Driscoll Dear Planning Board of Portland Maine, Please approve the application for an emergency shelter put forth by Preble Street, immediately. There is no time to waste. No need to carry on this performance of formalizing the allowance of caring for our community members. There are no issues that outweigh the benefit of housing for those in need this winter. Act now and be well, Cada Driscoll Camille Reppert I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. With so many people sleeping outside during a public health emergency and as winter approaches, this initiative is desperately needed. Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. Please do not leave people out in the cold. Best, Camille Reppert 461 Stevens Ave Portland ME 04103 Carol Hardy Dear Planning Board members: Please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent shelter for homeless people at 5 Portland Street. During these exceedingly difficult times - and at all times, we are called to support efforts of compassion for our fellow human beings. No one should have to risk their lives by living outdoors in a Maine winter. Thank you. Sincerely, Carol Hardy Carol Oehlschlager Dear Planning Board, I’m writing to encourage you to approve Preble Street’s Wellness Shelter. Preble Street is held in high regard by people experiencing homelessness and they trust them. Many times being homeless is preceded by people experiencing childhood trauma and mental health problems that lead to substance abuse and mental illness. Being reactive and not proactive is only compounding the negative impact. Meeting people where they are is a rich beginning to a new solid relationship built on trust that basic needs will be met and a belief that someone in power is genuinely looking out for their best interests. We’ve just been through four years of unimaginable carelessness and lack of compassion for vulnerable people from all walks of life. Please begin the New Year with new hope for people who are suffering because of the lack of social justice in our beloved country. Please do what you know in your hearts is the right thing to do and let Preble Street move forward with their plans. Thank you, -- Best, Carol Oehlschlager, BSW cbg.greenroom Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Hello, My name is Cassie Groover and I feel very strongly that the city opens a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter for the houseless people in our community of Portland, ME. With even colder nights approaching, it feels completely negligent to ignore this entire population of people who deserve basic human rights. If this shelter is not opened soon, more houseless people will die this winter due to the elements. I did some research and I found an article in the Press Herald that reads, "More than 60 homeless people died in Portland in 2020, a dramatic increase from previous years, according to Preble Street." Please hear what the people have been fighting for since the beginning of the pandemic. We all are more like houseless people than we realize. We are lucky, we have shelter. We are lucky. Housing shouldn't be won based upon luck. Housing is a human right. Please. We can not be a Community if we do help Community Members who need it most! Celeste Roberge Dear Planning Board Members, I have been following this story for some time and I find it difficult to understand why the City of Portland would not approve this application by Preble Street Resources for a permit to provide a permanent specialized 24/7 wellness shelter at 5 Portland Street. Preble Street has been on the scene successfully providing food, shelter, and social services to the homeless and the hungry for many years. I currently support Preble Street with financial donations. In the past when I was younger I did volunteer work. I hope that my ongoing donations can be used to alleviate some of the suffering. I understand that there are objections from neighbors but there will be objections from neighbors no matter where the City decides to shelter the homeless. I also acknowledge that Portland has done a remarkable job caring for the homeless who come from all parts of the State to converge on a City that offers the social services that are not available in rural areas or small towns in Maine. This solution by Preble Street will cost the City very little compared to other solutions that are slow in coming. Winter is upon us. The Pandemic is upon us. Please resolve this and support the work of Preble Street by granting them this permit. Sincerely, Celeste Roberge Charlie Dalton Good Afternoon, I am writing to urge the planning board to approve Preble Street's conditional use application to open a permanent, 24/7 Wellness Shelter. There are few times and places in the United States colder than a Maine winter, and it is essential to the well-being of the unhoused members of our community to be able to access these life-saving services. Preble Street has a long, well-documented history of serving Mainers in great need, and this shelter would be a crucial extension of their mission. The health and safety of some of our community's most vulnerable members are on the line. Please give Preble Street access to the resources they need to give our neighbors the safety they deserve. Take care, and Happy New Year! Charlie Dalton Charlotte Harrison Hello, I am writing in support of the Preble St application to open a shelter to take care of many of the people sleeping in the streets this winter. Please approve this solution to an urgent need. Your constituent, Charlotte Harrison 148 Noyes St Preble Street Conditional Use Application Assign… Subscribe 0 views Chelsea Bartlett Good morning, I'm writing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application next Tuesday, January 5th. I live just outside of Portland near Riverside, and I work on Commercial Street. Every day going into work, I see my houseless neighbors outside in the cold. No one should have to endure that anywhere, and in the Maine winters especially, it's absolutely unconscionable to allow this to go on. All people have the right to shelter. The difference between someone with a home and someone without one is merely luck, and no one should be punished for that. It is imperative that we do everything we can to take care of those in our community who are the most vulnerable. No one should have to endure sleeping outside. No one should have to endure the freezing temperatures of a Maine winter without shelter. On January 5th, please vote to approve the Preble Street conditional use application so that they can offer shelter to those in our community who need it. We cannot allow our most vulnerable neighbors to suffer. You have the power to help them and it is critical that you use it. Thank you, Chelsea Bartlett Chloe Crettien Hello, I am writing to urge you to approve the Preble St application for their 24/7 wellness center. The challenges this year has brought makes a wellness center for those without proper shelter more necessary than ever. Best, Chloé Crettien Preble Street Application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Jan 1, 2021, 11:56:28 Christiana Kroondyk To Whom It May Concern: Please approve the conditional use application for the Preble Street Wellness Shelter. These people need a safe and warm place to stay during these cold winter months. Please do the right thing for our community, and approve the application. Sincerely, Christiana Kroondyk North Yarmouth, ME Dec 31, 2020, 11:41:09 PM (2 days [email protected] To whom it may concern: Please approve the Preble Street application. NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE OUTSIDE. Thank you, Christianne Walsh Dec 31, 2020, 2:02:14 PM (2 days ago) Christine Arsenault Dear Planning Board, My name is Christine Arsenault. I have lived and worked in Bayside for 18 years. I don’t support turning Preble Street into a permanent homeless shelter. Aside from the fact we have multiple shelters here in Bayside and soon another across from my home, I don’t think it will help the individuals they’re seeking to help. I am unable to support a new Shelter because I am a seasoned neighbor here in Bayside. I know how messed up the homeless clients who will be housed in this shelter get on a daily basis. I know drug dealers thrive in Bayside and I know it’s where my addict friends in recovery “go to” when they re-lapse. In a matter of seconds, during a moment of weakness or impulsivity, many hard-earned sober chips fall to the dirt in my neighborhood. I also know first-hand how it feels to pour myself and my finances into helping my addict friends. I believe addicts deserve MORE than shelter out of the inclement weather. My kids dad was an addict. When they were five and six years old their dad swallowed a handful of pills with a half gallon of vodka and died on a strangers sofa. At the time, he was homeless. For obvious reasons, I struggled with his death. I found a group at MMC called Survivors of Suicide Loss. Lots of talking went down in that little room. We were all hurt so badly by the idea that our loved ones chose to die and leave us behind. We were all so heartbroken. Someone compared the mind of a person who takes their own life to wearing blinders. (like the ones they put on race horses) Basically, the blinders force the horse to only see what’s in front of them, no distractions, just the finish line. And, like the mind of person who takes their own life they are blinded by pain and only see one solution. My kids dad was a case manager at the teen center for a while during a streak of sobriety. He did an amazing job working with the troubled teens there. He ended up having to quit because he couldn’t be around people using. It threatened his sobriety. The teens he helped made a beautiful journal as token of their appreciation, admiration and love for Devin. It meant the world to him and we cried reading it. I know Mark Swann is an amazing advocate for people experiencing homelessness. I know this and I applaud him. I appreciate his passion and his ability to create empathy and awareness and more important, to make a difference. I just don’t believe in this particular endeavor. On the surface, not supporting a shelter makes me look like the “Not in my backyard” residents of other parts of Portland. You know, the ones who simply won’t even consider their neighborhood for a shelter? But, l am not one of them. I want the people experiencing homelessness who are in the highest “at risk” category to get away from the dangers of Bayside. Get away from their dealers, to stop prostituting themselves on the street. To have a better chance at sobriety. I want it for them because I believe they deserve more than what Bayside has to offer these days. I have truly tried to get behind this shelter but I’m not blind to the crisis and the dangers on the streets of Bayside. It’s difficult for people who support it to understand when they live hundreds of miles away or even only two miles. I believe with Mark Swann’s powerful influences, we should start seeking budgets to make rehabs for homeless people and have more resources available for people on the verge of homelessness before they lose everything. But, that’s just me and I’ve taken the time to dig below the surface of the painful lives of Bayside’s addicted streets. Thank you for your time and efforts in helping the homeless in our community, Christine Dec 31, 2020, 4:30:37 PM (2 days ago) . [email protected] Dear Portland Planning Board, Portland is a great city for many reasons and the hub of our region. One reason is your compassionate approach to keeping homeless people safe and sheltered. Although we in Brunswick try to do our part with far fewer beds, we know we are part of a region that continues to struggle to keep people out of the cold. As your neighbors (and close neighbors of Tedford House shelter here in Brunswick), we urge you to approval the pending proposal to restore shelter beds at Preble Street. Thank you for all your hard work. Christopher St.John Home office 14 Cedar St. Brunswick, ME 04011 Landline (207) 607-4168 Cell (207) 441-2694 Preble Street proposal 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Dec 31, 2020, 8:13:38 PM (2 days colette bouchard To Planning Board, In a previous email to you, I expressed my opposi on to Preble Street’s proposal for a 40-bed shelter. If you are considering approval of the shelter, I urge that you put forward the following condi ons: Require the permit be subject to review in a year (two at the most) to ascertain if Preble Street has stuck to the commitments they made in the management plan, to the sa sfac on of the City and the neighborhood. Require that Preble Street collaborate with the City, Amistad, and other outreach teams on iden fying the specific individuals they expect to shelter and move into permanent housing, and report in a year whether they have succeeded in doing so. Require that they keep records and share with the City whether individual clients are the subject of complaint or police calls for service in the neighborhood. Require any proposed expansion of services or shelter beds be based on past performance regarding calls for service and neighborhood complaints, and whether they have met benchmarks for housing the popula on they say they will. Without substan al requirements such as these, the Bayside neighborhood stands to be very nega vely impacted by this shelter with no recourse in addressing the problems. For decades, Bayside has borne a heavy burden that services to the homeless impose, and we ask that the Planning Board help to do its part in making sure that service providers