Budget tensions include homeless funding

Last week, more than two dozen people appeared before the Biddeford City Council, each of them requesting varying amounts of public funding for their respective non-profit organizations.

It is an annual process that is just one part of the city’s annual budget.

None of the public presenters were questioned or challenged about their funding requests – except one.

Vassie Fowler, executive director of the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Resource Center, was questioned about her funding request by veteran City Councilor Marc Lessard.

Fowler told the council that her organization’s budget has exploded over the past 12 months, from a total of $345,000 last year to a projected $1.1 million this year.

“It’s hard for me to even say that number out loud,” Fowler told the council.

Last year, Fowler asked the council for a $50,000 donation. Ultimately, the council then approved a $28,000 expenditure for Seeds of Hope.

This year, Fowler is asking the city for a contribution of $180,000 primarily to support the installation of fire sprinklers on the second floor of the former church on South Street, where between 40 and 50 unhoused residents stay during the evening.

Fowler told the council that she expects to pay $150,000 for the sprinkler system, and said her organization is in “serious need” to support its daily meals, pointing out that a single gallon of orange juice now costs $8.

Fowler said Seeds of Hope served more than 36,000 meals last year. “We are focused on getting the most out of every dollar,” she said. “At this, point finding solutions to the growing need seems impossible.”

Fowler said her organization was quite different than other organizations asking for funds, such as the Heart of Biddeford, City Theater, LaKermesse or Subscircle, a community arts program.

“What we do is not fun to talk about,” she said.

After Fowler completed her presentation, Mayor Marty Grohman asked if any of the councilors had any questions. Lessard raised his hand.

Lessard pointed out that last summer the city committed $1.3 million to begin a new “test program” to provide structured services for unhoused residents. Almost nine months later, the city still does not have a permanent plan to address the issue.

“We have no guarantees about what your operation will look like or how it will function after November,” Lessard said to Fowler.

During a telephone interview on Sunday, Lessard said he was simply asking the same questions he asked last year when Grohman and former City Manager James Bennett outlined a plan that would allow the city to close a sizeable homeless encampment near Mechanic’s Park.

“I am concerned that we have no long-term security in how this program will operate in the future,” Lessard said. “There’s nothing stopping them from becoming a for-profit organization or shutting down.

“I just want some assurances,” Lessard said. “I am trying to safeguard the city.”

Growing questions and a growing need

The city began its new “homeless approach” in July 2024, after the annual budget was already approved.

Bennett told the council then that the city could tap into some of the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that the city had received.

Bennett laid out a two-phase approach, the first part of which would be to hire a new homeless outreach worker and provide several zero-gravity chairs to Seeds of Hope. The second-phase included funding to make repairs and upgrades to the former church that included the installation of several shower stalls and a new kitchen.

But after learning that the city could not use the CDBG funds for work on an historic building, the renovation project was abruptly halted as the city struggled to find a new way to fund the renovation project.

Fowler said that once Seeds of Hope was asked to provide the city with overnight services, her operating costs skyrocketed because of the need for additional staffing, utility costs and other supplies.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense to fix something that isn’t broken,”

— Vassie Fowler

“I think it’s important to remember that this was the city’s plan,” Fowler told the Biddeford Gazette during a subsequent interview. “We’re just the vehicle the city decided to use to tackle this problem.”

When asked by Lessard about a guarantee or assurances, Fowler said it depends on what the city wants.

“We will always be a non-profit,” Fowler replied. “The answer is that’s a conversation that needs to happen. I’m open to it. I have always been open to it. We’re open to all possibilities.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense to fix something that isn’t broken,” Fowler added. “This is working. We are finding permanent solutions to homelessness in our community. I cannot imagine why we wouldn’t continue to do that.”

As a resident of Biddeford, Fowler told the Gazette that she very much appreciates Lessard and his fiscally-conservative perspective.

“Marc really cares about this city, and we need people like him who are going to keep a close eye on things,” Fowler said.

For his part, Lessard told the Gazette that it is sometimes hard being in the minority on the council.

“I have a very deep appreciation for everything that Vassie and Seeds does for our community,” Lessard said. “I don’t feel as if I’m asking for a lot by looking for some concrete assurances.

“We are facing a budget that is putting a big strain on the backs of most taxpayers,” he added. “We talk a lot about affordable housing but then we go ahead and make housing less affordable. It’s just not sustainable.”

“That’s a good back and forth,” Grohman said of the exchange between Fowler and Lessard on Thursday evening.

Randy Seaver is the editor of the Biddeford Gazette. He can be contacted at randy@randyseaver.com

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