Emergency Shelter and Housing Assistance Program
MaineHousing provides grants to emergency shelters and agencies serving people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This funding is allocated to sub-recipients as the Emergency Shelter and Housing Assistance Program (ESHAP), and is made up of three shares:
- Shelter Operations Share – Available to agencies that have a fixed facility for reimbursement of costs associated with operating the facility, including staff.
- Stabilization Share – Available to agencies that provide navigator services, development of housing search and placement activities, assistance with basic needs, and housing search and placement services that follow clients beyond the shelter to ensure housing stability.
- Performance Share - Available to agencies as a bonus for outcomes received in regard to a specific set of performance measures.
In addition to this funding, MaineHousing also provides rental subsidies to be allocated by the shelters on a first come, first serve basis to eligible program participants.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to receive emergency shelter funds an applicant must:
- Be a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
- Be eligible in accordance with the HEARTH Act.
- Be a provider of homeless services with at least one year of experience providing emergency housing, street outreach, homeless prevention or Rapid Re-Housing services.
- Be a regular and active participant in the Maine Continuum of Care or the Portland Continuum of Care.
- Have a board/advisory board that includes at least one person who is homeless person or formerly homeless who is involved in policy or public planning of this organization.
- Participate in the Coordinated Energy Process.
- Not engage in any explicitly religious activities, such as worship or religious instruction. If religious activities are offered they must be at a separate time or location from the activities and services covered in this rule.
- Participate in the Housing Management Information System (HMIS) and meet its performance and reporting requirements, or a comparable database for victims of domestic violence.
For a complete list of requirements, application dates, and conditions, see the 2022 ESHAP Program Guide and Application 
MORE INFO
Contact Information
For more information about the program and how to apply, contact:
Michael Shaughnessy
Manager of Homeless Programs
(207) 624-5723
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