Check Out Waterville's Unique Plan For The City's Homeless

Even though the topic of homelessness in Maine is a really big hot-button issue these days, regardless of your political leanings, we can all agree that it is a real tragedy.

After all, this is the United States of America. We shouldn't be seeing parks filled with people who are unable to find housing.

Of course, as the temperature starts to drop, the situation is getting even more dire. It is one thing to be sleeping outside in the middle of July, it is a completely different situation when you are doing it in December or January.

It looks like the City of Waterville is in the process of coming up with a unique way to deal with those who are unhoused this winter.

According to the KJ, during Tuesday's city council meeting (October 17), a unique plan for dealing with the city's homeless during the upcoming winter was discussed.

The article explains that Todd Stevens, who is a community coordinator hired by the Waterville Police Department earlier this year, has spent the last few months gaining the trust of the city's unhoused residents. During the meeting, he proposed that the city spend about $10,000 to purchase 10 yurts. These yurts, which would be set up near Head of Falls, would be equipped with some kind of heating system, the newspaper stated.

Additionally, they would be in a fenced-off area. This is being done, presumably, to keep people from outside the homeless community from messing with the unhoused.

It is estimated that these yurts could accommodate up to 40 unhoused people, according to the KJ.

For those who are not familiar, a yurt is a tough canvas tent that is circular in shape. While they have recently become fairly popular here in the United States, yurts originated in inner-Asia. For hundreds of years, they have been popular with the people of Mongolia and Siberia.

More meetings are being planned to discuss this project.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree with the potential plan? Why or why not? Let us know inside our app.