This is a reminder that the Maine Statewide Homeless Council will be meeting on Tuesday October 8th, 2019 from 9:30 to 12:30 at MaineHousing, 353 Water Street in Augusta. Please see the Agenda for more details, including a call-in number for those not able to attend in person.

The Maine Continuum of Care Consolidated Application for HUD Homeless Assistance Program Funding and the accompanying Project Priority Listing for 2019 are now complete!

Thank you to EVERYONE who worked so hard – whether on the CoC level application, one or more project level applications, participating on committees or in discussions at various meetings – to help us collect and assemble all the information that goes into this final product.

Please review the attached DRAFT documents. We will be discussing these at the full MCOC meeting tomorrow, Sept. 19, 2019 and will be either VOTING to approve them for submission (perhaps with some caveats regarding general proof reading edits or a few specific items to be amended), or if more substantial work is needed, VOTING to Authorize the MCOC Board to finalize and approve them for submission to HUD before the final deadline on Sept 30, 2019.

If you are one of the people who volunteered to proof read these documents prior to submission, please know that we do not expect that work to be done by tomorrow (see the aforementioned caveats). Also, please be aware that all of the narratives have strict character limits which forces us to use a lot of acronyms, ampersands, and abbreviations.

On October 1st, 2019 MaineHousing will celebrate its 50th Anniversary! We want to celebrate with the partners that have helped make this milestone a success.  Gather with hundreds of housing professionals from around the state to help us Shape the Housing Future of Maine for 50 more years. Our tracks include Path to Homeownership, Maine’s Aging Population, Community Challenges, Innovations in Development, and Poverty in Maine. Registration closes Friday, so visit our conference website for information about speakers, the day’s agenda, and to register!

Help coordinate the annual point-in-time (PIT) count of individuals who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness across Maine!

What is the PIT Count? Every year the Maine Continuum of Care organizes an annual count in January of individuals experiencing homelessness in Maine. In 2019, on January 22^nd, and 23^rd through the 25^th, volunteers are needed across Maine to make sure we get an accurate count.

Why does this count matter? The results of the annual PIT count help policy makers determine what states and communities need for money and programs to address homelessness. The Maine Continuum of Care is looking for energetic volunteers to help organize this effort in their own communities.

What does the Regional Outreach Lead do? The Regional Outreach Lead coordinates volunteers at the local or county level leading up to and during the PIT count. Making sure that every Mainer experiencing homelessness is counted and is not forgotten. 

Expectations of Lead:

• Respond to interested community volunteers and coordinate volunteers throughout your assigned area.  There is a role for anyone/everyone who is interested in the PIT Count/Homeless issue and you ensure that those seeking to volunteer are utilized in some capacity throughout the count and/or planning process, even if they are not used on the night of the count. 

• Ensure that all volunteers in your area have received the Maine Housing PIT Count training and  safety training. Provide follow up/additional support to volunteers throughout the planning and counting process.

• Respond to requests for volunteers, press releases and/or local media comments on homelessness in your community. The lead is expected to handle the calls in a manner which promotes community participation in the count and increases the public awareness of homelessness in our communities. 

• Participate in a post-count after action review meeting, scheduled as part of the February monthly Resource Committee meeting that will occur immediately following the PIT count. 

For more information, please contact Janice Lara-Hewey GRO.E1571264791NIAMC1571264791C@yew1571264791ehara1571264791lj1571264791

Below please find a REVISED Scoring and Ranking Spreadsheet for the 2019 MCOC New and Renewal Project Applications.

Also, the agenda, minutes, and some other materials for our next Full MCOC meeting this Thursday, September 19, 2019. We will be voting to approve the HMIS documents, so please review them prior to the meeting. We also plan to vote on the DRAFT 2019 MCOC NOFA Application and Project Priority Listing, including the Ranking of Projects. If we are not able to finalize these documents at the meeting, we will need to vote to authorize the MCOC Board to finalize and submit them prior to the Sept 30th Deadline. The DRAFT NOFA Application and Project Priority Listing will be posted here tomorrow – so stay tuned!!!

