Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services
Meeting Agenda
September 12, 2022 12:00-2:00pm
Meeting participants can connect to the meeting via Zoom in their homes or offices as applicable.
You can obtain the Zoom link by contacting Vickey Rand at least two hours prior to the start of the meeting at vickey@chomhousing.org.
Meeting Agenda
September 12, 2022 12:00-2:00pm
Meeting participants can connect to the meeting via Zoom in their homes or offices as applicable.
You can obtain the Zoom link by contacting Vickey Rand at least two hours prior to the start of the meeting at vickey@chomhousing.org.
1. 12:00pm – Welcome
The Coalition is designed to be an open and inclusive clearinghouse of information. All are welcome.
This meeting will continue a broad discussion, including context, of how we came to this crisis of current and impending waitlists for services and lack of affordable supportive housing in Maine, and what parents, relatives, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advocates, service providers, DHHS, Special Education, and the experts on Transition can and are doing about it. The major focus will be information sharing and discussion about services that work, housing, transition, employment, the state and federal budgets, advocacy, and resources. This meeting will also focus on seeing through the implementation of a Continuum of Care and Blueprint for Effective Transition so that housing and service needs are met for everyone, and true community inclusion occurs.
2. 12:05pm - Review agenda, review/accept minutes, introductions
3. 12:10pm - Featured Speaker: Julianne Zaharis, Community Work Incentives Coordinator, Maine Medical Center Dept. of Vocational Services. Topic: Overview of the Benefits Counseling Services Program.
4. 1:30pm – Brief Updates:
a. Services:
b. Advocacy:
c. Housing and Federal Funding
e. Other business:
Next meeting: **Monday, October 17, 2022, 12-2pm,** via Zoom*. Featured Speakers and Topic TBD.
** Please note this is the 3rd Monday of the month due to the holiday on our usual meeting date**
Unless otherwise decided: All Coalition meetings are the second Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(in 2022 the October meeting will be the 3rd Monday due to the holiday)
*Until further notice meetings will be held solely via Zoom.*
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to vickey@chomhousing.org.
The Coalition is designed to be an open and inclusive clearinghouse of information. All are welcome.
This meeting will continue a broad discussion, including context, of how we came to this crisis of current and impending waitlists for services and lack of affordable supportive housing in Maine, and what parents, relatives, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advocates, service providers, DHHS, Special Education, and the experts on Transition can and are doing about it. The major focus will be information sharing and discussion about services that work, housing, transition, employment, the state and federal budgets, advocacy, and resources. This meeting will also focus on seeing through the implementation of a Continuum of Care and Blueprint for Effective Transition so that housing and service needs are met for everyone, and true community inclusion occurs.
2. 12:05pm - Review agenda, review/accept minutes, introductions
3. 12:10pm - Featured Speaker: Julianne Zaharis, Community Work Incentives Coordinator, Maine Medical Center Dept. of Vocational Services. Topic: Overview of the Benefits Counseling Services Program.
4. 1:30pm – Brief Updates:
a. Services:
- DHHS, Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) – Betsy Hopkins and Craig Peterson
- DHHS, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) – Teresa Barrows and Amanda Hodgkins
- DOL, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation – Libby Stone-Sterling
- Special Education Update – Titus O’Rourke
- Southern Maine Advisory Council on Transition (SMACT) Update – Nancy Peavy
- Developmental Services Stakeholders Continuum of Care
b. Advocacy:
- Disability Rights Maine (DRM) – Staci Converse
- LD 924 Task Force Update
c. Housing and Federal Funding
- Federal funding update
- Section 8 Update
- HUD Section 811 Update
e. Other business:
- Coalition Website Update – www.maineparentcoalition.org
- Other updates, announcements, and Agenda for next Coalition meeting
Next meeting: **Monday, October 17, 2022, 12-2pm,** via Zoom*. Featured Speakers and Topic TBD.
** Please note this is the 3rd Monday of the month due to the holiday on our usual meeting date**
Unless otherwise decided: All Coalition meetings are the second Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(in 2022 the October meeting will be the 3rd Monday due to the holiday)
*Until further notice meetings will be held solely via Zoom.*
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to vickey@chomhousing.org.