HHS and Public Safety Committee — Portland, ME
Date: 2025-06-10
Time: 17:30

Remote HHS and Public Safety MEMBERS
Meeting Agenda Councilor Anna Bullett, District 4, Chair
 Councilor April Fournier, At-Large
June 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM
 Councilor Sarah Michniewicz, District 1
Remote Meeting Councilor Wesley Pelletier, District 2



To submit written public comment on an agenda item, email HHSPS@portlandmaine.gov. Submissions must be
received by 12:00 pm the day before the Health & Human Services and Public Safety meeting to guarantee their
inclusion in the agenda packet. All submissions must include the commenter's name and legal address. To help
ensure your comment is submitted for the correct item, please include the name of the agenda item (see below).

The Health & Human Services and Public Safety Committee will conduct this meeting remotely via Zoom
pursuant to the Remote Meeting Policy adopted by the Portland City Council. Allow your computer to install
the free Zoom app to get the best meeting experience. If you are not able to attend live either in person or via
Zoom, a recording will be available in the Agenda Center following the meeting.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar!
When: Jun 10, 2025 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Remote HHS and Public Safety Meeting

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
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International numbers available: https://portlandmaine-gov.zoom.us/u/kbuBl5halF




1. Announcements


2. Review and Approval of Minutes from May 13, 2025


 a. Draft MInutes
 Discussion Re: Investment in Maintenance and Installation of Street Lights (Mike Murray,
3.
 Director of Public Works)


 a. Memo
4. HHS Annual Report (Maggie McLoughlin, HHS Director)


 a. HHS Annual Report
 Housing Options for People in Encampments (HOPE) Program Update (Aaron Geyer,
5.
 DIrector of Social Services)


 a. HOPE
6. Sprinkler Requirement for Single Family Homes (Chad Johnston, Fire Chief)


 a. Memo
7. Next Meeting: July 8, 2025

Remote HHS and Public Safety MEMBERS
Meeting Agenda Councilor Anna Bullett, District 4, Chair
 Councilor April Fournier, At-Large
June 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM
 Councilor Sarah Michniewicz, District 1
Remote Meeting Councilor Wesley Pelletier, District 2



To submit written public comment on an agenda item, email HHSPS@portlandmaine.gov. Submissions must be
received by 12:00 pm the day before the Health & Human Services and Public Safety meeting to guarantee their
inclusion in the agenda packet. All submissions must include the commenter's name and legal address. To help
ensure your comment is submitted for the correct item, please include the name of the agenda item (see below).

The Health & Human Services and Public Safety Committee will conduct this meeting remotely via Zoom
pursuant to the Remote Meeting Policy adopted by the Portland City Council. Allow your computer to install
the free Zoom app to get the best meeting experience. If you are not able to attend live either in person or via
Zoom, a recording will be available in the Agenda Center following the meeting.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar!
When: Jun 10, 2025 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Remote HHS and Public Safety Meeting

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
https://portlandmaine-gov.zoom.us/j/89654981836?pwd=nLjOqDn3JYKi8pYbLO6mG9rAgbzGi2.1
Passcode:782585

Phone one-tap:
+13092053325,,89654981836#,,,,*782585# US
+13126266799,,89654981836#,,,,*782585# US (Chicago)

Join via audio:
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Webinar ID: 896 5498 1836

 Page 1
Passcode: 782585
International numbers available: https://portlandmaine-gov.zoom.us/u/kbuBl5halF




1. Announcements


2. Review and Approval of Minutes from May 13, 2025


 a. Draft MInutes
 Discussion Re: Investment in Maintenance and Installation of Street Lights (Mike Murray,
3.
 Director of Public Works)


 a. Memo
4. HHS Annual Report (Maggie McLoughlin, HHS Director)


 a. HHS Annual Report
 Housing Options for People in Encampments (HOPE) Program Update (Aaron Geyer,
5.
 DIrector of Social Services)


 a. HOPE
6. Sprinkler Requirement for Single Family Homes (Chad Johnston, Fire Chief)


 a. Memo
7. Next Meeting: July 8, 2025




 Page 2
 Health & Human Services and Public Safety Committee

 April 10, 2025, 5:30 PM Remote Meeting

Committee Attendance:
Anna Bullett, Chair (District 4), April Fournier (At-large), Sarah Michniewicz (District 1),
Wesley Pelletier (District 2).
Councilor Attendance: Pious Ali, (At-large)
Mayor Mark Dion


City Staff:
Adam Harr, Executive Assistant; Mark Dubois, Police Chief; Dena Libner, Assistant City
Manager; Maggie Mcloughlin, Director of Health and Human Services; Chad Johnston, Fire
Chief. Aaron Geyer, Director of Social Services;
Invited Panelists:
Amy Holland, Statewide Homeless Response System Coordinator; Nakesha Warren, Homeless
Response Hub 2 Coordinator.

1. Announcements
 • None.
2. Review and Approval of Minutes from April 10, 2025
 • Councilor Pelletier Moved to approve the minutes and seconded by Councilor Michniewicz. The
 minutes were approved unanimously 4-0.
3. Built for Zero Panel Discussion (Councilor Sarah Michniewicz)
 • Councilor Sarah Michniewicz explained how Portland takes an outsized role in the state’s
 homelessness response. A statewide effort saw Maine divided into 9 homeless response service
 hubs, adopting the Community Solutions Built for Zero model to get to functionally zero
 homelessness. Tonight, will look at how Portland fits into this systems-level data driven
 approach.
 • Amy Holland, The Statewide Homeless Response System Coordinator of the Maine State
 Housing Authority explained that the 9 hubs launched three years ago out of collaboration
 between the Statewide Homeless Council, The Maine Continuum of Care, and MaineHousing,
 with help from Community Solutions.
 o Each hub has a coordinator with a neutral employer of record so they work for the
 community, not just one provider in the hub.
 o Municipalities, General Assistance, Police, Health Providers
 o It is a theorized strategy proven to solve homelessness
 ▪ A by name list for each person experiencing homelessness in each up, including
 their preferred housing solution,
 ▪ A point in time counts once a year is not accurate or real time.




 Page 3
 ▪ At any point we can see how many people are experiencing homelessness in the
 hub and statewide.
 ▪ Identifying barriers and advocating for resources to fill gaps.
 ▪ Maine is one of five statewide BFZ initiatives.
 • We were the first state to implement the hub model.
 o Functional Zero is defined by a having more housing resources (Outflow) than enter
 homelessness (inflow).
 ▪ 15 communities have achieved this.
 o Efficiently targets resources on the by-name list. With at least 90% on the list, we can
 understand full nuanced picture and solutions.

 • Nakesha Warren, Homeless Response Hub 2 Coordinator.
 o  The work the City has done in Hub 2 has been essential.
 ▪ The HSC
 ▪ Prevention and Diversion
 ▪ Street Outreach
 ▪ HOPE
 • Have been able to connect people to resources without having stability
 or any connections around them.
 ▪ Public Health
 o 2,024 people are experiencing homelessness in Cumberland County.
 o The City of Portland’s teams have assessed over 1,200 people.
 ▪ Data informs increases in vouchers and resources.
 o The ECRT informed hub resources and added people to the hub by name list.
 o Collaborating on the people who are the hardest to house and finding the appropriate
 housing for ran individual to be successful, not just the first one available to be able to
 have a hosing placement.
 o Outreach collaboration where all hub 2 outreach providers in Portland came together to
 discuss capacity.
 o There is a new Maine Homeless Planning website:
 https://www.mainehomelessplanning.org/hubs/
 o Employment initiative
 ▪ Looking to help people at every area
 ▪ Our inflow numbers double our outflow numbers.
Committee questions and discussion
 • Councilor Fournier asked about the analysis of the data collected: who is analyzing the data and
 what actions are the data informing? March had 12 people return to homelessness and the trend
 line of total active going up. What is the context hub 2 and statewide?
 o It may not be that the number of people is increasing, but the number of providers adding
 quality data increased; we like to see the number going up at this point because we are
 getting closer to confidence that our data is complete. We will likely see it rise until we
 see our quality data milestone and then want to see it stay the same then decrease.
 o We are able to see basic trends.
 o Hub 2 case conferencing looks at people by name and can see the returns and collaborate
 on people case by case for people who have timed out of resources.
 ▪ Are we matching people to the right resource vs any resource to get people
 housed? the data informs how to proceed to find successful placements.




