State gets over $4M for homeless housing

AUGUSTA – The Maine State Housing Authority has been awarded more than $4 million in grants to provide housing for homeless people.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grants include more than $3.5 million for MSHA’s Continuum of Care effort, and $702,000 for Emergency Shelter Grants, said MSHA Director Michael Finnegan.

“These grants will provide vital housing to some of our most vulnerable residents,” Finnegan said.

MSHA distributes the ESG money to the network of homeless shelters throughout Maine. The money is used to help keep the shelters operating.

The Continuum of Care money continues funding for 158 Shelter Plus Care vouchers, and adds another 37 vouchers. It also funds creation of 19 units of supportive housing, and the start-up phase of MSHA’s homeless Management Information System.

The vouchers provide a housing subsidy and needed services for homeless people with disabilities and their families. The supportive housing funds will finance development of additional apartments where the tenants will have access to the services they need.

The Management Information System is a new computer-based system for tracking homeless people.

The total amount coming to Maine includes separate grants for the cities of Portland and Bangor. Portland will receive more than $2 million and Bangor $653,478.

For more information about the Maine State Housing Authority, visit the agency’s Web site at www.mainehousing.org.