The Maine Continuum of Care Board of Directors, (the “Board”) is the primary governing body of the Maine Continuum of Care (MCoC). Though the knowledge and expertise of its members, the Board provides leadership skills and operational guidance as a strategic partner for the MCoC, advocating on behalf of the MCoC, persons experiencing homelessness, and the organizations that provide shelter, housing, and services to support them. The Board promotes housing retention, stability, success, and optimize self-sufficiency in the community for people who have experienced homelessness. The Board works toward continually improving the homeless response system, coordinating a statewide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; promoting access to, and effective use of local, state, and federal resources for all persons experiencing homelessness; and driving effective outcomes for the MCoC, its funded projects, and its partners throughout the State of Maine.
The Board includes an Executive Committee, of the Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. Board membership consists of the Executive Committee, 7 non-conflicted community partner seats, 5 homeless service provider seat, 2 persons with lived experience seats (one youth and one adult), and one non-voting seat each for the DHHS Commissioner or their designee, the MCOC Collaborative Applicant, and the MCoC Executive Director.
There will be good faith efforts to recruit Board membership from all parts of the MCoC’s geography. The MCoC maintains that all individuals will be represented on the Board in a way that is reflective of the population composition of the MCoC. To the best of its ability, the board will have regard for gender identity, race and ethnicity, LGBTQ+ persons, persons with disabilities, persons with lived experience, immigrant populations, tribal communities, and other historically marginalized populations.
Key Principles for Persons with Lived Experience of Homelessness in the MCoC include:
Board Membership
Board Chair – Greg Payne
Greg previously served as the Director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC) and a developer of affordable housing at Avesta Housing. He currently serves as the Senior Advisor on Housing Policy in the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) and is well known in Maine among affordable housing advocates. Greg has also served as Board Chair for the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
MCoC Executive Director – Dean Klein
Dean has a wealth of relevant experience including, overseeing the creation of the Fairfax County, Virginia Office to Prevent and End Homelessness and serving as its Director for over ten years. During that time Dean led the Continuum of Care and implemented their 10-year Plan to End and Prevent Homelessness, which engaged all County Human Service agencies and nonprofits, as well as the Faith and Business communities. During his tenure homelessness was reduced by 50% within the county, where the population is roughly the size of Maine’s. Dean was also responsible for bringing in a significant amount of new funding to the CoC. He has solid experience in the implementation of Coordinated Entry and the Point In Time (PIT) Count, as well as optimization of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).