100 asylum-seekers arrive in Sanford seeking help: 'Our city has reached its capacity'

SANFORD, Maine — With no housing to spare, city officials and local, regional and state organizations are working together this week to meet the basic needs of nearly 100 asylum seekers who have arrived in Sanford the past several days.

Many of the asylum seekers could be seen sitting on the steps at Sanford City Hall and lining the sidewalk on Roberts Street on Monday. All of them were hoping for help from the city's general assistance office.

One of the asylum seekers — an 18-year-old man who declined to give his name — said he left Angola in September and arrived in the United States about four months ago, after spending time in Brazil and other countries in South America.

When asked why he and others left Angola, a nation located on the western coast of Africa, the young man said, “It’s a big, big story.”

He added that he had been staying in a local hotel since arriving in Sanford. He said he and others have come to Sanford from Portland, where the shelter there is full. According to the Portland Press Herald, more than 1,030 asylum seekers have arrived in Portland since Jan. 1, leading officials to reopen the Expo Center to house the new arrivals.

“Everybody is trying to get another place,” he said. “Nobody have food. Nobody have nothing. We are trying to get something.”

The young man said he was trying to get a job and a chance to go to school.

“We can work if you guys give us a job,” he said.

What about housing?

“I can stay, maybe, outside,” he said. “But if you guys give us a job, we can find a place. If you’ve got the money, you can find a place ... Everybody here wants a job. It’s not only a house. We really want a job. I think everybody here can do something. Not only me.”

Sanford: 'Our city has reached capacity'

Inside Sanford City Hall during the past few days, staff in the general assistance office have worked “tirelessly to aid everyone in need,” according to communications director Jordan Wilson.

Wilson said that, in according to Maine state law, the asylum seekers have qualified for general assistance benefits and will receive these benefits, including temporary lodging, on a weekly basis.

The efforts came with a caveat, however.

“Our city has reached its capacity, as there is no further lodging available,” Wilson said in a news release on Monday evening.

“We have communicated this information to both the newly arrived families and our community partners statewide,” Wilson said. “As a result, anyone who arrives at the General Assistance Office seeking lodging will not be able to receive benefits until they themselves can identify suitable housing.”

Carter Friend, the executive director of York County Community Action Corporation, also spoke of the local housing situation during an interview on Monday.

“There is no more emergency housing,” Friend said. “We want people to understand that, so that they don’t come here and get frustrated and can’t have their needs met.”

Friend also spoke of how the community at large needs to approach the situation.

“What we’re strongly encouraging everybody to do is work within the system,” Friend said. “That actually is more efficient and effective in terms of getting folks the help they need in the short term, and also in the long term.”

Friend said the city had not been notified that asylum-seekers were coming to Sanford.

“We did not know that folks would be coming,” he said. “But that’s not unusual, if you think of folks that are in crisis.”

Friend said YCCAC has a cultural broker who is working with the families and individuals to determine their needs.

“Part of what we’re doing now is working with folks to understand more about who they are, where they may have come from, et cetera,” Friend said.

Included in that effort are numerous organizations. In addition to the City of Sanford and YCCAC, the Sanford Housing Authority, the Sanford School Department, Nasson Health Care, York County Shelter Programs, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, and local hotels all are working together, according to Wilson.

“Extensive discussions are continuing to coordinate resources to provide food, transportation, and medical services to the families,” she said.

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Sanford to hold special meeting on asylum seekers

The Sanford City Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to update the community about the situation. The meeting will start at 5 p.m. and will be held in Council Chambers at City Hall at 919 Main St. The public is invited to attend the meeting or to catch it online at Town Hall Streams or via Zoom.

Mayor Becky Brink could not be reached for comment Monday.

Deputy Mayor Maura Herlihy said the council’s emergency meeting will be an opportunity to let people know that the city is following a “general assistance process” to address the influx of asylum-seekers.

“It’s good for people to understand what is helpful and what is not,” Herlihy said.

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Those in the community who want to help the asylum-seekers are urged to contribute to local food banks and other organizations that accept assorted donations, Wilson said.

“They are actively working with the city to provide support and have extensive experience working with asylum-seekers in other communities,” Wilson said. “These organizations will be able to identify specific needs so donated resources are not wasted.”

Wilson also asked motorists to use caution, given the increase in pedestrians in the city.

“Outside of the public transportation system, you will likely see large groups of walkers in areas where they are not typically seen,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sanford, ME inundated with nearly 100 asylum-seekers