State of Maine
Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

RFP# 201909154
Homeless Opioid Users Service Engagement (HOUSE) Pilot Project

The State of Maine is seeking proposals for a Homeless Opioid Users Service Engagement (HOUSE) pilot project to provide fifty (50) opioid users, who are among the most vulnerable and unstable in the State, with rapid access to low-barrier treatment for Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and stable housing to support their recovery.

A copy of the RFP, as well as the Question & Answer Summary and all amendments related to this RFP, can be obtained at the following website: https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/rfps

A Pre-Bidders’ Conference will be held on September 26, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. local time at the following location: 109 Capital Street, Augusta, Maine 04330, 1^st Floor, Maine A Conference Room.

Proposals must be submitted to the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services to the following e-mail address: vog.e1571264791niam@1571264791slaso1571264791porP1571264791. Proposal submissions must be received no later than 11:59 p.m., local time, on November 27, 2019.  Proposals will be opened at the Burton M. Cross Office Building, 111 Sewall Street – 4^th Floor, Augusta, Maine the following business day. Proposals not submitted to the Division of Procurement Services’ aforementioned e-mail address by the aforementioned deadline will not be considered for contract award.

Please see the full RFP announcement for more information:

As stated in my previous message, all new and renewal applications have been approved for inclusion in the 2019 MCOC NOFA Application. However, in the process of reviewing the attached Project Ranking spreadsheet from the Selection Committee prior to posting, the NOFA Committee has noticed an anomaly with the scoring for the MCEDV DV Housing Services Coordinator project score. The score recorded appears highly improbable, so it would seem that there was an error in that scoring. As such, the NOFA Committee is recommending that the Scoring Committee reconvene in order to re-evaluate scoring. Each project will be receiving their individual score information in a separate email today. The NOFA Committee recommends all projects review their score sheets carefully. Any project wanting to appeal their score must do so within 3 business days; by 5PM Wednesday September 18. The process for an appeal can be found in our Governance, Article 10, also attached.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email.

Thank you,

-Scott

Congratulations Maine Continuum of Care Applicants!

This is to inform everyone that the Maine Continuum of Care Selection Committee has reviewed all New and Renewal applications requesting funding through MCOC in the 2019 NOFA competition and there were NO project applications rejected.

ALL Project Applications are being recommended for inclusion in the MCOC Project Priority Listing that will be submitted to HUD along with the Continuum’s full Application later this month. All Project Applicants will be contacted by email and informed of their individual results very soon.

Further details regarding scoring and ranking results and the full MCOC NOFA Application will be provided at the next full MCOC Meeting on September 19, 2019.

The full agenda and additional information will be posted here on www.mainehomelessplanning.org prior to the meeting.

Free Training Presented by:

The Regional Homeless Councils and the Maine CoC Resource Committee

Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs

Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

Presenters:

Mary L. Bonauto
Civil Rights Project Director

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)

Ophelia Hu Kinney

Communications Specialist for Reconciling Ministries Network

When- 9-11am, Friday, September 13, 2019

Locations: Live presentation at Maine Housing Authority, 353 Water Street, Augusta

Additional “Go to Meeting” group sites with video are available at:

• Community Health and Counseling Services, 42 Cedar St., Rm. 304 in Bangor
• Shalom House, 106 Gilman St. in Portland
• Sunrise Economic Council, 7 Ames Way in Machias

If you are unable to attend one of the in-person locations, please register for the GoToWebinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5844960233592605443

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

This training will cover:

• Ways you can create a more welcoming and safer environment for LGBTQ persons
• Learn the basic concepts and expectations of the HUD Equal Access to Housing rules
• What rights are covered under this rule for individuals regardless of their sexual orientation and in accordance with the individual’s gender identity, and in a manner that affords equal access to the individual’s family.
• Go to https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/1991/equal-access-to-housing-final-rule/for more background information on the Equal Access rules

Who should attend?

Landlords, housing providers, shelter staff, General Assistance staff, case managers, and anyone who is concerned about the fair treatment and equal protection of the housing rights of LGBTQ persons.

Any questions, contact: Resource Committee Co-Chairs, Mike Mooney: gro.e1571264791niamn1571264791igebw1571264791en@ye1571264791noomm1571264791

or Norman Maze: gro.c1571264791niesu1571264791ohmol1571264791ahs@e1571264791zaMN1571264791