Home : Homeless Assistance : Homeless Initiatives

MaineHousing works with homeless service providers and other organizations toward a shared goal of  preventing and eliminating homelessness in Maine. Collaborative efforts underway include:

Continuum of Care (COC)
A Continuum of Care is a group of service providers serving a particular geographic area who work together in a collaborative planning process to develop programs that address homelessness. Maine has three COCs:

• The City of Portland Continuum of Care
• The Greater Penobscot Continuum of Care (which serves Penobscot County)
• The Maine Balance of State Continuum of Care (which serves the rest of the State)

COCs can apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for McKinney-Vento funding. Local agencies wishing to access these funds must do so through their COC’s application for funding. Programs that can be funded through the COC process include:

• Supportive Housing - which develops Transitional and Permanent Supportive Housing and related support services for people moving from homelessness to independent living.
• Shelter Plus Care - which provides rental assistance with social services, and provides supportive housing for homeless people with disabilities.
• Single Room Occupancy (SRO) - which provides rental assistance on behalf of homeless individuals in connection with the moderate rehabilitation of single room occupancy dwellings.

For more information on Maine’s COCs:

For more information on the Continuum of Care process, you can visit www.hudhre.info or review the following documents:

	2009 Continuum Application The most recent Maine Balance of State CoC Exhibit 1 submission for HUD's Supportive Housing Program for people who are homeless.
	2008 Continuum Application Final application as sent to HUD in new format, however there were several sections submitted as attachments that do not show up in this PDF.
	2007 Continuum of Care Application
	Continuum of Care Balance of State Match Funding Program Guide New Construction or Acquisition & Rehab. projects require a cash match.
	Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
HUD requires that every Continuum of Care work together to implement a shared data system designed to provide an unduplicated count of homeless individuals, information on the number of people who are homeless, related demographics, and their needs over time. In Maine, development of an HMIS system is part of a larger strategic vision and dedicated statewide system which will allow agencies to share information for the purpose of better serving the needs of people who are homeless. HMIS is designed to protect client confidentiality while at the same time bringing together the agencies and people who can provide assistance. Access to the HMIS system is restricted to homeless service providers, but aggregate data and periodic reports will be published as they become available.

Statewide Homeless Council
The Statewide Homeless Council is designed to coordinate and establish statewide policies on homelessness, including providing leadership to end homelessness, developing an educational campaign, and making policy and program recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, and MaineHousing. The council is chaired by Nancy Fritz, representing the Governor’s office. Other members are the Director of MaineHousing and three representatives from each of the three regions of the state. The Statewide Homeless Council adopted Maine's Plan to End and Prevent Homelessness in March, 2008. Homelessness in Maine - 2007 provides baseline information for measuring progress on the Plan.

Homeless Housing Program and Emergency Shelter Funding
MaineHousing uses funds from certain federal and state sources to make grants available to emergency shelters serving persons who are homeless.

• Emergency Shelter Grant funds are federal funds provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and designed to be a first step in a continuum of assistance to prevent homelessness and to enable homeless individuals and families to move toward independent living.
• State Funds which include allocations from the Real Estate Transfer Tax fund (State HOME) and the State General Fund, assist emergency shelters with their expenses for the provision of shelter and services to persons who are homeless.

For more information click here to visit the Emergency Shelter Funding page.

For More Information

Cindy Namer, Manager of Homeless Initiatives
	Email Me
	(207) 626-4632