Portland Expo opening on Monday as emergency shelter for asylum seekers
Maine Public | By Carol Bousquet
Published April 7, 2023 at 3:54 PM EDT
The city of Portland announced plans to convert the Expo into a temporary overnight shelter for asylum seeker families. City officials said the Expo will serve as a bridge until a new, 280-bed shelter is slated to open this summer.
On Monday, up to 300 asylum seekers will move into a temporary emergency shelter at the Portland Expo, where they could stay through the summer.
Since January, about 1,000 asylum seekers have come to Portland seeking shelter, the city said. It's straining city budgets, prompting the city to ask for donations.
Interim City Manager Danielle West said some families were housed at the Portland Public Schools Gym with city funding, but moving to the Expo to accommodate more asylum seekers will cost more.
"We've looked at what the cost would be, it's about $130,000 more than the costs spent at the gym, so we could have fixed costs in excess of $100,000, and weekly staffing and utility costs," West said.
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2023-04-07/portland-expo-opening-on-monday-as-emergency-shelter-for-asylum-seekers
