DHHS's Permanent Supportive Housing Program (PSHP)

(Formerly Shelter Plus Care)

IMPORTANT UPDATE: FEBRUARY 2026

After many years of serving as the statewide central administrator, as well as local agency for the Permanent Supportive Housing Program on behalf of the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH), Shalom House has reached the tough decision to discontinue its administration of the program.

Moving forward, OBH will be contracting with Preble Street to take over the administration of the program as both the Central Administrative Agency for the entire state, as well as the Local Administrative Agency for Southern Maine and Mid-Coast regions.

For questions or information about the program, please contact Preble Street at:

Phone: 207-956-6579

Email: PSHP@preblestreet.org

https://www.preblestreet.org/permanent-supportive-housing-program/

 

More information about the program, and other housing-related programs offered by OBH can also be found on the DHHS Housing Services webpage here:

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/support-services/housing-services

General Program Eligibility

PSHP is for Adults and households who:

  • have a Disability, as defined by the U.S. Department of  Housing and Urban Development under [24 CFR 582.5]; and
  • are Literally Homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento  Homeless Assistance Act As Amended by S. 896  HEARTH ACT of 2009 as funded by the U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban Development [42 USC 11302], or are fleeing, or attempting to flee domestic violence.
  • need supportive services and are eligible for MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid program).

What are Qualifying Disabilities?

As defined by HUD, a person shall be considered disabled if he or she has a condition that is a physical and/or mental impairment, including those that are caused by alcohol or drug abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, or brain injury, that:

  • Is expected to be long-continuing or of indefinite duration;
  • Substantially impedes the individual’s ability to live independently; and
  • Could be improved by the provision of more suitable housing conditions.

Diagnoses must be verified by a qualified professional with one of the following credentials: MD, DO, LCPC, APRN-BC, NP, PA, psychologist, or any another person licensed by the State of Maine to diagnose and treat such diagnoses.

 

MaineCare Eligibility

To be eligible for PSHP, you must meet MaineCare eligibility requirements. MaineCare provides free and low-cost health insurance to Mainers who meet certain requirements, based on household composition, income, and/or disability status. MaineCare eligibility will be determined by criteria set forth in the MaineCare Eligibility Manual.

Program participants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to participant in MaineCare services.

What is homelessness, as defined by HUD?

Literal Homelessness

An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:

1. Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

            1. Living in a tent, in a public park or in the woods.
            2. Living in a camper or RV that is substandard and does not have access to clean water and utilities.*
            3. Living in an uninsulated shed in a friend’s backyard with no access to the residence.

2. Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs);

Examples include, but are not limited to:

              1. Emergency Shelters
              2. Transitional housing and voucher programs, as long as individual was verified to be homeless before entry.
              3. Living in a motel paid by a charity, local General Assistance office, non-profit, religious organization, etc.

Fleeing/Attempting to Flee Domestic Violence

Any individual or family who:

1. Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence;

2. Has no other residence; and

3. Lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing

Please Note: Per HUD, "Domestic Violence" includes dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or family member that either takes place in, or makes him or her afraid to return to, their primary nighttime residence (including human trafficking).

What about a camper or RV?

*Because RVs and Campers are “ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations,” not all persons sleeping in RVs are considered homeless. There are several factors to consider when determining occupants of RVs and Campers are classified as homeless, including:

    • disrepair (e.g., holes, broken windows, flat tires, removed or broken siding);
    • no access to proper sewer, water, and electricity connections; and
    • it is parked in an unusual place, including non-RV designated lots, non-residential areas, or areas where RVs are not allowed to park; and
    • and is clearly occupied.

Questions to ask/answer when referring someone to our program(s):

Is the RV insulated? Does it have adequate sewer and water (not including properly working equipment as installed)? Does it have electricity and are there any medical needs? Is it in disrepair that is preventing proper use?

