LEWISTON — In the wake of three major downtown fires that left 200 people homeless, a community discussion about how to improve downtown neighborhoods will be held Wednesday, May 22.

“Lewiston Unites: Community Discussion” will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Longley Elementary School. It is free and open to the public.

The same group of community members that organized the May 13 “Lewiston Unites: Fire Response Healing Ceremony” have organized Wednesday’s community forum.

It’s an important next step, Lewiston Ward 5 City Councilor Craig Saddlemire said. “We started the healing process Monday last week, but know it’s important to examine the future safety and health of our neighborhood and discuss solutions to challenges we face.”

Saddlemire, Shanna Rogers of Community Concepts, Rob Ullrich with the Community Resource team and Melissa Dunn with the Neighborhood Housing League are among the organizers.

“This community needs to come together and share their concerns, but more importantly identify what they are ready and willing to do to create the community they want to see,” Rogers said in a prepared statement. “There will be no silver bullet, but we believe that together, residents, property owners, officials and nonprofits can create a safe community that we all can be proud of.”

Organizers will provide childcare and interpretation. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and wrap up by 7:30 p.m. Organizers are expecting about 100 people.

Watch forum online

If you cannot to to Wednesday’s forum, you can watch it live on SunJournal.com. The video will be shown live on the website.