December 17, 2020
Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services Begins Implementation of Veterans Homelessness Prevention Coordination Program
AUGUSTA, Maine (December 17, 2020) - The Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services (MBVS) is pleased to announce that funding is now available to temporarily house homeless veterans in need of assistance. The newly available funds will be granted based on an application process. and will be in accordance with rules established pursuant to 37-B M.R.S. 513-A, enacted by P.L. 2019, chapter 504.
The program was created to provide assistance for Maine veterans experiencing homelessness or who are on the brink of homelessness, and will provide payment to human services-based volunteer organizations that provide transitional housing to homeless veterans. MBVS will not reimburse expenses accrued prior to approval of an organizations application and will notify all approved applicants of the status of available funds regularly and upon request.
To qualify for funding, a provider must comply with the following:
Be a non-profit corporation in good standing in the State of Maine and qualified for tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or be a municipal corporation;
Be a provider of homeless services who has been active in the State for at least (2) years providing emergency housing, street outreach, homeless prevention, or rapid re housing services;
Be a human service-based Volunteer Organization that has as one of their core programs addressing homelessness and veterans' services. In compliance with 37-B M.R.S 513-A, the Bureau must give priority to an organization founded, chartered or organized in the state; and
Have the administrative and financial management capacity necessary to administer and to account for the use of the applicable funds in accordance with the Bureau's invoicing requirements.
Applicants should carefully review the eligibility criteria outlined in the established rules to determine if their organization qualifies to apply for the program.
Applications can be obtained by contacting the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services at 207-430-6035 or visiting their website at www.maine.gov/veterans.
In addition to those established rules above, if a Maine veteran is in need of shelter in a region of the state that has no qualifying provider, the MBVS Homeless Veterans Coordination Team can work to connect the veteran with shelter and other resources.
For this assistance, please call 207-430-6035 or email mainebvs@maine.gov.
About Maine Bureau of Veterans Services
The Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services was established in 1947 by the State of Maine and is part of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. Our mission is to help Mainers who served, and their loved ones, understand and navigate the benefits, services, and programs available to them. The Bureau does this by being a responsive, experienced, and dedicated advocate. The Bureau is headquartered at Camp Keyes and has seven field service offices located throughout the state and a claims office located at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Togus, Maine. The Bureau also operates the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery System which includes four veterans cemeteries. For more information about the Bureau or to request assistance, please visit our website at www.maine.gov/veterans
