The wooded area near the Mill was swept in 2024 but folks soon returned (and some of the mill buildings burned in 2025). Unlike a lot of cities, Sanford does provide public bathrooms and showers for the #Unhoused, but there's no shelters, or even a #WarmingCenter !
Sanford takes progressive approach on homeless camps as tents spike
As of Nov. 29, 153 people were living outside in Sanford – a striking number compared to the same time two years ago, when the city counted just 10.
By Gillian Graham, Staff Writer, 12/11/2023
SANFORD — "It’s been 10 months since Jeff and Tami Sandler were forced to move out of their home.
Ten months of taking it 24 hours at a time. Tens months of wondering what comes next. Ten months of living in a tent in the woods and dreading the rain and cold.
“ 'We never thought we were going to make it through the first week,' said Jeff Sandler, 55. 'We thought this was how it was going to end.'
"They live off her $930 Social Security disability income, though he says he’s also disabled and unable to work and should be approved for his own benefits soon.
"After losing the room they rented for several years for $860 a month, the Sandlers were unable to find another apartment they could afford. Their only choice was to move into a small tent in a wooded area behind a business park in south Sanford.
"The number of homeless people in Sanford has been growing rapidly in recent years.
"Two years ago, this small city of 22,000 counted 10 homeless people. At the end of November, there were 153.
[...]
"In all of York County, there are only 36 emergency shelter beds, and all of them are full. They are located at the York County Shelter Programs in Alfred, which has a long wait list and requires residents to be sober and mentally under control."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/11/theyre-all-in-survival-mode-sanford-takes-progressive-approach-on-homeless-camps-as-tents-spike/
Archived version:
https://archive.li/EWrk3
#UnaffordableHousing #Homeless #Unhoused #HousingCrisis #Maine #SouthernMaine #SanfordMaine #MainePol #Homelessness #WarmingShelters
DoomsdaysCW
npub1sa…5jgxu
2026-10-14 20:01:28 UTC
in reply to nevent1q…eky7
Author Public Key
npub1sancp758qz9pm2yq4yd2nwqdvhkeuekwd5kk8g4hylvkfxfcf3tqs5jgxuPublished at
2026-10-14 20:01:28 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "The wooded area near the Mill was swept in 2024 but folks soon returned (and some of the mill buildings burned in 2025). Unlike a lot of cities, Sanford does provide public bathrooms and showers for the #Unhoused, but there's no shelters, or even a #WarmingCenter !\n\nSanford takes progressive approach on homeless camps as tents spike \n\nAs of Nov. 29, 153 people were living outside in Sanford – a striking number compared to the same time two years ago, when the city counted just 10.\n\nBy Gillian Graham, Staff Writer, 12/11/2023\n\nSANFORD — \"It’s been 10 months since Jeff and Tami Sandler were forced to move out of their home. \n\nTen months of taking it 24 hours at a time. Tens months of wondering what comes next. Ten months of living in a tent in the woods and dreading the rain and cold.\n\n“ 'We never thought we were going to make it through the first week,' said Jeff Sandler, 55. 'We thought this was how it was going to end.'\n\n\"They live off her $930 Social Security disability income, though he says he’s also disabled and unable to work and should be approved for his own benefits soon.\n\n\"After losing the room they rented for several years for $860 a month, the Sandlers were unable to find another apartment they could afford. Their only choice was to move into a small tent in a wooded area behind a business park in south Sanford.\n\n\"The number of homeless people in Sanford has been growing rapidly in recent years.\n\n\"Two years ago, this small city of 22,000 counted 10 homeless people. At the end of November, there were 153.\n\n[...]\n\n\"In all of York County, there are only 36 emergency shelter beds, and all of them are full. They are located at the York County Shelter Programs in Alfred, which has a long wait list and requires residents to be sober and mentally under control.\"\n\nRead more:\nhttps://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/11/theyre-all-in-survival-mode-sanford-takes-progressive-approach-on-homeless-camps-as-tents-spike/\n\nArchived version:\nhttps://archive.li/EWrk3\n\n#UnaffordableHousing #Homeless #Unhoused #HousingCrisis #Maine #SouthernMaine #SanfordMaine #MainePol #Homelessness #WarmingShelters",
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