AUGUSTA, Maine — MaineHousing announced Friday its donation of $1,075,000 in state funds to 13 overnight warming shelters across the state.
"From Aroostook County to York County these resources will keep Mainers warm, north to south through the coming cold days of winter," MaineHousing said in a news release.
The agency said the funds are a portion of $21 million in emergency funds that were approved by Gov. Janet Mills and the Legislature in January. The funds were approved to aim at helping those in a heating and housing crisis.
"With the support of the Winter Emergency Energy Relief Plan, these shelters will protect our most vulnerable citizens and help them stay warm throughout winter,” Gov. Mills said in the release. “I am grateful to the communities that have responded to this important need, and I thank MaineHousing for its swift action to distribute this important financial support."
“Getting this help to where it is needed most compelled MaineHousing’s leadership team to move swiftly in reviewing and approving these warming shelter proposals,” MaineHousing Director Daniel Brennan said Friday. “We are grateful for the support Gov. Mills and the Legislature have shown in helping Maine people deal with not only the weather but with historic inflationary costs as well ... Mainers take care of each other whenever they can and that’s what these facilities are all about.”
Leadership and staff at MaineHousing are collaborating with state and local government partners, as well as the nonprofit sector, to endure these funds are put into action in record time, the release states.
"Within nine days of the bill that provided these funds becoming law, two Notices of Funding Availability were released, one of which was for warming shelters," the release stated. "Proposals were due at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, and in less than seven days from that deadline grant awards are being announced and the funding to open and keep open these facilities is being released."
MaineHousing listed the following warming shelters that will receive the funding through April 2023:
- Gathering Place in Brunswick.
- Amistad in Wiscasset.
- Aroostook Mental Health Services in Houlton.
- Aroostook Mental Health Services in Calais.
- Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter in Waterville.
- Union St. Brick Church in Bangor.
- Bangor Area Homeless Shelter in Bangor.
- Augusta Warming Shelter in Augusta.
- York County Shelter in Alfred.
- Town of Monson in Monson.
- State Street Church in Portland.
- Maine Immigrants Rights Center in Portland.
- Great Portland Family Promise in Portland.
MaineHousing also said one more shelter in Ellsworth opened by Healthy Acadia at its INSPIRE Recovery Center in December 2022 will also remain open through April 2023.
For more information about MaineHousing, click here.
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