An Act to End Chronic Homelessness by Creating the Housing First Fund Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Housing suggested and ordered printed.
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1293
Committee: Housing
Sponsors: GATTINE, POULIOT, BLIER, GERE, MORRIS, RANA, TALBOT ROSS, JACKSON, PIERCE, VITELLI
Amends: 22 MRSA §20-A, 36 MRSA §4641-B

Legislative Document
No. 1293
H.P. 818
House of Representatives, March 23, 2023
An Act to End Chronic Homelessness by Creating the Housing First 
Fund
Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook.
Cosponsored by Senator POULIOT of Kennebec and
Representatives: BLIER of Buxton, GERE of Kennebunkport, MORRIS of Turner, RANA of 
Bangor, Speaker TALBOT ROSS of Portland, Senators: President JACKSON of Aroostook, 
PIERCE of Cumberland, VITELLI of Sagadahoc.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §20-A is enacted to read:
§20-A.  Housing First Program
1. Program established. The Housing First Program, referred to in this section as "the 
program," is established in the department to facilitate the delivery of support and 
stabilization services to residents of properties established or developed to provide 
permanent housing to end chronic homelessness in the State.  Services facilitated under the 
program must be available on site, 24 hours a day and be designed to build independent 
living skills and connect individuals with community-based services.  The department shall 
ensure that reimbursement under the MaineCare program is available to providers under 
the program to the maximum extent possible.  For the purposes of this section, "chronic 
homelessness" means a situation in which a person is living in a place not meant for human 
habitation for at least 12 months, excluding stays in emergency shelters or intermittent brief 
stays in a place suitable for human habitation, and for whom homelessness is correlated 
with a condition that makes accessing services and maintaining housing a significant 
challenge such as substance use disorder or a behavioral health condition.
2. Fund established.  The Housing First Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," 
is established as a separate and distinct fund for accounting and budgetary reporting 
purposes in order to support the program.
3. Sources of fund.  The Treasurer of State shall credit to the fund:
A. All money received by the State in accordance with Title 36, section 4641-B, 
subsection 4-B, paragraph E-1;
B. Money from any other source, whether public or private, designated for deposit into 
or credited to the fund; and
C. Interest earned or other investment income on balances in the fund.
4. Distribution of funds.  The department shall distribute funds to pay those who 
provide supportive services to residents at properties established or developed to provide 
permanent housing to persons who have been chronically homeless.  The department shall 
also use the fund to establish a permanent full-time position in the department to assist 
providers with providing 24-hour, on-site supportive services and navigating 
reimbursement under the MaineCare program for those services.  Beginning July 1, 2024, 
the department shall annually determine the amount necessary to cover any unpaid services 
provided under the program in the previous year and the anticipated amount needed to pay 
for services expected to be provided at each property in the next fiscal year.  Funds in 
excess of those amounts must be transferred to the Maine State Housing Authority for the 
purposes of:
A. Providing technical assistance to housing developers to help with capital and 
planning issues associated with developing properties consistent with the housing 
model described by the program; and
B. Developing affordable housing, including for projects with a housing model 
described by the program to the extent development is not covered by other resources.
5. Report.  Beginning February 1, 2025 and annually thereafter, the department shall 
submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
housing matters describing the number of residents served by the program and the number 
of months residents have avoided returning to homelessness or maintained stable housing.
Sec. 2.  36 MRSA §4641-B, sub-§4-B, ¶E, as amended by PL 2021, c. 753, §1, is 
further amended to read:
E.  In fiscal year 2015-16 and each fiscal year thereafter prior to fiscal year 2024-25, 
the Treasurer of State shall credit the revenues derived from the tax imposed pursuant 
to section 4641‑A, subsection 1 in accordance with this paragraph.
(1)  At the beginning of the fiscal year, the Maine State Housing Authority shall 
certify to the Treasurer of State the amount that is necessary and sufficient to meet 
the authority's obligations relating to bonds issued or planned to be issued by the 
authority under Title 30‑A, section 4864.
