Piscataquis County Welcomes Rural Housing Navigator-by Emily Patrick

   The Moosehead Lake Region is accustomed to visitors, welcoming many thousands of tourists to our little slice of paradise every year. Recently, however, one visitor in particular caught the attention of many residents, and spurred a bigger discussion about how we treat everyone who finds their way to Greenville, not just the visitors we are more familiar with.

   From Police Chief Jim Carr: “Greenville PD was aware of a visitor to our area who has been hanging out and sleeping at various locations around town. This individual committed no crimes while he was in town and was respectful during any encounters. On 7/28 he stated he was looking to leave town and go to Rhode Island.

   He was provided a ride to the nearest Greyhound station where he purchased a bus ticket and continued on his journey. Piscataquis County recently in the last month has formed a rural housing navigator through the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter. This is another resource for our area for individuals experiencing housing instability.”

   According to Chief Carr, how our local PD responds to houseless individuals in our community varies widely based on the individual’s needs and circumstances. That’s exactly where our new rural housing navigator, Jennie Dunton, comes in.

   Dunton has been working in her new role for the last six weeks and has prior experience working with local youth who may be facing or are threatened with homelessness. The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter (BAHS) and Helping Hands with Hearts have partnered to bring Dunton’s services to Piscataquis County.

   Boyd Kronholm, Executive Director of BAHS, said, “It is our hope that this position will help municipalities develop a local homeless response system.  While Greenville does not necessarily have an issue with a large population of people experiencing homelessness, it does have a few as well as many at risk of experiencing homelessness. 

   In my tenure at BAHS we have sheltered and assisted a few people from Greenville for various reasons.  Besides just sheltering people, this position would be a face and name that town officials, local clergy, school officials, and the hospitals could call for assistance when the encounter someone experiencing or at risk of experiencing homeless.”

   Dunton herself says, “I accepted the role of Rural Housing Navigator because I believe everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home, and I wanted to help address the unique housing challenges facing our rural communities. My goal is to connect individuals and families with resources, prevent homelessness whenever possible, and build strong partnerships that strengthen the support available throughout the Maine Highlands. I hope this role helps fill a long-standing gap by ensuring our neighbors have someone dedicated to walking alongside them as they navigate life’s challenges.”

   If you or someone you know may be in need of Dunton’s services, you can contact her at (207) 279-1645. We consider ourselves fortunate to have this resource available to members of our community. Welcome, Jennie!