Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee

EMERGENCY SHELTER ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE One City Center Thursday, June 20, 2024 9:00 AM AGENDA 1. Introductions a. Approval of March and May Draft Minutes b. May data is curtailed to next meeting from missing data. c. June 25th is the HVJ Longest Day of Homelessness event in Tommy’s Park. 2. Unsheltered Update 3. HUB 2 Update 4. Region 1 Update 5. Federal, State and Local Legislation 6. Other Business Next Meeting JULY 18, 2024 Time: 9:00AM - 10:00 AM Location: One City Center If you should have any questions, please contact: Aaron Geyer Adam Harr Health & Human Services Department Health & Human Services Department Social Services Division Social Services Division (207) 482-5131 (207) 482-5144 aeg@portlandmaine.gov ash@portlandmaine.gov Page 1  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee Remote Meeting Thursday, May 16, 2024 9:00 am – 10:00 am Minutes Name Organization Name Organization Adam Harr City of Portland Bill Higgins HA4All Eric Brewer HVJ George Rheault Resident Aaron Geyer City of Portland Ben Martineau HVJ Greg Owens HA4All Mike Guthrie City of Portland Cullen Ryan CHOM Terrence Miller Preble Street Stephanie Gilbert DA Office Lauren Chan City of Portland Brianna Costello Maine Medical Center Anne-Marie Brown UWSM Meeting Summary It was the first meeting in the new meeting room. March (the April meeting was cancelled) minutes approval was curtailed due to lacking a quorum. Unsheltered numbers aren’t currently reported; PATH has not attended or shared statistics for some time and HUB 2 isn’t set up for public reporting yet. ESAC will send Senator King a thank you for sending a dear colleague letter to support increased amounts for homeless assistance grants. Milestone opened their new location on 10 Andover Road. June 25th is the summer solstice Longest Day of Homelessness HVJ event in Tommy’s Park. HUB 2 • 934 BNL, RRH pilot in hub 2 has agreed on same referral plan; it does not include the DV shelter system. o Everyone has been through an access point in Cumberland County. o Is there a monthly public report? Page 2  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee  Not yet. • The above number does not include chronically homeless. • HUB 2 includes all people in Cumberland county. Introductions • The password for the new meeting room changes daily; the security guard has the door code. • We did not have a quorum and went over statistics first. April Emergency Shelter Statistics • Update housing placement total on placement type slide. • Unsheltered data not represented in slides. o TOA PATH? o HUB 2? • First time homeless numbers are based on self-reporting and a reliable; shelters have not seen people staff know to have stayed previously Legislative Update • Fed o Dear colleague letter from King to Collins for increased amounts for homeless assistance grants.  Golden and Pingree did so in the house.  Cullen will send a thank you on behalf from ESAC. o Farm Bill o Housing access Act o Affordable Housing credit improvement Act. o HUD Proposed Rule for barriers to housing would prevent screening out people for criminal background.  Public comment coming up. o Supreme Court grants pass on city enforcement of anticamping policy. • State o Analyzing what happened at the end of the session. o $16 Million Supplemental budget  13.5 million one time funding for emergency housing, warming centers, and other homeless supports.  Privately operated low barrier shelters.  $10 million for ongoing emergency shelter funding was not approved.  Gaps in funding for emergency shelters. Page 3  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee  Established the office of new Americans. o GA reform updated municipality of responsibility from 30 days to 6 months.  Will return in the next legislature for equity across the State. • Maine Homeless Policy Meeting is the 4th Thursday of the month at 2PM Other Business • Milestone opened location on 10 Andover Road. • PD Fatality statistics o April 29 to May 5th there were 2 fatal overdoses. o April 1 – April 7 there were 3 overdose fatalities. o Were any of these in encampments? • Does anyone have a compilation of new housing projects? • Efforts to do programming in shelters for positive incentives. o 12 step programs. o Can someone facilitate volunteers?  HVJ goes once a month. th • June 25 is the summer solstice HVJ event in Tommy’s Park. • Add where is the warming center going to be Page 4  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee Remote Meeting Thursday, February 15, 2024 9:00 am – 10:00 am Minutes Name Organization Name Organization Adam Harr City of Portland Brian Townsend Commonspace Anne-Marie Brown UWSM George Rheault Resident Aaron Geyer City of Portland Ben Martineau HVJ Greg Owen HA4All Mike Guthrie City of Portland Cullen Ryan CHOM Terrence Miller Preble Street Stephanie Gilbert DA Office Lauren Chan City of Portland Kirk Carlsen Milestone Recovery Briana Costello Maine Medical Center Taylor Cray Preble Street Jenny Stasio TTD Ben Skillings Spurwink Tracy HVJ Connor O’niel Meeting Summary Coordinated Entry has 3 Rapid Re-Housing Programs with 17 organizations participating in case conferencing. Of the 739 participants on the HUB 2 prioritization list, 43 have been housed since mid-august. 