Skowhegan, Maine, gives church-run homeless shelter 30 days to fix dozens of code violations

Skowhegan town officials have given a homeless shelter 30 days to resolve dozens of code violations before they pursue legal action. The pastor who runs the facility says the deadline leaves him little time to comply. Officials say the shelter, which operates 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 a notice of violation on 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. The letter gave the shelter until Tuesday, Feb. 17, to correct the issues. Otherwise, the town could proceed with further enforcement, which could include closure. The notice says failure to comply could result in penalties of $100 to $2,500 per violation each day.

The shelter may appeal the violations to the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, and an appeal would halt enforcement until the board hears it. According to town officials, the shelter has not filed one. As of Monday morning, 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, 77, said he has been pastor at the church since 1992 and began offering shelter space on the church property 18 years ago. He said the town’s requirement to address the code issues by mid-February is unreasonable. “All we’re asking for is time to get it done,” Berry 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.”

Berry said during a tour of the church building Monday that he strives to keep it a safe place. “I just need time. I can’t kick these guys out,” he said. “We’re going to comply with every one of their requests as best we can.” Many residents, some of whom have lived there for months or years, said they feel safe there and would have nowhere to go if the shelter closed.

The shelter is open daily around the clock. Some people stay one night, while others have been there for years. Berry said it is funded entirely by donations to the religious organization and receives no state or federal money or grants. It also runs a food pantry and serves meals. As of Monday, staff said 37 adults and seven children were staying in the main church building, which has 10 rooms and a sanctuary. About 30 more people were at the men’s shelter on the property, which was built next door to the church in 2011 and was not part of the recent inspection.

Berry said he began letting families stay in the church in the years after the men’s shelter opened, and he said the shelter has served thousands of people, offering hospitality to strangers in need (Matthew 25:35).

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

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