 Page 4
 • Mayor Dion asked if other municipalities in the county are contributing Data? What
 municipalities are participating in hub 1/York County?
 o Hub 2: South Portland is the other municipality participating coordinated entry.
 o Hub 1: Biddeford, Sanford, Saco, and Kittery.
 • Councilor Pelletier asked what the by name list looks like on the ground?
 o A by name list is as it sounds: a list by name of everyone experiencing homelessness in
 the hub. It contains HMIS data, including their demographics and sub population
 (veteran, DV, etc.) and the Coordinated Entry Assessment prioritizations core.
 o Once 90% of people experiencing homelessness are on the BNL and haver been assessed,
 we will have quality data.
 • Councilor Bullett asked about data entry and what support is coming from the state level to
 support his.
 o Data sharing agreements with entities that have larger capacity for data entry can enter
 data on behalf of smaller agencies that lack capacity via a data sharing agreement. This is
 happening in hub 1.
 o Pursuing funding through Community Solutions to have a statewide data specialist
 position to support the hubs.
 o Renewed support from the Statewide Homeless Council and Maine CoC.
 • Councilor Michniewicz asked if we are approaching quality data?
 o Hub 5 is close, likely within the next couple of months.
 o Each hub will be different.
 o Hub 2 is close too; September is the goal.
 o From there, the trends will be tracked with trust it is meaningful and can start advocating
 for targeted resources.
4. Public Safety Update (Mark Dubois, Police Chief)
 • YTD Citywide:
 o 8% increase for calls for service
 o 778 arrests compared to 764 last year.
 o Total calls for service: 23,013
 ▪ 17,000 911 calls
 ▪ 6,013 officer initiated calls, a 63% increase compared to last year.
 • Attributed to targeted enforcement and behavioral health calls such as the
 Monument Square response.
 • 71 overdoses last month (5 were fatal.)
 o Is that high?
 ▪ Consistent with last year.
 ▪ We sent an advisory when there were multiple overdoses in a short span of time
 • Shots were fired on Grant Street on Sunday and arrests have been made.
 • Last remaining person from last year’s Forest Ave shooting was apprehended.
 • Bayside
 o Calles for services decreased by 4% compared to last year.
 o Arrests increased 8% compared to last year.
 ▪ Warrants
 ▪ Violations of release
 ▪ Possession of drugs
 ▪ Trespass




 Page 5
 o Bayside calls for service: 4279 calls for service
 ▪ 1,652 officer initiated calls
 ▪ 2,627 911 calls.
 o There was a shooting in a DV situation (non-fatal)
 o Standoff with negotiators.
 ▪ Chemical munitions were used.
Committee questions and discussion
 • Councilor Pelletier asked for clearance rates from a former presentation.

5. Childcare Concept Proposal (Dena Libner, Assistant City Manager)
 • Seeking feedback before bringing to the Housing & Economic Development Committee.
 • At the same time the committee was looking at childcare, the City was looking for childcare
 solutions for staff as part or recruitment and retention, internally.
 • Internal analysis showed over 50% of respondents had considered leaving their position due to
 childcare.
 • Staff looked at solutions for affordable childcare and for retention.
 o Looked at Barron Center 2, three quarters of the building has been unused since before
 the pandemic. The other quarter is the Office of Elder Affairs.
 o We are getting close to seeing what is possible at that location and would need an RFP to
 prong childcare licensing expertise to us.
 o Will seek feedback from the state and fire marshal’s office to make the RFP stronger and
 successful when issued.
 o Proposal would prioritize Portland residents and have a set aside for City of Portland
 employees (who live in or outside the city)
 ▪ If it somehow did not fill up, would could a third option be?
 o Looking for a private provider in the Barron Center 2 space, not build a program in-
 house.
 o No fiscal impact at this concept stage, but there may be some revenue loss by moving
 some of the unused licensed beds; staff are researching this fiscal impact.
 o An operator would take on capital improvements needed at the site.
Committee questions and discussion
 • Councilor Ali asked if this would go on to the DSC budget in this current budget cycle?
 o No, it should not impact the fy26 budget.
 ▪ Depending on how much work is needed on the building the program likely
 wouldn’t start until fy27.
 • Councilor Pelletier asked what the percentage has been floated?
 o Hasn’t been discussed yet and is up in the air; it would be the decision of the HEDC to
 decide.
 • Mayor Dion thanked staff for their work and encourages moving this forward.
 • Councilor Michniewicz asked how much, if any, coordination will be needed between this and
 the housing planned for the Barron Center campus via the recent RFP?
 o None that we can foresee as the existing building is already well suited to this use.
 • Councilor Fournier thinks it’s an innovative way to use our resources to support our community
 and staff. What conditions can we put in re: % dedicated to staff and the hours of operation for
 the varied shift positions people staff at the City with before and after work hours.




 Page 6
 o The need for flexibility for shift employees is salient and we are identifying the specific
 barriers, such as opening hour(s) before normal hours or have flexible drop off/pick up.
 ▪ Cognizant of these for providers to be able to ramp up to and not be too
 restrictive that the program doesn’t get off the ground.
 ▪ `Make it clear these are the intents of year 2 of operation.
 ▪ Some orgs have this figured out (prime time evening care model)
 • Councilor Bullett requested mandatory Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) program
 participation for free meals to families that cannot pack lunch. Does the Barron center have a
 kitchen?
 o Yes.
 o There is possible reality where we get the CACFP money.



6. Next Meeting: May 13, 2025
 • HHS Annual Report
Councilor Michniewicz moved to adjourn and Councilor Pelletier Seconded. The motion passed
unanimously 4 -0 and the committee adjourned at 6:41 PM.




 Page 7
City of Portland | Department of Public Works
Michael Murray, Director




To: Health & Human Services & Public Safety Committee
Councilor Anna Bullett, Chair




MEETING DATE
June 10, 2025

AGENDA ITEM
Agenda Item #3 - Investment in Maintenance and Installation of Street Lights

PURPOSE
Provide information on the City of Portland’s Street Light program in connection with City’s
Vision Zero Initiative.

COMMITTEE WORK PLAN/CITY COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT
This item supports priority #5 (Safe Streets) on the committee’s 2025 work plan.

BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
In 2017, the City of Portland purchased the existing street light infrastructure from Central Maine
Power (CMP) for $586,000 - the cost being determined by a formula established by the Public
Utilities Commission. Prior to the purchase of the streetlight infrastructure, the city had been
paying $1.1 million dollars per year to CMP in a rental and service agreement. Subsequently, the
City embarked upon a retrofit of all of the streetlights in Portland with LED lighting, which
provides high quality lighting with 70% less energy consumption. This retrofit of approximately
6500 streetlights, was completed as a part of a larger initiative that included outdoor lighting
upgrades at some city buildings, and athletic facilities. It also included upgrades to the traffic
control system along Forest Avenue and on Marginal Way. The total project cost was
approximately $8.6 million dollars; the streetlight conversion accounted for a little over $4
million of that cost.

Since the change in ownership and retrofit of the city’s streetlights, maintenance of the street
light infrastructure has been assigned to the Traffic Division of the Department of Public Works.
There are two basic categories of street lights - cobra heads and decorative street lights - cobra
head style lighting and decorative lighting.




 1

 Page 8
 ​ ​ ​
Cobra head ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Decorative

Cobrahead style lighting is usually located high on utility poles, and is usually fed by overhead
electrical wires. Decorative lights, of which there are several styles throughout the city, are
generally fed by underground electrical supply. There are over 4000 cobra head style lights
throughout the city and approximately 2500 decorative style lights.

Maintenance of the streetlights are provided by two sources - city staff and a private contractor.
Cobrahead light maintenance is provided by a private contractor due to the proximity of the lights
to high voltage electrical wires - a utility lineworker’s electrical license is required. The
maintenance of the decorative lighting in Portland is provided by city staff, who possess a master
electrician’s license, a journeyperson’s license, or a helper’s license. The repair work undertaken
by city staff is combined with traffic signal maintenance and repair, which consists of 130
signalized intersections scattered throughout the city.

The reporting of streetlight outages comes from a variety of sources including resident reporting
through DPW’s Dispatch Office, the See Click Fix app, and an online dashboard provided by a third
party vendor who assists with monitoring and lighting adjustment issues. Public Works also
provides a yearly point in time survey of all of the streetlights in the city, the last of which was in
the fall of 2024. The point in time survey found 471 lights not working (7.2% of all lights), broken
down as follows: 197 cobraheads and 275 decorative lights. Many of the decoratives that had an
outage were the style of light that consists of a main overhead light and two lower pedestrian
scale lights. If any one of the three lights was out, it was listed as an outage. The cause of
streetlight outages may be a worn out bulb, worn out or defective controller/fuse, or lack of
electricity. Since the point in time survey the city’s contractor has repaired a total of 497
cobrahead lights(which includes the 197 from the survey). The city and its contractor are
responsible for repair of the first two categories of outages, CMP is responsible for power supply.
Currently, there are a total of 128 work orders prepared for streetlight repair (2% of the total
streetlights).

To strengthen accountability and guide future improvements, DPW will build a formal
performance management framework into its streetlight maintenance program. This framework
will include key performance indicators such as percentage of functioning lights citywide,
average time to repair by light type, and the geographic distribution of outages. Data will be
collected through multiple channels, including real-time reporting, public input via See Click Fix,



 2

 Page 9
and the annual point-in-time survey. These data will be tracked and analyzed quarterly to identify
trends, recurring issues, and areas with disproportionate outage rates. The City will use this
information to improve maintenance scheduling, prioritize system upgrades, and report
transparently on performance. Over time, this framework will also support strategic decisions
around future capital and technology investments, ensure appropriate and equitable distribution
of lighting across the city, and help DPW leadership manage staffing, contractors, and operating
costs. Staff anticipates sharing this framework and associated data with the committee by Spring
2026.

FISCAL IMPACT
The Traffic Division FY26 operating budget carries approximately $335,000 in direct
expenditures for streetlight maintenance. This figure does not include DPW staff or vehicle costs.

