Tedford Housing is preparing to open the doors to a new facility in Brunswick that will expand its capacity to shelter 60% more people, providing support to both adults and families experiencing homelessness in the midcoast.
The 17,568 square-foot facility at 65 Thomas Point Road will combine the organization’s two existing shelters into one comprehensive facility which will include separate, secure wings for its family shelter and adult shelter. The adult capacity will increase from 16 to 24 beds over the previous facility and family shelter beds will increase from six to 10.
Tedford will also bring its administration under the same roof, with dedicated spaces for case management, protected play areas for children and communal spaces. Onsite case management will help families develop housing stability plans, connecting them with resources for permanent housing, healthcare, education and employment.
“This new facility is more than just additional beds,” said Andrew Lardie, Tedford Housing’s executive director. “It’s a physically accessible and dignified home where people can heal, work with highly skilled staff, and access the resources they need to get back into permanent housing as quickly as possible.
“It will be a lifeline for the 80 or so additional guests we’ll be able to serve each year.”
The 30-year-old nonprofit provides emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing and homelessness prevention services to adults and families in Sagadahoc, northern Cumberland, Lincoln and southern Androscoggin counties. It’s the only emergency housing resource serving Lincoln County.
Last year the organization had to turn away 386 adults and 170 families. Across Tedford’s service area, an estimated 1,200 people experienced homelessness at some point during the past year, including over 600 K-12 students.
Funds for the $9 million project came from the American Rescue Plan Act, MaineHousing and the MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital/Lincoln County Health Improvement Fund, along with donations from foundations, local businesses and more than 500 individuals.
The contractor on the project is Topsham-based Warren Construction Group. Portland-based Ryan Senatore Architecture handled design, and St. Clair Associates, headquartered in Cumberland, was the civil engineer.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the new shelter at noon on Nov. 20. The first guests will move in by mid-December.