An Act to Provide Financial Support for Shelters for Unhoused Individuals
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2136
Committee Amendment CA_A_H862 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "/-T " to H.P. 1360, L,D, 2136, "An Act to Provide
Financial Support for Shelters for Unhoused Individuals"
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following;
'An Act to Provide Financial Support for Shelters for Unhoused Individuals and
Establish a Stakeholder Group to Develop a 10-year Plan to Address the Root Causes
ofHomelessness'
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the
following;
'PART A
Sec. A-l. Maine State Housing Authority to amend rules. The Maine State
Housing Authority shall amend the relevant portions of its rule Chapter 19; Homeless
Solutions Rule to ensure that $2,500,000, or an equivalent percentage of the funds
appropriated for the shelter operation subsidy under section 2, is reserved exclusively for
distribution to low-bamer shelters,
Sec. A-2. Appropriations and allocations. The followmg appropriations and
allocations are made,
HOUSING AUTHORITY, MAINE STATE
Shelter Operating Subsidy 0661
Initiative; Provides ongoing funds for the operation of homeless shelters pursuant to Maine
State Housing Authority rule Chapter 19; Homeless Solutions Rule.
GENERAL FUND 2023-24 2024-25
AllOther $0 $10,000,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $0 $10,000,000
Shelter Operating Subsidy 0661
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
"h\ " to H.P.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT '?\ " to H.P. 1360, L,D, 2136
Initiative; Provides ongoing funds for distribution to low-barrier shelters as in Maine State
Housing Authority rule Chapter 19: Homeless Solutions Rule.
GENERAL FUND 2023-24 2024-25
. AHOther $0 $2,500,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $0 $2,500,000
HOUSING AUTHORITY, MAINE STATE
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 2023-24 2024-25
1011 GENERAL FUND $0 $12,500,000
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS $0 $12,500,000
PART B
Sec. B-l. Statewide Homeless Council to convene stakeholder group. The
Statewide Homeless Council, as established by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section
12004-L, subsection 13, referred to in this Part as "the council," shall convene a stakeholder
group of no less than 13 and no more than 15 members to develop a 1 0-year plan to address
the root causes of homelessness in the State. Members of the stakeholder group must
represent or include the following:
1. Professionals, who operate or manage shelters for unhoused individuals, such as
chief executive officers or executive du-ectors;
2. At least one person employed by a shelter for unhoused individuals in charge of
maintenance or facilities management;
3, Professionals employed by shelters for unhoused individuals, including those with
experience providing assistance and counseling to individuals with the goal of attaining
stable housing, sometimes referred to as "transitional lifestyle counselors";
4. Professionals with experience providing substance use disorder and mental health
counseling to unhoused individuals;
5, The Executive Director of the Maine State Housing Authority or the executive
director's designee; and
6. Representatives of municipal and county law enforcement.
Sec. B-2. Stakeholder group duties. The stakeholder group under section 1 shall;
1, Examine the root causes of homelessness by gathering information from a wide
variety of professionals and volunteers who provide hands-on services to individuals in
6 need of emergency shelter services;
2. Study successful efforts in other states to reduce the demand for emergency shelter
services;
3, Consult with experts in the fields of substance use disorder, mental health and
homelessness; affordable housing developers in the State; and persons who have recovered
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "H " to H.P, 1360, L.D. 2136
s^*k"'
from homelessness and found stable housing to identify the key elements of successful
transition into stable housing; and
4, Develop the framework for a 10-year plan to significantly reduce the number of
residents of the State who need emergency shelter services.
Sec. B-3. Meetings of stakeholder group. The stakeholder group under section
1 shall meet at least 4 times before submission of the report required by section 4, Members
of the Joint Select Committee on Housing must be notified of all meetings of the
stakeholder group,
Sec. B-4. Report. No later than November 6,2024, the council shall submit a report
that includes the findings and recommendations of the stakeholder group under section 1
to the Joint Select Committee on Housing, including suggested legislation, for presentation
to the 132nd Legislature in 2025,'
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section
number to read consecutively.
SUMMARY
This amendment increases the ongoing appropriation to support emergency shelter
operations in the bill from $10,000,000 to $12,500,000 and requires the Maine State
Housing Authority to reserve $2,500,000 annually exclusively for distribution to low-
barrier emergency shelters. The amendment requires the Statewide Homeless Council to
convene a stakeholder group to develop a 10-year plan to address the root causes of
homelessness. The stakeholder group is required to notify the Joint Select Committee on
Housing of all meetings of the stakeholder group. The stakeholder group is required to
hold at least 4 meetings prior to the council's submitting a report to the Joint Select
Committee on Housing by November 6, 2024, The amendment also requires the Maine
State Housing Authority to amend its rules to ensure that $2,500,000, or an equivalent
percentage of the funds appropriated for the shelter operation subsidy, is reserved
exclusively for distribution to low-barrier shelters,
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)
Page3-131LR2714(02)
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Approved: 03/13/24 ^W"-
LD 2136 LR 2714(02)
An Act to Provide Financial Support for Shelters for Unhoused Individuals
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 7
Committee: Housing
Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Projections Projections
FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 FY 2025-26 FY 2026-27
Net Cost (Savings)
General Fund $0 $12,500,000 $12,500,000 $12,500,000
Appropriations/Allocations
General Fund $0 $12,500,000 $12,500,000 $12,500,000
Fiscal Detail and Notes
This bill includes ongoing General Fund appropriations totaling $12,500,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 2024-25
to the Shelter Operating Subsidy program within the Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) to support emergency
shelter operations. Of this amount, $10,000,000 is appropriated on an ongoing basis for the operation of homeless
shelters and $2,500,000 is appropriated on an ongoing basis for low-ban-ier shelters.
Additional costs to MSHA associated with the rulemaking process and with supporting the Statewide Homeless
Council in its work to develop a 10-year plan to address the root causes of homelessness in Maine can be absorbed
within existing budgeted resources,
LR2714(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1