Homeless Problem Surges in Portland, Maine, as State Brings in Illegal Immigrants
PORTLAND, Maine—For 36-year-old Sheena, every day has been a struggle since she and her husband wound up homeless on the streets of Portland—Maine’s largest city on the Atlantic coastline—five months ago.
The couple had been “kicked out” of a motel after two years, though they “never once got in trouble,” she said.
Suddenly, they had nowhere else to go.
On Dec. 16, 2023, the couple were living in a pitched tent in the city’s largest homeless campsite near the Casco Bay Bridge in Harbor View Memorial Park.
Sheena said she blames the high cost of rent and limited affordable housing for the rapid growth of homeless encampments throughout the city.
She also feels the city gives “first priority” to newly arrived illegal immigrants, which “makes it even worse” for the unsheltered homeless population. . . .
