Code of Maine Rules › 99 - INDEPENDENT AGENCIES › 346 - MAINE STATE HOUSING AUTHORITY › Chapter 19 - HOMELESS SOLUTIONS RULE › Section 346-19-1 - Definitions

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A. "Act" means the Maine Housing Authorities
				Act, 30-A M.R.S.A. §
									4701,
et seq
. as
				amended.
B. "Agency Participation
				Agreement" is a document that sets forth the obligations of service providers
				participating in HMIS and governs how information regarding clients and the
				services they receive is treated.
C. "Applicant" means the municipality or
				non-profit corporation applying for funds governed by this Rule.
D. "Bed Capacity" means the maximum number of
				beds in an Emergency Shelter as indicated on the agency's Program Guide and
				Application; provided, however, for purposes of this Rule, the Bed Capacity of
				a Low Barrier Shelter means its maximum number of beds as indicated on the
				Program Guide and Application, multiplied by 125%.
E. "Clients Assessed and Stabilized" means
				clients who were assessed for program eligibility, and who are receiving
				housing stabilization services.
F.
				"Continuum of Care" or "CoC" is the group organized to carry out the
				responsibilities required under the CoC Program Interim Rule ( 24 CFR Part 578
				) and comprises representatives of organizations that provide a full range of
				emergency, transitional, and permanent housing and other service resources to
				address the various needs of Persons Experiencing Homelessness within the State
				of Maine.
G. "Coordinated Entry
				Process" means a process designed to coordinate program participant intake,
				assessment, and provision of referrals within a geographic area. A Coordinated
				Entry Process covers the geographic area, is easily accessed by individuals and
				families seeking housing or services, is well advertised, and includes a
				comprehensive and standardized assessment tool.
H. "Emergency Shelter" means any facility,
				the primary purpose of which is to provide a temporary shelter for Persons
				Experiencing Homelessness or for specific populations of Persons Experiencing
				Homelessness and which meets the criteria set forth in section
				3 of this Rule.
I. "Emergency Solutions Grant" means a grant
				available under the federal Emergency Solutions Grants Program of the
				McKinney-Vento Act as amended by the HEARTH Act.
J. "Funding Formula Allocation" means an
				annual allocation of funds by MaineHousing for Emergency Shelters as further
				described in section
				4 of this Rule.
K. "HEARTH Act" means the Homeless Emergency
				and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-22), and the
				regulations promulgated thereunder.
L. "HMIS" means the Homeless Management
				Information System as further defined in the McKinney-Vento Act as amended by
				the HEARTH Act.
M. "HMIS Data
				Standards" means the baseline data collection requirements developed by each of
				the federal partners which require participation in HMIS, or a comparable
				database for those serving survivors of domestic violence, as a condition of
				their funding.
N. "Homeless
				Prevention" means activities or programs designed to prevent persons from
				experiencing homelessness including without limitation subsidies for rent,
				utilities, security deposits, and mortgage payments.
O. "Homeless Service Hub" also referred to as
				"Hub" or "Service Hub" means a group of regional providers that creates local
				foundation for the prioritization and case conferencing of the Coordinated
				Entry Process, as well as working collectively toward ending homelessness. Each
				Hub supports regional coordination and resource alignment and provides system
				level data used to improve performance. Maine has nine Service Hubs: 1- York
				County; 2- Cumberland County minus the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell; 3
				(Midcoast)- Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo and Knox Counties, plus the towns of
				Brunswick and Harpswell; 4- Androscoggin County minus the towns of Livermore
				and Livermore Falls; 5 (Western Maine)- Franklin and Oxford Counties, plus the
				towns of Livermore and Livermore Falls; 6 (Central Maine)- Kennebec and
				Somerset Counties; 7 (Penquis)- Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties; 8
				(Downeast)- Hancock and Washington Counties; 9- Aroostook County.
P. "Housing First" is an approach to quickly
				and successfully connect Persons Experiencing Homelessness to permanent housing
				without preconditions and barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment, or
				service participation requirements.
Q. "Housing Inventory Count" (HIC) is a
				point-in-time inventory of beds and units for Persons Experiencing Homelessness
				within a Continuum of Care categorized by five program types: Emergency
				Shelter; transitional housing; Rapid Re-housing; safe haven; and permanent
				supportive housing.
R. "Housing
				Stabilization" means assessing, arranging, coordinating, and monitoring the
				delivery of individualized services to facilitate housing stability for a
				program participant who resides in permanent housing or to assist a program
				participant in overcoming immediate barriers to obtaining housing.
S. "HUD" means the United States Department
				of Housing and Urban Development.
T. "Low Barrier Shelter" means an Emergency
				Shelter that does not require any of the following for a client to stay at the
				shelter:
(i) criminal background
				checks,
(ii) credit checks or
				income verification,
(iii)  program
				participation,
(iv) sobriety,
				or
(v) identification. Low Barrier
				Shelters may, however, enforce safety requirements for self, staff, place, and
				others.