Bangor Non-Profit Partners With City For Pilot Program To Help With Issue Of Homelessness

Bangor Non-Profit, Community Health and Counseling Services, announced this week that it has a plan to help with the growing issue of homelessness in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

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The "Landlord Liason Project" as it's called, will be a joint effort between CHCS and the City of Bangor with the sole purpose of making it easier for landlords to rent to folks who are experiencing homelessness.

The funds for this pilot program are being put forward through a grant from MaineHousing.

According to a statement released Friday, by removing some of the risk and financial barriers that sometimes arise when renting to people experiencing homelessness the hope is that more people in the community will offer opportunities for folks who need shelter to gain access to a place to live.

"The 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."

So how will this program work and when does it start?

"Effective immediately, 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."

Those who are interested in learning more can reach out to Homeless Response Coordinator, Jenn Weatherbee at jlweatherbee@chcs-me.org.