CONCLUSION(S)
The conversion of Portland streetlights from rental status to ownership status made economic
sense in 2017, and continues to make economic sense in 2025. While there have been cost
increases since the installation was completed, those increases are expected, due in part to the
equipment being now 7+ years in age, and component replacement is an anticipated expense.

PRIOR COMMITTEE REVIEW
N/A

PREPARED BY

Michael Murray Greg Jordan
Director Assistant City Manager
Department of Public Works Executive Department


ATTACHMENTS
None
​




 3

 Page 10
 City of Portland
 Health & Human Services


 2024
Annual Report




 Page 11
 Table of Contents


 Director’s Letter 1

 Portland’s Demographic Profile 2

 Housing & Homelessness 3

 General Assistance 12

 Substance Use 16

 Disease & Prevention 20

 Aging, Older Adults, and Disability 34

 Organizational Competencies 39

 Community Partnerships 40

 Glossary 42

 Feedback Survey 43
Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report
 Page 12
  Director’s Letter
  MARGARET McLOUGHLIN, HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DIRECTOR

  Dear Portland Community Members,
 syringe waste management plan by increasing
  I am delighted to share with you the City of outreach pick-ups, fostering intercity
  Portland’s Health and Human Services (HHS) collaboration, providing client education, and
  Department Annual Report. This review is a expanding community sharps disposal sites. We
  snapshot into the multitude of diverse initiatives played a significiant role in increasing access to
  and services we deliver across the four divisions of naloxone, a critical medicine to reverse overdoses,
  the department: Office of Elder Affairs, Public distributing 19,072 doses and contributing to a
  Health, Social Services, and the Barron Center. As decrease in fatal overdoses. We scaled up
  someone new to the team in 2024, I was, and preventative measures to mitigate the risk of
  remain, deeply impressed by the range of services HIV/Hep C outbreaks through collaborative rapid
  HHS provides to our city and the commitment of testing between our harm reduction programs and
  our staff to enhance the health and well-being of STD Clinic. Our Senior Outreach Nursing program
  all Portland residents. was expanded, enabling more seniors to age in
 place with at-home care, and the Barron Center
  Portland continues to grapple with many continued its recovery from COVID-19, providing
  challenges, including the opioid epidemic, the skilled nursing care to 165 residents. These are just
  complexities of homelessness, and ongoing a few of the many highlights in the pages ahead, all
  housing challenges. HHS has focused on made possible through collaboration with our
  leveraging available resources to address the staff, community partners, and, most importantly,
  immediate impacts of these challenges while you—our residents.
  driving forward progress on root causes. In 2024,
  we tackled evolving community needs by While there are many challenges ahead, the
  implementing new programs, expanding services, momentum of this past year continues to drive our
  and focusing on practical solutions. Our homeless work. We're committed to a healthier and more
  services scaled up with 50 additional beds at the equitable future for everyone in our communities,
  Homeless Services Center. We launched a new pilot including some of Portland’s most vulnerable and
  program to work collaboratively with partners and underserved populations. With our dedicated
  an outreach program to deepen engagement with team, strong partnerships, and active community
  our unsheltered community. Through these engagement, we're excited to see what we can
  collective efforts, more than 500 residents achieve together in the year ahead.
  transitioned out of homelessness into housing
  despite a challenging housing climate. Our Public Thank you for your continued trust and
  Health Division expanded screening services and partnership in this essential work. Together, we
  introduced latent TB treatment to our portfolio of are shaping a brighter, healthier future for
  community-centered services. We improved our Portland.
 Best,
 Maggie McLoughlin
Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 1
 Page 13
  Portland Demographic Profile


Social Services staff and Portland Mayor at Staff Appreciation Day


 Population By Age
 Age 65+
 Total Age 65+
 17%
 17%
 Population Total
 Age 18-64 Age 18-64
 68,505 Households 68%
 32,393 68% Under Age 18
 Under
 Age 18
 15%
 15%



 Population By Race
 9% 3% 2% 6%
 80%
 Black or African Asian Other Race Two or More
 White
 American Races




 $76,174 11% 48%


 Median Household Households Below Households
 Income Poverty Level Spending Over 30%
 on Rent

 9% 5% 13%

 Adults Who Were Adult Population Population Living
 Housing Insecure in Without Health with a Disability
 the Past 1 2 Months Insurance
 Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, 1 & 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, 2023. Accessed on March 28, 2025. URL: https://data.census.gov/
 Data presented in this document are rounded to the nearest whole number.




 Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 2
 Page 14
Housing & Homelessness




 Social Services staff moving donated furniture for client housing placements



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 3
 Page 15
 Participant Snapshot
 This page's demographic data, collected by the Homeless Services Center,
 reflects client demographics from January 1 to December 31, 2024. HSC
 served a total of 1,295 unique clients.




 U.S. Military Living with a
 Veteran Disability

 28%
 Median Age
 Chronically
 43 6% 67% Homeless
 1




 Homeless Services Center Population Race and Ethnicity


 Asian 1%
 1.0%

 American Indian or Alaska Native 2%
 2.0%

 Other 3.0%
 3%

 Black or African American 18.0%
 18%

 White 76.0%
 76%

 0% 100%



 At the time of this 2024 snapshot, 28% of clients at the HSC were experiencing chronic homelessness as defined by the U.S. Department of
 Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The definition of chronic homeless has several conditions, including homelessness for at least 12
 months or on at least four separate occasions in the last three years.



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 4
 Page 16
 Homeless Services Center (HSC)
 A low-barrier emergency shelter providing housing
 2
 navigation and resources to unsheltered adults.




 1,295 90,364
 3
 Combined bed nights,
 Clients sheltered
 representing 248 years
 of homelessness




 111 43 of 111
 Clients placed into Housing placements
 4
 housing were long term stay
 clients, representing
 3
 over 23,108 bed nights



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report
 PAGE 5
 Page 17
 Family Shelter

 A low-barrier emergency shelter providing housing
 2
 navigation and resources to unsheltered families.




 281 36,697
 Individuals sheltered, Combined individual
 3

 representing 86 families bed nights




 266 12
 Tenant education
 Individuals housed,
 classes conducted,
 representing 77 families
 reaching 65 families




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 6
 Page 18
 166 Shelter

 An emergency shelter providing housing navigation
 2
 and resources to unsheltered adults.




 439 60,730
 3
 Clients sheltered Combined bed nights




 167 16,900+
 Shuttle rides conducted to
 Clients placed into
 provide clients access to
 housing 5
 wraparound services




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 7
 Page 19
 Prevention & Diversion
 Assisting clients to identify and obtain housing
 solutions to retain housing or connect to emergency
 shelter when necessary.



 Most Utilized Types of Assistance to Prevent Homelessness

 N = 163 Prevention & Diversion clients enrolled
 Utility Assistance 3

 Transportation 8

 Security Deposits 12

 Other 15

 Program Referrals 21

 Overdue Bill Assistance 60

 0 10 20 30 40 50 60




 1,050
 2
 Total unsheltered people completed shelter
 intakes



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 8
 Page 20
New program in 2024



 Homeless Outreach Engagement
 Bridging the gap between unsheltered individuals
 and essential services through dedicated street
 outreach, education, relationship building, and
 partner collaboration.



 60 65 1,299
 Partner referrals for
 Referrals to obtain
 alternative housing, Total interactions
 city-run shelter beds 2
 medical care, detox with unsheltered
 or other housing
 services, other essential individuals
 solutions
 needs




 Coordinated Partnerships
 Staff maintained frequent communication and collaboration with partners
 to proactively address evolving needs.

 This included:

 Weekly ride alongs with Preble Street Food Van
 Weekly meetings with Bayside Providers at Preble Street
 Weekly interdepartmental meetings with City of Portland’s Mobile
 Medical Outreach, Behavioral Health Units, Community Policing, Public
 Health Division, and Park Ranger teams
 Monthly collaborative case conferences at Cumberland County Jail to
 coordinate releases




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 9
 Page 21
New program in 2024



 Project HOPE: Housing Options
 for People in Encampments

 A collaborative partnership, coordinated by the City,
 2
 dedicated to reaching unsheltered individuals by
 linking them to housing.




 73 26
 Clients worked with Clients placed in
 housing navigators housing




 Partners
 11 Include Milestone,
 Clients placed in Commonspace, and
 shelters Preble Street, with
 program funding from
 MaineHousing

Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 10
 Page 22
 Resettlement

 Conducting needs-based assessments, short-term
 case management, and housing retention services
 to families seeking access to shelter.




 279 32
 Families served, Families placed in
 representing 916 permanent housing
 individuals




 159 6
 Tenant education
 Families placed in
 classes conducted,
 shelters
 reaching 51 clients



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 11
 Page 23
 General Assistance

 General Assistance sign directing clients to the entrance




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 12
 Page 24
 Participant Snapshot
 This page's demographic data, collected by General Assistance,
 reflects recipient demographics from January 1 to December 31,
 2024.


