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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 126S.P. 54 In Senate, January 8, 2025
An Act to Expand the Use of the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention
Partnership Fund
Submitted by the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management pursuant
to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec. Page 1 - 132LR0137(01)
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2 as enacted by PL 2019, c. 504, §2, is amended to read:
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4 may, through
5 one or more collaborative agreements, establish a program of partnerships with human
6 volunteer organizations to provide transitional housing to homeless veterans
7 and coordinate efforts to remedy and prevent homelessness among veterans in this State.
8 The volunteer organizations must have as their core programs addressing homelessness and
9 veterans' services and have been active in the State for at least 2 years. Priority must be
10 given to an organization founded, chartered or organized in the State. The director may
11 accept donations from outside sources and state and federal funding to accomplish the
12 priorities of the partnerships. To the extent state, federal or outside funding is available,
13 the priorities of these partnerships, listed in order of priority, include, but are not limited
14 to:
15 A. Identifying homeless veterans in the State;
16 B. Identifying and securing temporary or permanent living space for veterans within
17 the veterans' communities;
18 C. Providing reimbursement to human volunteer organizations that
19 provide transitional housing to homeless veterans pursuant to collaborative agreements
20 entered into pursuant to this subsection; and
21 D. Conducting annual outreach events, targeted to reach the maximum number of
22 veterans in need, to disseminate information on resources and services available to
23 assist homeless veterans.
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25 to define "veterans" for purposes of this section, to govern collaborative agreements with
26 human volunteer organizations and to govern the reimbursement of
27 organizations that provide transitional housing to homeless veterans through disbursements
28 from the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention Partnership Fund.
29 Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter
30 375, subchapter 2‑A.
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32 nonlapsing fund, is established under the bureau for the purpose of receiving funds from
33 state, federal and other sources, including donations from private citizens, corporations and
34 entities for the purpose of this section. The bureau shall use the fund to provide
35 reimbursement to human volunteer organizations that provide transitional
36 housing to homeless veterans disbursements to organizations, businesses, landlords or
37 other entities to prevent homelessness among veterans in this State and to otherwise carry
38 out the purposes of this section.
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40 This bill removes the requirement for the Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans'
41 Services within the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management to
42 establish a program of partnerships with human services-based volunteer organizations in
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43 order to make disbursements from the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention Partnership
44 Fund. The bill allows the director to make disbursements directly to organizations,
45 businesses, landlords or other entities to prevent homelessness among veterans.
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