Bangor council hears homelessness system overview, BCAT staffing update

The Bangor City Council held a special workshop on Jan. 13 to hear a public health overview of the region's homelessness service network and examples of strategic plans from other cities. Councilors also received an update on BCAT, the city's civilian crisis response team, which is operating with two members instead of its intended four. No votes were taken.

Key points

• Public health director Gunderman (name as heard in transcript) said about 614 people are actively homeless across Hub 7, covering Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, and that the annual point in time count is set for Jan. 26.
• Councilor Joseph Leonard raised the idea of a dedicated city position to track grants and funding sources, and suggested an annual council account for low-cost housing stabilization needs.
• Councilor Michael Beck criticized a lack of state-level accountability on homelessness plans and funding, and called for more coordination from the Hub 7 regional system.
• Councilor Carolyn Fish said she is drafting a committee proposal that combines Councilor Beck's proposal with one created by the city, to be presented at a future workshop or government operations meeting.
• Police Chief (identified in the transcript as the chief presenting on BCAT) said BCAT responded to just over 1,800 calls in 2025, with calls often taking two to three hours, and that the team works six days a week.
• The chief said roughly 20 percent of daily police calls involve the unsheltered population, rising to about a third when mental health and substance use calls are included.

Next steps

• The chief said background investigations are underway on two potential BCAT employees, with hopes of reporting a fully staffed team at a future meeting.
• Councilor Fish will circulate her draft committee proposal to city departments before bringing it to a future council workshop or government operations meeting.
• Councilors discussed further conversations on homelessness strategy and funding during upcoming budget talks.

Read the full transcript