Topline: The single largest recipient of city money in Portland, Maine last year was a motel recently shut down by a cockroach infestation, according to a review of spending records by OpenTheBooks.
Key facts: Since 2019, Portland has been using a local Motel 6 to house homeless families and asylum seekers.
The motel had its lodging license revoked by the state’s department of health this March for several violations. The building was infested with rodents and insects, and there were only two microwaves available for 120 families.
One mother told Maine Public, “Every time I put [my baby daughter] in the crib, I found cockroaches there, and I was afraid that the cockroaches could crawl into her ears or her nose.”
Portland, Maine’s largest city, spent just under $11 million at the motel in 2023. It’s 7% of the city’s $158 million checkbook obtained by OpenTheBooks through an open records request. No private company received more city business.
Portland’s parks and recreation department and library system received less funding than the Motel 6. Only five city departments had a higher budget.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.
Background: City Manager Danielle West said the motel charges Portland $225 per night for each family, while other motels contracted by the city charge just $90, according to News Center Maine.
Portland’s options are limited, though. The housing is funded through the state’s General Assistance Voucher program, which reimburses cities for 70% of eligible expenses. Most motels don’t accept the vouchers.
Maine cities spent $43 million on the vouchers in 2023. That means up to 25% of all the voucher spending went to the cockroach-infested Motel 6, assuming Portland applied for reimbursement on the entire $11 million.
The state also has an Emergency Housing Relief Fund. So far, $35 million of the $55 million fund (65%) has gone toward 2,200 asylum seekers.
Summary: If Portland is going to blow its checkbook on free housing, the city can at least find somewhere sanitary for families to stay.
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire.]
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