have some accountability and do everything possible to mi gate nega ve impacts. People who are homeless should never be disregarded and neglected and neither should our neighborhood. Colette Bouchard 18 Hanover St. Approve Preble Street application Assigned… Subscribe 0 views Dana Ryan Hello Planning Board, Please approve the Preble Street application to get our homeless people indoors! Thank you for considering my email to you. All my best, Dana Ryan Westbrook resident -- All my best, Dana P. Ryan “All kidding aside, if everyone did yoga, we would have world peace.” –Rory Freedman “The future depends on what we do in the present.” –Mahatma Gandhi Preble Street Conditional Use Application Assign… Subscribe 0 views David Dickison The 5 Portland Street facility is already zoned for the use for which Preble Street is requesting. There is clearly a need for this facility. I understand there will be no cost to the City of Portland. This request should be approved. David W Dickison Freeport Dawn Potter Hello, I am a Portland resident writing in support of Preble's Street's proposed Wellness Shelter, which is vital to the safety and well-being of some of our most vulnerable neighbors. We must give them shelter; we cannot morally justify any other course. Sincerely, Dawn Potter 39 Concord St Portland, ME 04103 Dear planning board, as the new year approaches you have the opportunity to help hundreds of Mainers in a very real way. Keeping Preble st shelter closed does not help the contain the spread of Covid, people without homes will still gather. What it does do is force human beings to go hungry and freezing. Imagine that it was your own family members. Please do the right thing and help people stay alive by approving the application of Preble street. Anna Lee Dede Irwin Bennell Hello, I am writing to you as a Maine resident and volunteer that has spent many hours helping in the soup kitchen at Preble Street. Many of those folks sleep outside and it is inhumane that anyone should endure that, especially during our harsh, Maine winters. Please, I ask that you approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Let's all do our part to help our fellow community members. You have the power to have a lasting impact on this marginalized community. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Dede Bennell Freeport, Me Preble Street 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Delia Knox Hi, I would like to ask you to approve the Preble Street application. It’s immoral to allow people to sleep outside, especially when considering that shelter is one of the four necessities of survival. Additionally, due to the cold weather, it’s uncomfortable and dangerous to be sleeping outside during the winter. Thank you. Dena Profenno Hello. While I do not live in Portland, I urge city officials to approve the use of shelter at 5 Portland Street. I am often in Portland. My heart breaks for those individuals on the street. Really is the saddest thing in humanity no matter where it occurs. Please allow Preble Street resources to do what they do best. Take care of those in need and the helpless. Thank you, Dena Profenno 109 Johnson Road Gray, Maine Devorah Hanson I am writing to ask that you support the opening of the Preble Street building, allowing for members of the homeless population to gain shelter. People should not be living outside, especially when there are empty buildings in the city that could be used as temporary, if not permanent shelter. Let's make this the first step in the New Year towards a more humane and inclusive city that looks out for all. Devorah Hanson -- Devorah Hanson [email protected] Young Living Oils # 1094295 Julia Lockwood Hello folks. My name is Julia Lockwood. I am a retired pediatrician and currently a member of the Board of Grace Street Ministry, a street ministry that serves the homeless in Portland. I have been hearing for a long time about the difficulties of finding adequate solutions to the issue of housing for the homeless. I have followed all the various suggestions that have been put forward and one by one have not come to fruition. I also work with Preble Street as a member of my church in South Freeport, as part of the Mission Committee, donating money and clothing. I urge you PLEASE to grant Preble street the permits they need to create this space for the homeless to sleep and stay. It is a vital need for the community. No one should have to sleep on the street in this cold winter. Sincerely Dr. Julia Lockwood Duckfat Restaurant To Whom It May Concern, Please approve the Preble Street applica on. I feel fortunate that we have Preble Street in our city and feel Portlanders feel passionate about how we handle and treat all members of our community. To not support Preble Street would be a huge disservice to Portland. Thank you for your considera on on this important ma er. Sincerely, Nancy Pugh & Rob Evans Duckfat Restaurant Éireann Lorsung To the Planning Board: I write as a resident of Portland (Savoy Street, East Deering) to ask you to approve Preble Street's application for conversion of the building at 5 Portland Street, currently zoned as an emergency shelter, to a permanent, specialized shelter. I cannot imagine what it must be like to sleep outdoors in this weather. Whatever objections—procedural or aesthetic—there might be ought surely to be beaten back by the plain facts of windchill, precipitation, and temperature. Furthermore, the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights states in Article 25 that "[everyone] has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services". Housing is a human right. Denying it to any members of our society is a contravention of this fundamental right. Denying it to members who are especially vulnerable seems to me also a violation of the basic ethical principle of doing unto others as one would have done unto oneself. Thank you for considering this support of Preble Street's application. Best wishes, Dr. Éireann Lorsung Eliana Trenam To Whom it May Concern, As a concerned resident of Portland, I urge you to approve Preble Street’s application to build a permanent wellness center at 5 Portland St. that will provide much needed shelter and care to people living in homelessness. My god-sister, Cheyenne Purrington, consults nationally with municipalities and organizations around solutions to homelessness. I have learned from speaking with her that a housing first model that provides healthcare and other services not only gets people out of the cold, but also costs less in public funds because people are not relying on expensive emergency room treatment because they have access to regular care and resources. With the current Covid-19 crisis and dangerously low temperatures, people’s lives are at risk if we do nothing. Many people who have lost work in the last year are at risk of eviction and homelessness. Many rely on Preble’s soup kitchen to eat. Preble Street is an excellent, experienced organization that needs to expand to meet the current need. Please support them in that goal. Sincerely, Eliana Trenam 700 Washington Ave. Apt. 3 Portland, ME 04103 707-953-1692 Elinor Hilton Hello, I am writing to encourage members of this board to approve Preble Street's application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. We must do whatever we can to prevent unhoused members of our community from facing harm. Thank you, Elinor Hilton Eliza Burwell Good morning, I’m writing this morning to urge you to approve the application for the conversion of Preble Street’s Resource Center into a new wellness shelter. Preble Street has a proven track record of supporting people experiencing homelessness in Portland and connecting them with shelter. As a social service employee, I know how challenging it is to support our unhoused neighbors and connect them with a stable living situation. Preble Street has been the only hope for many of my clients and I am ever grateful for the amazing work that they do. Portland has already lost valuable lives and community members to the elements this winter and I do not want to see anyone else perish in the cold. Please approve this application. Respectfully, Eliza Burwell Eliza Huber-Weiss To Whom It May Concern, My name is Eliza Huber-Weiss and I am resident and home owner in Portland and have been for 4 years. I am writing to urge you to approve the Preble Street application for the permanent Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. For too long this city has failed to meet the needs of the unhoused population here, and the problem continues to get worse. Preble Street and grassroots organizations are the ones mainly meeting the needs of this community, and they are overworked, underfunded, and under-resourced. It is time for the city to prioritize the health and wellbeing of those that live here, instead of constantly thinking about new development and attracting new residents. We have residents already that do not have places to live, and that is unacceptable. A step in the right direction would be for the city to approve this application, and then continue to prioritize aiding these organizations that are on the ground every day working to ensure that people have food, shelter, and safety. I understand that the issue of homelessness and the housing market is a very complicated one, so I hope that my voice telling you that it is the top issue that I want my city to focus on will inspire some real dedication and focus to it in your departments. Best, Eliza Huber-Weiss Please consider 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Elizabeth Nalli Good Morning and Happy New Year. My name is Elizabeth Nalli and I make Portland my home. I live here, raise my children here and work in both the schools and in a Portland hospital. I love Portland. I am writing to voice my support for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter proposed by Preble Street. The center would provide much needed space for Portland's homeless population, and I strongly support approving the application. I'm aware of the potential strain that this could put on the neighborhood, and I agree that this strain needs to be addressed and mitigated. But the moral urgency of providing space for people who need to be housed ought to be prioritized. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Elizabeth Nalli 84 Rackleff Street Meredith Luby Hello, I am writing at a citizen of Portland, asking that you approve the Preble Street application to use the space as a permanent, specialized shelter and 24/7 wellness center for our community so people do not have to sleep outside in the cold this winter. Thank you. -Meredith Luby Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain Many, many times I have walked up to my Brown St. doorway and found someone on the curb, in one of the doorways, stumbling by, or asking for cash. Often I see pairs, one supporting the other. I help where I can and I send them to Preble St., for these are the folks for whom Preble St. exists. As a serious and committed supporter of Preble St., I can speak to the depth of their commitment to the mission of help for the homeless. As frozen temperatures descend on Portland, this mission is becoming more critical. Every avoidable death or illness this winter will be on the conscience of the City. This is an opportunity to DO something - quickly, and through the expertise of an experienced agency. Please act to approve this application! Thank you, Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain 15 Brown St. Dec 30, 2020, 9:10:12 PM (3 days [email protected] Approve the preble street application for a new wellness shelter. It is needed. Each unhoused person is a son, daughter etc. A society can be judged by how it treats its vulnerable populations. Thanks -Michael LeComte ellen decotiis 12-31-2020 Let's ring in the New Year with an act of kindness and allow people to enter the 24/7 wellness center on Preble Street. The staff have offered ways in which the neighbors would be safe too. It is necessary to protect the homeless and let them access needed Social Work services so housing can be found and counseling help is provided to those needing it. There are no op ons at this me of cold weather. Then take a long term look at how to help the people who do not have housing. Thank you, Ellen H. DeCo is, volunteer at Preble Street kitchen Preble st wellness center Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Dec 31, 2020, 12:43:29 AM (3 days Michaela Walker To whom it may concern, I am writing in support of the Preble Street application for the the permanent wellness shelter. I ask that you please approve this request. This is the right thing to do for members of our community who are suffering at this time. Thank you, Michaela Walker Elspeth Howland Good Evening, My name is Elspeth Howland. I am a resident of Portland Maine and a high schooler of Portland Public Schools. I am writing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application concerning the permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. While I'm hoping you are having a warm and safe new year indoors, that is not a reality for many Portland Mainers, with both COVID19 and cold weather going against the houseless community. In 2020, 64 unhoused people have passed. Two froze to death, just this season, and many more are suffering from health issues including COVID-19, mental health issues, and addiction to name a few. But with your help and approval of the Preble Street application, so many lives can be changed for the better, their needs met, and deaths prevented. I truly hope you take this email into your