Robin Bartlett said he and his dog, Bella, a Papillon and pug mix, live in the woods when they’re not “couch surfing” in Portland.Image may be NSFW.
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On a brutally cold afternoon Wednesday, the pair could be found huddled in a doorway along Congress Street.
With temperatures hovering in the single digits, city officials say they hope homeless people like Bartlett will take advantage of homeless services.
“We go out and encourage people to come to the shelter and stay warm,” said Portland Social Services Division Administrator Bob Duranleau, noting that outreach is heightened in the winter months.
The Oxford Street shelter day room is open weekends, and the city coordinates with Preble Street Resource Center, the nonprofit organization, to provide services, Duranleau said.
Milestone Foundation offers a 41-bed overnight emergency shelter on India Street, and the nonprofit organization spearheads a popular Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement, or HOME Team, project, which also provides outreach to the homeless through a roving intervention team.
Josh O’Brien, director of Oxford Street shelter, said demand on homeless services, which usually flags after the holidays, has remained high.
“Anecdotally, it felt like the busiest December we’ve ever had,” he said Wednesday evening.
“Usually our numbers drop pretty considerably between the Christmas holiday and the New Year’s, but our numbers didn’t drop,” he said.
About a third more people are seeking a spot at the city’s day shelter on weekends, O’Brien estimated. (Preble Street provides day shelter during the week.)
Close to 150 people sought refuge at the city’s day shelter on Sunday; and two dorms were opened for day shelter to meet the need, he said. Roughly 225 people a night flow into the overnight shelter, he said.
After 1:30 p.m., doors open. The day room opens early, and beds are set up for those needing a place to stay.
“It’s pretty dangerous,” O’Brien said of the conditions.
“We welcome folks to just come in, they can certainly call us but the best way is just to stop in,” he said.
For those wanting to call, Oxford Street’s number is 761-2072.
For the homeless, it can be a battle of pride against the elements.
Bartlett said he resisted standing on street corners with a sign pleading for help.
“How much is my pride worth today?” he asked. “You’re standing out there holding a sign.”
He also resisted approaching strangers “face to face” to ask for help.
“I hate face to face begging, that’s a pride thing,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, the low temperature in Portland was 9 degrees at 3:55 a.m., according to James Brown, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. By 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the temperature had budged to only 13 degrees, with a wind chill near zero, he said.
“We’ve got cold air pouring in,” Brown said, although he cautioned that this cold spell is not unusual for January in Maine. (Wednesday’s record low was minus-17 degrees set in 1968. The record low temperature for Thursday is minus-16 degrees set in 1957.)
Bartlett credited friends for offering a couch on the coldest nights. On Wednesday night, he said a friend in the West End had offered him shelter.
“We’ve been pretty lucky couch surfing,” he said, petting Bella, who was adorned in a sweater and provided dog food and water by her master.
Yet, again, pride and dignity enter the equation, Bartlett said.
“You have good friends, but how long can they put up with you?” Bartlett wondered, noting that he can only lean on a friend so long.
“There’s really a lot of good people out there,” he said, noting that one friend, a man from Iraq, was someone Bartlett met in Monument Square.
Coming to Portland fom Central Maine, Bartlett said he’s been homeless for a year.
Yet Bartlett said he couldn’t explain his decision to stay in Maine during the winter. Asked why he is homeless in Maine, he said, “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”
Clik here to view.
On a brutally cold afternoon Wednesday, the pair could be found huddled in a doorway along Congress Street.
With temperatures hovering in the single digits, city officials say they hope homeless people like Bartlett will take advantage of homeless services.
“We go out and encourage people to come to the shelter and stay warm,” said Portland Social Services Division Administrator Bob Duranleau, noting that outreach is heightened in the winter months.
The Oxford Street shelter day room is open weekends, and the city coordinates with Preble Street Resource Center, the nonprofit organization, to provide services, Duranleau said.
Milestone Foundation offers a 41-bed overnight emergency shelter on India Street, and the nonprofit organization spearheads a popular Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement, or HOME Team, project, which also provides outreach to the homeless through a roving intervention team.
Josh O’Brien, director of Oxford Street shelter, said demand on homeless services, which usually flags after the holidays, has remained high.
“Anecdotally, it felt like the busiest December we’ve ever had,” he said Wednesday evening.
“Usually our numbers drop pretty considerably between the Christmas holiday and the New Year’s, but our numbers didn’t drop,” he said.
About a third more people are seeking a spot at the city’s day shelter on weekends, O’Brien estimated. (Preble Street provides day shelter during the week.)
Close to 150 people sought refuge at the city’s day shelter on Sunday; and two dorms were opened for day shelter to meet the need, he said. Roughly 225 people a night flow into the overnight shelter, he said.
After 1:30 p.m., doors open. The day room opens early, and beds are set up for those needing a place to stay.
“It’s pretty dangerous,” O’Brien said of the conditions.
“We welcome folks to just come in, they can certainly call us but the best way is just to stop in,” he said.
For those wanting to call, Oxford Street’s number is 761-2072.
For the homeless, it can be a battle of pride against the elements.
Bartlett said he resisted standing on street corners with a sign pleading for help.
“How much is my pride worth today?” he asked. “You’re standing out there holding a sign.”
He also resisted approaching strangers “face to face” to ask for help.
“I hate face to face begging, that’s a pride thing,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, the low temperature in Portland was 9 degrees at 3:55 a.m., according to James Brown, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. By 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the temperature had budged to only 13 degrees, with a wind chill near zero, he said.
“We’ve got cold air pouring in,” Brown said, although he cautioned that this cold spell is not unusual for January in Maine. (Wednesday’s record low was minus-17 degrees set in 1968. The record low temperature for Thursday is minus-16 degrees set in 1957.)
Bartlett credited friends for offering a couch on the coldest nights. On Wednesday night, he said a friend in the West End had offered him shelter.
“We’ve been pretty lucky couch surfing,” he said, petting Bella, who was adorned in a sweater and provided dog food and water by her master.
Yet, again, pride and dignity enter the equation, Bartlett said.
“You have good friends, but how long can they put up with you?” Bartlett wondered, noting that he can only lean on a friend so long.
“There’s really a lot of good people out there,” he said, noting that one friend, a man from Iraq, was someone Bartlett met in Monument Square.
Coming to Portland fom Central Maine, Bartlett said he’s been homeless for a year.
Yet Bartlett said he couldn’t explain his decision to stay in Maine during the winter. Asked why he is homeless in Maine, he said, “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”