Biddeford to Provide New Warming Center

The Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center in Biddeford, a former Episcopal church, is undergoing a $1.2 million renovation and received a $246,000 grant from Maine Housing to open a warming center this winter.

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Updated 12/21/2024

Little Space at Warming Center

By Lee Burnett

The overnight warming center in Biddeford said its 60 gravity chairs are occupied most nights and warns homeless Sanford residents against expecting shelter there. 

“Everyone is saying we have 60 beds, most of the time we are full,” said Vassie Fowler, executive director of Seeds of Hope. “Are there occasional nights when a couple of beds are available, yes.” But on any given night, the guests from the night before get priority, she said. Any new guest must undergo an intake process to ensure they pose no danger to themselves or others. She advised prospective guests to call ahead. “We do our best to meet the needs,” she said 

Attention had turned to Biddeford because York County Shelter Programs lost its bid for funding a warming shelter in Sanford this winter. 

Carter Friend, executive director of York County Community Action, said no local agencies are advising clients to take a bus to Biddeford.

Original Post

By Lee Burnett

The loss of funding for a warming center in Sanford this winter is prompting housing advocates to direct homeless people to take a bus to Biddeford. An estimated 51 people in Sanford are living in tents, cars or other temporary situations, according to a recent census.

MaineHousing recently awarded over $2 million from the state’s Emergency Housing Relief Fund to local housing agencies to staff 12 warming centers across the state. The only funded warming center in York County is Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center in Biddeford, which received $246,160 for a warming center capable of serving 60 people a night, according to MaineHousing.

York County Shelter Programs, which ran the warming center at the former Lafayette School on Brook Street in Sanford last year, lost its bid for funding. “There was limited funding available” explained Executive Director Megan Gean-Gendron.

The homeless population in Sanford has dispersed to less visible places than the encampment on Heritage Crossing that was shut down last summer. “We’ve been scattered all over,” said one homeless man who was huddled under blanket outside Fluff-N-Puff landromat Thursday morning. He said he’s opting to stay in Sanford for the winter. “I had a bad experience in Biddo,” he said. His only shelter is a blanket, which he heats at night with a portable propane heater, he said. “I’m hardcore.”

Roxanne Hatch, who provides meals to homeless people with assistance from donations through It Takes a Village 207, says she sees 20-30 people every Sunday at North Parish Congregational Church. She is trying to learn more about the busing option. “I just wish a few more people cared,” she said.