LD 1910

132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
  FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document  No. 1910
S.P. 751  In Senate, May 6, 2025
  An Act to Strengthen Housing Stability Services by Increasing
  Support and Outreach
   Reference to the Committee on Housing and Economic Development suggested and
ordered printed.
  DAREK M. GRANT
  Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative YUSUF of Portland and
Senator: CURRY of Waldo, Representatives: GOLEK of Harpswell, JULIA of Waterville,
MALON of Biddeford.
  Printed on recycled paper
1 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2     Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §20-B is enacted to read:
3 §20-B. Services to prevent homelessness
4      The department shall contract with community-based nonprofit organizations with
5 experience in outreach, engagement and social service delivery to individuals and families
6 experiencing homelessness in order to hire outreach caseworkers and housing stability
7 workers to work with individuals who are unhoused or experience chronic homelessness
8 by cycling through emergency settings such as shelters, jails, hospitals and warming
9 centers. The outreach caseworkers and housing stability workers shall assist individuals to
10 attain permanent housing, ensure ongoing support services once the individuals are housed
11 and ensure that unhoused individuals are in safe indoor spaces provided by emergency
12 shelters while housing is being secured.
13    Sec. 2. Department of Health and Human Services contracts for outreach
14 caseworkers. The Department of Health and Human Services shall issue a request for
15 proposals to contract for outreach caseworker services as required by the Maine Revised
16 Statutes, Title 22, section 20-B. The contracts with community-based nonprofit
17 organizations must be sufficient to hire 9 outreach caseworkers. The department must
18 contract with organizations that have experience in outreach, engagement and social
19 service delivery to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The contracts
20 issued under this section must be for a period of time set by the department, and the
21 department may renew the contracts at the end of the set period. The contracts must include
22 the following requirements.
23     1. Nine outreach caseworkers must be hired.
24     2. The caseworkers must work with unhoused individuals to attain permanent housing,
25 ensure ongoing support services once the individuals are housed and ensure that unhoused
26 individuals are in safe indoor spaces provided by emergency shelters while housing is being
27 secured.
28     3. The caseworkers must be distributed across the State, as determined by agreement
29 between the 3 regional homeless councils represented on the Statewide Homeless Council,
30 and targeted to areas that have the greatest concentration of unhoused individuals. As
31 circumstances change, the caseworkers may be redistributed geographically.
32     4. The caseload for the caseworkers must be up to 25 individuals with intensive needs
33 and up to 35 additional cases that require less intensive but ongoing support.
34     Sec. 3. Department of Health and Human Services contracts for housing
35 stability workers. The Department of Health and Human Services shall issue a request
36 for proposals to contract for housing stability workers as required by the Maine Revised
37 Statutes, Title 22, section 20-B. The contracts with community-based nonprofit
38 organizations must be sufficient to hire 9 housing stability workers. The department must
39 contract with organizations that have experience in outreach, engagement and social
40 service delivery to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The contracts
41 issued under this section must be for a period of time set by the department, and the
42 department may renew the contracts at the end of the set period. The contracts must include
43 the following requirements.
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1     1. Nine housing stability workers must be hired.
2     2. The housing stability workers must work with individuals experiencing chronic
3 homelessness cycling through various emergency settings, such as shelters, jails, hospitals
4 and warming centers, and provide those individuals with intensive housing or rehousing
5 services to ensure housing stability.
6     3. The housing stability workers must be distributed across the State, as determined by
7 agreement between the 3 regional homeless councils represented on the Statewide
8 Homeless Council, and targeted to areas that have the greatest concentration of individuals
9 experiencing chronic homelessness. As circumstances change, the workers may be
10 redistributed geographically.
11     4. The caseload for the housing stability workers must be up to 25 individuals with
12 intensive needs and up to 35 additional cases that require less intensive but ongoing
13 support.
14     Sec. 4. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
15 allocations are made.
16 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
17 Purchased Social Services 0228
18 Initiative: Provides funding to contract with community-based nonprofit organizations to
19 hire 9 outreach caseworkers.
20 GENERAL FUND  2025-26  2026-27
21  All Other  $800,000  $800,000
22__________       __________
23 GENERAL FUND TOTAL  $800,000  $800,000
24
20 Purchased Social Services 0228
25 Initiative: Provides funding to contract with community-based nonprofit organizations to
26 hire 9 housing stability workers.
27 GENERAL FUND  2025-26  2026-27
28  All Other  $900,000  $900,000
29__________       __________
30 GENERAL FUND TOTAL  $900,000  $900,000
31
27
32 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
33 DEPARTMENT OF
34 DEPARTMENT TOTALS  2025-26  2026-27
35
36   GENERAL FUND  $1,700,000       $1,700,000
37__________       __________
38 DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS  $1,700,000       $1,700,000
39
32SUMMARY
40
33    This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with
41
34 community-based nonprofit organizations through a request for proposals process for 9
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35
1 outreach caseworkers and 9 housing stability workers. The outreach caseworkers and
36
2 housing stability workers provide housing and supportive services to individuals who are
37
3 unhoused and chronically homeless, as well as ensuring that the individuals are in safe
38
4 indoor environments while awaiting permanent housing. The contracted workers are
39
5 distributed around the State and targeted to areas with higher populations of individuals
40
6 who are homeless. The bill requires ongoing appropriations of $800,000 each year for
41
7 outreach caseworkers and $900,000 each year for housing stability workers.
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