consideration and think of the lives that can be improved with this project. Thank you so much for your time and consideration in my words, Elspeth Howland Preble Street 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe miekouo I write this in hopes that you will approve the preble street application. It is so important that people have a warm place to stay even if temporarily, especially with how it is winter. Please think about the people that will have to endure this cold season if you don't approve this. Emerson House Hello, No one should have to brave the cold of a Maine winter on the street. COVID lockdowns and protocol have no doubt exacerbated the issue of homelessness in our city, and your decision whether or not to approve Preble Street’s Wellness Center application to turn the existing day shelter into a 24/7 shelter could very well be one of life or death. Thank you for your time, and please do the right thing! Emerson House Preble Street Shelter Application Assigned… Subscribe 0 views MK Dinnhaupt Good afternoon! I am MK Dinnhaupt and I live on the East End in Portland. After experiencing the freezing temperatures this winter from the comfort of my own home and with appropriate warm layers, I believe that we need more places for our homeless neighbors to stay this winter. Please approve the Preble Street application and help prevent more people from waking up with frostbite during the coming months and years thereafter. Thank you, and have a happy new year! Best, MK Emily Carville To the Planning Board members: We write to you to express our support for the conditional application submitted by Preble Street for the establishment of a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. With deaths among the unhoused up an astonishing and dismaying 60% in 2020, there is more we can do and must do. We trust Preble Street to make the best improvements in social services starting with the fundamental right to shelter. We hope you will consider this and approve the application on January 5. Emily & Gregg Carville Freeport, ME Molly Donlan Dear planning board, Please approve the Preble street application, please do this to save Portlanders from sleeping outside this winter! Molly Donlan Emily Dunuwila Hello! My name is Emily, and I am a Portland resident. I am writing to voice my support of opening the Preble Street Shelter as a 24/7 Wellness Center. While I understand the risks that COVID poses to reopening the shelter, I believe that we cannot ignore the deaths that have occurred due to low temperatures and weather conditions. Living homeless is tough at any time of year, but it is deadly in the winter. Since the Preble Street Shelter is zoned as an emergency shelter, I believe we should use it as such. Thank you! Emily -- Emily Dunuwila, LMT Empower Massage Therapy empowermt.com (207) 370-0573 Follow Empower on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram Molly Fox Hi Planning Board, It is vital to our community members who are freezing outside without shelter that the 24/7 wellness shelter space be opened at Preble. I work serving homeless individuals and see everyday how important housing is to a person having a chance at a new life. Please provide that hope and decency to our community members who are most vulnerable due to the combination of poverty, trauma, mental illness and substance use disorders. Thank you. Molly Molly Fox, LCSW (she, her, hers) Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor Greater Portland Health 234 Oxford St.,Portland, ME 04101 [email protected] Phone: (207) 874-2141 Ext:4024 Fax: (207) 874-2188 APPROVE The Preble Street Application Assign… Subscribe 0 views Penny Hello, I am Emily a resident of Portland. I am writing to you today to urge you to accept Preble Streets proposal to use their space as a shelter. Having shelter and food are the most basic human necessities and many of our community members do not have that. Approving Preble St. will be a positive step for Portland’s housing crisis. Thank you, Emily Egan Monica B. Dear Portland Planning Board, I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve of Preble Street's conditional application to allow its facility at 5 Portland Street to permanently become a 24/7 Wellness Shelter for our community members in need of emergency housing. I wrote to you all in October as well, with a very similar message. I strongly believe that doing so (approving the conditional application) is aligned with our city's values, and takes strides towards addressing one of our city's most pressing needs - providing safety for those most vulnerable, in order for our community as a whole to thrive. As someone who has served as a case manager with adults experiencing homelessness, worked in domestic violence advocacy, as well as with survivors of human trafficking, I recognize that the value of safe and secure housing is beyond measure. It is the difference between life and death. I am hopeful that the Planning Board will recognize the gravity your decision holds this week in approving Preble Street's Conditional Application, and am grateful for our city's commitment to supporting access to housing. Again, with so many people sleeping outside on the streets during a public health emergency, and as winter approaches, this initiative is desperately needed now, and for the long term. Thank you for reading this message, and please don't hesitate to reach out should you have any further questions. Sincerely, Monica Bouyea 90 Brackett St. Portland ME 04102 Preble Street application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Emma R-A Hello, I am a concerned citizen and advocate for the homeless population in our state. The growing issue of homelessness in Maine has become worse in recent years; this is an issue that will not disappear without community action and appropriate allocation of resources. I am asking you to approve the Preble Street application to open a 24 hour wellness shelter. This will have a direct positive impact on the people of the city of Portland and beyond. Thank you for considering. -Emma Rhodes-Armstrong Monique Nadeau Hi, I'm writing to ask you to please approve Preble Street Application to make it a 24/7 wellness shelter! 12/31/2020 Thank you, Monique Nadeau Gorham, ME. 04038 Wellness shelter 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Erica Alt To whom it may concern; I am writing to ask that you approve the application by Preble Street to open a permanent wellness shelter at 5 Portland Street. I urge you to give the opinions of local people like myself, who have a long- term commitment and stake in our community, more weight than out of state investors. Thank you, Erica Alt 94 Bolton Street Portland 04102 Preble Street application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Nadia Prupis Dear Planning Board, I'm writing in support of Preble Street's conditional use application to open a permanent Wellness Shelter. Even if Maine's winters weren't some of the coldest around, and even if we weren't in the middle of a global pandemic, people living on the streets would still deserve access to shelter, but we are -- which makes this issue even more dire than before. Please approve the Preble Street application so our unhoused and most vulnerable neighbors are allowed to sleep in a building already zoned to allow for emergency shelter and already owned by the organization that would operate it. Thank you. Nadia Prupis 39 Greenleaf St. Portland, ME 04101 Eva Clews Please approve the upcoming Prebble Street initiation to open the shelter to those without a home or sufficient resources. We all know too well how cold Maine winters are and this is our chance to help those in need by providing a basic human right; shelter and warmth. Eva Clews nan hughes I strongly encourage the establishment of a Wellness Center at 5 Portland Street. PLEASE support this. Anyone who votes against this humane and logical center might want to trade places with the desperate homeless folks who will try to survive on the streets this winter. Nan Hughes Topsham, Maine Greg Lambert To Whom It May Concern, I am writing today to ask the board to please approve the Preble Street application. This is a building owned by Preble Street and already zoned to allow for emergency shelter. It is a proven resource, having sheltered 75 people regularly for many years when used by the City of Portland and is essential, especially as we move into the coldest time of year. Thank you for your time, Greg Lambert Portland, Maine [email protected] To the Portland Planning Board, Please grant Preble Street’s application for a permanent 24/7 Wellness Shelter at their building at 5 Portland Street. The staff and volunteers of Preble Street do so much to keep people alive and then support them in making their lives better. Granting this application will give them another tool in their quest to save lives. Thank you, Nancy Sanford Waterville, Maine Greg Szkarlat Please approve the preble street action to give our most vulnerable citizens a place to sleep & keep warm. This is a matter of human rights. Thank you. Greg szkarlat. 86 wellington road. Portland maine 04103. Nate Flynn Hello - Please approve Prebble Street's application for a wellness shelter at 5 Portland St. This will be a big step for homeless or food-insecure people in the Portland area. Thank you for your consideration. -- Nate Flynn 205 Rogers Rd Yarmouth ME 04096 207.317.6830 Hal D'Amico Dear Planning Board members: Please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent shelter for homeless people at 5 Portland Street. During these exceedingly difficult times - and at all times, we are called to support efforts of compassion for our fellow human beings. No one should have to risk their lives by living outdoors in a Maine winter. Thank you. Sincerely, Hal D’Amico 29 Summer Place Portland Wellness Shelter 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe nate pronovost I am writing to urge you to support opening a permanent wellness shelter on Preble street. We are facing unprecedented times and it is more dangerous than ever to be without shelter. Please support our houseless community and provide this space. Hannah Colbert Dear Planning Board, I'm writing to support Preble Street's conditional use application for a 24/7 wellness shelter. It's not a perfect solution, but housing insecurity in Portland is rising to emergency levels, and we need a multi-pronged approach instead of waiting for the ideal fix to emerge. The wellness shelter would absolutely save lives this winter. Approving the wellness shelter would allow Preble Street to use their wealth of experience to act quickly. At this time of year, people on the streets have fewer options than ever before. As a resident of downtown Portland, and as someone who was unemployed due to COVID-19 for 5 months this year, I appreciate the solutions that City Council is working on to address homelessness. Please, let's add the new Preble Street wellness shelter to the list. Thanks for reading, Hannah Colbert Nicole Boutaugh To the members of Portland Planning Board: Please consider approval of the Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street as a means of further support for the Portland community in need of shelter. Thank you for your time and consideration, Nicole Boutaugh Maine citizen 5 Fox Run Turner, ME 04282 [email protected] Heather Bettencourt Sincerely, Heather Bettencourt Nicole Brown I am writing to you to request that you approve Preble Street's conditional use application to turn their resource center into a 24/7 Wellness Shelter and fast track this project. This could allow 40 homeless individuals to stay out of the cold that continues to worsen by the day. No one deserves to freeze to death when there is a building available to use for this purpose. As a Portland resident I believe this project should not only be approved, but fast tracked to get people out of the cold as soon as possible. I want to believe my city cares about ALL of its residents, regardless of their housing status, especially during a global pandemic. Please help these individuals experience less life changing pain and trauma by approving this wellness shelter. Thank you, Nicole Brown Social Work Major Psychology Minor University of Southern Maine '21 President of USM's Social Work Student Organization Heather Meader Hello Board members! I'm a Portland resident who has not only volunteered at Prebble Street Resource Center but am also a RN at MMC. I have seen so many homeless people who live in the make shift camps around town. I've seen what this pandemic has been doing to people who "just get by" not getting by anymore. The shelter at the gym this summer was so wonderful and successful. I'm happy to see a plan to make that idea permanent. Not having to lug your belongings with you or leave them behind and risk losing all of your possessions is huge. When looking for employment you have a "home", a place to leave your things, and a caseworker helping you, both make a huge difference. This crazy year has been hard on all of us. Let's be honest, it's been way harder on some of us than others. So many people have lost their jobs and homes. Every little bit we do has a huge impact on some people's whole lives. I'm looking forward to reading articles about this new wellness shelter and how we are changing lives and helping people here in our state. We all need some happy news! Thank you for taking the time to read this and vote on it! Heather Meader Bolton Street Nikki Williams Dear Planning Board, I'm a Portland resident (living on Berkeley Street in Woodfords Corner) and I'm