PORTLAND HOMELESSNESS
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of homeless people in Portland is approaching record levels, again. City officials say that the 539 people using city-run shelters is the most since the summer of 2019, when hundreds of migrants unexpectedly sought shelter. The Portland Press Herald reports that this spike is being driven by single adults, who are being placed in hotels. The city’s director of health and human services, Kristen Dow, says that it is unclear what is driving the increase as staffers do not ask why people need emergency housing. The growing number comes amid the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout.