As Maine’s housing crisis worsens, a longstanding organization aiming to end homelessness statewide has hired its first executive director.

Dean Klein, a homeless prevention advocate most recently from Virginia, has been tapped to lead the Maine Continuum of Care, a program created by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to promote community collaboration toward ending homelessness.

The Maine Continuum supports projects from various service providers throughout the state. The program receives $24 million a year from HUD.

While the Maine Continuum of Care has been established for decades, Dan Brennan, director of MaineHousing, said it’s the right time to hire a director. The leadership change was suggested by HUD, he said.

“There’s going to be more focus,” Brennan said. “Before that, everybody had a day job … The collaborative group that was more volunteer effort was just struggling because everybody’s so busy.”

Klein is tasked with working with MaineHousing to reimagine the continuum of care with a new structure, new board of directors and governance charter.

With the rising number of people experiencing homelessness in the community, there’s an opportunity for more organizations to come together, providing “more hope and impact,” Klein said.

According to the Point in Time Count, which measures the number of people experiencing homelessness on one night in January, there were 4,258 people without stable housing last year. That’s about 31 people per every 10,000 in the state, according to HUD.

That’s significantly higher than the national average, which was about 20 for every 10,000 people. It’s also more than double the 15 per every 10,000 recorded in Maine in 2020.

Biddeford closed homeless encampments on July 8. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

The Point in Time Count is thought to be a conservative estimate because it’s conducted in January when the temperatures can be dangerously low. Some people who may sleep outside or in their car in warmer weather may couch surf or find alternatives during the winter.

Klein said gathering better and more comprehensive data that can be shared across member organizations will be a focus when he starts his new role at the end of the month. 

“I’ve heard that some people do not have confidence in the data that is either being entered or has been entered and that’s the reason we can’t use data more fully, so I do think that we’re going to have to invest time into that process,” he said.

Having that information is crucial, Klein added.

“How do we know how we are doing … if we don’t have the correct data? What are the indicators that would tell us if we’re being effective in any of those programs?” he said.

Other priorities will be engaging with community and local nonprofit leaders, reengaging with service providers and getting people more involved, he said.

Klein also said he wants to make sure people who have experienced homelessness can participate in a way that’s meaningful and impactful.

All decisions, whether related to the governing structure or engaging with nonprofits, need to come back to the question of “how is that going to impact those individuals who are experiencing homelessness?” he said.

Klein, currently the strategic sustainability project manager for Preble Street, has also served as a consultant for the Department of Health and Human Services on issues like general assistance reform and the Housing First initiative. 

Klein previously led the Continuum of Care in Fairfax County, Virginia and oversaw the creation of the county’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. He was the director for a decade.

During his tenure, homelessness in Fairfax County (which has a population roughly the size of Maine) declined by 50%, according to an announcement from the Maine Continuum of Care.