SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $8 MILLION IN HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT FUNDS FOR MAINE

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that several agencies in Maine have received $8,029,580 in Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program (CoC) awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The programs that received funding include:

• $5,002,388 to the State of Maine
• $304,266 to Avesta Housing Development Corporation/Logan Place
• $27,252 to Battered Women’s Project/Transitional Housing
• $462,000 to Bread of Life Ministries/Transitional Housing for Homeless Families
• $679,239 to the City of Bangor
• $271,557 to the City of Portland
• $41,289 to Community Concepts, Inc./Supportive Housing
• $39,270 to Community Housing of Maine, Inc./Permanent Housing for Homeless Veterans
• $82,357 to Ingraham Randall Place
• $32,839 to Kennebec Valley Mental Health Center/Mid Maine Supported Housing
• $121,640 to Maine State Housing Authority
• $71,355 to MAPS/My Choice
• $167,117 to New Beginnings, Inc./New Beginnings Transitional Living Program
• $32,550 to OHHI/Chalila Apartments
• $70,652 to Portland West, Inc./ Bell Street Transitional Housing for Homeless Families
• $493,630 to York County Shelters Program, Inc./Shaker Hill Housing, Smith Apartments, Within
• $130,179 to YWCA of Greater Portland / 22 Park Avenue Teen Parent Transitional Housing

“It is vital that the state address the needs of people experiencing homelessness in order to help them make the shift to living on their own and pursuing gainful employment.  This will not only be beneficial to the individuals receiving aid, but to the health of the community overall.”

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) approach helps communities across America address the problems of homelessness in a coordinated, comprehensive, and strategic fashion.  A CoC is a community’s plan to organize and deliver housing and services that meet the specific needs of homeless individuals and families as they move toward stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency. 

The services that were awarded in this HUD CoC include: the Supportive Housing Program which assists homeless providers to acquire, build, renovate and operate facilities that serve homeless families and individuals; the Shelter Plus Care Program which provides rental assistance to disabled homeless persons; and the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy Program which provides rental assistance to homeless persons living in single room occupancy projects.