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Experiencing/At Risk of Homelessness
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Map: Maine Housing & Related Services
The Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services posts the locations of housing services for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness on this map. Contact and website information is included.
External Website: Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services Housing & Related Services
VA National Call Center Hotline for Homeless Veterans (1-877-424-3838/1-877-4AID VET)
The Veterans Administration free and confidential national hotline call center is intended to give homeless veterans or veterans at risk of homelessness 24/7 access to trained counselors. It also provides assistance to homeless veterans' families, federal, state and local partners, community agencies, service providers, and others in the community.
Special Alert! Call ahead before traveling. Shelters and transitional housing may be full and/or have waiting lists.
BEFORE traveling to a location for emergency shelter (usually overnight) or transitional housing (up to a 2-year stay), verify with the hotline staff that the organization you are referred to serves women and families if you have a child or children with you. Ask for the contact information for the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Coordinator and their Women Veterans Program Manager so you can contact them during their business hours for more assistance. Be sure to tell the organization providing shelter or housing that you are a military service veteran. Some shelters and housing agencies have reserved beds or other housing accommodations for veterans, but not always for female veterans.
Explore www.va.gov/homeless to learn more about VA programs for veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness
External Website: VA National Hotline Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Maine State Housing Authority: Homeless Assistance
Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) assists individuals who are homeless and need emergency shelter or may need transitional or subsidized housing. They can help you locate this housing.
MaineHousing also provides rental assistance to people who are homeless and working toward self-sufficiency.
External Website: Maine State Housing Authority
Maine VA Homeless Veterans Contacts & Programs (Housing, Employment & Health Care)
The Maine Department of Veterans Affairs (Maine VA) offers housing and other wraparound services (employment, education, and health care) to veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
Contacts
Phone: 207-623-8411, Ext. 5658
Address:
Maine VA Healthcare System
1 VA Center, Augusta ME 04330
Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program (Maine)
Phone: 207-623-8411, Ext. 3502
Address:
Maine VA Healthcare System
1 VA Center, Augusta ME 04330
Women Veterans Program Manager
Phone: 207-623-8411, Ext. 4017
Address:
Maine VA Healthcare System
1 VA Center, Augusta ME 04330
External Website: Maine VA Homeless Program
Emergency Shelters
The Maine State Housing Authority provides a list of emergency shelters. For information on other shelters or resources in your area:
Call: 2-1-1
Website: 2-1-1Maine
Special Alert! Many shelters have waiting lists. Be sure to verify space is availabe before going to a shelter.
BEFORE traveling to a location for emergency shelter (usually overnight) or transitional housing (up to a 2-year stay), verify that the organization you are referred to serves women and families if you have a child or children with you. Ask for the contact information for the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Coordinator so you can connect during business hours for more assistance. Be sure to tell the organization providing shelter or housing that you are a military service veteran. Some shelters and housing agencies have reserved beds or other housing accommodations for veterans, but not always for female veterans.
You should also contact your Maine VA Women Veterans Program Manager.
External Website: Emergency Shelters in Maine
Homeless Veteran Stand Downs/Operation Reveille Events
If you are a veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness (unstably housed to include "couch surfing" with family and/or friends, living in cars, shelters, and/or on the streets, etc.) or know someone who is, contact the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs and ask for their homeless coordinator.
Additionally, visit this site for the dates and locations of homeless veteran stand downs and Operation Reveille events.
What exactly are these activities?
From the Department of Veterans Affairs website:
Stand Downs are typically one- to three-day events providing supplies and services to homeless Veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling. They are collaborative events, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers.
Operation Reveille events aim to provide Veterans with the housing and wraparound services they need to successfully exit homelessness—in just one day. To share more about this groundbreaking collaborative effort, VA recently hosted a webinar with community partners. Operation Reveille events bring together government agencies, faith-based organizations, housing providers, nonprofit agencies, and local businesses to connect homeless Veterans with permanent supportive housing; intensive case management; benefits eligibility screening; and employment, legal assistance, and mental health services. Since 2014, annual Operation Reveille events held in Tampa, Florida, have placed more than 100 Veterans in permanent supportive housing over the initiative's three years.
External Website: Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Services
Transitional Housing & Supportive Services for Women Veterans With & Without Children
Call ahead before traveling. Shelters and transitional housing may be full and/or have waiting lists.