 Ages of General Assistance Recipients

 Missing
 3% 51+
 8%


 Total
 Recipients
 Under 18
 3,145 29%
 18-50
 60%




 Approximate Cases with Living with a
 Median Age Children Disability




 Male Female
 33
 43% 57% 12% 2%


Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 13
 Page 25
 General Assistance
 Providing temporary support for basic needs and
 essential services to Portland residents, aiming to
 foster long-term self-sufficiency.




  78% 1,841
  GA applications Vouchers issued to
  qualified for assistance assist with housing
 costs




  67% 845
  Rental assistance clients Households received
  needed support for less assistance to purchase
  than 3 months medication



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 14
 Page 26
 Representative Payee

 Offering financial case management to help
 individuals manage their personal finances.




 160
 Clients received monthly assistance
 managing their finances




 $2.25 million
 Managed from clients’ Social Security
 Funds




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 15
 Page 27
 Substance Use




 Harm reduction supplies available at the Needle Exchange



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 16
 Page 28
 Participant Snapshot
 This page's demographic data, collected by the Public Health Division,
 reflects Needle Exchange program client demographics from January 1 to
 December 31, 2024. The Needle Exchange served a total of 2,444 onsite and
 through outreach.


 Housing Status of Needle Exchange Clients
 Unstable Housing
 11%




 Median Stable Housing
 27%
 Age 6

 Unhoused
 39 62%




 Needle Exchange Program Population by Race and Ethnicity


 Hispanic/Latino 2%
 2.0%



 Black or African American 3.0%
 3%


 Unknown 34%
 34.0%



 White 62%
 62.0%


 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%



 6
  The pie chart shows 100% of non-blank responses for housing status in 2024. The housing categories (unstable, stable, unhoused) were
  coded by staff based on client responses using the following definitions—Stable Housing: Rent/own, living with friends/family; Unstable
  Housing: Sober living facility, shelter, YMCA, temporary hotel stay, couch surfing; Unhoused: Living outside, living in a car.


Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 17
 Page 29
 Harm Reduction
 Reducing the risks associated with drug use by
 offering various safer options, addressing
 underlying conditions, and supporting individual
 well-being without judgment.




  1,951 19,072
  Unique Needle Naloxone doses
  Exchange clients distributed
  served, including 99
  new clients



  742,595 5,910
 Referrals for medical
 Syringes collected and
 care, case management,
 disposed
 substance use treatment,
 and recovery options

Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 18
 Page 30
 Overdose Data to Action
 Implementing overdose prevention and response
 strategies based on local data, lived experiences of
 community members, and surveillance of drug
 overdoses.


 Members of Cumberland County
 88 Overdose Prevention Alliance (CCOPA)



 34,000 Harm reduction supplies and basic
 need items distributed by
  CCOPA members and organizations

Supplies include: Sharps disposal containers, safer
use kits, wound care kits, fentanyl test kits, and more



  66 235
 7
 Overdose Recognition Community reversals
 and Response trainings reported
 conducted

Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 19
 Page 31
 Disease & Prevention




 Public Health staff holding a taste testing cup of fresh produce at Portland Farmer’s Market



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 20
 Page 32
 Participant Snapshot
 This page's demographic data, collected by the Public Health Division, reflects
 client and program participant demographics from January 1 to December 31,
 2024. Notably, as the Health Equity program links clients to clinical care, its
 demographics offer a snapshot of populations served by those programs.




 1,947 999 Median Age of Health
 Equity Clients




 Youth Participated in Adults Participated in Prevention
 Prevention Programming & Preparedness Programming
 33

 Race and Ethnicity of
 Language(s) Spoken by
 500 Health Equity Clients
 Health Equity Clients
 437
 Missing Other
 1%
 400 12%
 355


 300 Hispanic/Latino
 13%


 197
 200

 141

 100

 36
 28
 3 2 1
 0 Black/African American
 Po Fr Sp En Li Cr Ew U 74%
 rt en an gl ng
 al eo e nk
 ug ch is is Kin a le no
 ue h h ya w
 se rw n
 an
 da




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 21
 Page 33
 Healthy Eating, Active Living
 Promoting nutritious food choices and physical
 movement through direct education and system-
 level changes.



 Individuals participated in 114
 2,799 healthy cooking and/or grocery
 budgeting classes.


 Cumberland County municipalities worked
 8 with staff to adopt a best-practice
 lactation policy; 1 municipality completed
 policy implementation.


 Staff facilitated the translation of Maine
 Breastfeeding Coalition’s “Returning to Work
 Toolkit” into French, Spanish, Portuguese, and
 Arabic to expand access to this statewide resource.



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 22
 Page 34
 Tobacco & Substance Use
 Prevention
 Preventing youth initiation, engaging communities,
 and supporting quit attempts.




 1,185 95
 Students received Classes facilitated
 prevention education throughout 7
 through 95 classes Cumberland County
 school districts




 234 41
 Retail staff received Cannabis
 Youth Cannabis Use: establishments received
 Prevention & Safety required annual training
 training


Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 23
 Page 35
 Lead Poisoning Prevention
 Preventing childhood lead poisoning by educating
 property owners and parents about exposure to lead
 paint in old homes, Maine’s highest risk factor in
 childhood lead poisoning.




 455 58
 Parents received direct Property owners received
 education direct education




  1,282 160,598
 Impressions from Lead
  Prevention resources
 Poisoning Prevention Bus
  distributed
 Campaign



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 24
 Page 36
 Immunization
 Providing vaccines to uninsured adults and all
 children.

 Top 10 Administered
 Vaccines in 2024 Immunization
 Patients by Age
 830 87
 Influenza 3,000
 MeningACWY
 (Seasonal) 3000 2,853
 2853

 508 109
 Small Pox /
 COVID-19 2,500
 MPox 2500


 3,041 2,000
 304 163 2000
 MMR Vaccines Polio
 2,145
 2145
 Administered
 1,500
 in 2024 1500

 193
 251 HEP B
 Tdap
 1,000
 1000


 239 231
 Varicella HEP A
 500
 708



 Other vaccines include: HPV (43), DTP/aP (21), PneumoConj (20), Zoster (15),
 0
 Td (12), DTP/aP-HepB-Polio (6), RSV (4), DTP/aP-Hib-Polio (4), Mening B (1). Patient Age

 Note: 184 COVID vaccines were paid privately.
 Pediatric Adults




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 25
 Page 37
 Screening, Prioritization,
 Urgent Referral (SPUR)
 Providing rapid screenings to identify urgent
 medical issues and link patients to primary care.

 Patient Screenings
 Undocumented
 4%



 715 Acute Care
 39%
 38.6%


 Unique patient
 screenings
 Routine Care
 57%
 56.4%

 Emergency Care
 1%
 <1%



 Additional Types of Referrals

 HIV Care 5



 Prenatal care 15



 Optometry 70



 Mental Health 104



 Dental 187



 Vaccines 457

 0 100 200 300 400 500
 Number of Referrals



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 26
 Page 38
 Inactive Tuberculosis Treatment
 Providing treatment for those with inactive
 Tuberculosis, who do not have insurance or a
 primary care provider.




 65
 Screenings for tuberculosis


 15
 Patients who completed treatments



 6
 Patients in treatment at the end of year




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 27
 Page 39
 Portland Community Free Clinic
 Offering medical care to under- and uninsured
 patients through volunteer medical providers,
 bridging the gap until patients acquire insurance
 elsewhere.


 Specialty Care
 156 Utilized by
 Patients
 Unique patients
 Physical Therapy

 Dermatology
 478 Endocrinology
 Patient visits
 Psychiatry

 Behavioral
 511 Health
 Counseling
 Volunteer hours contributed by Gynecology
 37 healthcare professionals


Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 28
 Page 40
 Maternal & Child Health
 Supporting newborns and pregnant, postpartum,
 or parents of newborns with nursing visits.




 420 2,140
 Unique clients Nursing visits


 6



 934 Nursing visits to unhoused and/or
 2
 unsheltered clients




 698
 Attendees of weekly health and
 education series at Francis Warde House.
 Francis Warde House is a home managed by In Her
 Presence for pregnant immigrant women who are
 homeless or at risk of homelessness.



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 29
 Page 41
 8
 STD Clinic
 Offering low-barrier sexual health screenings and
 testing, educating patients and professionals on
 9 10
 HIV / STI prevention, and connecting individuals to
 11
 preventative treatment options.




 642 345
 Additional unique
 Unique patients,
 patients served at
 totaling 1,380 patient
 community locations and
 visits
 events




 612 58
 12 Patients utilized Doxy
 PrEP-specific patient 13, 14
 PEP, a new service
 visits
 offered in 2024



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 30
 Page 42
 Health Equity
 Reducing health inequities by promoting inclusive
 community participation and implementing
 effective public health interventions that are
 culturally and linguistically appropriate.


