An Act To Provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance to Veterans and Rental Assistance to Long-term Homeless Persons

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3104, sub-§15  is enacted to read:

Sec. 2. 34-B MRSA §3011,  as enacted by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. WW, §1, is amended to read:

§ 3011. Bridging Rental Assistance Program

The Bridging Rental Assistance Program is established within the department as a transitional housing voucher program. The purpose of the program is to assist persons with mental illness with housing assistance for up to 24 months or until they receive assistance from a housing voucher program administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under the United States Housing Act of 1937, Public Law 412, Section 8 or receive an alternative housing placement. No less than 5% of funding in the program must be used each year to assist persons who have been homeless as defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 42 United States Code, Section 11302 for long periods of time. The department shall adopt rules to carry out the purpose of the program. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Sec. 3. Department of Health and Human Services to streamline access to the Bridging Rental Assistance Program. The Department of Health and Human Services shall develop a program to use 5% of the Bridging Rental Assistance Program funds under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 34-B, section 3011 for providing housing assistance to persons who are homeless and have been continuously homeless for a long period of time. The department shall develop a method of identifying those who have been homeless for the longest period of time and targeting those persons to receive housing assistance with minimal barriers to access.

Sec. 4. Bridging Rental Assistance Program case management. The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish 5 new case management positions to provide services to individuals receiving housing assistance pursuant to section 3 of this Act who are also receiving community mental health services under the department's rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter II, Section 17 to ensure that those individuals remain housed.

Sec. 5. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF

Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 0679

Initiative: Provides funding for 5 new case management positions to provide services to individuals receiving housing assistance pursuant to this Act who are also receiving community mental health services under the department's rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter II, Section 17 to ensure that those individuals remain housed.

GENERAL FUND	2017-18	2018-19
All Other	$300,000	$300,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$300,000	$300,000

SUMMARY

This bill exempts veterans who are otherwise eligible for assistance under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from time limits that would otherwise apply to the veterans. It also requires 5% of the Bridging Rental Assistance Program funding to be used to assist individuals who have been homeless for long periods of time. The Department of Health and Human Services is directed to establish 5 case management positions to provide services to individuals receiving housing assistance and community mental health services under MaineCare.