Dear Members and Allies of the Statewide Homeless Council:
Thank you to those who attended the Statewide Homeless Council meeting this past Tuesday, December 9, 2025. We had a robust conversation concerning the HUD CoC funding cycle, updates from the Regional Councils and Hubs, and a discussion about our state’s network of warming centers.
The following action steps to be taken in response to our December 2025 meeting:
- CoC Court Ruling: We will post updates on the Federal District’s Orders regarding the lawsuit against HUD’s CoC NOFO as they become available.
- PIT Survey Volunteers Needed 1/26/26: Council members are asked to encourage volunteers to sign up for our state’s annual Point-In-Time (PIT) survey of persons experiencing homelessness on the night of January 26, 2026 (and in the days after). Volunteers can sign up on the Maine Homelessness Planning website here: https://www.mainehomelessplanning.org/maine-point-in-time/
- Legislative Advocacy: The SHC/MCoC Policy Committee has identified four (4) policy priorities. Please contact our Policy Committee Co-Chair, Andrew Lardie at if you would like to get more involved on specific issues:
- Affordable housing bonding bill
- Emergency shelter funding
- Diversion services, housing stabilization
- Legislation to prohibit discrimination against housing applicants based on source of income
- Warming Center Model Policies: We will collect policies and procedures from existing Warming Centers and create a toolkit or resource packet that we can share with other communities hoping to launch a Warming Center.
- Warming Center Data for Future Funding: The SHC will collect data from the state’s network of Warming Centers to share with the Governor and Legislature about how to sustain services into 2027 (after federal funding evaporates in 2026).
- State Plan to Address Homelessness: In early 2026 the SHC will begin planning to develop and build consensus toward a new Maine Plan to Address Homelessness.
Please, let me know if you have any questions or ideas to share.
Peace – Rich Hooks Wayman
Chair, Statewide Homeless Council