 Community Health Worker (CHW) Outreach
 1 full-time and 10 per diem CHWs

 1,100+ hours dedicated to interpreting, cultural brokering, patient intake,
 appointment reminders, and community outreach

 9 HHS programs utilized CHW expertise to support clients needs

 Languages spoken by native speakers: Arabic, French, Lingala, Portuguese, Somali,
 Spanish, and Vietnamese




 Client Impact Top Client Referrals

 1,189 unique clients supported 1. Primary Care
 through 2,321 encounters
 2. Public health insurance and benefits

 111 doses administered at 3 mobile 3. Transportation
 vaccine clinics 4. Housing and shelter
 5. Reproductive, maternal, and/or child
 91 clients reached at 2 mobile dental
 clinics health




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 31
 Page 43
 Portland Health Equity Alignment
 Organized and managed by the Health Equity program, the Portland Health Equity
 Alignment (“Alignment”) is a coalition of 135+ members from 75+ organizations
 dedicated to advancing health and social equity for Greater Portland's most
 vulnerable populations. Operating in a non-competitive environment, the
 Alignment values community wisdom and believes in the power of collaboration to
 drive positive change.

 PHEA Committees
 as of February 2025
 Student & Social
 Academic Determinants of
 Advisory Health (SDOH)




 *Note: Established February 2025,
 the Policy Committee is still in its
 formative stage and continues to
 define its goals and objectives.

 Achieving
 Health Equity Clinical
 with Older Advisory
 Persons




 Significant achievements include the identification of each committee's top
 priorities for 2024-2025 and the development of the Social Determinants of Health
 Accelerator Plan, an assessment-informed report designed to improve chronic
 disease outcomes of those experiencing health disparities and inequities in Greater
 Portland.




 Quarterly Alignment meeting

Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report Page 44 PAGE 32
 Cities Readiness Initiative
 Enhancing preparedness in Southern Maine for a
 large-scale public health emergency or bioterrorist
 event that would require the deployment of medical
 countermeasures to the public.



 Emergency
 2 exercises
 simulated



 100+ Volunteers
 recruited
 Emergency exercise at Portland Jetport




 Nursing and
 pharmacy
 150+ students received
 training
 Cities Readiness Initiative Program Coordinator
 speaking to University of New England students




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 33
 Page 45
 Aging, Older Adults, and
 Disability
 Barron Center staff and resident sitting outside




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 34
 Page 46
 Participant Snapshot
 This page's demographic data, collected by the Barron Center, reflects patient
 demographics from January 1 to December 31, 2024.



 Approximate Population Living Population on
 Median Age with a Disability Medicaid




 Male Female

 38.1% 61.8% 81.5 100% 81.8%



 Barron Center Population Barron Center Population
 By Age Range: Race and Ethnicity

 40-49 50-59 Other
 90-99 4%
 <1% 3% 60-69
 17%
 18%
 12%




 70-79
 28%

 80-89
 39%
 White
 96%




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 35
 Page 47
 Barron Center
 Providing comprehensive healthcare services
 through the city-owned and operated long-term
 skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.




 165 36,826
 3
 Unique residents Combined bed nights




 5-Star Barron Center offers
 Rating from the short- and long-term
 Centers for Medicare & residency
 Medicaid Services




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 36
 Page 48
 Elder Affairs
 Addressing issues that present hardships for
 Portland residents as they age.


 Senior Outreach
 Adult Day Programs
 Nursing Program

 Supporting low-income Portland Providing safe daytime
 residents age 60+ ineligible for supervision and care to older
 other in-home nursing visits. adults with cognitive and physical
 health challenges.
 500+ patients served through
 blood pressure clinics 63 clients served


 36 patients received home 20,000+ hours of daytime
 visits care, allowing respite for
 family caregivers



 Most Common Information, Advocacy, and
 Referral Requests

 Healthcare provider referrals Home maintenance
 Healthcare benefits and services Affordable housing
 access Elder abuse
 Transportation In-home assistance and
 Legal matters case management
 Dementia care and respite

 Staff processed approximately 600 requests!



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 37
 Page 49
 Age Friendly Portland
 Organized by Elder Affairs, Age Friendly Portland is a
 coalition dedicated to fostering healthy aging and
 increasing safety, activity, and inclusion for aging
 residents.

 The Age Friendly Steering Committee comprises 12
 members, representing retired Portland residents and
 local agencies serving older adults.




 142 Volunteers committed to
 shoveling snow for seniors

 118 Households received snow
 shoveling




 1 business, Back Cove Books, was
 certified as an Age Friendly
 Business by meeting accessibility
 and inclusivity standards for older
 adults.




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 38
 Page 50
 Organizational Competencies

 Health & Human Services leadership prioritizes core
 organizational competencies, strategically enhancing
 existing practices and investing in key areas of its operations.
 This work has cultivated a strong foundation for operational
 efficiency and the delivery of services that will continue to
 benefit the Portland community throughout 2025.

 In 2024:

 The Communications Specialist identified new strategies
 to implement to increase community awareness of HHS
 services and its impacts

 A Data Learning Collaborative was instituted to enhance
 data collection, analysis, and program evaluation,
 leveraging staff expertise across epidemiology, data
 analysis, business technology, and performance
 management & quality improvement




Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 39
 Page 51
 Community Partnerships
 Thank you to our partners. Your collaboration and dedication are
 essential and amplify our collective impact on the community.


 AARP Maine Greater Portland CareerCenter
 Access to Care Greater Portland Council of
 Affinity Hospice Governments
 Alpha One Greater Portland Health
 Alzheimer's Association Greater Portland Metro Bus
 Beacon Hospice Groups Recover Together
 Better Life Partners Guardian Pharmacy
 Catholic Charities Hope Acts
 commonspace HOPE Squad
 Compassus Hospice Hospice of Southern Maine
 Cross Cultural Community Immigrant Legal Advocacy
 Services Project
 Crossroads Recovery Immigrant Resource Center of
 Cumberland County Jail Maine
 Cumberland County Public Immigrant Welcome Center
 Health In Her Presence
 Department of Health & Human Independent Seniors Network
 Services (Maine) Independent Transportation
 Disability Rights Maine Network
 Elder Abuse Institute of Maine Jewish Community Alliance
 First Parish Church Khmer Maine
 Frannie Peabody Center Maine Access Immigrant
 Furniture Friends Network
 Gateway Community Services Maine Association for New
 Maine Americans
 Greater Family Promise Maine Boys to Men



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 40
 Page 52
 Community Partnerships
 Thank you to our partners. Your collaboration and dedication are
 essential and amplify our collective impact on the community.


 Maine Breastfeeding Coalition Presente! Maine
 Maine Cancer Foundation Project Blessing
 Maine CDC ProsperityME
 Maine Continuum of Care Quality Housing Coalition
 Maine Equal Justice Root Cellar
 Maine Housing Sacred Heart Catholic Church
 Maine Immigrants Rights Salvation Army
 Coalition Sam L. Cohen Foundation
 Maine Medical Center Sexual Assault Response
 Maine Needs Services of Southern Maine
 Milestone Recovery Spurwink
 Mystery of the Cross of Christ State Street Church
 Church Sweetser
 New England Arab American The Opportunity Alliance
 Organization Through These Doors
 Northern Light Mercy Hospital Tufts University School of
 Pine Tree Legal Medicine
 Portland Adult Education United Way of Southern Maine
 Portland Downtown University of New England
 Portland Housing Authority University of Southern Maine
 Portland Public Schools Veteran Housing Services
 Portland Recovery Community Volunteers of America
 Center Wayside Food Programs
 Portland Trails YMCA of Southern Maine
 Preble Street
 Preferred Therapy Solutions



Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 41
 Page 53
 Glossary
 1. Chronically homeless: An experience of continuous homeless for at least 12 months or at
 least four separate episodes of homelessness in the past three years where the combined
 total of those episodes is at least 12 months.
 2. Unsheltered: Lacking access to any form of shelter with primary nighttime residence in a
 place not mean for human habitations (streets, parks, vehicles, etc).
 3. Bed nights: A single night spent in a bed or space at a shelter. Bed nights are calculated by
 multiplying the number of occupied beds by the number of days in a given period.
 4. Long term stay: Staying at a shelter 180 days out of a 365-day period. Stays do not have to
 be consecutive.
 5. Wrap-around services: A comprehensive and individualized approach to supporting
 individuals with complex needs. The shuttle service designed a route to meet clients’
 needs, including stops at Maine Medical Center, Portland Public Library, Portland Adult
 Education, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Maine’s Department of Health & Human Services,
 and immigration services.
 6. Unhoused: Lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
 7. Community reversal: A non-fatal overdose reversal where naloxone is administered by an
 individual who is not a trained first responder (e.g., bystander, family member, friend).
 8. STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) Clinic: A group of diseases and infections spread
 through sexual contact.
 9. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus): A virus that attacks the body's immune system.
 10. STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection): A group of infections spread through sexual
 contact.
 11. Preventative treatment options: A range of options that include Doxy Pep, PEP, PrEP.
 12. PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis): A medication that HIV-negative individuals can take to
 significantly reduce their risk of acquiring HIV, acting as a preventative measure before
 potential exposure.
 13. PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis): A course of antiretroviral medications taken after a
 possible exposure to HIV to prevent infection.
 14. Doxy Pep (Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis): A treatment regimen involving the
 antibiotic doxycycline that is used to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) after a
 potential exposure.

Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report PAGE 42
 Page 54
 How did we do?

 Our goal of this report was to highlight key
 accomplishments over the past year and outline
 our collaborative efforts to improve outcomes for
 all residents.

 Take our survey to let us know if we
 accomplished these goals or if there is more you
 would like to see in the 2025 Annual Report.