writing in support of Preble Street's application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. It is critical that our city officials and leaders do all they can to ensure that unhoused people have a warm, safe place to stay this winter. Thank you for your attention on this very important matter. All the best, Nikki Heather L. Zimmerman Dear Portland Planning Board, I am writing to urge you to support Preble Street's Conditional Use Application to open a new Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. Each time I drive through the streets of Portland it is clear that what our city needs most is more access to dignified shelter for people experiencing homelessness. For decades our city was able to live up to its commitment of providing a right to shelter. However, over recent years we have seen unsheltered homelessness proliferate in our city. This is because available shelter space does not meet the need. While demand has increased through the pandemic, Portland was not meeting the need for shelter even before the pandemic. Simply put we need more safe and warm beds available in the city. We have half empty hotels throughout the city - I urge you to act so that space in our city can be used for the important mission of keeping low-income Portlanders safe and warm. During a public health crisis we should be thinking about the ripple effect that unsheltered homelessness has on our entire city's health. Unsheltered homelessness is always a health crisis. But now more than ever we must act to ensure that people have a warm and safe place to stay. This process has already been delayed for months and taken an incalculable toll. Each day delayed means another day that people are out in the cold. Some opponents may raise the argument that there is other shelter available from the city - but these arguments are not valid. The city provides shelter that works for some and not for others. Moreover, when the planned homeless services center is someday built out on Riverside st. there will be even more people left in town without access to shelter. The proposed use of 5 Portland Street will ensure that people experiencing homelessness on the peninsula (where all other services are located) have a place to sleep. While the pandemic and winter raise the urgency of opening new shelter space - the need has existed for years. Preble Street's proposal takes an important step toward addressing this need and I urge you to vote to approve the proposal on January 5. Thank you, Heather Zimmerman, 14 Pleasant Ave, Portland 04103 -- Heather Lynne Zimmerman Shelter Approval Written Comment Assigne… Subscribe 0 views Nina Ciffolillo To whom it may concern: I am a local law student writing in support of the Planning Board's approval of the conditional use of 5 Portland Street at a Wellness Shelter. Access to shelter is vital to building a prosperous life, in which one can participate in the community. We live in a harsh climate in an affluent society. It is unacceptable that some of our community members have no choice but to spend nights outside with no safe place to go. Lack of shelter exacerbates issues with mental and physical health, makes it difficult for people to access resources or to find employment, and increases the risk of arrest. It is not only in the best interest of those who need shelter, but also in the best interest of our community as a whole, to make sure we all have a safe place to sleep and access important resources. Especially now, one night with no place safe to go is one night too many. I love Portland because it is a haven in New England, where neighbors lift each other up. Our community cares about its constituents. Keeping each other safe strengthens our community and economy. I write to ask that the planning board represent the interests of the Portland community and approve the use of 5 Portland Street as a Shelter. Please help keep our community safe, healthy, and housed. Thank you for your time and happy new year. Nina -- Nina Ciffolillo J.D Candidate, Class of 2021 Economic Justice Fellow University of Maine School of Law pronouns: she, her, hers Heidi Brewer Good Evening, As the new year approaches and temperatures continue to drop it is vital that we act on the principle I most value as a Native Mainer which is the tradition of helping our neighbors. The neighbors among which most need help right now are those who are unhoused. Preble Street has worked tirelessly to help our unhoused neighbors and with your help, they can continue to do so if you vote to approve their conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. As you know the building at 5 Portland Street is owned by Preble Street and is zoned to allow for emergency shelter as it sheltered 75 people regularly for many years when this space was donated to the City of Portland as overflow space for the Oxford Street Shelter. I am writing to urge you to vote to approve this application so that our most vulnerable neighbors can not only get in out of the cold but can also be in a safer environment as we continue to work our way forward through this pandemic. Wishing you all good health. Warm regards, Heidi Brewer Dec 31, 2020, 9:34:13 PM (2 days ago) Paige Barker To whom it may concern, I am writing to ask you to approve the Preble Street application. The building is owned by Preble Street and already zoned to allow for an emergency shelter. It is a proven, essential resource that has regularly sheltered people of Portland when overflow space is needed. We cannot take this away, especially as the coldest months of the year approach. Sincerely, Paige Barker 723 Riverside St Apt 124 Portland, ME 04103 [email protected] RE; Jan.5th.2021 plea to open Preble St. fully. Enough is enough! Human beings dying in doorways and freezing is unacceptable. Action needs to be taken immediately. This could be a member of your family!!! Please open Preble St. Thank you kindly, Heidi Morin Patsy Catsos Dear Planning Board, I am writing to ask you to approve Preble Street’s conditional use application to open a permanant, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. This may not be the city’s first choice, but since there is little or no progress toward the planned shelter in the Riverside area this seems like the best way to keep 75 people from freezing to death on Portland’s frigid streets this winter. Thank you, Patricia Catsos 21 Waverly St. Portland, ME 04103 Hillary Krapf Hello, As a concerned citizen of Portland I am writing in support of the urgent and crucial need to approve and allow Preble Street permanent use as a Wellness Shelter. This is an act of humanity and justice. NO ONE DESERVES TO SLEEP OUTSIDE IN THE WINTER (or any other season for that matter). Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing that this was heard and honored as a request for our community wellness. Be well. _Hillary Krapf [email protected] Please grant Preble Street Wellness Center permanent status. I've been working with the Sanford UU Covid Relief Program and the homeless in our area have no low barrier shelter. People need to have a place to shelter while they deal with their addictions and mental health problems. Please grant Preble Street permanent status. Thank you. Patricia Herrick Ian Campbell Hey All, Please, please, PLEASE open a homeless shelter. I see people who are struggling with so many things and need help. I think that if a homeless shelter gets build, it should have a group of people that can help these people get jobs and get back on their feet. Homeless people are still people. Thank you, Ian Patricia Linscott Dear Planning Board, It is of critical importance that you vote to allow Preble Street to open their Wellness Center for homeless people who are living and sleeping out in the cold in Portland, Maine. Preble Street has a proven record for helping homeless people and working towards getting them jobs and permanent housing. It is a shame that you have waited this long to address this problem. What if it was your mother, father or brother or sister suffering in the cold? Address this problem immediately and save lives! Pat Linscott, Kennebunk, Maine Pleas approve 24/7 homeless shelter Assigne… Subscribe 0 views Ian Law 0 views Patty O'Brien Dear Planning Board, I am writing to ask that you please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. All the best for a Happy Healthy New Year and here’s hoping that fewer people endure sleeping outside. Sincerely, Patty O’Brien, a concerned local citizen Please Help 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe James Beaulieu We are all responsible to help our brothers in need. Some of us are sick, but the cry for help, in our hour of desperation, must not go unanswered. PLEASE do all you can to shelter the homeless. "ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN". Jim James D. Beaulieu EnergyWise llc 207-650-8492 PAUL KENDRICK Dec 31, 2020, 3:18:09 PM (2 days ago) to [email protected] I respectfully request that the City of Portland Planning Board approve the Preble Street conditional use application in order that its facility at 5 Portland Street undergo renovations needed for a new 24/7 Wellness Shelter. With so many people sleeping outside during a public health emergency and as winter approaches, this initiative is desperately needed. Preble Street is not asking for City funds and is only seeking Planning Board approval for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. Please do not leave people out in the cold. Preble Street Wellness Center Assigned t… Subscribe 0 views James Elkins Please approve Preble Street’s Conditional Use Application for a Wellness Shelter. The need for this facility is critical, and in my opinion, its targeted nature will be of great benefit to the entire community. Thank you, Jim Elkins Career Planning Services (207) 303-5725 Nakroshis Paul Dear Planning Board, I don’t know if this is too late, but I wanted to support the reopening of Preble Street to allow homeless citizens a warm place to shelter! Sincerely, -paul nakroshis Peaks Island, ME 9:19 AM (3 hours ago) James Hayman I'm writing to urge the Planning Board to approve Preble Street's application to open a permanent 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. Especially in this dreadful winter of Covid, the homeless need a safe place to sleep and stay warm. Thnak you for your consideration. James Hayman 33 Deerfield Road Portland, ME 04101 Paul Schofield To the Planning Board, My name is Paul Schofield and I'm a resident of Portland. I am writing to voice my support for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter proposed by Preble Street. The center would provide much needed space for Portland's homeless population, and I strongly support approving the application. I'm aware of the potential strain that this could put on the neighborhood, and I agree that this strain needs to be addressed and mitigated. But the moral urgency of providing space for people who need to be housed ought to be prioritized. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Paul Schofield 14 Clinton Street James Melloh Dear Planning Board Members, Please expedite approval of Preble Streets proposed wellness shelter. The need is dire. A community organization working to accommodate Portland's citizens and you stand in the way inviting, Covid, hopelessness, and frozen death. Portland's priorities seem directed toward those with lots of money, toward a culture of getting ahead at the cost of others. It is shameful and sad. Please consider whether some of your decisions may be in part responsible for people ending up on the streets... Have you done all you can to make Portland livable for all? Please Help, James Melloh 9:14 AM (3 hours ago) Jim Millard To The City of Portland Planning Board: I urge you to approve the conditional use application for the 5 Portland Street space that preble Street Resource Center needs so desperately to help the less fortunate people in Portland. One doesn't need to spend much time in the city to see the need for this new space. And one doesn't need to have lived here long to know that the work done at Preble Street deserves all the support it can be given. Without this outstanding, dedicated group of caring staff and volunteers, the problems with homelessness and food insecurity in the entire region would be far worse. Maine people are practical, compassionate and wise. Please follow in this vein and vote yes for this permit. Thank you, James M. Millard Please approve the Preble Street application Assig… Subscribe 0 views Janet Duncan Dear Planning Board members: Please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent shelter for homeless people at 5 Portland Street. During these exceedingly difficult times - and at all times, we are called to support efforts of compassion for our fellow human beings. No one should have to risk their lives by living outdoors in a Maine winter. Thank you. Sincerely, Janet Duncan 96 Starbird Rd. Portland Jean Jala Please approve the presented Preble Street shelter. We need to take care of our own. Too many of our vets, mentally challenged and destitute Maine residents need someplace to sleep. Please approve Jean Jala Jenna Bradley I am writing to offer support to approve the 24/7 housing Wellness project in Portland. Thank you, Jennifer Bradley Jenna Bradley M.S. Ed Developmental Therapist MNRI Core Specialist (Masgutova Neuro-Sensory-Motor Reflex Integration) Jennifer Boggs Dear members of the Planning Board, My name is Jennifer Boggs and I live in Portland. I'm writing to voice my support for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter proposed by