The official Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) season is off to a great start! September 4 was the kickoff, which included a brand new HEAP records system called the HEAP Cloud. The HEAP Cloud tracks application processes and statuses, calculates eligibility and benefits, and processes payments. Over 2700 applications were taken across the state through our Community Action Agency partners during the first week.

We've also updated the look of the HEAP marketing materials - be on the lookout in your community! If you or someone you know needs heating assistance, check out our website for information on how to apply.

At the end of August, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Maine a two-year, $3.35 million dollar grant to end youth homelessness.

You can find news coverage of the award here and here.

The grant will support the creation of a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to end and prevent youth homelessness. The CCR will identify the strengths, gaps, and challenges to the existing youth homelessness response system and recommend strategies to improve the system and outcomes for youth experiencing homelessness up to age 24. 

Maine is one of only a few rural communities to receive this funding and will be a national model for ending youth homelessness in a rural setting.

New Beginnings will convene a leadership team of cross-sector experts from MaineHousing, the Maine Department of Corrections, the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, local municipalities, and nonprofit youth serving agencies to create the CCR. New Beginnings will also ensure that youth with lived experience in homelessness have a voice in all decisions regarding the work of the CCR.

After the CCR is created, non-profit, faith-based, and government agencies will have an opportunity to apply for subgrants to create new and innovative programs to end and prevent youth homelessness. 

Maine was recently awarded almost $15 million in federal funds to address lead hazards in homes across the state. MaineHousing received a total of $3,818,377 of the funding, which will support lead programs to identify and control lead-based paint hazards and eligible homes. As Maine Senator Susan Collins noted in her announcement of the award, lead issues are a "largely preventable health problem, which remains one of the most prevalent environmental issues facing children today." We are looking forward to continuing our work to help address lead hazards for Maine families.

In mid-January, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed the senior housing bond, which was approved by voters in 2015. The bond issued $14.5 million to MaineHousing to allocate to rural housing for older adults. MaineHousing has issued a request for proposals for that funding. Find more information here.

Additionally, the State of Maine is seeking proposals for a Homeless Opioid Users Service Engagement (HOUSE) pilot project to provide fifty (50) opioid users with rapid access to low-barrier treatment for Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and stable housing to support their recovery. The full request for proposal announcement can be found here.

Homeless Intiatives:
We're excited to announce that our Homeless Initiatives Department has a new Director - Laurie Murray! 

Laurie started at MaineHousing 23 years ago as a Senior Program Officer in the Homeownership Department. She was promoted in 1999 to the Loan Servicing Manager, and in 2009 she was again promoted to the Assistant Director of Finance. Laurie has extensive experience in management, coaching, mentoring, and program design, along with strong budgeting and project management skills. She's excited to take on her new director's role!

Additionally, Kelly Watson and Linda Plourde will join the Homeless Initiatives team on September 30. As the Manager of Homeless Initiatives, Kelly will supervise and manage the day-to-day operations, project management, and compliance oversight of the Homeless Initiatives Department.  She joined MaineHousing in 2013 as an Administrative Assistant and was quickly promoted to Homeless Information Resource Officer. She became a Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy Specialist in 2016 and was promoted to her current position of Team Leader in the HCV Department in 2018. Kelly completed MaineHousing’s Leadership Development Program and is a Certified Occupancy Specialist. We are very excited that Kelly will bring her knowledge and experience to the Homeless Initiatives Department.

As the Program Officer – Program Monitoring, Linda will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the monitoring, compliance, and technical assistance to all Emergency Shelter and Housing Assistance Program Grantees across the State of Maine. She is currently a Senior Human Services Counselor for the City of Portland Oxford Street Shelter where she administers the Emergency Solutions grant and Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program. Her extensive experience with the various homelessness programs and the populations they serve, along with her in-depth understanding of state-wide resources will be a huge benefit to us.

Housing Choice Vouchers Department:
Sarah Johnson accepted the position of Housing Navigator for HCV. In her current role as Occupancy Specialist, Sarah spends a lot of her time building relationships with landlords and tenants to help them find units. She is great at connecting resources with people and will work closely with Barbara Brann to build on our case management model and our landlord outreach efforts to ensure that we utilize all of the resources we have to house vulnerable Mainers!

In evaluating the vacancy left with Sarah’s transition and the skills of all of our candidates Melissa Ames will become our new Occupancy Specialist. Melissa came to MaineHousing having worked for Mid-Maine Homeless shelter as a navigator. She worked closely with Home to Stay and Stability Through Engagement Program and has a base knowledge of how the voucher program works and is excited to work closely with our voucher holders to maintain housing stability.

The Intake Position will be filled by a new hire, Kim Clark. Kim worked as a property manager and has recently moved back to Maine. She housed voucher holders in her properties and worked closely with the area housing authorities and is very excited to join the MaineHousing team.