AUGUSTA — The biggest thing you can do to help homeless people in Maine is to push for the creation of more housing, both for temporary shelter and permanent homes, unhoused residents and advocates said in Augusta on Tuesday.

In the meantime, they said, treating them with respect, as fellow human beings, can go a long way, too.

Those words came at the showing of the documentary “Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine” followed by a panel discussion Tuesday evening at Lithgow Library. Filmmakers and organizers hope the event will serve as a call to action to help homeless Mainers.

Keri Howell, who said she’s homeless and living on the streets of Augusta, said some people who are homeless may have a problem trusting strangers they encounter on the streets. But, she said most, if approached in a friendly manner, will likewise be friendly, and they appreciate being treated with respect, like anyone else.

“Don’t be afraid of us, we’re very nice, but just kind of show some compassion,” Howell said at the gathering of roughly 70 people. “When I receive my (social security payment) I go out of my way to go around and help individuals, with money I can’t even afford for myself, and I sacrifice it to help people get food.

“We’re very loving and supportive. We go the extra mile for each other, but we actually love it when people support us. Because we’d do it for you. If you ended up, tomorrow, out on the street, you bet I’d be like, ‘Hey, I know you from that meeting yesterday, what do you need?’ I’d give my shirt off my back to you. They’re just like me and you.”

Nancy Fritz is a member of the since-disbanded Augusta Task Force on Homelessness who city officials anticipate will be tagged to lead a smaller working group to be formed to implement the recommendations of the task force.

She said what the city needs most to help homeless people is a low-barrier, 24-hour, year-round homeless shelter. The task force had urged the city to keep the Augusta Overnight Emergency Warming Center open past the end of April. But no action was taken, no money was in the city budget to keep the center open, and the center has since closed for the season, leaving the roughly 50 people who slept there to fend for themselves.

Fritz urged attendees of the showing and discussion to contact elected city officials and ask them to address the recommendations of the task force to help homeless residents.

“In the city of Augusta we need a low-barrier, 24-7 shelter; we need that, in my opinion, more than anything,” Fritz said. “Right now there are probably 50 or 60 people on the street that could be served by that shelter if we had it. So they wouldn’t be sleeping in the park, wouldn’t be sleeping in the woods.”

The filmmakers behind the documentary, Richard Kane and Melody Lewis-Kane, have shown the film at screenings across the state, including to state legislators. They said two Maine television stations have agreed to show the roughly hour-long documentary, which features interviews with several homeless Mainers, as well as advocates and service providers, including Katie Spencer White, president and CEO of Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter in Waterville.

“We did show this film to the Legislature, hopefully it had lots of impact,” Kane said. “Our hope is this film brings this issue to so many people. The state has to do something.”

Lewis-Kane said there is always a little something each individual can do to help. She said their passion is making films, and urged attendees to think about what they can do in their community, to help.

A panel discussion following the showing included Victoria Abbott, leader of Bread of Life Ministries, which has homeless family and veterans shelters in Augusta, a longstanding Water Street soup kitchen serving about 135 breakfasts and lunches on weekdays, and subsidized rental housing; Betty St. Hilaire, founder and director of United Community Living Center a relatively new daytime homeless services center at 12 Spruce St. in Augusta; and Dr. Garrett Fontaine of the Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency, who is starting a free medical clinic at the United Community Living Center.

All the panelists urged people to treat homeless people with respect and dignity.

St. Hilaire suggested volunteering with organizations that help the homeless is a great way for people to help, and, in turn, meet some great people themselves.

She spoke about the people who come to the United Community Living Center, which is currently open one day a week, but which she hopes to eventually open seven days a week.

“It’s amazing the things you’ll learn, these are the most resilient people I ever met,” St. Hilaire said. “Look them in the eye, recognize them as people, and don’t assume you know their story. They do have a story. And if you ask, sometimes they’ll tell you.”