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Bangor City Council appointed the first nine members of its new Advisory Committee on Homelessness on Wednesday night, marking one step in a long process toward creating a long-term plan to address the issue.
Councilors have repeatedly named such a committee as a priority since new councilors were sworn-in nearly seven months ago. The committee was officially created March 23.
The committee will begin its work as frustration has been building in recent weeks among residents who feel the city’s efforts to respond to homelessness haven’t gotten adequate results and relied on reactive, piecemeal steps rather than sustainable solutions.
“It has been excruciatingly long making it happen,” Councilor Susan Faloon said of the process to start the committee, noting she’s proud of the work city staff and councilors did to make it happen.
According to Wednesday’s meeting agenda, the group includes Alton Buzzell, marketing director for Hollywood Casino; Brittney Dunham, senior director of social work for Preble Street; Jason Goodrich, homelessness outreach worker; Peter Patrick Kealy, peer support specialist at the Together Place; Anthony Ng, psychiatrist and medical director of community services for Northern Light Acadia Hospital; Melissa Rhodes, director of property management for BangorHousing; Ben Treat, Bangor Public Library director; Teal Vasques, a community organizer who has worked with organizations like the Together Place and Needlepoint Sanctuary; and Amy West, clinical director of homeless health services at Penobscot Community Health Care.
They will be tasked with drafting a data-driven and evidence-informed strategic plan to address homelessness in Bangor. Their work will be conducted in public meetings that residents will be able to attend.
More than 50 people applied for the nine committee seats, according to Councilor Michael Beck.
“This is a big deal,” he said. “I want to move the ball forward. And this is one of the ways we do that.”
Councilors spoke highly of the nine candidates who were chosen for the committee.
“I was very pleased to see the caliber and the skill and the expertise of the applicants,” Councilor Carolyn Fish said.
She also seemingly addressed criticisms from residents who are unhappy with the council’s approach to homelessness. Many such residents spoke during a lively public comment period at Wednesday’s meeting.
“The truth of the matter is, this is very controversial. And to be honest, I’m a little nervous about what direction [it] is going to take us in, but the direction we’ve come from certainly has failed,” Fish said. “We want to do better.”
The council also voted Wednesday to establish a separate standing committee on housing-related issues. That committee will include housing experts in areas like affordable housing and construction finance.