New London - City Councilor Michael Buscetto has proposed converting a former prison in the Niantic section of East Lyme into a shelter for up to 350 homeless people.

Buscetto, a Democratic candidate for mayor, will ask the City Council Monday night to support his idea of transforming part of the J.B. Gates Correctional Institution into a "life advancement center" that would provide short-term housing and services for the region's homeless.

"We've had months and years of discussion on the homeless problem and mental illness,'' Buscetto said Friday. "The big question is, are these people getting adequate help? I don't believe they are. This is meant to be one-stop shopping for all the services they need."

Gates, which was a medium security prison that at one time accommodated up to 900 prisoners, was closed June 1.

Brian Garnett, spokesman for the state Department of Correction, said the agency was unaware of the proposition. "It's the first I've heard of it, and until we've had a chance to review it we wouldn't be able to comment on it," he said Friday.

Garnett added that he doesn't know of any other requests to use the property.

East Lyme First Selectman Paul Formica said he heard rumors of the proposal on Friday but said no one has contacted him. "We would hope that East Lyme would be part of any discussion," he said.

Formica said the town contributes $3,000 annually to the regional homeless shelter in New London. Most of the towns in the region also contribute to the New London Hospitality Center, which has a 50-bed shelter and a daytime center.

"In theory, I like the idea of trying to provide the best possible services for the homeless,'' said Cathy Zall, executive director of the New London Hospitality Center. "The theory is not the problem; our problem has been resources."

There are many questions about the proposal, such as how the facility would operate, who would run it and where the money to support it would come from. The prison, which already has an infirmary, cafeteria, library, chapel and meeting rooms, would have to be renovated to make it more attractive so people would want to go there, she said.

"I think it's interesting for him to be proposing this,'' Zall said. "Anytime there are new ideas, it stimulates thinking. ... I think this is the right thrust. Instead of arresting people, it gives them opportunities. And I like that."

In a five-page proposal, Buscetto argues that the proposed facility would provide privacy, dignity, opportunity, safety and comfort for those seeking temporary shelter. Bus service, which now goes as far as West Main Street in Niantic, could be extended to include two daily stops at the proposed shelter, located farther up Route 156.

Buscetto said all 22 members of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments would be asked to contribute, and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, could apply for federal funding. Area legislators could lobby for state funding.

East Lyme, which received payment in lieu of taxes funding for the prison, would continue to be compensated.

"For years the region has tried to either ignore its homeless or provide bits and pieces of services through an inconsistent mishmash of underfunded programs and facilities that range wildly from community to community,'' Buscetto said in the proposal. "It is time for each community in our region to fulfill its share of the responsibility for the homeless in a joint quest for a lasting solution."

Buscetto said Friday there may be some in East Lyme who will not like the idea of locating a homeless center in their town, but the problem is a regional one and has to be solved by the region as a whole.

New London Police Department statistics show that more than 60 percent of homeless people who spent time in the New London shelter came from outside the city. There were 688 shelter passes given out in 2010. Of those who received them, 198 people said they were from New London and 417 said they were not, including 172 who said they were from seven surrounding communities. Another 73 gave no town of origin.

"The objective is to provide a more dignified and effective, better organized and coordinated regional approach,'' Buscetto said.

So far, he said, no one has shut the door on his idea.

"No one has said, 'You're crazy.' No one has said it's 'out of reach,' '' Buscetto said. "If all the cities and towns get together, and if they really, truly want to help the people who are homeless or mentally ill, what we're saying is it's going to have to be a regional approach to make it work."

k.edgecomb@theday.com

Day staff writers Stephen Chupaska and Karin Crompton contributed to this report.