Aroostook County’s Youth Program Closes After Funding Denial

A transitional living program for homeless youth in Aroostook County has ceased operations following the denial of a crucial federal grant. The program, managed by The Northern Lighthouse, was informed on November 14 that it would not receive a $350,000 grant from the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding constituted the majority of the program’s financial support, which was primarily aimed at assisting homeless individuals aged 16 to 21.

The program, which began in 2023 and operated alongside the Safe Harbor Shelter in Mars Hill, had served as a critical resource for young people in need. Despite the closure of the transitional living program, the Safe Harbor Shelter for children aged 10 to 17 remains open. According to Blake Hatt, Chief Operations Officer of The Northern Lighthouse, the decision to shut down the program was particularly painful. “It was gut-wrenching, having to meet with the team and tell them the outcome of what had happened,” Hatt stated.

At the time of its closure, the transitional living program was supporting five individuals. Over the next two weeks, The Northern Lighthouse will implement a transition plan to find alternative accommodations for these young people. The program had already been operating without federal funding since September 30, 2023, due to delays in the grant application process, which were exacerbated by a government shutdown.

The notification regarding the grant denial did not provide specific reasons for the decision. Hatt noted that the notification merely stated that the program had not been selected for funding in this round. The Transitional Living Program grant had undergone significant changes this year, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services restructuring under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This restructuring included an increase in the grant ceiling from $250,000 to $350,000 due to the incorporation of the Street Outreach Program into the Transitional Living Program grant.

The application period for the grants was significantly shortened from 60 days to just 14 days. Additionally, a new requirement mandated a signed memorandum of understanding with local law enforcement agencies, aimed at fostering better coordination between outreach efforts and law enforcement. However, the National Network for Youth criticized this requirement as “virtually impossible” to meet within the truncated application timeline, calling the 14-day window “unrealistic.” It remains unclear if The Northern Lighthouse included such a memorandum in its application.

Hatt expressed confidence in the quality of their application, stating it was “graded very well.” He emphasized that the organization is reaching out to other regional programs to determine if they have faced similar challenges. “I know it wasn’t like an error in the application part just because of the grade we received,” he explained, adding, “We’re still kind of sifting through all the details.”

According to Maine’s 2025 Point in Time Count, a federally mandated census of the homeless population, there were 672 homeless youth and young adults in the state up to age 24. While this figure represents a decline of approximately 24% from the previous year, experts attribute this reduction largely to the state’s decision to move away from using motels as emergency shelters, complicating the counting process.

In Presque Isle, where The Northern Lighthouse is based, there has been a 10% increase in the use of the only warming shelter in the county, according to Kari Bradstreet, Executive Director of Homeless Services of Aroostook. The loss of the transitional living program is seen as a significant setback in efforts to combat homelessness in the region.

“Seeing some finish their education, get their diplomas, move on to college, get their own apartment, get driver’s licenses, seek alternative education, volunteering, employment, seeing them reach these milestones, it just reaffirmed that what we were doing was the right thing and it was a needed service for the community,” Hatt remarked. He concluded by stating, “It’s going to leave a hole, for sure, in our community.”