18 are working with a navigator and 7 have active vouchers. The warming center was debriefed during which it was announced that a new location is needed for next year. The group discussed the importance of GA reimbursement getting increased in the update to General Assistance. NOTED: the version of the GA bill that passed did so without any meaningful reform (re: reimbursement), outside of creating a statewide database. Introductions • Anne Marie moved to approve the January and February meeting minutes, Aaron seconded and the minutes were approved without discussion. Taylor moved to approve February, Aaron seconded and they were approved without discussion. The January and February minutes will be reviewed at the March meeting. • It is Taylor’s last meeting. (Thank you, Taylor!) Page 5  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee February Emergency Shelter Statistics • Update housing placement total on placement type slide. 166 Riverside Shelter and HSC Capacity • 2 beds at 166 and 5-7 for women. HUB 2 • CE has 3 RRH programs &17 organizations are participating in case conferencing and working on a landlord list to include in case conferencing process. • 739 participants on the HUB 2 prioritization list, 43 have been housed since mid-august. 18 are working with a navigator and 7 have active vouchers. o Do the 3 RRH programs involve the HOPE program?  No o Is one of them ending?  MaineHouing is funding the three highest performing RRH projects and is not winding down.  Preble Street and United Way received CoC funding for RRH. • Hope program approved by the City Council for a collaboration between the City, Commonspace, Milestone, and Preble Street. o Recruitment for coordinators is in process. Region 1 • Discussed Warming Centers in York and Cumberland Counties. • York county is experiencing a lot of people sleeping outside. • Representation for region 1 to the statewide homeless council o Elected seats are up for renewal. o Will hold vote at the next meeting. Legislative Update • Federal o Looking at a partial shutdown Saturday.  Funding that needs to pass affects homelessness o Passed THUD budget.  4 billion for homeless assistance (.5 billion increase.  3.41 for public housing  1.1 increase for section 8.  Level funding for HOPWA.  86 million for fair housing  Level funding for eviction prevention.  Decrease to HOME funding.  T-HUD paid for the OSS conversion. Page 6  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee o Low income12.5% tax credit increase is supported by our delegation. o President’s budget is flat. o Farm Bill is cutting SNAP benefits. o Housing Access bill. o Watching the supreme court case on homelessness o 30 day notice for nonpayment of rent. o The child tax credit is back in and waiting senate approval. • State o Work session on the governor’s budget  16 million for emergency housing relief with emergency shelter funding and asylum seeker funding and warming centers. • Low barrier, Saco, warming center, RRH, and emergency shelter • 2.5 to low barrier and looking for a separate line in the general fund. • 10 million for emergency shelter • Warming centers, Saco come out of remainder. • Governor’s office will decide the division of funds. o 10 million for Maine state housing authority for affordable housing o 10 million for rural and 10 million for urban housing development.  10 million can build 45 units of housing and we are short 26,000 units.  We are falling behind other New England States. o Service bills  1710 passed house and is onto senate • Amended to a study only with no money. • The legislature only funds 2 years out and hopes the next legislature will fund. o GA bill removed the increase in reimbursement.  Reluctance to reimburse municipalities leads people from communities that refuse to meet their GA obligations ending up in Portland.  Many partners supported testimony on GA reimbursement.  Reimbursement was 70% and after a certain threshold it went up to 90%. • It is a flat 70% now.  In 2015 it changed to individual bed nights and shelter applications because billing for operations went away and it was reduced to the flat 70%  Would advocating to go back to threshold then to 90% be a first step? • 90% flat will solve the problem of people sent to Portland from home municipalities that would not trigger 90%. • Sponsored by a republican in oxford county.  We need to convince the governor that this is important. Page 7  Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee Warming Center • First parish will not be available next year. Is there any lead for on peninsula? • The Warming center was only open on an emergency basis when it was very cold outside. • It was open 21 nights this Winter. • There issues were parameters for funding and the landlords. • If they had allocation, they would open every night for the season. o The State was willing to fund a nightly shelter. • The facility only had two bathrooms and the space was confined. • There were three fatalities in February, were they warming center clients? • There were reported overdose reversals. Statewide Homeless Council Strategy • Cullen read a statement to take the temperature of the room around their strategy o Homeless system in Maine has inflow but little outflow.  Prevention  Housing  Shelter o Feedback:  Just removing 2136 as it will get rolled into another bill. Page 8