AUGUSTA — Dozens of people gathered outside the State House on Wednesday to call for rent relief and emergency shelter funding in the state budget. They sang songs, chanted and carried signs urging lawmakers to “Fund rent relief now.”

“Everyone deserves to have a safe, affordable home, but increasingly, that’s not available,” said Rep. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor, who led the rally along with Jamie Beck, executive director of the nonprofit Dignity First. “I’m sure many of us here know families who have faced eviction and struggled to find anywhere else they can afford, folks who have had to leave their communities and whose kids have had to change schools.”

“Our real ask is to make sure rent relief is included in the budget,” said Kathy Kilrain del Rio, advocacy and programs director for Maine Equal Justice. Kilrain del Rio said one vehicle for that would be L.D. 1540, which directs MaineHousing to develop a pilot program to provide support for eviction prevention. The bill was approved but not funded last session.

The Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Housing has recommended the proposal as a funding priority for this year. It would provide direct rental assistance of up to $300 per month for people earning less than 60% of the median area income and who are not using federal housing vouchers.

In a memo to the appropriations committee last week, the housing committee also recommended increasing the monthly payments to up to $800 and said that funding the pilot program with $15 million could help between 1,700 and 4,200 low-income Maine households maintain their housing.

The housing committee expressed support for $16 million in Gov. Janet Mills’ supplemental budget proposal for emergency housing relief and $10 million for the state’s Affordable Homeownership Program. It also has approved a separate bill, L.D. 2136, to provide $10 million in ongoing funds for emergency shelters, plus an additional $2.5 million targeted for low-barrier shelters.

And they suggested $1.5 million for a bill to assist homeless students via a rental subsidy program and $2 million to support regional councils to assist communities in securing state and federal funding for housing.

At the rally Wednesday, Jess Falero, of Portland, told the crowd about what it was like to experience years of homelessness and the emotional toll of trying simply to survive and not knowing where you will be sleeping or how you will eat.

“This is not a new issue,” Falero said. “It has been happening for years and all of us here know just how urgent the need is. Almost every one of us has experienced housing insecurity or we know what it’s like to almost get evicted. We know the fear that grabs our soul when we’re experiencing that.”

Katie Spencer White, chief executive officer of the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter in Waterville, said the shelter is currently serving 70 to 90 people per night, though it is designed for 50. Rent relief would help keep thousands of Mainers from having to rely on the shelter system, which is already underfunded and inadequate, she said, and would cost less than housing people in hotels.

“We can provide rent relief and wrap-around supports for one-third the cost and make sure children never experience the trauma of homelessness, that they stay in their communities, with their teachers and their friends and their sports teams,” she said.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

South Portland High School principal announces resignation

Next »

Paris-based school district suspends school resource officer agreement with Norway