 Link to the Survey




 PAGE 43
Health & Human Services 2024 Annual Report
 Page 55
2024 Annual Report
 Health and Human Services
 HHSPS Committee June 2025 Presentation




 Page 56
Highlights

Housing & Homelessness
General Assistance
Substance Use
Disease & Prevention
Aging, Older Adults, & Disability
Organizational Competencies
Partnerships



 Page 57
Housing & Homelessness




 Page 58
HSC Participant
Snapshot




 Page 59
Prevention &
Diversion




Outreach




 Page 60
HSC Impact
Highlights




 Page 61
Family Shelter
Impact Highlights




 Page 62
Riverside Shelter
Impact Highlights




 Page 63
Resettlement




 Page 64
General Assistance




 Page 65
Participant
snapshot




 Page 66
General
Assistance




 Page 67
Representative
Payee




 Page 68
Substance Use




 Page 69
Participant
snapshot




 Page 70
Harm Reduction
& Overdose to
Action




235
Community reversals reported

66 overdose recognition &
response trainings


 Page 71
Disease & Prevention




 Page 72
Participant
Snapshot




 Page 73
 Tobacco &
  Healthy Eating, Lead Poisoning Substance Use
 Active Living Prevention Prevention

2,799
individuals participated
in 114 healthy
cooking/grocery
budgeting classes



8
CC municipalities worked
w/ staff to adopt a lactation
policy




 Page 74
Immunizations




 Page 75
Screening,
Prioritization &
Urgent Referral




 Page 76
STD Clinic Community Free Clinic




 Page 77
Maternal & Child
Health




 Page 78
Health Equity




 Page 79
Cities Readiness
Initiative




 Page 80
Aging, Older Adults & Disability




 Page 81
Participant
Snapshot




 Page 82
Barron Center




 Page 83
Elder Affairs




 2 new businesses and 118 HHs+


 Page 84
Investment in Organizational Competencies



Communications

Data, Learning, and Collaboration




 Page 85
 PARTNERSHIP
Thank you to our partners! Your collaboration and dedication are
 essential and amplify our collective impact on the community.




 …and more!



 Page 86
 Thank you!

Contact mmcloughlin@portlandmaine.gov

 Page 87
 Project HOPE
Housing Opportunities for People in
 Encampments




Page 88
 Housing Navigation
 Housing Navigation is a step in the continuum that begins with
 outreach to individuals residing in encampment.

 HOPE Navigators engage with individuals and, through the
 Coordinated Entry process, initiate the process of identifying
 shelter and housing needs as well as working on barriers to
 housing, such as obtaining documentations necessary to complete
 housing assistance and rental applications.

INTRODUCTION TO Navigation involves helping those individuals develop a housing


Project HOPE
 stability plan to continue to address the barriers identified in the
 plan. Navigators then assist individuals with searching for housing.




Project HOPE (Housing Opportunities for People in Stabilization Services
Encampments) supports housing navigation and
 After housed continue to provide retention support including
stabilization services recognized as a best practice in
 attending property owner meetings, setting appointments, and
moving people from homelessness to stable, assisting with paperwork related to keeping clients successfully
permanent housing. housed.



 Page 89
 85
 Total enrollments



 12
 Total shelter placements



The Impact 45
 Total housing placements



 142
 Days - the average amount of
 time to find housing after
 Page 90
 enrollment
 Coordinated Entry
 ● 8 Clients housed with Shalom House
 Permanent Supporting Housing Program
 (PSHP) vouchers
 ● 15 Total PSHP vouchers awarded to
 HOPE clients



 Subsidies &
 Payment Types
Housing Placement ● 20 Clients used vouchers (Section 8,
by Source BRAP, PSHP)
 ● 14 Clients used General Assistance
 ● 9 Clients self-paid
 ● 2 Clients connected to a long term
 supportive program
 Page 91
 Project HOPE Collaboration

 Approach
 ● HOPE Navigators meet weekly to discuss case assignments. We
 collaborate by creating the space to speak about clients and come
 up with viable solutions.

 ● When a Navigator encounters difficulty, we support each other by
 creating an open dialogue, brainstorming solutions, and offering
 support to one another.

 ● HOPE Navigators participate in larger outreach community
 meetings, working together to connect with unsheltered individuals
 who do not have housing navigation services.


 Additional Valued Partners

 ● Milestone HOME Team, Preble Street Outreach Collaborative,
 commonspace, Portland’s Homeless Outreach Engagement and
Left to Right: Danielle Levasseur, Project HOPE Program Coordinator at the City of Portland; Autumn Teruel,
 Navigator at Milestone; Bob Avery, Navigator at Preble Street; Ryan Murphy, Navigator at CommonSpace; Prevention & Diversion programs, Portland Police, Portland Fire -
 Joshua Ruitto, Director of Housing at the City of Portland. Mobile Medical Outreach, and Portland Public Health

 Page 92
Project HOPE & Homeless Services Center (HSC)



 Bed Nights
 ● HOPE enrollments have an HSC shelter cumulative total of 7,282
 bed nights (almost 20 years of homelessness).*

 ● HOPE clients are often shelter-resistant, resulting in the services
 delivered in the community.

 ● HOPE has housed five of the original individuals from the
 Encampment Crisis Response Team (ECRT) 2023 “By Name List”
 who had remained unsheltered.




 *Does not include undocumented years of unsheltered homelessness
 Page 93
Enrollments by Navigator




 *Primarily a Program Coordinator and not a Navigator,
 Danielle assisted with client housing placements using
 relationships she’d formerly established with clients.
 Page 94
Lessons Learned


  ➔ Communication is vital.
  ➔ Subsidy and assistance education is key.
  ➔ Group collaboration is essential.
  ➔ Having a creative mindset can achieve the best outcomes - even with limited resources




 Page 95
 Stories of HOPE
 “THE HOPE IMPACT”




Page 96
 “Homeless to Housing”

I first encountered D.G. in 2022 while I was working at a women’s shelter here in Portland. She had been referred by an
outside agency who was concerned about her safety as she had been staying outside for a very long time. When I met her,
she was full of stories about why she liked to stay outside, about her life, and about her goals. She was accepted into the
program, but she never stayed inside, instead using her space to store things while she continued to sleep nearby in a tent
with her partner.

According to her, she has been unhoused for the entirety of her adult life. Her HMIS [Homeless Management Information
System] entries go back to 2017, and she is not yet 30 years old. She has been known to stay near the Fore River. In 2023,
there was a significant encampment at Fore River. She was staying in a tent, moving when asked, eventually moving to the
Harbor View encampment.

When HOPE encountered her in January of 2025, her ideas about being housed had changed. I remember when I saw her
again, she approached me and said that she “knew me” and that “everyone deserves housing.” I couldn’t have agreed more
and I was able to enroll her in HOPE. She became determined and told everyone she was going to be housed. The
community became involved in supporting her through her housing journey. Then came a time when she couldn’t be
located. (Continued)
 Page 97
  “Homeless to Housing”

Through collaboration, Milestone said they would let us know if they made contact with her when she picks up food. When
the time came for her to view what would eventually be her apartment, she was nowhere to be found. This is the nature of
outreach work, there is no way to know where someone will be from day to day.

Through continued collaboration, we were able to locate her and connect her with her navigator to complete her
paperwork. Afterward, she was awarded a Shalom House Permanent Supportive Housing Program Resource in February of
2025, and was housed on March 13, 2025. What makes HOPE strong and unique is the collaboration we have with each
other, as well as with other organizations in the community. There are many challenges associated with keeping people
housed. As part of the program, HOPE will continue to follow up with her in the coming months. Though her future will be
her own, she has a strong support network within the community that will help in any way they can.




 Page 98
“A Home for Brindal and I”


  No Bowl Empty is an organization that donates pet food and medicine to people in the unhoused
  community. I met a client at one of the organizations events. This client had been staying outside,
  unable to access the shelter for fear of being separated from his dog, Brindal. HOPE helped him with
  his immediate needs, medical concerns, and was able to assist with getting his dog the medical
  attention it needed.

  This client had come from a rural setting, but was unable to find work in the town where he previously
  resided. He had come to Portland to find work, but found the labor market to be saturated and was was
  unable to find consistent work. HOPE worked closely with this client, filling out applications for
  apartments as well as for employment. HOPE helped this individual secure employment and temporary
  housing. The client moved to be closer to his job. As it turned out, his employer was also a landlord and
  was able to help him move into a permanent unit.



 Page 99
  “Growing My Own Food”
This story involved a collaboration was with the Portland Public Health Syringe Exchange. There was a client who
accessed their services and was in line to receive a PSHP resource. This person had lived on a farm for most of his life and
became unhoused when his parents passed away, leaving him unable to maintain the house.

Being left without a home, he took to camping on the outskirts of Portland and began using substances. As a person who
had always lived in a rural setting, he was not used to the amount of people in shelter and found it a difficult place to be
due to his mental health. While living outdoors, he accessed harm reduction supplies but, with limited access to resources,
he was unable to find housing for a number of years.

When HOPE was introduced to him through the Syringe Exchange, the most important thing to him was finding a home
where he could settle in and resume doing what he loves: growing his own food.

