The Lewiston City Council has endorsed the Kaydenz Kitchen Food Pantry’s plans to operate a homeless shelter.

The shelter would house 40 to 60 homeless adults and operate 24/7.

Kaydenz Kitchen is a local nonprofit food pantry that delivers meals to individuals with disabilities or those with limited transportation.

Kaydenz Kitchen was the only agency who submitted a plan following a request for proposals by the city.  

Kaydenz Kitchen president Kevin Boilard said he’s confident that his team will be able to take on an operation of this size. 
“We have an amazing staff of very highly trained individuals who work daily in the service provider industry already, so the experiential knowledge is first-hand,” said Boilard.

Kaydenz Kitchen was appointed last winter to run the warming shelter at Calvary United Methodist Church.

Their shelter was endorsed by local agencies who plan to partner with the nonprofit, including Community Concepts and Lewiston Housing Authority.

“This brings us one step closer to having a low-barrier shelter in this community, and one that’s desperately needed,” said Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline on Tuesday. 

Resident Matt Agren raised concerns about the project’s budget, pointing out the fact that Kaydenz Kitchens had to return excess money back to the city.

“If you guys approve this without other proposals, we’ll have no idea what’s going on here,” said Agren. “You’d be approving a blank check.”

Councilors noted their approval of the proposal does not mean there’s a commitment to funding. Instead, they will have future conversations with the nonprofit about the shelter.

“There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done,” said Josh Nagine  a Lewiston City Council member. “It’s about who is willing to step up to help the city fill this need.”