SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — For months, a couple of hotels in South Portland have been home to hundreds of asylum seekers and people experiencing homelessness. During a meeting Tuesday night, the South Portland City Council decided to extend the licenses for two of the hotels.
Both the Days Inn and Comfort Inn house more than 200 individuals. Their licenses as temporary shelters were set to expire at the end of February, but councilors voted to extend them until the end of April.
Before the meeting, Preble Street, which has been providing services to the guests staying at the hotels, told NEWS CENTER Maine it was hopeful councilors would extend the license deadlines.
"This would allow Preble Street casework staff and our partners more time to find alternative shelter and housing for the people staying at the hotels," Preble Street communications manager Jen Tibbals said in a statement.
At the meeting, many South Portland residents spoke mostly in favor of having the hotels continue to be used as temporary shelters.
"No doubt, hotels are not the best solution for long-term housing, but criminalizing poverty, passing rules and fines in the midst of winter is callous,” Reverend Peter Swarr said during the meeting.
Swarr was referencing the $300 to $500 fines per day per person that the hotel's owner would face if hotel guests weren't out by the original license deadline.