HOPE was able to find the client housing near Portland. Moving into housing after having slept outside for some time can
present some challenges. There were small adjustment periods where we worked closely with the property management
and were able to get this client settled into a routine that worked for him, the apartment building, and community. Since
setting in he has grown his vegetables, recently brought a tray of microgreens to Portland Public Health, and he has been
planning for a more substantial garden this summer. Page 100
Client Testimonials:

“I have a good [rapport] and friendship basically with a caseworker that’s very helpful and actually
cares. This program has been amazing.” - Kim, Project HOPE Client



“As long as I was putting my initiative in, you guys were doing everything you could do for me and
it’s worked out very well. And I can’t thank you guys enough.” - John, Project HOPE Client



“I would suggest to anyone who gets the opportunity to be a part of [Project HOPE] that they don’t
get discouraged and they stick with it and they keep in touch ‘cause it goes both ways. Y’know
people on our end gotta know that somebody’s got our back and is looking out for us. And at the
same time y’all need to know the person is taking it seriously and really wants it and is doing what
they need to do on their end.” -Mitch, Project HOPE Client
 Page 101
  Questions & Answers
Contact aeg@portlandmaine.gov

 Page 102
City of Portland | Fire Department
Chad D. Johnston, Fire Chief




To: Health & Human Services & Public Safety Committee
Councilor Anna Bullett, Chair




MEETING DATE
June 10, 2025

AGENDA ITEM
Agenda Item #6 -Fire Sprinkler Systems

PURPOSE
Provide information on the City of Portland’s Fire Sprinkler Systems.

COMMITTEE WORK PLAN/CITY COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT
This item supports priority #7 (Sprinkling Requirements) on the committee’s 2025 work plan in
connection with the City Council’s Common Goal #2 on solutions to the housing crisis.

BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
The requirement to provide fire sprinkler systems in any building comes from two areas. One is
the ICC codes adopted by the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). The other is the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire and Life Safety Codes, which are adopted by both
the State of Maine and municipalities, such as the City of Portland. Both of these (MUBEC and
NFPA) require sprinklers for many but not all new buildings. Whether or not a sprinkler system is
required is determined by many factors, including occupancy type and building construction
type. For instance, all new three-story wood-frame multifamily buildings (3 or more dwelling
units) are required to be equipped with sprinklers as they are residential occupancy. However,
suppose you had a business occupancy with the same size and construction type as the
multifamily building. In that case, it may not require sprinkler protection, as business
occupancies do not always require sprinkler protection.

The State of Maine, in both its adopted MUBEC codes and its adopted NFPA codes, has removed all
requirements for fire sprinklers in one- and two-family dwelling units. The City of Portland
adopts the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code in Chapter 10 of the City Code. Starting on September 16,
2010, the City’s adoption of that code did not remove the sprinkler requirement for one and
two-family homes. This adoption, unlike the State of Maine’s adoption, has required all new
homes built since this 2010 date to be protected throughout with a fire sprinkler system.

In previous City Code 10 adoptions of NFPA 101, the City had removed the renovation trigger for
when a sprinkler system is required in a one or two-family home undergoing renovations. We



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were starting to see renovation projects where a home would be completely demoed except for
one small wall, so that it was a renovation rather than a new building. In light of this, effective
November 5, 2020, the City Council adopted the renovation codes in NFPA 101. The change
includes the code section that states that if the building level of renovation is 50% or more of the
entire building, then it is required to have sprinkler and fire alarm protection, as is necessary for
new construction.

Once a trigger for a sprinkler system is present, the code requires the system to be installed
throughout the entire building, including both new and existing buildings if attached. This is not
something the City could modify, as the State Fire Marshal’s Office also has jurisdiction over
sprinkler systems. Therefore, per the code, when adding a new ADU attached to an existing home,
both the new ADU and the existing house would be required to be sprinkled throughout.

With this in mind and considering the City’s initiatives to create more housing, we collaborated
with the City Council to develop a policy on December 5, 2020, regarding when ADUs would
require sprinkler protection. This policy looks at the attached ADUs as an addition. So, if you have
a 2000 sq ft existing unsprinklered home with no renovation and add a 1000 sq ft new ADU
attached to the existing building, we would consider the entire renovation level to be 33%. Thus,
neither building is required to be sprinklered. On the contrary, if you have a 2000 sq ft existing,
unsprinklered home and are simultaneously adding a 1000 sq ft ADU, you will also extensively
renovate 600 sq ft of the existing house. This would result in the entire addition and renovation
level of the existing house being approximately 55% of the building, thus requiring both new and
existing dwellings to be sprinklered. New standalone, non-attached Accessory Dwelling Units
(ADUs) require sprinkler protection.

Requiring new one- and two-family homes to be equipped with fire sprinkler systems offers
numerous housing benefits. With sprinkler systems, we have been able to safely increase the
density of the City’s housing. This density increase, made possible by sprinkler protection, comes
from several factors. A decrease in building setback requirements for buildings with sprinklers.
Decrease in the number and widths of access roads for buildings with sprinklers. It also permits
an increase in the spacing of fire hydrants.

Sprinkler systems are the most effective tool the city has to prevent fire fatalities, but they also
provide numerous additional benefits.

 ●​ In the last 10 years, the City of Portland has issued over four hundred One and Two-Family
 Fire Sprinkler Permits.
 ●​ All City of Portland One and Two-Family Sprinkler Permits are free of charge.
 ●​ The City of Portland has no record of any fire fatalities in a building (all buildings,
 single-family homes through highrises) protected throughout with a fire sprinkler
 system.
 ●​ The 2021 national civilian fire fatality rate was 89% lower in structures with fire
 sprinklers compared to those without sprinkler protection.




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 ●​ The fire fatalities that occur in a sprinklered building statistically only happen when the
 person is in the immediate vicinity of the fire origin.
 ●​ There has never been a multiple loss of life from an accidental fire in a sprinklered
 building.
 ●​ The firefighter injury rate is 60% lower in fires where the building is equipped with a
 sprinkler system.
 ●​ From 2002 to 2019, 66% of the firefighter line-of-duty deaths were caused by cancer.
 Although it is difficult to know precisely how much fire sprinkler systems can reduce this,
 it is safe to say that reducing the number and duration of incidents where firefighters are
 exposed to toxic smoke and carcinogens reduces this number.
 ●​ The average property loss per structure fire is 55% lower in homes with fire sprinkler
 systems.


FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.

CONCLUSION(S)
This item is for information and discussion regarding the current City code as well as state and
national standards.

PRIOR COMMITTEE REVIEW
N/A

PREPARED BY

Chad Johnston Jason Grant
Chief Fire Marshal
Fire Department Fire Department


ATTACHMENTS
https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research

​




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Health & Human Services and Public Safety Committee

 June 10, 2025, 5:30 PM Remote Meeting

Committee Attendance:
Anna Bullett, Chair (District 4), Sarah Michniewicz (District 1), Wesley Pelletier (District 2).
Councilor Attendance:
Mayor Mark Dion


City Staff:
Adam Harr, Executive Assistant; Dena Libner, Assistant City Manager; Greg Jordan, Assistant
City Manager; Maggie Mcloughlin, Director of Health and Human Services; Chad Johnston, Fire
Chief; Aaron Geyer, Director of Social Services; Mike Murray, Director of Public Works; Troy
Moon, Sustainability Director; Jason Grant, Fire Marshall.
Invited Panelists:
Amy Holland, Statewide Homeless Response System Coordinator; Nakesha Warren, Homeless
Response Hub 2 Coordinator.

1. Announcements
 • None.
2. Review and Approval of Minutes from May 13, 2025
 • Councilor Michniewicz Moved to approve the minutes and seconded by Councilor Pelletier. The
 minutes were approved unanimously 3-0.