Preble Street. The center would provide much needed space for the people experiencing homelessness in Portland, so I strongly support approving the application. I understand that there is potential strain that the center could put on the neighborhood, but there is an immediate need for this space, especially in the midst of the health crisis we're in. I also believe that with creativity and cooperation, community leaders (including the planning board) can find innovative ways to address that strain. Thanks for your service and consideration. Sincerely, Jennifer Boggs 110 Edgeworth Avenue Jennifer Reck Dear Planning Board Members, I am writing to support the approval of Preble Street’s application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. Kind regards, Jennifer Reck 9:22 AM (3 hours ago) jenny rebecca To whom it may concern, Please approve the Preble Street Application on January 5th. It is unthinkable that our community members are sleeping outside - without basic human necessities or comforts- in any weather, let alone the freezing cold. Especially in these uncertain times when more and more people are falling below the poverty line and this could easily be any one of us. Do the compassionate and responsible thing please. Approve a 24/7 wellness center/shelter for those that society has failed already so deeply. Warmly, Jenny McNulty and family jerry berke We cannot stand idly by while fellow Mainers are forced to survive and suffer the winter living without adequate shelter. Please support the Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St. Jessica Myer Dear Planning Board, I ask that you please approve the use of 5 Portland Street for emergency shelter. I have become concerned with the number of individuals I've seen sleeping outside in freezing temperatures. I believe this shelter will act as a lifeline for those affected by poverty/addiction/illness in our community. Thank you, Jessica Myer Approve the Preble Street application Assigne… Subscribe 0 views Jessica Sheahan Dear Planning Board - Please approve the conditional use application from Preble Street to open a permanent specialized 24/7 wellness shelter. During this time of year and this unprecedented health catastrophe, it feels crucial to support the work of organizations like Preble Street who take care of and provide care for our unhoused neighbors and other vulnerable members of our community. Please approve their application and allow for the creation for this much needed community resource. Thank you. -- Jessica Sheahan (she/her) Co-owner CÔNG TỬ BỘT 57 Washington Ave Portland ME Comment for January 5th Assigned to… Subscribe 0 views Dec 30, 2020, 8:28:32 PM (3 days Jillian Benham Hello! I'd like to comment in advocacy for the potential Preble Street 24/7 wellness shelter. As a former tourist and current citizen, I and so many I know have witnessed the intense need for a safe space for our house-less community. This pandemic has brought those of us who never came so close to misfortune previously, closer than we've ever been. We have been lucky if we have only had a close or secondhand encounter with the effects of houselessness. For many, this misfortune is and has been their reality for far too long. Everyone is deserving of shelter. Please approve this application. Jillian Benham Jim Hall City code legally requires this management plan to prevent “substantially greater effect/impact on surrounding properties than those associated with surrounding uses or other allowable uses” (Land Use Code 6.5.2.C – p. 80/381) The effects/impacts caused by operating this type of emergency shelter at a location with no buffer from a residential neighborhood are well documented: windows smashed, cars stolen, property defaced, break ins, intimidation, sexual assault, etc…. The most relevant use near 5 Portland is the city’s Oxford Street Shelter, which is also a general adult population shelter. In recent years City leadership responded to growing neighborhood concerns around the OSS by developing highly successful community safety operations, with security professionals actively monitoring residential streets. This often precludes any need for police involvement when shelter clients coming to this neighborhood for service (and also those who follow to prey on them) take dangerous behaviors from the service site into the host community. Hiring dedicated security staff (not just a police detail) is literally the only approach that is currently proven to bring such high-impact shelter operation in a residential neighborhood within the legal requirement of preventing “substantially greater impact.” Preble’s management plan does not propose such security patrols, or any relevant type of active mitigation that could potentially reduce known human impacts. Because of this, general conditional use standards are not met. In absence of some type of proactive and enforceable impact reduction plan, Preble has a proven record of creating a public nuisance at 5 Portland, and denying any responsibility. A quick survey of current Preble Street projects reveals similar outsized effects when compared to relevant operations by other providers: – Florence House neighbors report frustrations growing to anger that Preble staff shoo clients offsite when they want to engage in illicit activities, and ignore neighbors’ complaints that this practice actively drives unsafe behaviors into the community. This new proposed shelter would serve a similar clientele, almost certainly with similar impacts. – India Street neighbors near Milestone, a different operator that specializes in serving people with co-occurring substance issues, indicate that this shelter has always operated in a way that actively maintains a culture of respect toward the host community, takes care of areas outside their facility, does everything they can to resolve negative externalities as quickly as possible – and perhaps most telling – that guests appear to participate in the culture cultivated by staff. This is in very stark contrast to the impact of Preble philosophies and behaviors, even while serving an overlapping client base. – 55 Portland is Preble’s latest real estate acquisition, and nearby residents and businesses have been tracing an explosion of illegal behaviors clustering at the property then flowing into the community – not starting when ownership passed from the city to a private developer in 2018, but in 2019 when Preble bought it – and then growing exponentially worse after Preble recently started operating it as a site for outdoor food delivery (though notably, food drop sites staffed by other operators show very little neighborhood impact). In fact, one landlord across the street from 55 Portland has recently been unable to keep units occupied – for the first time due to safety concerns by former and prospective tenants. Here’s a quote from a meeting the Portland Police convened on 12/18/20 to discuss impacts emanating from Preble operations at 55 Portland to nearby properties: “Chaos ensues there, and spills over to where we live. It’s welcomed there. I don’t see any best practices. Nobody corrects any behavior, including social distancing or mask wearing. I’m losing tenants left and right, for the first time because of safety concerns. Cars stolen, windows smashed, property defaced, intimidation. These were people who loved living downtown Portland, but I’m no longer able to keep these units filled.” Donna Yellen described to this body on 10/20/20 how Preble’s social work approach prevents them from reinforcing their own client agreement (which only mentions the neighborhood as an afterthought). Apparently this non-approach to public safety extends even to Covid safety – even during this review process, while Preble is claiming a new commitment to reducing impacts, their actions speak louder than words. What difference will a new permit make other than enabling a bad operating model? Oxford Street Shelter, the relevant nearby use described above, voluntarily took ownership of their role in worsening neighborhood conditions starting in 2017. Since then, nearby units that had previously been un-rentable have remained easily and happily filled, in one case even through having to find a new tenant at the beginning of covid. Preble has had every opportunity to respond similarly, yet up to and including the current proposal, they choose to ignore what works. There is ample evidence that the undue impacts on display at the former Resource Center, at the new Preble property 55 Portland, and at Florence House are not because of the services offered, and not because of the client base – these problems are demonstrably caused by the way this particular provider operates. We have evidence that it’s possible to operate homeless services AND act as a responsible community member at the same time – but this management plan does nothing to demonstrate how Preble will proactively improve on its historic and ongoing visible failures in this regard. For years the city failed to govern Preble Street when its manner of operating a resource center and soup kitchen at 5 Portland created a clear public nuisance. A former iteration of this Planning Board deferred consideration of small shelter zoning a few years ago, and the current body now has inexplicably fast-tracked this hearing to fall one week before relevant licensing ordinance comes before city council committee. Because of this, mechanisms of oversight and enforcement remain limited. And the applicant has not voluntarily described any means to remediate the types of impacts that matter. It therefore falls to the Planning Board at this time to form the explicit resolution that will “impose such reasonable conditions upon the premises benefited by a conditional use as may be necessary to prevent or minimize adverse effects therefrom upon other property in the neighborhood. Such conditions shall be expressly set forth in the resolution authorizing the conditional use.” (Land Use Code 6.5.3 – p. 80/381). Various options exist that could appropriately limit known neighborhood impacts: • A temporary permit to operate during Covid, or during this particular winter, if the intent is to provide additional distancing space as USM did. • A provisional permit, to be reviewed for compliance with standards (especially adverse effects and resolution of community concerns) after six months or a year. • Requirement to provide the type of solutions that are already known to appropriately reduce human impacts – Either the explicit requirement to hire trained security staff and provide hourly monitoring of nearby residential streets (i.e. model OSS community safety protocols) – Or a general requirement to document coordination with successful peers to implement other evidence-based impact mitigation best practices. • Require documented collaboration with city staff on selection of clients in order to prevent the creation of a “competing” general emergency intake, and ensure clientele is restricted to guests who do not have shelter options elsewhere, as described in the application. • Require city review of ongoing need for such a supplemental general shelter to exist as long term intractable cases are served and moved through to more stable situations. • Require explicit outcome reporting, to be defined perhaps by Portland’s Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee (ESAC). • Explicitly limit the allowable number of cots to the written application level of 40. • Require the shelter advisory panel to explicitly include a representative from the Bayside Neighborhood Association. • Require that the property only be used as described in the application (note this does not currently describe outdoor food distribution, so that would need to be added or discontinued) • Require a good neighbor contract that is actually focused on the types of behaviors that tend to cause neighborhood concerns. A good model from Portland’s Department of Health and Human Services is linked below. https://www.portlandmaine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22365/Homeless-Services- Center-Good-Neighbor-Contract • Require documented policy explicitly describing how staff will actively reinforce good neighbor behavior outside their own property. • Require impact mitigation to stay in place should use shift in the future (as opposed to a return to “business as usual” described in the application and various verbal presentations) • Require agreement from the specific people with concerns (again, the relevant neighborhood association would do) that the proposed process for resolving concerns provides a legitimate path to actionable solutions. This review process should ultimately provide trust that city code and procedures protect all parties, no matter how outnumbered they may be by onlookers who are not directly affected. Even though this location doubles down on a failed shelter clustering model, even though this plan fails to describe specialty operations that would adhere to documented council intentions (and nationally recognized best practice) where small satellite shelters focus on the unique needs of sub-populations, and even though this applicant has a track record of creating chaos wherever they go and erecting walls between concerns and results – We do need more legitimate specialist partners to collaborate with the city. Any neighborhood should be able to look at the outcome of this review and say: Yes, I now feel confident that I can safely welcome a new specialty shelter into my midst, knowing that city processes safely protect my neighborhood. The applicant has the option of voluntarily earning trust by offering any