The president of two Bangor nonprofits purchased 35 acres in Bradford to create housing for those who are homeless, sparking concern from residents — but the plans for the endeavor haven’t been finalized.
Michael Tuller, president of Bangor Friends of Affordable Housing and Bangor Friends of People in Need, purchased the land for $47,000 about a month ago with the intention of creating a “secure community for people who are having a hard time so they have to be safe, dry and warm.”
Though he’s in the early stages of drafting a plan for the site, Tuller is attempting to tackle the pervasive homelessness crisis and housing shortage in the Bangor region, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bangor officials and outreach workers, led by a federal disaster relief team, have worked this year to slowly house people living in the city’s largest encampments, but there’s still more work to do.
“With the housing shortage, my philosophy is we need to think outside the box because we’re falling more and more behind,” Tuller said. “I’m just a small-town guy looking to make a difference.”
Tuller has begun clearing his newly acquired land and submitted permits to install drainage and septic systems. But he has not yet met with Bradford planning officials to determine what he’s allowed to do on the land.
“I’ll do whatever I’m allowed to do to house as many people as I can,” he said. “I can’t solve the whole [homelessness] problem, but maybe I can help.”
Tuller stressed the Bradford land will not host an encampment where people who are homeless live in rudimentary shelters, similar to those that have appeared in Bangor and other metropolitan areas across the country. Instead, what Tuller envisions could be anything from an RV to tiny homes park.
“We’re not going to just bring people out there and drop them off,” Tuller said.
While Tuller has big plans for the land, Bradford residents and those who work closely with people who are homeless are skeptical of the idea.
“My biggest concern is public transportation,” said Boyd Kronholm, director of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter. “The overwhelming majority of folks we work with need to be somewhere with public transportation because they don’t have transportation to get groceries or go to medical appointments.”
Tuller imagines people who own a vehicle could live in the community, but Kronholm said very few people who are homeless own reliable vehicles. Of the 36 people living in the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter on Thursday, two owned vehicles and only one of those was reliable, according to Kronholm.
If people at the Bradford site need rides to the grocery store or a medical appointment, Tuller said he can drive them himself, arrange to have a shuttle transport them, or they can call a taxi, Uber or similar service.
THERE’S NO SINGULAR WAY INTO OR OUT OF HOMELESSNESS
Typically, when people develop new ideas to help those struggling with homelessness, substance use disorder or other challenges, those ideas are brought to a regional homelessness council, Krohnholm said. The council then workshops those ideas so they fit within evidence-based practices and brainstorm how to fund them, but those projects can take years to get off the ground.
Tuller’s idea, however, didn’t go through this process.
“[Tuller is] trying to help where he can, he’s just not doing it in a thoughtful way,” Krohnholm said. “I would need a lot more information before I develop a favorable opinion of this project.”
Tuller envisions the property will host people who get evicted because they can’t afford rent but have otherwise stable lives, such as someone who can’t afford to stay in their home following the death of a spouse. He doesn’t think the commune would be appropriate for those who also need frequent or constant access to support services like substance use treatment.
Those living in the community who are capable of paying may have to pay rent, though it’s too early to know what that fee would be, Tuller said. Those who aren’t able to pay would contribute to the maintenance of the community in lieu of payment.
Errol Hanson, the Bradford Select Board chair, said town leaders have received a wave of calls from residents concerned about Tuller’s plans.
While Hanson is generally supportive of ensuring everyone has access to “clean housing with electricity, running water and a septic system,” he needs more information on Tuller’s plans before forming any opinion on the endeavor.
Hanson is concerned about why Tuller would choose Bradford for his community, because the town has no public transportation system or police department and just a small volunteer fire and rescue department.
“We’re pretty stretched to the limit as is because our emergency services are all volunteers,” Hanson said. “We don’t see a lot of taxi cabs running around town either.”
The Bradford Select Board will discuss Tuller’s plans and field questions from residents during its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Monday.
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