3. Discussion Re: Investment in Maintenance and Installation of Street Lights (Mike Murray,
Director of Public Works)
 • In 2017, The City bought the lights infrastructure that had until then been rented and maintained
 from Central Maine Power Company (CMP) for $590,000.
 • Followed by a retrofit with energy conserving lighting.
 o 6,500 street lights at $4 million which was bonded to finance.
 • Maintenance of street lights were formerly tasked to the traffic division as part of their traffic
 signal, cross walk painting, and street/regulatory sign maintenance duties; there were staff with
 electrical backgrounds.
 • Two types of lights:
 o ~4,000 Cobra style lights on many utility poles are higher near power lines.
 o ~2,500 Decorative lights on a standalone pole with no visible wires, as well as a town and
 country lights on wooden posts.
 • Maintenance of outages
 o Cobra head lights are near high voltage wires and require someone with an electrical line
 license such as a CMP worker; no one in the City has this license so an individual is
 contracted maintain Cobra head lights.
 o Staff that have master electrician, journeymen, and helper’s licenses are able to help on
 the decorative lights with one FTE devoted to these lights with another staff who splits
 time between traffic lights and the decorative lights, when time permits.
 o Dashboard from a third party vendor shows outages but must be verified.
 o Citizens through see click fix can report them
 o Decorative lights may work but have an electrical issue supply power that CMP must fix.
 o Point in time survey in the fall taking an inventory by canvasing the city after dark.
 ▪ The last PIT found 471 lights were not working (7.2% of all lights)
 ▪ 274 were decorative.
 ▪ Some poles have multiple lights but if a single light on a pole was out, it was
 counted as an outage.
 o Looking to decrease the time lights are out and that outages are equitable with no one
 area experiencing more outages than another.
 o Started replacing streetlight equipment in 2017, reducing street light energy consumption
 by 70%.
 ▪ Replaced 6400 lamps.
 ▪ $4 million project
 ▪ Some decorative lights had issues under warranty.
 ▪ Underground electrical is an issue that is CMP’s responsibility.
 o There are opportunities to look at new technologies.
 ▪ New tech to communicate with lights exist; currently it is a wireless mesh
 network that were chosen because cellular communication was not adequate at
 the time but has improved significantly at present.
 o We have reduced costs by $1 million per year by owning our lights.
 ▪ Ownership makes repair our responsibility.
Committee questions and discussion
 • Mayor Dion had to address outages in his tenure on the Council and understanding who is
 responsible for repair and that there was a lack of licensed staff at both the City and CMP.
 • There are very dark areas that are criminogenic and pose a risk to public safety.
 o A bright place is a safe place; is there capacity to identify dark areas and direct resources
 to illuminate them.?
 ▪ We can look at a variety of ways to increase lighting such as adding additional
 fixtures.
 o Can dark corridors be indexed? There are places that are too dark and unsafe; is there a
 way to identify these.
 ▪ Audit these areas.
 • Councilor Michniewicz agreed that there appears to be a disparity of some areas and would
 request an analysis of these dark corridors cross referenced with calls for service to measure how
 many calls for service (for crime of falls on walking paths) are increased due to outages.
 • Councilor Michniewicz asked if it would help to have a licensed electrician to replace contracting
 CMP help and what would be needed?
 o The contract relationship is our best option.
 • Vision Zero: DPW’s reporting on the operability of the system to fix outages as quickly as
 possible. Are there areas of the just not lit enough for safety and residents will need to mitigate
 nuisance light to prioritize the safety of the community.
 • Councilor Bullett would like to see what a big investment to get street lights off the grid would
 look like and thanked staff for keeping up with emerging technologies.
 • Fire department staff are knowledgeable about our city streets and related safety issues and are
 excited about Vision Zero.

4. HHS Annual Report (Maggie McLoughlin, HHS Director)
• HHS Annual Report: https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8032/files/attachment/26641
• Housing & Homelessness
 o HSC
 ▪ More than 100 people were housed from the HSC.
 ▪ 67% living with a disability.
 o Family Shelter
 ▪ 281 people comprising 86 families were sheltered at the family shelter.
 ▪ 266 individuals comprising 77 families housed.
 o 166 Riverside
 ▪ Sheltered 439 clients
 ▪ 167 individuals housed
 o Resettlement
 ▪ Short term case management to 279 families representing 916 individuals.
 o GA
 ▪ Adults 18-50
 ▪ 33 years old on average
 ▪ 78% of applicants were eligible for assistance.
 ▪ 67% of clients need support for 3 months with another drop off at six months.
 ▪ GA is the last safety net, assisting with housing (rent), food, and medications.
 o Rep Payee
 ▪ 160 clients
 ▪ Managed $2.25 million of clients’ Social Security funds.
• Harm Reduction and Overdose to Action:
 o 30% of people accessing needle exchange are stably housed.
 o Average age of 39.
 o Connected people to services and try to keep people who use substances healthy.
 o Needle exchange helps prevent HIV outbreaks in this and the wider community.
 o People who use the exchange are three times more likely to access recovery options.
 o 235 overdoses were reversed in the community thanks to Narcan training and distribution.
 o Our exchange return ratio is now above 90%
• Disease & Prevention
 o Healthy Eating, Active Learning (HEAL)
 ▪ 2,799 participants over 114 healthy cooking/budgeting classes.
 o Lead Poisoning & Prevention
 ▪ Education to 455 parents and 58 property owners.
 o Tobacco & Substance Use Prevention
 ▪ 95 classes facilitated in Cumberland County school districts.
 ▪ Required annual training to 41 Cannabis establishments.
• Immunization
 o Provided 3,000 vaccines to the community.
• Screening, Prioritization & Urgent Referral (SPUR)
 o 715 unique patients.
• STD Clinic
 o 642 patients
 o 1,380 patient visits
 ▪ 612 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) specific visits.
• Community Free Clinic
 o 156 unique patients
 o 511 volunteer hours from 37 healthcare professionals.
• Maternal & Child Health
 o 2,140 Nursing visits
• Health Equity
 o 1,189 clients supported.
• Aging, Older Adults & Disability
 o Barron Center
 ▪ 100% of population is living with a disability
 ▪ 81.8% are on Medicaid.
 ▪ 165 unique residents.
 ▪ 5 star CMS rating
 o Elder Affairs
 ▪ Senior Outreach Nursing Program
 • 500+ served in blood pressure clinics
 • 36 patients had home visits.
 ▪ Adult Day Programs
 • 63 clients
 • 20,000+ hours of daytime care.
• Invested in a Communications position.
• Data Learning Collaborative working to update our data tracking and analysis.
Committee questions and discussion
 • Councilor Michniewicz asked what data do we want that we do not have and which programs
 have the highest return on investment?
 o Demographics that we can cross layer on other City data points; investment in technology
 will help tis and support collaboration with ither City programs.
 o Return on investment isn’t applicable between program serve critical needs to their target
 populations/issues.
 • Mayor Dion is concerned about syringe litter by continuous reports of needle waste from
 constituents.
 o He would like an interim report on the buyback program.
 o Some people are experiencing large litter and efforts to curtail are not working in these
 localized areas people report.
 ▪ Where is collection happening and can it be expanded to these reported problem
 areas.
 o Data from our assessments and from our community partners on syringe litter to have a
 baseline to compare against for evaluating the impact of our efforts such as the buyback
 program.
 ▪ If the Committee wills it, we can give another SSP Redemption pilot project
 which currently has a 92% recovery rate.
 • Councilor Pelletier appreciates the responsiveness of adding community sharps boxes.
 • Councilor Michniewicz asked about the increased number of syringed ns the health outcomes
 preventing HIV and hepatitis outbreaks,
 o We have a new agreement with the Maine CDC on disease surveillance to try and get
 sense of impact, however finding causality between these two datasets is difficulty.
 • Councilor Bullett mentioned LD 1738 is in appropriations which would set up a CDC fund
 supporting municipal syringe recovery efforts and commended the elder services work, and the
 accomplishments of getting buy-in from business for age friendly Portland.
 • Maine Health is tracking social determinants of health.
 • Mayor Dion would like to see coordination between Maine Health and northern light; people are
 getting discharged from health homes who need support but does not rise to the level Medicaid
 would pay for.
 o Outreach nursing is supporting the life support side, but the community and isolation
 needs of our elders.

5. Housing Options for People in Encampments (HOPE) Program Update (Aaron Geyer,
Director of Social Services)

 • In the Fall of 2023, service providers identified the need to bring services to a subset of the
 unhoused community who are averse to staying at the shelter.
 • 85 enrollments
 • 12 shelter placements
 • 45 housing placements during a voucher freeze.
 • 142 days is the average time it takes program participants to obtain housing.
 • Gathering documentation and filling to applications takes time
 • HOPE navigators meet weekly for collaboration and find solutions targeted to the individual
 people the program serves. Each person is engaged with a plan specific and nuanced to each
 person and their unique circumstances.
 • HOPE has housed 5 of the original 2023 by name list crated in the ECRT.
The HSC was just inspected and is in full compliance with its management plan.

6. Sprinkler Requirement for Single Family Homes (Chad Johnston, Fire Chief)
 • Used to average 1 -2 residential fire deaths outside of a single outlier: the 2014 Noyes Street fire
 • There is a huge delta on the costs to install, ranging 1 to 7 dollars per square foot, makes
 estimating costs difficult.
 • There are two levels of licenses for 1 and two family homes; it is fairly easy to achieve through
 one to two hours of instruction to get certified with the State. Plumbers are able to attain this
 without much difficulty.
 • Trying to hide piping in existing buildings versus new construction is part of the wide price
 range.
 • It is advised to get multiple quotes.
 • Fire spread beyond the room of origin is reduced by 94% in a sprinkled building.
 • Fire Deaths in sprinkled residential units are only 1% of fire deaths in residences.
Committee questions and discussion
 • Are there any incentives to help with the costs of sprinkling residences such as low interest loans?
 o Some insurance companies offer discounts to sprinkled buildings.
 • Councilor Michniewicz asked what the cost is to sprinkle: how much is development being
 suppressed due to cost and how many renovations triggered the 50% rule and how many were
 ADU related?
 • How many units could be created if we aligned with the states more flexible code.
 • Councilor Michniewicz discussed hard wired alarms as a requirement that could ease the
 percentage requirement on sprinkling?
 o Hard wired smoke detectors have been required for ten years.
 o These can be and still are tampered with and add to preventable deaths.


7. Next Meeting: July 8, 2025

Councilor Pelletier moved to adjourn, Councilor Michniewicz seconded; the motion passed 3-0 and the
meeting adjourned at approximately 7:33 PM.