of these in writing. Barring that, it falls to the Planning Board to draft a resolution requiring appropriate conditions. Sincerely, Jim Hall Cedar St Please approve Preble Street’s application! Assign… Subscribe 0 views [email protected] So important to help those in need from our community. Thank you for supporting Preble Street! Joan Ashley joan lowell Dear Planning Board Members, I would like to kindly ask you to approve the permanent Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Road to aid the homeless community. Doing the hard things for others is what makes us grow as people and communities, but it also opens up communication and allows us to really know what is needed in order to make the help truly beneficial. Thank you for listening. Respectfully, Joan Lowell Joanne Abrams To Whom It May Concern: Please add our voices to the request to pass the Preble St. conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St. No one should be sleeping on the streets of Portland this winter. Thank you! Joanne and Daniel Abrams 118 Brackett St. Portland Jonah Fertig-Burd Dear Planning Board, With winter upon us and the economic and health impacts of COVID devastating so many people, people who are homeless need safe shelter. I support Preble Street in opening their Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St. I am a property owner in the neighborhood and I support this new shelter and approach that Preble Street is taking. Sincerely, Jonah Fertig-Burd -- In Community, Jonah Dec 31, 2020, 12:57:46 PM (2 days ago) Joy Hayes Please approve the Problem Street application to provide more shelter to unhoused neighbors Joy Hayes Gray, ME Dec 31, 2020, 11:48:59 AM (2 days ago) Faiz Jaspar Abu-Jaber Hello all, My name is Jaspar Abu-Jaber, I am a fourth year medical student in the Maine Track at Tufts. I’m writing to urge you to approve Preble Street’s application for a 24 hour shelter on 5 Portland Street. With more people than ever on the edge of homelessness, and during a pandemic where many options homeless folks have used in the past are unavailable, having capacity to keep people from sleeping in the streets is critical to keeping folks alive and safe. Thank you for your consideration. Best, Jaspar Jaspar Abu-Jaber [email protected] support of wellness shelter Assigned to… Subscribe 0 views julie ziffer Planning board, I’m writing to advocate for a permanent, 24/7 wellness shelter to open as soon as possible for our unhoused neighbors. Please approve this measure in care a solidarity for our neighbors who are unhoused. Thank you. Julie Ziffer 126 Revere St, Portland, ME 04103 Justin Miers Please allow Preble St to continue to operate their shelter and wellness center at 5 Portland St. I am a Portland resident and property owner and I support Swannie and his efforts to keep vulnerable people safe in our city. Sincerely, Justin Miers In strong support of the proposed Preble St Wellness Shelter Assi… Subscribe 0 views Justine Achille To The City of Portland Planning Board, It has been a privilege to provide medical care, education, and respite to the unhoused members of our community. As a primary care doctor in Portland, many of my patients are currently experiencing unstable housing and have benefited from shelters within the city. This summer I had the opportunity to spend more intensive time working with the amazing Preble Street Learning Collaborative team doing outreach to patients at various shelters including the Sullivan Gym (staffed by Preble Street), and was incredibly impressed by what I saw. The shelter was organized, clean, and my patients there felt safe and cared for. I am confident that the proposal to have a new 24h Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St would be not only an asset, but essential to the wellbeing of our community members. With the move to the future Riverside Shelter, our community members will be taken away from essential services in the heart of the city-- thus, having the new Preble St Wellness Center would be able to give our residents a place to stay which allow them to still easily access these critical services (such as medical care at my clinic which is just a short walk away). The motto of our great city is "resurgam" meaning-- "I will rise again." I have often thought of this motto when working with our unhoused community members after witnessing their perseverance and grit. I am writing today to advocate for strong support of the Preble St proposal such that we can help our fellow residents rise again. Sincerely, Justine Achille, MD, MPH Family Physician and proud resident of Portland, ME-- Justine M. Achille, MD, MPH [email protected] c: 508-942-5342 Karen Prieto Dear Planning Board members, My name is Karen Staples Prieto. I recently moved back to Brunswick after living out of state, and I work for a company in Portland. I'm relieved to hear that the Preble Street facility at 5 Portland Street may be converted to a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. This initiative is desperately needed - can you imagine how awful it must feel to sleep outside in a normal winter, much less this year with a pandemic? In order to give shelter and a helping hand to forty human beings, Preble Street just needs your help with one thing: Approval of the conditional use application for necessary COVID-informed renovations to the building. If you could please make this approval request a TOP priority on Tuesday January, I'd be very grateful - on behalf of my fellow Mainers in Portland who are having tough times this winter. Please help them have a place to stay, so they're not out in the cold. With appreciation, Kp Karen Rubino To whom it may concern, It has been heartbreaking watching all the homeless people huddling together to keep warm out in the freezing cold in Portland. No one should have to endure that torture. I’m for a 24/7 building open for these people to stay warm. Thank you, Karen Rubino Kate Somerville Hello, My name is Kate Somerville and I am a lifelong resident of Portland. I am writing to ask that you please vote to approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent wellness center where their previous temporary shelter had been. I believe this shouldn’t even be a question. The location has previously been used for similar needs in emergency situations, and served as a long term facility as well for a time. We have seen what a difference a few extra beds makes, and it is clear that more than a few extra beds are needed today, as we remember those unhoused folks we have already lost this year. It is easy to say “yes” to this, and much much harder to say “no,” and see the results of your actions, freezing in the streets. I can write this email, I can volunteer at the shelter, I can give a dollar or a donut to a woman on the street, but it is not in my power to approve this application. That power is yours. Please consider our pleas, and do what’s right for our Portland citizens. They don’t deserve to sleep outside while we nestle cozily into our warm beds. Thank you for your compassion, Kate Kate Somerville (207) 712-7333 [email protected] Preble St Wellness Center Assigned to… Subscribe 0 views Kathryn Henson Good afternoon, I am a citizen of Portland and am contacting you to say it's imperative that the Preble Street Shelter application is approved. No one should be sleeping on the streets this winter. People freezing to death on the sidewalks when we have a shelter waiting to be opened is unconscionable. Please approve this application. Best, Kathryn O'Neil Kelley Norton To Whom it May Concern: Please approve the Preble Street conditional use application for a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter. It is in humane to expect people to sleep outdoors, especially in cold, snowy weather. We need a solution Portland Maine! Sincerely, Kelley A. Norton Wellness Shelter 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Dec 31, 2020, 3:03:13 PM (2 days Kelsey Brandon Good Afternoon, I am writing to urge the planning board to approve Preble Street's conditional use application to open a permanent, 24/7 Wellness Shelter. There are few times and places in the United States colder than a Maine winter, and it is essential to the well-being of the unhoused members of our community to be able to access these life-saving services. Preble Street has a long, well-documented history of serving Mainers in great need, and this shelter would be a crucial extension of their mission. The health and safety of some of our community's most vulnerable members are on the line. Please give Preble Street access to the resources they need to give our neighbors the safety they deserve. All the best and happy New Year, Kelsey Brandon Kelsie Steil To whom it may concern, Please approve Preble Street's application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 shelter so folks without housing can stay warm during our legendarily cold winters here in Maine. Every human deserves the right to have access to warmth. Thank you for taking the time to read my comment. -- With kindness, Kelsie Steil No one should sleep outside Assigned t… Subscribe 0 views Kerri Murphy To the Portland Planning board, Happy New Year. I feel compelled to email and state my opinion on the importance of offering shelter to those in need. It is crucial as most of these humans have mental illness and or substance abuse disorders and many have a chance of a better life with the right support. As Portland is a fairly large community of recovering alcoholics and addicts I believe offering shelter and other services to those in need is a necessary part of our community. Please consider those that have no one and need a little extra help from their community. Sincerely, Kerri Murphy Previously homeless and vey sick. Sober since 7/3/2018 thanks to the help of community services and kindness Kevin Riley Planning Board members: As a long time resident of Portland, I urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. Thank you for your consideration! Kevin Problem Street Shelter Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Kevin Tierney Please approve the Preble Street application for the Portland shelter. Kevin Tierney Cape Elizabeth ferret jazz Good evening, My name is Khadija Jabbar Ajail and I would like to add on to those voices pleading you to accept the prebble street application. It will save so many lives in this trying time. Thank you for your time, Khadija J Ajail Alling, Kristi A It is critical that you allow Preble Street to open a permanent wellness shelter at 5 Portland Street. We must do all we can for our community and those who are not fortunate to have the basic need of housing/shelter. Maine winters are brutal. Nobody should have to sleep outside. Kristi Alling, RN, MSN Kristina Minister To the Portland Planning Board: Preble Street’s proposal to renovate their building will fill a pressing need to extend full support for persons who do not have the means to live in shelter. The plan will have minimal impact on the neighborhood because it is limited to 40 persons with assigned case workers to coordinate a more stable future for their clients. Further, professional caseworkers will be embedded with clients 24/7. I urge the Planning Board to approve the Preble Street proposal. Sincerely yours, Kristina Minister Kristina Minister, Ph.D. 101 North St., Apt. 4 Portland, ME 04101 207-415-8274 Larry R. Kalajainen Thank you, Larry Kalajainen Laura Paul Greetings--I know I've written before about this, but I do urge you to consider accepting Preble Street's request for a conditional use application in order to continue serving Portland's homeless population in a location that is safe, comfortable and known to them. I can't think of a better organization to address this issue. Portland, please do not hinder their work unless you have a better and immediate solution. Thank you for listening. Sincerely, Laura Paul Candlewyck Terrace Portland Laura Powers Hi, I am for any initiate gives people a place to sleep inside. Can you imagine sleeping outside during the cold Maine winters! Thank you, Laura Laurel Daly Dear Members of the Portland Planning Board, I'm writing to ask you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland Street. I'm concerned about the most vulnerable people in our community having access to vital services. Thank you, Laurel Daly 165 Brentwood Street Portland, Maine 04103 Please Approve Preble Street Application Assign… Subscribe 0 views Leah Douglass Greetings Planning Board, Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I am writing to you today to advocate for the approval of the conditional use application by the Preble Street shelter. I am a recent transplant to Portland, as of April 2020, and seeing how hard this pandemic has hit our houseless neighbors has made a lasting impact on me. I could tally all the different problems it would solve, all the ways it would help Portland's image or economy, but obviously, the most important thing approving this application would do is help its citizens. I want to belong to a community that takes care of each other in times of need. Please approve the application. Thanks again and take care. -- Leah Douglass (she/her) Educator and Comic 207-2397270 I support the approval of the application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Assi… Subscribe Wellness Shelter at Preble Street 0 views Dec 31, 2020, 2:57:56 PM (2 days Leonid Eichfeld Hello, My name is Leonid Eichfeld, I am a current resident of Topsham Maine (though my home and my heart are in Portland). I strongly support the approval of the application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at