(2)  On a monthly basis, the Treasurer of State shall apply 50% of the revenues in 
accordance with this subparagraph.  The Treasurer of State shall first pay revenues 
available under this subparagraph to the Maine State Housing Authority, which 
shall deposit the funds in the Maine Energy, Housing and Economic Recovery 
Fund established in Title 30‑A, section 4863, until the amount paid equals the 
amount certified by the Maine State Housing Authority under subparagraph (1), 
after which the Treasurer of State shall credit any remaining revenues available 
under this subparagraph to the General Fund.
(3)  On a monthly basis, the Treasurer of State shall credit 50% of the revenues to 
the Maine State Housing Authority, except that, notwithstanding paragraph F, in 
fiscal year 2015-16, the Treasurer of State shall first credit $6,291,740 of the 
revenues available under this subparagraph to the General Fund and except that, 
notwithstanding paragraph F, in fiscal year 2016-17, the Treasurer of State shall 
first credit $6,090,367 of the revenues available under this subparagraph to the 
General Fund and except that, notwithstanding paragraph F, in fiscal years 2017-
and 2018-19, the Treasurer of State shall first credit $2,500,000 of the revenues 
available under this subparagraph to the General Fund.  The Maine State Housing 
Authority shall deposit the funds received pursuant to this subparagraph in the 
Housing Opportunities for Maine Fund created in Title 30‑A, section 4853.  
Beginning July 1, 2023, the Maine State Housing Authority shall use 25% of funds 
transferred to the Housing Opportunities for Maine Fund under this subparagraph 
to support the creation of new housing units, through new construction or adaptive 
reuse, that are affordable to low-income households.
Sec. 3.  36 MRSA §4641-B, sub-§4-B, ¶E-1 is enacted to read:
E-1.  In fiscal year 2024-25 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Treasurer of State shall 
credit the revenues derived from the tax imposed pursuant to section 4641‑A, 
subsection 1 in accordance with this paragraph.
(1)  At the beginning of the fiscal year, the Maine State Housing Authority shall 
certify to the Treasurer of State the amount that is necessary and sufficient to meet 
the authority's obligations relating to bonds issued or planned to be issued by the 
authority under Title 30‑A, section 4864.
(2)  On a monthly basis, the Treasurer of State shall apply 50% of the revenues in 
accordance with this subparagraph.  The Treasurer of State shall first pay revenues 
available under this subparagraph to the Maine State Housing Authority, which 
shall deposit the funds in the Maine Energy, Housing and Economic Recovery 
Fund established in Title 30‑A, section 4863, until the amount paid equals the 
amount certified by the Maine State Housing Authority under subparagraph (1), 
after which the Treasurer of State shall credit half of any remaining revenues 
available under this subparagraph to the General Fund and half of any remaining 
revenues available under this subparagraph to the Housing First Fund created in 
Title 22, section 265, subsection 2.
(3)  On a monthly basis, the Treasurer of State shall credit 50% of the revenues to 
the Maine State Housing Authority.  The Maine State Housing Authority shall 
deposit the funds received pursuant to this subparagraph in the Housing 
Opportunities for Maine Fund created in Title 30‑A, section 4853.  Beginning July 
1, 2024, the Maine State Housing Authority shall use 25% of funds transferred to 
the Housing Opportunities for Maine Fund under this subparagraph to support the 
creation of new housing units, through new construction or adaptive reuse, that are 
affordable to low-income households.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Housing First Program within the Department of Health and 
Human Services to facilitate the delivery of stabilization and support services to residents 
of properties established or developed to provide permanent housing to persons who have 
been chronically homeless and to fund technical assistance, administered by the Maine 
State Housing Authority, for the development of housing consistent with the program.  The 
program is funded from the real estate transfer tax by depositing half of the funds that 
would otherwise be deposited into the General Fund into the Housing First Fund created 
by the bill.