WATERVILLE, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage was one of many who were able to mark the groundbreaking of the new Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter on Monday morning.
LePage, who was homeless himself as a child, expressed appreciation for those who have supported the shelter’s expansion. He was once a board member of the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter.
The groundbreaking took place inside Pleasant Street Methodist Church instead of the location of the building site on Colby Circle. A group of about 200 contributors attended.
LePage said the new building will be key in helping homeless people get back on their feet.
“I’ll tell you, the only way to eradicate [homelessness] is you got to understand it and you need to find ways to get them jobs, get them educated, getting them the skills and getting them the help,” said LePage. “Because a lot of people who find themselves homeless are homeless because they probably have some medical issues. Sometimes it’s mental issues. Once they’re treated, they’re stabilized, believe me … a lot of them are working, very proud and great contributors. As a former employer of people who suffered severe mental illness, they raise the bar for everyone else who comes to work.”
Doug Cutchin, chairman of the Rebuilding Lives Campaign, which raised funds for the construction project, said LePage, a former Waterville mayor, helped inspire the shelter to expand its vision years ago.
“[In] his concept, and I think it was from his childhood, the job of a shelter should be to help people to where they’re no longer homeless,” said Cutchin. “He was the one who started this concept. Let’s get people a plan and let’s get going.”
The new two-story building will allow the organization to serve the homeless in one spot instead of being scattered in two places because of lack of space. The shelter now has a building on Ticonic Street and another overflow site.
“We have moms and dads who are not staying in the same house as their children [now],” said Betty Palmer, executive director of the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter. “In the new shelter, that won’t happen. Families will be able to be together in the same building.”
Cutchin said the new building will help the organization better reach its mission.
“Rebuilding lives one person and one family at a time. That is our mission,” said Cutchin. “We started a plan for each guest when they come in. The No. 1 is [to] get housing, medical [care] and a job. In other words, now we wanted to not only help the homeless, but we wanted to make the homeless not homeless. To give them that capability. In many cases, we have done that.”
Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter also helps prevent homelessness, said Palmer.
“Last week we helped a woman who needed just five more hours of work a week [to pay her rent]. She was afraid to ask her employer. We sat down with her and her employer. Between her schedule and another person gave up some of their hours, she got the hours she needed to stay in her apartment. She can afford to pay her rent,” said Palmer.
Donations from less than a dollar to $600,000 have been contributed and have come from as far away as North Carolina. The goal was to raise $2.75 million. Cutchin said the shelter was able to exceed that amount.
“It was $600,000 that kicked this thing off. We would not be here without that gift,” said Cutchin, who said the donor wanted to remain anonymous.
Sheridan Corp., which has offices in Fairfield and Portland, will construct the building. Sheridan representative Rick Mackenzie said the company plans to break ground in a couple of weeks with anticipation of completion by September.
Apparently, he doesn’t understand that homeless people have nothing but, perhaps, a food stamp benefit…….but he’ll enjoy his Kodak moment and try to stab them in the back.
It’s an extremely bad sign they we’re having to build homeless shelters for families. It’s an even worse sign that a State Governor would not only be happy about it, but want to inject himself into the story about it. If he can’t find a way to generate business interest in Maine at least we’ll have a place to sleep with the kids when we hit skid row.
And he says most of them have medical issues, but he wants totake away their MaineCare. As usual talking out of both sides of his mouth and never touchingon reality.
At least he has enough shame to pretend to care about the homeless.
The effort to raise funds for this building has resulted in obtaining almost $3 million to the cause….says a great deal about compassion and care for the homeless when everything is costing more today from putting food on the table to gas and oil in the tanks…..thanks to those who lead this effort and for the many who collectively gave the monies…..nice that the Gov. was able to be part at the groundbreaking in his hometown……
I thought his hometown was in Florida.
Mr. LePage is a pillar of the community!!!! This just proves it…
Gov. LePage is a truly thoughtful and caring person, besides being a great leader. He has done so much to improve the quality of life of all Mainers. When folks like Gov. LePage come along it makes you want to get rid of governor term limits.
….
And what planet are you from????????????? He is a follower, not a leader and definitely not caring or thoughtful!! He has improved the quality of no ones life. Eversincehe’s come along it makes you wish we had recall provisions and definitely not not term limits. BTW, are you Adrienne?
Keep it up Paulie. We’ll need a lot more of these when your MaineCare cuts go through. Prisons too
{“Because a lot of people who find themselves homeless are homeless because they probably have some medical issues. Sometimes it’s mental issues.}
Duh!
Apply THAT to your Mainecare Attack!
What a “Phony “opportunist!
I see a slight of hand!
(left)!
http://bdnpull.bangorpublishing.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/lepagehomeless-600×450.jpg
Whats the smile about?
….
Some of you folks really have to let the hate go, it’s eating you up and tainting your view of the world. From the Waterville Sentinel article about the same event –
[quote]LePage, the city’s former mayor, was co-chairman several years of the
Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter’s Board of Directors and helped start a
search in the 1990s for a new shelter to replace the current one on
Ticonic Street.
…
As general manager of Marden’s Surplus & Salvage stores before
becoming governor, LePage employed people with mental illnesses through
the High Hopes Clubhouse, a Waterville- and Augusta-based organization
that operates on the premise that working gives people a sense of
self-worth and helps them to live happier and more fruitful lives.
LePage was a member of the Board of Directors for High Hopes.
“As a former employer of some people with serious illness, they raise
the bar for everyone else when they come to work,” LePage said.
[/quote]
This just eats them up inside…Some people cant get over the loss and move on..LOL…
If he really cares so much about the poor and homeless, then why is he taking a hatchet to the social programs that help keep people out of poverty and off the streets?
He might be able to deceive some people into thinking that he actually gives a rat’s patoot about the suffering of others with these emphatic public demonstrations of charity, but the rest of us aren’t so easily taken in by his charade. He’s paying lip service and mugging for the camera here, nothing more.
And even if he does genuinely care about these issues – which is doubtful, to say the least – he’s clearly not willing to do what it takes to solve them, so either way this is just good old-fashioned hypocritical grandstanding by a hack politician.
*** duplicate post ***
Everyone! Feel good, feel proud! You’re providing state of the art homeless accommodations for people who should never have “lost it all” in the first place. And the funds for “helping the homeless” go right back into the pockets of the perps, the ones who made many of these families homeless in the first place. How nice.
Google Doug Cutchin and Sheridan Corporation. My gosh, BDN, do we have to do everything for you?
Good Job Mr.LePage!!!!
When it’s done, we can stop in and see who our next governor will be.
Kuddos to the greater Waterville Community who take care of their own! To all the nay sayers: “Actions speak louder than words”. I would rather have a Gov. who says what he means and not speak out of both sides of their mouth as our past Governors have done: who told one thing to one group of people and another thing on the same issue to another group of people.
I would rather give my money to a place like this than to a government bureaucracy. At least the money here will be used as intended.
and how do you know this???