Preble Street. I urge you all to approve this application. People have frozen to death on the streets of Portland because they do not have any safe place to go. It should be said, too, that it shouldn't have to come to death to approve of community support systems- I want to see this application approved because It will help our communities to flourish. This application will save, and improve lives, the lives of people you work for. Please, approve the application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at Preble Street. Thank you for your time and consideration, Leonid Eichfeld Start the new year protecting the vulnerable Assign… Subscribe 0 views [email protected] Hello, Please help Preble Street use the building at 5 Portland Street so that people will not have to sleep outside this winter. Thank you and happy new year, Leticia Leticia Plate 292 Stevens Avenue Portland, ME 04103 207-774-1146 home/office 207-632-0174 cell www.leticiaplate.com https://www.instagram.com/leticiaplate/ Lily Verna Hello, Please open the shelter! No one should have to sleep outside in the cold. Thank you. Linda Sanborn Dear Planning Board members, As a member of the social justice and missions committees at my church in Gorham, we often send volunteers to help at Preble Street and Florence House, as well as help with other worthy missions in our greater Portland community. I encourage you to approve the application to open a permanent shelter for homeless people at 5 Portland Street. We are called upon to support efforts of compassion for all of our brothers and sisters, knowing that we are "our brother's keeper". No one should have to suffer in the cold living outdoors in the Maine winter. I am sure you must share our compassion and empathy during these most difficult times. Now is the time to act. Thank you, Linda Sanborn 170 Spiller Rd. Gorham, ME 04038 207-939-2879 Preble Street permanent shelter Assigned … Subscribe 0 views Linda Webb Sincerely, Linda Webb concerned citizen In support of opening a permanent shelter Assign… Subscribe 0 views Louise Secordel Dear City of Portland Planning Board, I'd like to submit my support for opening a permanent shelter at 5 Portland St. As a concerned Greater Portland resident, and a healthcare employee based in Portland, I urge you to continue fighting to end homelessness. We know there is strong evidence showing how housing stability leads to improved health and employment outcomes. We also cannot let our neighbors die simply because they were cold and hungry, especially during a public health crisis. As a society, community, city, we have the resources to prevent this, and investing early means reduced long-term costs overall. We just need the will power to end what our society created. I urge you to approve the Preble Street application next week. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Happy New Year, Louise Secordel LUCCA D'ALEO To whom it may concern. I am a resident of Portland Maine and I write this to ask that you approve the preble street application for more shelter for unhoused folks. With the cold weather here, Covid cases increasing in our fine state, and the need for more shelter to help our unhoused community we need to step up. Thank you for your time. Lucca DAleo Lynn Kalloch Sincerely lynn Kalloch Request to Approve Preble Street Application Assig… Subscribe 0 views Jan 1, 2021, 11:48:56 Macey Downs Dear Planning Board, I'm a current resident of Portland, Maine, and am writing to encourage the Planning Board to approve the Preble Street application to convert the former Preble Street Resource Center into a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. Unhoused members of our Portland community need a safe, warm space to shelter over the cold Maine winter, and the current pandemic and recession has made it exponentially harder for Maine residents to afford safe housing and shelter. Providing shelter would ensure that more of our community members will not freeze to death this winter. Sincerely, Macey Downs Preble Street 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe madison van etten Good morning, I don’t want my community members to have to endure sleeping outdoors. PLEASE approve the Preble Street application! Madison Van Etten Máire Lenihan Dear Planning Board Members, Please approve Preble Street's conditional use application for the Wellness Center. All Portland residents deserve access to a safe, warm, and comfortable place to sleep. Our neighbors shouldn't be left to suffer in the cold when we can easily do something to help improve their lives. Just last month two people died while sleeping on Portland's streets - their deaths could have been avoided with greater access to services and shelter. Approving this Wellness Shelter will help us work towards preventing future deaths due to exposure during Maine's harsh New England winters. Sincerely, Máire Lenihan DIstrict 4 Resident Approve the preble street application 0 views Subscribe Maizie Hummel-logee Hello, I am a Portland Maine resident and I am writing you to tell you need to approve preble street for their application to open a 24/7 wellness shelter! Our unhoused neighbors deserve to be treated with respect and deserve basic human rights such as shelter! They are our neighbors, friends and your constituents, you have a duty and a responsibility to make sure that the people of this town are cared for and safe this winter! It is getting very cold outside and absolutely no one deserves to have to sleep in a harsh maine winter. You got elected hopefully because you want to help better our city, this is a way for you to do it. Thank you for your time, Maizie H-L Preble Street 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Dec 31, 2020, 12:10:07 PM (2 days Makenzie Nichols Hello, I am writing to encourage the approval of the Preble Street application. Just this past year I lost my mother to suicide after her struggles with homelessness. She was trying to leave a physically violent relationship, and while we called shelter after shelter, there was never a warm bed that could take her. Nobody should have to sleep in the snow, let alone in a city with an average home value of nearly $400,000. All people deserve shelter, no matter where they’re at in life or how they got there. Sincerely, Makenzie Nichols No one should sleep outside Assigned t… Subscribe 0 views Marcelle Landry I am writing this in support of the Preble Street and ask you to approve the Preble Street application which would provide adequate housing and help keep our homeless population warm this winter. This year has been very challenging for all and I believe that it is important to do ALL we can to ensure people in our community have an opportunity and shot at survival. Thank you for considering this. Best, Marcelle Landry Margaret Clews Please approve Preble St to continue as a shelter and resource for people who are experiencing homelessness. Thank you, Margaret Clews ______Meg Clews, RN, FNP-C M Tupper I like the idea of there being a permanent Wellness Shelter available 24/7 through Preble Street. Good luck! Mariana Marianna Mickelson Dear Planning Board members: Please approve the Preble Street application to open a permanent shelter for homeless people at 5 Portland Street. During these exceedingly difficult times - and at all times, we are called to support efforts of compassion for our fellow human beings. No one should have to risk their lives by living outdoors in a Maine winter. Thank you. Sincerely, Marianna Mickelson Marianne Hill This is a much-needed facility and the location is one that is well-known to those living on our streets. Let’s lead the way towards a strong, safe community by taking care of one another as this facility will allow. Marianne Hill Member, First Parish UU Church Former Portland resident now in South Portland Marion Zimmerman Please approve the Preble St application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St- Thank You- Marion Zimmerman Martha Stein Good afternoon, I am writing to express my support for the Preble Street Wellness Shelter. We are in extraordinary times. The offer from Preble Street should be welcome - their approach to taking in even the most difficult and troubled people should be welcomed. I understand that Preble Street's neighbors are weary of the commotion in their community; please continue to work together for long-term solutions that address the very real needs of the homeless AND the residents. In the meantime, it is imperative that the city does the right thing and allow Preble Street to open and house/address the needs of homeless Mainers. Thank you, Martha Stein Mary Beth Sullivan Honorable Planning Board Members: I write to request that you approve Preble Street's plans to renovate the building they own. Transforming the upper floor of that building into a 40-bed emergency wellness shelter for some of our most vulnerable neighbors is the right thing to do. And it should be done quickly. This project will create jobs for some, and keep vulnerable people safe from COVID and winter weather. Preble Street is not asking for City funds, just Planning Board Approval. Count me as one who hopes for this approval as soon as possible. Mary Beth Sullivan [email protected] 207 504 3673 mary howard Hello! Please approve the preble street shelter application! Thank you, Mary Howard Mary Manoogian To whom it may concern; This email is being sent in support of the Wellness Shelter application submitted by Prebble Street. The homeless population in Portland is and has been a group that is practically ignored and frankly, we, as humans can do better. This is something that YOU have the power to change!! Help start 2021 off with a spirit of caring for others. We need to do better and we CAN do better. Please approve the application. Sincerely, Mary Manoogian Matthew Houston Dear Members of the Planning Board, I am writing to voice my support for Preble Street's plan to convert their building at 5 Portland Street, a building which Preble Street already owns and which has been zoned as an emergency shelter, into a new shelter. There is a desperate need for more help and support for people sleeping outside this winter. I deeply believe that if someone needs help, and if it is within our power to help that person without thereby harming anyone else as a result of our help, then we ought, morally, to help that person. I follow John Stuart Mill in making a distinction between, on the one hand, "harm," and on the other hand, "mere offense." "Harm" is anything which will be physically, emotionally, or spiritually injurious to any given person with a stake in a decision, or which impedes the exercise and enjoyment of any of that person's human rights. "Mere offense" is precisely what it says on the tin: an unwelcome (as perceived by the one who is offended) consequence which results in neither physical, emotional, or spiritual injury, nor any impediment to the exercise and enjoyment of one's human rights. It seems clear to me that the reasons given so far in opposition of Preble Street's application fall under the category of "mere offense." There has been no compelling argument given which would show that the approval of Preble Street's application would result in any harm. It would seem that the opposition is merely offended, and I would point out that it is not the duty of municipal government to intervene and address any given situation where one or more of its constituents are merely offended about something. We have a moral duty to help where and when we can. We can help a great number of people by allowing Preble Street to go forward with their plan. We ought to approve their application. Best, Matthew Houston Portland MT Greene Hello, Regarding the public hearing NEXT WEEK on Tuesday, January 5 to decide the future of the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter, I'm asking you to please approve the Preble Street application. As a new year quickly approaches and temperatures drop, it is critical to continue advocating for our unhoused neighbors. Thank you so much for all you do! Maureen Greene Scarborough, ME Maureen Schofield Dear Planning Board, My name is Maureen Schofield and I live in Portland. I write in support of the 24/7 Wellness Shelter proposed by Preble Street. Homelessness is a significant problem here and elsewhere, and especially during a pandemic, people need a place to stay. I urge you to approve Preble Street's application to convert their space into a wellness shelter. Thank you for your consideration of this important issue. Sincerely, Maureen Schofield 14 Clinton Street Meg Klepack To The City of Portland Planning Board, I'm a primary care doctor who works in Portland and lives on Pleasant St in the West End. I'm writing in support of the Preble Street 24/7 Wellness Shelter at 5 Portland St. As a doctor, I've been privileged to work with folks experiencing homelessness. I've seen first-hand how having access to shelter and connections with social work resources provide a critical hand up, helping folks get back on their feet with assistance finding permanent housing, accessing health care, and finding employment. I was given an opportunity to visit the Sullivan Gym shelter run by the Preble Street organization last summer and was thoroughly impressed by how well it was run. The space was tidy, quiet, and well organized. Based on that experience, I am convinced that Preble Street would be an excellent organization to run this shelter. I also want to comment that a shelter in the heart of downtown Portland is essential in the context of the city's plan to close