Homelessness Response 

The Bangor Community Assistance Team (BCAT) launched in January 2023 and has since evolved into a valuable resource for the community.

BCAT Specialists respond to non-emergency calls that do not require a police officer but still merit a timely response, such as welfare checks, citizen assists, loitering, and quality of life concerns. Working in teams and dispatched through the Bangor Police Department,  these specialists provide a civil response and help connect individuals to appropriate services, from housing support to mental health care. The BCAT teams also proactively engage with the community to address issues before they grow into larger problems.

BCAT aims to de-escalate, support, and refer - serving as a bridge between residents and services while reducing the burden on law enforcement.

The City's Rental Assistance Program conducts phone interviews with scheduled clients rather than seeing them in the office.  If you currently have a scheduled appointment, please call 207-992-4533 or use the Zoom link that was provided to you. If you have an emergency and do not have a scheduled appointment, please call 207-992-4533 and arrangements will be made to address your emergency.

The Rental Assistance Program, formerly known as the Shelter + Care program, is designed to respond to the needs of hard-to-reach individuals and families experiencing homelessness who are living with long-term disabilities.

This federally funded program implements the “Housing First” model, an approach that quickly connects individuals experiencing homelessness to permanent housing.

Once housing is secured, supportive services provided by outside community organizations help clients build self-reliance and achieve better health and long-term stability.

Program participants who need it are referred to one or more of the following services:

•    Case Management
•    Educational Support
•    Employment Services
•    General Assistance
•    Healthcare
•    Job Training
•    Life Skills Support
•    MaineCare
•    Mental Health Treatment
•    SNAP
•    Social Security
•    Substance Use Disorder Treatment
•    TANF
•    Transportation Assistance
•    WIC
•    Other mainstream resources

The success of the program is largely due to the collaboration of many community organizations and partners including landlords who make their units available to program participants.

The Rental Assistance Program coordinates tenant-based rental assistance, providing vouchers to help clients find and maintain housing with landlords. A network of community partners provides a range of support services including substance abuse, mental health, and AIDS/HIV treatment; education and employment support; transportation; and other mainstream resources.

To be eligible for rental assistance, applicants must have a qualifying disability and meet Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homelessness. The City's Rental Assistance Program participates in the HUD-required Coordinated Entry system. Housing vouchers through this program will be issued through referrals from that system. Once a referral is received, the program will contact the individual or their case manager for a housing application review.

For more information, please contact:
Awa Conteh
Bangor Public Health & Community Services
Phone: 207-992-4533
Email: awa.conteh@bangormaine.gov
Fax: 207-945-3348

Following the assistance from Housing and Urban Development Technical Assistance (HUD TA) in 2023, collaborative work continues with Local Providers to continue to address encampments and assist those living within them. The HUD TA process is an emergency management type approach that is wholly focused on identifying the barriers and solutions to rapidly house individuals. This work is intensive and is ongoing. 

General Assistance (GA) is a program by the State of Maine requiring that every municipality provides emergency relief to people in need of housing, heating, personal items and more, depending on a person's income/resources. This program is meant to divert people away from the homeless response system. It's intended to address urgent needs a person may have, but not be a long-term solution. The State reimburses municipalities for 70% of these direct costs. To contact the State about General Assistance call 800-442-6003, or visit the Maine Department of Health and Human Services' GA page. 

Statistics

FY 2024

·         Total number of individuals assisted: 1,203

·         City share of total GA cost: $769,309.29

·         Shelter-specific expenditure: Total - $222,539.08, City Share - $66,761.72

·         Sober House Expenditures: $200,057.42, City Share - $60,017.23

FY 2023

·         Total number of individuals assisted: 711

·         City share of total GA cost: $323,254

·         Shelter-specific expenditure: Total - $205,769, City Share - $61,730

·         Sober House Expenditures: $148,480

FY 2022

·         Total number of individuals assisted: 673

·         City share of total GA cost: $321,227 *

·         Shelter-specific expenditure: Total - $54,030, City Share - $16,479

·         Sober House Expenditures: $31,294

FY 2021

·         Total number of individuals assisted: 964

·         City share of total GA cost: $281,343 *

·         Shelter-specific expenditure: Total - $82,332, City Share - $24,700

·         Sober House Expenditures: $40,545

FY 2020

·         Total number of individuals assisted: 1,674

·         City share of total GA cost: $447,040 *

·         Shelter-specific expenditure: Total - $136,939 City Share - $41,082

·         Sober House Expenditures: $41,651

FY 2019

·         Total number of individuals assisted: 1,569

·         City share of total GA cost: $507,354

·         Shelter-specific expenditure: Total - $150,314, City Share - $45,094

·         Sober House Expenditures: $10,341 (many sober house tenants come directly from homelessness or incarceration)

* GA expenditures were down due to clients being referred to Penquis for the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program. Expenditures increased when the ERA program was phased out.

The City of Bangor created a Homeless Outreach Caseworker position in August 2019. The Outreach Caseworker is integrated in the community, serving unhoused individuals where they are at outside. The goal is to connect them with the resources needed to support them into becoming housed successfully. This includes connections to long-term case management services, primary care or mental health providers, assistance in gathering documents, and connecting with food and shelter resources when appropriate. 

Community Health and Counseling Services (CHCS) in collaboration with the City of Bangor and supported by grant funding from MaineHousing implemented a program in 2023 to meet the housing needs of people experiencing homelessness in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, with a focus on those experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

The overall goal of the program is to reduce barriers that make it difficult for landlords to rent to those who are experiencing homelessness. This pilot program provides financial assistance to landlords who provide housing opportunities to this population. The financial assistance can be used by landlords to eliminate certain financial risks that landlords have identified as barriers to renting to this population.

Landlords in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties who are interested in meeting the housing needs of people experiencing homelessness can apply for funding to address the following types of issues; security deposits, application fees, installation of security systems, building improvement funding to meet voucher requirements, and building risk mitigation to address damages. In addition to the direct financial support, CHCS will serve as a single point of contact for these landlords and intervene as necessary to address concerns and provide support to the tenant.

Landlords who are interested in participating in this program can email Jenn Weatherbee or Michelle Humphrey.

The City of Bangor, Public Health and Community Services was awarded the Long Term Solutions Grant through Maine Housing in December 2024. This allowed them to hire a Housing/ Resource Support Navigator. The goal of this position is to support the community’s vulnerable population who are in danger of eviction or are struggling to stay housed. They are able to make referrals to long-term case management, healthcare and mental health providers, as well as connecting to other necessary resources that are available to support clients to be independent and gain independence while staying successfully housed. This is a 2-year grand that will end in January 2027. 

This is a four-year grant program from Maine DHHS for $150,000 per year or $600,000 total and started in January 2021. The grant covers Penobscot County - with a focus on Bangor (as this is the highest number of overdoses in the county). Penobscot County also has its own grant they work through CHCS with for this purpose called OPTIONS (state program through CARES funding) and we work closely together.

Together they follow up with individuals who overdose (and their families) within 72 hours throughout the county and provide weekly outreach to unhoused individuals around Bangor. They build relationships, provide Narcan, make referrals to harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other services as well as do follow-up/check-in. This team also provides training and support to first responders and public safety departments.