Concerned it may see an influx in the number of asylum seekers requesting general assistance, the South Portland City Council said Monday it would continue its policy of offering aid to anyone who qualifies, but also agreed to closely monitor the situation.
In recent weeks the cities of Portland and Lewiston have both implemented changes in policy that limits general assistance to those asylum seekers already on the rolls, stating that anyone newly arrived in the country would no longer qualify.
Those measures were put in place following a recent Superior Court ruling that backed Gov. Paul LePage’s decision not to reimburse communities that continue to provide general assistance to people he has labeled as both “undocumented” and “illegal aliens.”
While asylum seekers are not undocumented in the same sense as immigrants who have crossed the border illegally, they also do not have resident status, which is why last summer LePage first directed the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to cease reimbursing cities and towns offering general assistance to asylum seekers.
Under state law, communities are allowed to offer general assistance to residents who need short-term help in paying their rent, utility bills or for food or medical costs. The goal is for general assistance to be a program of “last resort for residents who are unable to provide for their basic needs,” according to South Portland’s authorizing ordinance.
State law also requires municipalities to pay for general assistance out of their own budgets, but then they are reimbursed for up to 50 percent of expenses. In addition, all assistance is rendered in voucher form so applicants are not receiving cash in hand, which ensures accountability.
Nearly a year ago the South Portland City Council passed a resolution giving the city’s general assistance office permission to continue providing aid to asylum seekers with the full understanding that all costs for applicants would fall on the municipal budget.
That amount ended up being $6,475 for the past 12 months, according to Kathleen Babeau, the city’s director of social services. On Monday she described that amount of money as “not remarkable” and said overall South Portland has offered general assistance to less than 10 families seeking asylum.
However, with all the recent decisions being made regarding general assistance, both in the courts and by other communities, City Manager Jim Gailey thought it would be important for the council to “have an open discussion on the current policy for aiding asylum seekers.”
In a position paper provided to the council, Gailey said, “With the recent developments in Augusta and actions taken by both Portland and Lewiston, it may be a good time for the City Council to discuss this topic.”
It was last June when LePage first sent a letter to all municipalities in Maine saying he would enforce a directive preventing aid from being given to illegal aliens. In that letter the governor stated, “During my administration, we (have) worked to eliminate Maine’s status as a sanctuary state.”
But in a memo provided to the City Council last summer, Gailey said, “Maine towns and cities are stuck in a difficult position. On one hand, municipalities have been providing aid to these individuals for a number of years – aid, in some cases, that helps keep these individuals off the streets.”
Continuing that humanitarian leg up was one reason councilors voted unanimously last July to keep on providing general assistance to asylum seekers, and was also the argument many councilors used this week to sustain that policy.
During the discussion Monday, Gailey said one of the reasons he wanted to review the general assistance policy is because he’s concerned that if asylum seekers can no longer get aid in Portland, they may end up turning to South Portland instead.
Babeau told the council it would be “hard to predict” what may happen, adding, “I don’t have the answers. I don’t know what the trickle-down effect may be.”
Babeau also said that while “families love South Portland” for the “good schools and the security,” the city doesn’t have “a lot of inventory for affordable housing,” which could end up limiting the number of asylum seekers moving to town.
During council debate, Councilor Brad Fox said it would be “very important” for South Portland to continue to support asylum seekers, arguing, “we can’t just abandon these folks.”
Councilor Patti Smith agreed and said it was the “right thing to do to support these families,” but she also agreed with Babeau that a lack of housing stock and mobility issues may be factors in keeping an influx of asylum seekers from coming to South Portland.
However, Mayor Linda Cohen said, “There will be a limit. I’m not sure when we’ll reach it, but we’re kidding ourselves if we think we won’t see any spillover.”
She also called on the council to send a letter to Maine’s Congressional delegation urging them to push for reforms in the asylum process, which keeps people in legal limbo for long periods of time.
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