Lewiston NGOs Demand Permanent Shelter For the Homeless Families
The temporary facilities for the homeless of Lewiston have been shut down, and the dire situation of the poor families, have urged the NGOs to hit the streets and call for permanent shelters for the homeless.
The site of the temporary shelter facilities was Lewiston Memorial Armory. Almost 138 individuals had been residing at the shelter-home for three months during the pandemic and lockdown period. However, with the closure of the shelter facilities last week, 138 citizens have been rendered homeless. Even though the shelters had to be closed last week due to the dearth of funds, the governing authority of Lewiston is still happy about the fact that the homeless had found comfort and care during the raging pandemic. Nonetheless, the governors feel that it is time to face the current situation of homelessness and destitution with a more long-lasting solution, and so the NGOs have decided to call for making provision for permanent shelter facilities to the homeless men, women, and children of Lewiston.
The social activists are urging the government to take steps towards providing permanent shelter to the homeless Lewiston. With families sleeping at open fields and empty streets, it is now high time to probe deeper into the issue and take immediate measures to arrange for permanent shelter-homes.
Some have received housing vouchers during their stay at the temporary shelters. These families will not be housed in the permanent shelter. However, most of the families who have received the voucher are on the waiting list, and the housing complexes nearby, do not fit within their reasonable budgets.
Trinity Jubilee Center Executive Director, Erin Reed, said that it would be more cost-effective to provide permanent shelters than to meet the exorbitant costs of bailing the homeless folks out of prison, or fighting for them in courts, or arranging emergency rooms for them. With the efforts of the NGOs, it is hoped that the governing authority of Lewiston will take immediate steps to provide shelter to the homeless amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation.