SKOWHEGAN — Town officials have given a homeless shelter 30 days to resolve dozens of code violations before they proceed with legal action, a demand the pastor who runs the facility said leaves him little time to comply.

Officials say the shelter, housed within the Trinity Evangelical Free Church at 12 McClellan St. is not permitted for living space. Local and state officials also found numerous code issues during a recent inspection.

Skowhegan Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Crocker sent the notice of violation Jan. 20 to the shelter, which calls itself Shelters By Jesus or Sheltered By Jesus, according to a copy obtained Monday at the town office.

Crocker’s letter informed the shelter it has until Tuesday, Feb. 17, to correct the issues, or the town could proceed with further enforcement actions that could include closure. Failure to comply could result in penalties of $100 to $2,500 per violation each day, the notice says.

Sheltered by Jesus Notice of Violation and Reports by Maine Trust For Local News

The shelter can appeal the violations to the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, which would halt any enforcement action until that board hears the appeal.  It has not done so.

As of Monday morning, town officials said no one from the shelter had contacted them to discuss the violations or develop a corrective action plan.

“We’re more than happy to work with them,” Town Manager Nicholas Nadeau said in an interview at his office Monday.

The Rev. Richard Berry, who said he has been pastor at the church since 1992 and started offering shelter space on the church property 18 years ago, said the town’s requirement to address the code issues by mid-February is unreasonable.

“I work for God; I’m not God. I can’t just flip my fingers and everything is going to appear.”  

The Rev. Richard Berry, pastor of Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Skowhegan

He insisted during a tour of the church building Monday that he strives to make it a safe place. Many residents, some of whom have lived there for months or years, agreed they feel safe and said they would have nowhere to go if the shelter closed.

“All we’re asking for is time to get it done,” Berry, 77, said. “We’re not saying, ‘no.’ We’re saying, ‘Give us some time.’ I work for God; I’m not God. I can’t just flip my fingers and everything is going to appear.    

“I just need time. I can’t kick these guys out. I just can’t do it. I’m hanging in as long as I can. And unless they lock the doors on me, I’m not going to quit. We’re going to do everything on the list. We’re going to comply with every one of their requests as best we can.”

The shelter is open daily around the clock. Some people spend one night there; others have been there for years. It is funded entirely by donations to the religious organization, Berry said, and receives no state or federal money or grants. The shelter also runs a food pantry and serves meals.    

As of Monday, 37 adults and seven children were staying in the main church building, in its 10 rooms and sanctuary, staff said. Approximately 30 more were at the men’s shelter on the property, built next door to the church in 2011. That building was not part of the recent inspection.

Berry said he started letting families stay in the church in the years after the men’s shelter opened. He said the shelter has served thousands of people.

“We’ll do anything to make this the safest place possible,” Berry said.

THE INSPECTION

Officials found the code violations during an inspection Crocker conducted Dec. 23, 2025, with Skowhegan fire Chief Ryan Johnston and Office of State Fire Marshal inspectors Scott Cyr and Aaron Marden.

The officials determined the property was in violation of multiple provisions of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code and National Fire Protection Association standards.

They found, among many other issues, nonfunctioning smoke detectors; a lack of fire alarm and sprinkler systems; improper venting for dryers; blocked egresses; exposed wiring; extension cords used in place of proper wiring; wood boiler system issues; out-of-date fire extinguishers; and improper exit signage.

“The inspection was initiated in response to multiple complaints alleging that the building was being utilized as a dormitory to house individuals,” Crocker wrote in his report.

Johnston, the fire chief, wrote in a separate report that he requested the assistance of the fire marshal’s office because of the number of people believed to be at the shelter.

He also said in his report, which recaps the fire marshal’s investigators’ findings, that the shelter has long had code problems.

“This has been an ongoing issue for years with this agency,” Johnston wrote. “At the last request, prior to my time here, the Fire Department was told by the Governor’s Office to stand down.”

Nadeau, who was hired in May 2025, said town staff have discussed hearing about that apparent directive but had not located any records confirming it was true.

Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said current leadership at the fire marshal’s office has no knowledge of such a directive but was inquiring with a longtime employee to see if he remembered anything about it. 

“If we learn any additional historical context, we’ll share what we’re able,” Moss wrote in an email. 

Town records provided Monday show several instances in which local code enforcement and the state fire marshal’s office have been involved with issues at the shelter, dating as far back as 2009.

Nadeau was unsure how town officials were approaching inspections at the property in recent years. Crocker started working for the town last year, and Johnston has worked for the town for about three years but has been chief only for about six months.

CONCERNS GROW

According to a timeline compiled by town officials, the town’s recent code enforcement involvement began with complaints of a bedbug problem in late September 2025.

Discussions about the bedbug issue continued through December 2025, with the shelter agreeing to conduct biweekly pest control treatments and submit invoices to the town.

Crocker wrote in a memo, dated Dec. 4, 2025, he received more complaints regarding videos on Facebook appearing to show infants in the communal area of the church and families sleeping and living in the assembly area.

“These postings showed mattresses placed on the floor, multiple families grouped together, and other individuals occupying church pews,” Crocker wrote. “The videos suggested that families with children were not being separated from the general homeless adult population, raising significant safety concerns.”

Crocker noted the concerns added to the ongoing bedbug issue and that the church building is classified as a religious assembly area, not residential or dormitory housing.

Crocker wrote he next contacted the Maine Department of Health of Human Services, and he filed a complaint with its child protection division. A DHHS official who called Crocker on Dec. 3, 2025, told him the department had no jurisdiction over the matter since the facility was listed as an adult shelter.

Crocker also contacted the Maine State Housing Authority, which told him the shelter does not need to comply with the agency’s rules because it does not receive state funding. 

“I have contacted multiple state and local departments, all of whom have stated they lack jurisdiction or authority to address these ongoing concerns,” Crocker wrote. “The result is that families with young children and infants are residing in an unlicensed facility, in a communal environment with unvetted adults, without any regulatory oversight or clear path for enforcement.”

After further discussion, town and state officials then conducted the Dec. 23 inspection.

On Jan. 11, Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan reported to the town it had a serious bedbug issue in its emergency room believed to be linked to people coming from the shelter and other apartments in town, according to the town’s timeline of events. The hospital formally asked the town to look into taking enforcement action, the town’s timeline says.

Three days later, the pest control company contacted the town, saying the shelter was switching to less frequent service, the timeline says. Crocker then spoke with shelter leaders, who told him they would continue pest control at their discretion.

A PATH FORWARD?

Nadeau, the town manager, said officials have no desire to shut down the shelter for good — or put children out on the street during the winter, like some have feared. They recognize the shelter serves a vulnerable population, Nadeau said.    

But there are serious, immediate life safety concerns that must be addressed, he said.

If the shelter does not address the issues, Nadeau said the town is willing to help find its residents other places to go, even going as far as offering to coordinate and pay for transportation.

“If (Berry) responds,” Nadeau said, “we will work with him.”

Berry said people have heard about the shelter’s predicament and are offering help. His cellphone was ringing frequently Monday morning, and people were dropping in to see how they could help.

“I’ve got people calling me from all over the country that want to help us,” Berry said.

Philip McLaughlin, 41, Amanda McLaughlin, 24, and their 3-month-old, Elias, were among those who said they would be impacted by the shelter’s potential closing.

Philip McLaughlin, originally from the Lewiston area, said going back to living on the street, among other things, would threaten his sobriety.

“Shelters By Jesus is all we have,” he said.