Rural communities across the country have made significant progress in reducing homelessness and increasing the effectiveness of their Continuums of Care (CoC). This workshop examines five core strategies used in highly effective rural CoC’s to implement their ten year plans and meet the housing and service needs of families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

1. Creating a High Performing Rural Continuum of Care
Maine
Balance of State
Continuum of Care
Melany Mondello, Shalom House
Cindy Namer, Maine State Housing Authority

2. Maine BOS Continuum Structure
Basic Structure
Staff person with direct responsibility for
Continuum process
Open membership
Set meeting schedule
Formal Agenda
Governance Document
Sub‐Committee structure
Partnerships with other working groups

3. MBOS Standing Committees
o Steering o Scoring Criteria
o CoC Co‐Chairs and all o Updated annually
Committee Chairs o Points awarded to
o Guides Application incentivize goals
o Data & Gaps o Project Selection
o Point‐in‐Time/HIC &Prioritization
o HMIS
o Non‐competing members
o Monitoring & o Recruitment from outside
Evaluation of CoC membership
o Renewal Projects o Ad hoc committees
o Engagement & as needed
Resources o Governance review
o Community outreach o Dispute resolution
o Mainstream resources

4. MBOS Sub-Committees
o Workgroups to perform tasks required for completion
of the annual COC application
o Focus on action steps to meet goals of CoC & HUD
o All Committee work must be approved by the CoC
o Committees cannot make policy or funding related
decisions unless authorized to do so by the CoC
o All CoC members encouraged to join a committee
o You do not have to attend regular full CoC meetings in
order to participate on a committee

5. Aroostook
Maine Balance of State Continuum of Care
Population: 1,106,000
Area: 27,444 square miles
Piscataquis 2010 Pro rata Amount: $1,888,355
2010 PIT Count:
Somerset ES=388 TH=897 PSH=1093
Greater Penobscot Continuum of Care
Penobscot Washington
Franklin Population: 149,500
Area: 3,396 square miles
Hancock
2010 Pro rata Amount: $336,479
Waldo
Oxford Kennebec 2010 PIT Count: ES=150 TH=303 PSH=341
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Lincoln City of Portland Continuum of Care
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Population: 63,000
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Cumberland
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Area: 21 square miles
2010 Pro rata Amount: $731,806
York
2010 PIT Count: ES= 316 TH=311 PSH=368

6. Aroostook
Maine Statewide Homeless Council
Created by the Governor and the Legislature
Chaired by Nancy Fritz, Director of Homeless
Initiatives at Maine State Housing Authority
and a member of the Governor’s Cabinet
Piscataquis Region 3 Homeless Council
Covers the 5 most rural counties
Somerset
Largest Geographic area, least densely populated
Includes Greater Penobscot Continuum of Care
Franklin
Penobscot Washington Region 2 Homeless Council
Covers 9 counties
Hancock
Rural west & north, more densely populated near coast
Waldo
Oxford Kennebec
Includes state capitol of Augusta
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Lincoln Region 1 Homeless Council
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Cumberland Cumberland and York Counties
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Smallest geographic area, but most densely populated
York Includes the City of Portland Continuum of Care

7. Establishing Relationships
Partner Working Groups
o Statewide Homeless Council
o Portland Continuum of Care
o Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee (ESAC)
o Greater Penobscot Continuum of Care
o Regional Homeless Councils (3 Statewide)
o Augusta Homeless Working Group
o Lewiston Auburn Area Services for the Homeless (LAASH)
o Greater Franklin County Resource Network
o Washington County Coalition for the Homeless
o Homeless Voices for Justice

8. Maine BOS Continuum Organizations
o Homeless Service Providers
o Social Service/Non‐Profit Agencies
o State and Local Government Agencies
o State Housing Finance Agency
o Public Housing Authorities
o Veterans Services
o Advocacy Groups and Consumers
o Non‐Profit Housing Developers
o DOC Pre‐Release and Re‐entry programs
o Youth Providers
o Domestic Violence Service Providers