Huot House: Volunteers of America Northern New England
The Volunteers of America (VOA) Huot House is the only co-ed Veterans Transitional Living Program in Maine. The home's 10 efficiency units provide female and male veterans without children with stable housing and additional services to help them transition back into the community and "All the Way Home™." The program, located in Saco, Maine, is operated in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Maine State Housing.
Huot House: Volunteers of America Northern New England
Preble Street Veteran Housing Services (VHS)
Preble Street Veterans Housing Services (VHS) assists low-income veterans and their families to find and maintain stable housing in an effort to end homelessness among veterans throughout Maine. VHS connects low-income veteran families to affordable housing. Services may include direct financial assistance for security deposits, first month's rent, and utility connection fees that are frequent obstacles to obtaining housing. Any family who meets or appears to meet the eligibility guidelines should contact our office. VHS staff will assess each family’s situation.
Florence House provides safe, supported permanent housing to chronically homeless women in Portland, Maine. If a woman veteran experiencing homelessness is not physically located in the Portland, Maine vicinity, contact the Florence House directly to determine if they can assist.
Florence House includes three types of housing
- Efficiency Apartments: For individuals who are ready to manage independently.
- Safe Haven: provides a permanent private living space for chronically homeless women who are not quite ready to maintain their own apartments and who may, with support, begin to develop trust, self-assurance, and skills to become more independent.
- Emergency Beds: A small number of emergency beds for immediate, short-term housing for women who are temporarily homeless because of an economic or situational crisis.
Contact
Phone: 1-800-377-5709 or 1-207-956-6556
Business Hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
E-mail: vhs@preblestreet.org
Address: 18 Portland Street, Portland ME
Website: Veterans Housing Services: Preble Street
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (Veterans Inc. in Maine)
Veterans Inc. offers services if these programs are funded during any given year. They can provide direct services and financial assistance to help search for housing, assist with initial rent costs, and pay for certain bills related to back rent or utilities.
Additionally, their Employment & Training team partners with educational institutions, local career centers, and area businesses to provide job search support, training, and placement.
Maine Contacts
See contact list attached at the end of this section.
Other Contact
Call 24/7: 1-800-482-2565
Website: www.veteransinc.org.
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (Hancock County)
The Hancock County Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program offers housing search and placement with limited temporary financial assistance to ensure stable housing; outreach and case management, budget counseling, assistance obtaining VA and other public benefits. You will need your DD214, proof of housing status such as homeless verification from shelter or eviction notice, and ncome verification. If you do not have these items, contact them and ask for guidance on how to retrieve them.
Contact
Call: 207-610-5912
Hours of Business: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
E-mail: administration@whcacap.org
Address: 248 Bucksport Road, Ellsworth, ME 05605
Website: www.whcacap.org
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (Washington County)
The Washington County Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program offers housing search and placement with limited temporary financial assistance to ensure stable housing; outreach and case management, budget counseling, assistance obtaining VA and other public benefits. You will need your DD214, proof of housing status such as homeless verification from shelter or eviction notice, and ncome verification. If you do not have these items, contact them and ask for guidance on how to retrieve them.
Contact
Call: 207-610-5924
Hours of Business: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
E-mail: administration@whcacap.org
Address: 7 VIP Drive, Machias Maine 04654
Website: www.whcacap.org
Cabin In The Woods (Transitional Housing Project)
Volunteers of America (VOA) Northern New England anticipates construction will begin in summer 2016 on 21 cabins, 16 one bedroom and 5 two bedroom, situated on 11 acres on the Maine VA Togus campus. All cabins will be duplexes in addition to a cabin office. This transitional housing will serve veterans with and without children. VOA was awarded a tax credit allocation that allows them to build this innovative veteran housing. VOA's goal is to complete construction in 2018.
Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope
The "Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope" received its Augusta, Maine official/legal building permit in August 2016, it's initial Certificate of Occupancy in September 2017, and welcomed the first woman veteran resident on November 10, 2017. Women veterans, with and without children, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in Maine may apply for transitional housing. The project intends to provide a support system for female veterans and their children through a compassionate community, access to services, and connections to training, education, and employment to achieve independence and lifelong self-sufficiency.
