PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Portland, Maine, homeless shelter had a record night due to a bitter cold snap.
The Oxford Street Shelter is designed to house 154 people, but took in 257 Monday due to the cold. The Portland Press Herald reports it was the most individuals the shelter had served in one night since 2014.
The city says the shelter is outdated and poorly designed, and the City Council’s Health & Human Services and Public Safety Committee is currently considering 14 potential sites for one or more new homeless shelters.
The cold Monday night dipped to near zero and the wind chill made it feel like 20 degrees below zero. Frostbite can occur in fewer than 30 minutes under those conditions.
