Of the three Nominations received for this position, two have since withdrawn. With just one remaining candidate, MCOC will hold the vote for this position at our regularly scheduled meeting on January 16th, 2020. Thank you!

The Board of Directors of the Maine Continuum of Care is opening nominations for Board membership. Nominations are reviewed by the full MCOC membership and recommendations are made to the Board. The Board then votes on the recommended nominees. If you wish to nominate someone, please be sure they are willing to commit to the time and effort required (you may nominate yourself). The MCOC Board meets monthly throughout the year and most members also participate on various other related committees.

Please email the name and contact information of any person you wish to nominate to stibbitts@mainehousing and no later than 5:00 PM on Wednesday January 15th, 2020.

These presentations were provided at the December 10th Statewide Homeless Council meeting by Christi Staples and Terri Power from the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

The attached list includes dates and other information for the following meetings: Maine Continuum of Care, MCOC Board of Directors, Statewide Homeless Council, and Regions 1, 2, and 3 Homeless Councils. Please keep in mind that dates/times/locations are subject to change, so keep checking back here for meeting reminders and updates, or contact the chairs of any group for the latest.

Here are a couple more items for Thursday that we hope to vote to approve. Please review and bring any questions to the meeting.

This is a reminder that the Maine Continuum of Care will be meeting on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00 at three locations:

MaineHousing, 353 Water St, Augusta
New Beginnings, 134 College Street, Lewiston
Shalom House, 106 Gilman Street, Portland

You may also attend via GoToMeeting, for those not able to make it to one of the meeting rooms.

See the agenda packet for details including the GoToMeeting link and call-in number…and please remember…you can use your computer audio or you can use the conference phone line – but you cannot use both!

And double please mute your phone or computer when you are not speaking.

The Maine Continuum of Care is accepting nominations for one of our three Tri-Chair positions. This is an annual process, with each Chair serving a three year term of office. If you wish to nominate someone, please check with them first to be sure they are willing and able to serve. Please send your nominations to me at . The deadline for nominations is Thursday, December 12th, by 5:00 PM.

More information about the MCOC election process can be found in Article 6 of our Governance:

Article 6.  Officers & Elections:

MCOC will have three Chairs, who will each serve for a three-year term.

Chairs shall be responsible for planning and conducting MCOC meetings.

Any Chair may act as the designated signatory for MCOC correspondence.

Chairs must be members of eligible voting organizations.

One new Chair shall be nominated and elected by MCOC on an annual basis.  Notifications for upcoming nominations shall occur in November. Nominations for a new Chair will be taken prior to and at the December MCOC meeting.  Should there be more than one nominee, each nominee will submit a brief bio summarizing their background, capacity, and interest in being Chair. Bios will be posted, with the formal announcement for open voting. Elections shall be held at the January meeting. The new Chair will begin serving upon election.  

Term of Office shall be three years.  There is no limit on terms, but all Chairs must be re-nominated and re-elected to serve another term once their initial term has expired.

Chairs may resign in writing during their term and shall, to the best of their ability, give at least a one-month notice of such resignation.  Any vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the term by nomination and election at the next regular meeting.

Attached, please find the approved Resource Committee minutes from our October 11, 2019 meeting. …thought I already posted…

Presented by the Regional Homeless Councils and the Maine CoC Resource Committee

Presenter: Patricia Ender, Esq. from Pine Tree Legal

When: 9:00-11:00 am, Friday, December 13, 2019

Locations: Live presentation at MaineHousing, 353 Water Street, Augusta

Update: There will only be one group site available (see below).

An additional “GoToMeeting” group site with video is available at:

Shalom House, 106 Gilman Street in Portland

If you are unable to attend one of the in-person locations, please register for the GoToWebinar at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3345715329406316045

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

We also wanted to make sure everyone knows that we have corrected the sound quality issues from the last training. There won’t be an opportunity to ask questions via audio, but there will be a text chat option available.

What do renters and landlords need to know?  This training will cover:

• fair housing laws
• your rights as a renter
• assistance and therapy animals (in housing and at emergency shelters)
• reasonable accommodations landlords are sometimes required to make.

Who should attend?

Landlords, housing providers, shelter staff, General Assistance staff, case managers, and anyone who is concerned about fair treatment and housing rights.

Any questions? Contact Resource Committee Co-Chairs, Mike Mooney-  or Norman Maze- 

I am also including the joint statement on Reasonable Accommodations under the Fair Housing Act between the US Dept. of Justice and US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. This statement explains expectations for Reasonable Accommodations in Housing and includes examples.