Contact
Martha Everatt St.Pierre
E-mail: martha@barhh.org
Address: Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope, P.O. Box 5661, Augusta, Maine 04330
Cell: 207-798-9280
Facebook: Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope
Website: Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope
Wish List: Many household items are needed. As of December 2017, the home needs seven metal twin beds and one metal bunk bed, floor lamps, household cleaning/maintenance supplies, pavers for a backyard patio, removal and installation of front door walkway, and repaving of side driveway. Gift cards/certificates for hair styling and other personal items will help with employment preparation. Gas cards will assist with transportation to appointments and acquiring necessities. All monetary donations are much appreciated. No clothes or linens are needed. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other tradespersons are needed for ongoing projects.
Amazon Smile: Please consider ordering through Amazon’s “Amazon Smile" charitable program, designating the “Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope” as the charity of your choice. Amazon gives 5% of "Amazon Smile-eligible" product sales to the designated 501(c)(3) non-profit. Any time you order an "Amazon Smile" product, 5% will automatically go to your chosen charity. The site notes if a product is “Amazon Smile"-eligible in the shipping information details. You can change your designated charity any time and monitor your contributions.
Women Veterans Housing
This site was launched in 2017. It is a work in progress, with housing opportunities posted for women veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The site is updated with other opportunities when identified by the site manager or others who visit the site and forward information for the site manager to review and add once validated.
Website: Women Veterans Housing
WomenVetsUSA National Information
Transitional Housing for Women Veterans With & Without Children Experiencing Homelessness
Transitional Housing, Women's Shelters, Treatment Centers & Other Assistance
Department of Veterans Affairs Information
Explore www.va.gov/homeless to learn more about VA programs for veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Transitional Housing, Women's Shelters, Treatment Centers & Other Assistance
Websites offering information about women's shelters including homeless shelters, family shelters, residential treatment centers, transitional housing, supportive services, and other assistance resources are listed below. For the most part, these are not housing or other services dedicated solely to women veterans. Understanding there are few dedicated women veteran's programs, these alternatives may provide a safer setting for women with and without children until permanent housing is established or they may be able to make referrals on your behalf.
Call ahead before traveling. Shelters and transitional housing may be full and/or have waiting lists.
This site was launched in 2017. It is a work in progress, with housing opportunities posted for women veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The site is updated with other opportunities when identified by the site manager or others who visit the site and forward information for the site manager to review and add once validated.
Domestic Violence Temporary Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing
The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) and local resource centers offer both short- and long-term safe places to go for those who might otherwise remain in or return to abusive situations due to lack of economic and housing alternatives. The centers offer a host of services to include education, court advocacy, and support groups.
Call 24/7: 1-866-83-4HELP
Local Domestic Violence Resource Center Directory/Contact Information
Women's Shelters: A Nationwide Directory of Shelters for Women
"Women's Shelters" is not associated with any government agency or nonprofit organization. This website s a collaboration of individuals who want to help those in need find resources on the web. The site offers a state search option.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
This site offers a directory of housing and other services that can be searched by state.
The "Homeless Shelter Directory" provides information on homeless shelters as well as homeless service organizations, including all resources necessary to help the needy. The directory was also created for people who want to find and donate food and/or supplies to their local shelter.
This site has many transitional housing shelters listed in their database. New housing is added as it is identified.
Veterans Inc. Women and Children's Program & Other Services
Maine Services
In Maine, Veterans Inc. offers women veterans with and without children supportive housing services if these programs are funded during any given year. They can provide direct services and financial assistance to help search for housing, assist with initial rent costs, and pay for certain bills related to back rent or utilities.
Additionally, their Employment & Training team partners with educational institutions, local career centers, and area businesses to provide job search support, training, and placement. For more information call 1.800.482.2565 24/7 or visit www.veteransinc.org.
Maine Staff Contacts
See attached Veterans Inc. Maine staff roster posted at the end of this section.
Other Contact
Phone: 800-482-2565 (24/7)
Web site: Supportive Services for Veterans and Veteran Families
Women and Children's Program (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Veterans Inc. offers transitional housing in Worcester, Massachusetts for women veterans with and without children. Availability and eligibility for this program is determined by Veterans Inc.
Contact
Veterans Inc. Women and Children Housing Program
6 Sheridan Street
Worcester, MA 01610
Phone: 508-791-3286
Web site: Women and Children's Program
Application for Veterans Inc. Services
Veterans Inc. Maine Staff Roster (February 2017)
External Website: Veterans Inc. Women and Children's Program