the Oxford Street Shelter and re-locate all shelter services to the Riverside St location. A Preble Street shelter is much more accessible to folks without reliable transportation. From that location they are able to walk to access medical care, pharmacies, buy food, and other daily necessities. In this year, when so many of our neighbors have lost jobs and economic desperation has intensified, Portland must stand with folks experiencing homelessness and do all we can to help. I urge you to support the Preble St Wellness Shelter. Thanks for your attention to this urgent matter, Sincerely, Margaret Klepack, MD [email protected] To whom it may concern, As a housed resident of Southern Maine, I urge you all to approve the Preble Street application. Those who are unhoused in the city our still our neighbors, and we should do our best to ensure that they have a safe place to sleep at night and to avoid the cold. No one should die due to freezing whether because they have no shelter where they can rest their head. Please do your best to keep them safe. People’s lives are at stake. Sincerely, Megan Bainbridge Saco, ME Resident Preble Street Wellness Center Hearing! Assign… Subscribe 0 views Megan Wolff Hello, Please approve the Preble Street Application for the new wellness center. Our city and homeless community needs it. Thank you, Megan Wolff Portland Subscribe Dec 31, 2020, 3:54:19 PM (2 days Meghan Stewart To Whom It May Concern, I'm writing to ask the Board to approve the application for the proposed Wellness Shelter. Our communities desperately need more robust services to support the unhoused and this shelter would absolutely benefit not only the individuals impacted by homelessness but the community as a whole. This project should be approved and I'm asking you all to do so. Thank you for your time, Meghan Stewart mel brimmer Hello! I am writing to ask that you please approve Preble Streets’ application to open a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. Helping to alleviate the tragedy of homelessness should be one of the city’s tip priorities during this pandemic, when our unbounded neighbors are at greater risk than ever. Thank you Wellness shelter 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Melea Nalli My name is Melea Nalli and I'm a resident of Portland. I am writing to voice my support for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter proposed by Preble Street. The center would provide much needed space for Portland's homeless population, and I strongly support approving the application. I'm aware of the potential strain that this could put on the neighborhood, and I agree that this strain needs to be addressed and mitigated. But the moral urgency of providing space for people who need to be housed ought to be prioritized. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Melea and Mike Nalli 67 Beacon Street preble street application comment Assigned… Subscribe 0 views Dec 31, 2020, 2:59:22 PM (2 days Mel Brown Hello all, I am submitting my written comment in support of the Preble Street conditional use application to open a 24/7 wellness shelter. While I don't live directly in the Bayside neighborhood, I do live in Parkside very close to Bayside, and would be so grateful to know a shelter existed (in downtown specifically, close to resources) for this purpose. It is getting so cold, a woman has already frozen to death this winter on the streets of Portland, and it just doesn't have to be this way. I've been deeply disappointed to hear what I believe to be a loud minority of neighborhood residents complain about what this does to their neighborhood -- but I'd like to push back against that and say that the homeless ARE our neighbors. They are not less deserving of taking up space in Portland. I would love to see the planning board make a decision that puts the needs of our most vulnerable community members first. I'll be watching tomorrow. Thank you, Melissa Brown 94 Park Ave Portland, ME Stephanie Maraldo To the members of the Planning Board, As a member of the Portland community, I urge you to support Preble Street's application to open a wellness shelter. There are many actions that need to be taken to solve the housing issues in the city, but this would be a first step, especially considering the additional space and distancing requirements necessary due to covid. It is cold out and there is a community organization willing to help our unhoused neighbors. Please, please allow them to do so. Stephanie Maraldo Preble street 0 views Assigned to me Subscribe Tulliah O'Brien Hello! Please approve the Preble Street conditional use application to open a permanent, specialized 24/7 Wellness Shelter! Tulliah Alexis Rice Dear Portland Planning Board, We both know what the right thing to do in this situation is, and that’s to put a homeless shelter on Preble street. Please approve this so you can improve people’s lives, especially as it gets incredibly cold in Portland and that is extremely dangerous. Thank you for your time. -Alex Rice Alison Russell Hello, I am a resident of Portland. It is very important we provide shelter to those who need it, especially during the extremes of the winters. Please approve the Preble St application. Best, Alison Russell Amanda MacLeod Hello Planning Board, as a Portland resident, I'm writing to ask you to please approve the preble street application for the wellness shelter to help keep our houseless neighbors safe this winter. Thank you, Amanda Approve the Preble Street application Elli Lisa Ari 94 Hello, Please make sure the Preble street application is approved this week.This is a necessity to the health and success of our city! Ariana Mortello Preble Street Wellness Center Assigned t… Subscribe 0 views Dec 30, 2020, 11:07:35 AM (4 days Arthur Kaufman I would like to urge you to consider approving the application for the 24/7 Wellness Center Shelter on Preble Street to house homeless people during this winter. I am sure that it can be utilized safely during the pandemic to assure that nobody dies from the cold this year. Thank you. Arthur Kaufman Ashley Reth To the City of Portland Planning Board, As someone who works in Portland and lives in the neighboring city of Westbrook, I am urging you to approve Preble Street's application to create a 24/7 Wellness Shelter. As we all know, living in Maine can be very hard even when you have a home and a car. Imagine what it is like for those who do not, for those members of our community who have no place to go to shelter from the harsh elements of a Maine winter. I should note that even in the best of weather, I do not wish to see my fellow Mainer's unhoused. Portland is not doing what is best for our whole community. No one should have to suffer when there are solutions to the problem. Preble Street's proposed shelter would make a big difference. Please do what you know is the right thing to do. Thank you, -- Ashley Reth Audrey Beaumier Dear Planning Board, I strongly urge you to support the application approval for the 24/7 Wellness Shelter. As a former resident of Portland I saw firsthand the need for this community support. Due to the pandemic many public establishments are closed leaving those without housing very limited access to clean running water. With temperatures dropping, these community members lives are at risk. Please help our unhoused community members by approving the application. Sincerely, Audrey Beaumier Standish, Maine [email protected] Good Evening, My name is Aviva Feinberg and I am a resident here in Portland, Maine. I am writing to urge you to approve the Preble Street conditional use application for a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. 64 unhoused people died in 2020. 2 people froze to death, if not more. Others died of chronic health conditions, suicide, overdose, and other preventable causes. With your approval, the wellness shelter will offer crucial, life- saving services. Something as simple as a warm place to stay could have prevented at least 2 deaths. Portlanders, both housed and unhoused, deserve dignity, respect, and care. If you agree, you must approve Preble Street’s application. Thank you for your time, Aviva Feinberg Preble Street Application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views RhymeBeat To whom it may concern, I am e-mailing you in support of the current Preble Street application. I think it is wise for the city to approve this and simply is the right thing to do. Thank you for your time. Best, Benny P cora slocum Hello, I am a concerned citizen writing on the behalf of all homeless people in the portland area. I had hoped that the town of portland had a greater respect for the homeless veterans and recovering addicts. I am a high school student who has nearly seen the world, but I can’t believe that the people in the worst periods of their lives are being forced to live in horrible conditions on the street. Please approve this preble street plan for the greater good of portland. please vote for peace and love, not for your own greedy agendas. -cora slocum, from portland maine Danny jordan Hello, As a citizen of Portland I'm concerned with the number of unhoused neighbors I'm seeing forced to endure sleeping outside. Two people have already died of exposure this winter. Please approve the Preble Street application to reopen as a 24/7 wellness clinic. Thank you, Daniel Approving the Preble Street Application Assign… Subscribe 0 views Emily Lilly Hello! My name's Emily Lilly and I am a student at Maine College of Art. My first semester there started this past August and after spending three months in Portland I have seen the truly horrific homelessness issue that we have. There is a great need in Portland for specialized wellness shelters. It would benefit so many people. I implore the city government to approve of the application of the building on Preble Street turning it into a shelter for the homeless people of our city. Best, Emily Lilly Emily Pines Planning board , I’m writing to advocate for a permanent, 24/7 wellness shelter to open As soon as possible for our unhoused neighbors. Please approve this measure in care a solidarity for our neighbors who are unhoused. Thank you. Your neighbor, Emily Pines Revere St. Graydon Gund Hi, Was reading about the preble street shelter situation and wanted to write to add my voice to those asking you to approve it. Thanks, Graydon Gund -- Thanks, Graydon Gund www.GraydonGund.com preble street application Assigned to … Subscribe 0 views Isabella Fernald good evening, my name is isabella fernald and i'm a resident in portland maine. i am writing to urge you to approve the preble street conditional use application for a permanent 24/7 wellness shelter. 64 unhoused people died in 2020. 2 other people froze to death, if not more. others died of chronic health conditions, suicide, overdose, and other preventable causes. with your approval, the wellness shelter will offer crucial, life saving services. something as simple as a warm place to stay could have prevented at least two deaths. portlanders, both housed and unhoused, deserve dignity, respect, and care. if you agree, you must approve preble streets application. thank you for your time, isabella fernald. Lynn Hello, As a voter and resident of Portland, someone who struggles to pay rent in a seemingly ever-increasing market where millennials still have 3 or 4 roomates just to keep a roof over their heads; I strongly urge the city government to take seriously the needs of our unhoused residents and low income people in general. More specifically I urge the planning board to approve Preble St's application for a Wellness Shelter. There have been multiple deaths of Portlanders who are unhoused, freezing in the streets and parks in recent weeks alone. Mainers are grieving, this is an extremely hard winter and has been a hard year for many with job loss, no protection for quarantining during COVID and not enough financial support from our government. The LEAST Portland could do, is approve Preble Street's plan for a wellness shelter. Though the majority of us, much closer to homelessness than we would like to admit, especially with eviction protection and jobless benefits running thin during a pandemic-- we know sincerely that these people deserve housing and warmth in the winter. If nothing else, they deserve a warm shower and a hot meal, a place to wash their few clothing items. Mainers have stepped up tremendously donating locally to nonprofits. It is time the city reflect our values and stop the gentrification of Bayside, and continue to support Preble St. in supporting our unhoused Portlanders. These people are more a part of the fabric of our community than the tourists in hotels will ever be. It is time we listen to Preble st. tand o the people who actually work with homeless folks on the frontlines, as two of my family members have worked for Preble previously I know all too well the struggle these social workers endure. My family and I are urging the planning board to accept their application of a permanent 24/7 Wellness shetler. More than 60 homeless people died in Portland in 2020 alone, with a despicable number of them freezing in November and December. We cannot be host to the ignorance of inequality any longer. We must use our resources to save these lives, lives that matter. And that begins with providing shelter. Thank you for considering my comment. Lynn Kovitch Oakdale resident 91 Fessenden St. Apt. 1 Portland, ME 04103 Dec 30, 2020, 7:06:24 PM (4 days ago) Patrick Krulik I am in support of the Preble street wellness center. Patrick Krulik 105R brackett street Portland Maine 04102