Documenting Homelessness

Order of Priority for Collecting Eligibility Documentation

HUD has established an “Order of Priority” for documenting literal homelessness. This order of priority establishes guidelines for how program staff should prioritize different forms of documentation, with attempts to collect higher-priority documentation before moving on to lower- priority documentation. Reasonable efforts should be made to follow the order of priority established by HUD. The order of priority is as follows:

  1. Third Party Verification – Intake staff should make a reasonable effort to obtain third party documentation for current literal homelessness and for all 12 months showing chronic homelessness. For months that cannot be covered by third party documentation, the effort to do so should be recorded as due diligence.
  2. Intake Worker Observation – Where applicable, intake worker observation should take priority over self-certification of literal homelessness.
  3. Self-Certification – For any month that the applicant must document literal homelessness because third-party verification or intake-worker observation is not available, the applicant must provide self-certification of their living situation during that month.

Please Note: All 12 months used to establish chronic homelessness must be covered by one of the following: third party verification, intake worker observation, or self-certification by applicant/provider for any month where 3rd party verification cannot be obtained. (Important: Self-certification can only be used to report up to 3 months of the 12 being reported for Chronic Homelessness.)

HUD does not require documentation showing that an applicant is literally homeless for every day of the 12 months used to determine eligibility for chronic homelessness. One documented day within a calendar month is enough to establish homelessness for that entire calendar month, unless there is documentation showing that the applicant had a break in literal homelessness during that month.

For literal homelessness status at time of intake, documentation must show that the applicant was literally homeless within 14 days of eligibility determination.

Order of Preference for Third Party Verification

In order to build the strongest case possible for documenting literal and chronic homelessness, the following order of preference should be used when collecting third party verification.

  1. HMIS
    • An HMIS record should be a report designed by the CoC HMIS lead agency OR a “screen shot” that includes Client name, Shelter name, and entry/exit dates, or dates of case manager observation and location. Must include name and signature of individual submitting for inclusion with application.
  2. Third Party Verification provided by a housing or service provider or institutional documentation.
  3. Third Party Verification provided by a community member that does not have a personal relationship with the applicant.
  4. Third Party Verification provided by a community member that has a personal relationship with the applicant.
  5. Self-Certification. Must be acknowledged by a provider that can notate all attempts made to gather Primary and/or 3rd Party verification.)

Documenting Breaks in Homelessness

When documenting episodic chronic homelessness, any breaks in literal homelessness need to be documented and all breaks can be documented using self-certification by the applicant. A minimum of three separate breaks must be documented in the file, in order to establish episodic chronic homelessness.

Documenting Disability

Qualifying Disability

As defined by HUD, a person shall be considered disabled if he or she has a condition that:

  • Is expected to be long-continuing or of indefinite duration;
  • Substantially impedes the individual’s ability to live independently;
  • Could be improved by the provision of more suitable housing conditions; and
  • Is a physical, mental, or emotional impairment, including an impairment caused by alcohol or drug abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, or brain injury.

The following forms of disability status documentation are acceptable to determine CoC PSH eligibility:

 

  1. Written verification by a qualified professional with one of the following credentials: MD, DO, LCPC, APRN-BC, NP, PA, psychologist, or another person licensed by the State of Maine to diagnose and treat such diagnoses; OR
  2. Written verification from the Social Security Administration (SSA) of a qualifying disability; OR
  3. Copy of a statement or disability benefit letter showing that the applicant is the recipient of a disability check such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Veteran’s Disability Compensation; OR
  4. Written observation(s)s from intake staff of a qualifying disability.
    • Please Note: For Intake staff verification, disability MUST be confirmed within forty-five (45) days of submission of application by providing one of the 3 above methods (#’s 1-3). If disability verification is not provided within forty-five (45) days of submission, the voucher may be withdrawn and any rental assistance may be ceased.

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Program Referral and Application

Important: Shalom House will no longer be accepting applications for PSHP starting Friday February 20th. After that date, you will want to contact Preble Street in order to submit your application.

Phone: 207-956-6579

Email: PSHP@preblestreet.org

https://www.preblestreet.org/permanent-supportive-housing-program/

 

More information about the program can also be found on the DHHS Housing Services webpage here:

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/support-services/housing-services