A year in, Portland's pilot housing first program helped house dozens of people

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Jun. 20—John Young Jr. has been living in his new home for about two weeks. In the center of his living room in his Portland apartment sits a leather recliner.

“I fall asleep there almost every night,” he said.

Young became homeless for the first time this year, at age 60. He said he worked as a house painter for decades, but when he got injured on the job a couple years ago it became difficult to work. Young said he lost his job, lost his apartment and soon ran out of friends to stay with.

“I was sneaking around to a garage here and there, or into a cellar,” he said. “I had to take the chance of getting caught because I needed to stay out of the weather.”

When he eventually made his way to Portland’s Homeless Services Center, he connected quickly with program coordinators from the city’s Housing Opportunities for People in Encampments, or HOPE, program, a pilot housing first program that aims to move people into housing without barriers. About three months later, Young moved into his new apartment.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s like a big weight off my chest,” he said. “I feel better about myself. I feel like I’m going to be able to move on.”

The HOPE program, which has just wrapped up its first year, has helped house dozens of people.

The first year of the program was funded in part by the city and in part by MaineHousing — a partnership the city said will need to continue in order to keep the program afloat.

The city and MaineHousing, the state housing authority, hope to continue the program for at least another year. The city has proposed funding for the program for the next fiscal year. MaineHousing said they hope to continue funding it, as well.

“The details are not fully ironed out yet, but we are hopeful this program will continue into the future,” Scott Thistle, a spokesperson for MaineHousing, wrote in an emailed statement on Monday.

A NEW PROGRAM

When the HOPE program was approved for funding by the City Council last year, Aaron Geyer, the city’s social services director, said HOPE aimed to enroll 90 people and permanently house 45 people by the end of the program’s pilot year. Last week, he reported 85 people are enrolled and 45 have been permanently housed.

On average, program participants have found permanent housing 142 days after enrolling in the program, he said. Everyone who has found housing through the program has stayed housed so far, according to Geyer.

“The program is more impactful than just the numbers because it’s real life,” Geyer said. “It’s individuals who are struggling and unsheltered just trying to live day to day. So, to see folks put in the work with the team to secure housing, it really is remarkable. It’s one of those things that really makes you realize why you do this work.”

The program, which was approved unanimously by the city council, was up and running by late May 2024.

Last year, the city spent $226,000 on the program, pulled from a city housing fund, and MaineHousing spent $452,000 on it, funded by grants.

The money went to hiring a program coordinator and three housing navigators from three nonprofit partners — Preble Street, Milestone Recovery and Commonspace. The funding also provided people enrolled in the program with financial assistance for security deposits, transportation and necessary home items, such as bedding or cleaning and moving supplies.

LOOKING AHEAD

This year, the city has allocated just about $60,000 for the program in its proposed $285 million general fund budget for FY 2026. But Geyer says that will be sufficient to keep the program running if MaineHousing continues to help.

Thistle, the spokesperson for MaineHousing, wrote in an emailed statement: “MaineHousing is currently working closely with the City of Portland to figure out how we can continue what has been a very effective and collaborative effort between the City of Portland, Milestone Recovery, Commonspace, and Preble Street.”

Some anticipated costs, Geyer said, ended up not being necessary this past year, so the city is not planning for them next year. Other costs were one-time startup costs that won’t be necessary as the program continues, he said.

The program was conceived of by the Encampment Crisis Response Team, which included city leaders, community partners and advocates. The group looked for solutions to the homelessness crisis that was impacting the city and landed on creating a program that would bring people directly from the streets into permanent housing, rather than moving them first into shelters and then into permanent housing.

As for Young, he said the program not only helped him find appropriate housing, but also helped him buy furniture and clothes and make medical appointments.

A housing navigator he found through the program has continued to work with him on a financial plan so he can pay his rent on time and be financially stable on his own, he said.

“I had never experienced that feeling of not having somewhere to go. It was hard for me to even ask for help. It was degrading to me. I didn’t feel like I was a person anymore,” Young said. “Now, I feel like I’m going to get everything straightened out. I don’t know that I’m completely back to myself, but I feel like I’m going to be able to get there.”

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