9. Coordination is the key
The Maine Balance of State Continuum of Care tries to include and involve
ALL of the programs, agencies and activities in our State working to end
and prevent homelessness by:
Embracing other working groups as allies/partners not competition
Creating one HMIS system – MaineHousing is the lead agency, that
coordinates with each continuum
Coordinating and consolidating data gathering processes
Simplify forms and utilize the same day and process for Point‐in‐Time Counts
Centralize and conduct one annual Housing Inventory Update
Distributing information to all partners and allow each community to decide
what pieces to focus their resources toward
Sharing any tools and processes between working groups
Leveraging resources by developing and modifying new forms and process
together for consistency

10. Relationships & Infrastructure
Legislation created the Statewide Homeless Council as an
advisory group to the following entities:
Governor’s Office
Maine State Housing Authority
Department of Corrections
Department of Health & Human Services
State Legislature
They provide leadership and are the legislated body responsible for
coordination, system changes, education, and advising top officials in
the State.
Council members are nominated to the statewide council through the
regional councils to represent each region’s needs.

11. Relationships & Infrastructure
Statewide Homeless Council created Maine’s Plan to
End & Prevent Homeless as the roadmap for the
Regional Homeless Councils and the Continuums
Regional Homeless Councils & Continuums provide
the grassroots collaboration from service providers,
state agencies, local government and consumers
Combination of “top down” and “grassroots“
approach creates a high level of stakeholder
involvement and leadership for the planning process

12. Key Agencies to Maine’s Success
The following agencies provide key support and services to Maine’s
Continuum of Care structure and Statewide Homeless Councils
Maine State Housing Authority
The Housing Finance Agency for Maine provides staff, technical
resources and financial resources
Maine State Department of Health and Human Services
State Government department provides staff and financial
resources.

13. Why Get Involved?
Limited personnel resources in rural areas are the
biggest challenge to getting provider participation.
o HEARTH Act going into full effect in 2011
o Changes in the homeless definition will open up resources to previously
exclude rural people
o Creation of simplified rules and criteria for rural areas
o More flexibility to utilize funds for prevention
o HUD Continuum structure allows for response to individual
community needs
o Get the voice of your customers heard!
o Get resources allocated to your geographic area!

14. Accountability
Maine Homeless Management Information System
(HMIS) provides the statewide framework for data
collection and reporting
Data quality reports and provider participation are
key factors to the success of strategic planning,
application process and Federal reporting
MaineHousing requires HMIS participation as a
contractual obligation for ESG funding, HPRP
initiatives and capital housing development

15. Maine Outcomes
Foundation created over the past 10 years allows:
o Established provider/community relationships to build
program partnerships upon
o Multiple studies on Rural Homelessness in our State
o Four Homelessness Reports about Maine to educate and
document the reality of our citizens
o Statewide Housing focus
o Development of functional rural housing models
o HPRP rapidly put into place due to prior planning

16. Rural Maine Cost Study – 1st year
Average Cost Per Person Before and After
Permanent Supportive Housing Placement
State of Maine
$20,000
Total $17,281
$15,000 $4,577
$10,000 Average cost savings
$18,629
$1,348 per person
$12,704
$5,000
$0
Before Housing* After Housing*
Service Cost Housing Cost * 6 month timeframe

17. Rural Maine Cost Study
Cost Avoidance After Participants Entered Supportive
Housing
$738,112
Mental Health Care
57% Savings $314,617
After Housing
Before Housing
Emergency Shelter $363,010
99% Savings $2,082
$179,964
Emergency Room
14% Savings $154,415
Jail $40,894
95% Savings $1,934
Before Housing
Ambulance $38,400
After Housing
32% Savings $26,267

18. Conclusion
Partnership and leveraging resources is
key to success. A competitive process
does not exclude creating partnerships.
Don’t be afraid to try! Any structure you
can put into place gets the process
started.

19. Creating a High Performing Rural Continuum of Care
Maine Balance of State
Continuum of Care
Any questions please contact either:
Melany Mondello Cindy Namer
MBOS Co-Chair Manager of Homeless Initiatives
Grant Coordinator Homeless Department
Shalom House, Inc. MaineHousing
1-207-874-1080 1-800-452-4668
mmondello@shalomhouseinc.org cnamer@mainehousing.org