This legislative session, we saw important housing gains. We also had housing heartbreaks. Here's where things landed in Augusta.
- Find out if you’re eligible for help with your rent! More info on federal rental assistance is here.
- Some people have been denied rental assistance unfairly. Have you tried to access rental assistance and had difficulty? Let us know here.
Mainers need access to safe, affordable housing, but for families from all walks of life there’s simply not enough affordable housing in our state. The legislature considered a slate of important bills that would make a huge difference, and some are now law. Over the last 15 months, we worked with inspiring housing advocates and legislative champions to identify the most urgent housing needs in their communities. The following bills grew out of this work.
Housing victories:
- LD 1508 - An Act to Prevent Homelessness by Establishing an Eviction Mediation Program (Sen. Anne Carney) Will make sure renters understand their rights in order to connect them with rental assistance and prevent eviction.
- LD 473 - An Act To Create the Maine Rental Assistance and Voucher Guarantee Program (Rep. Victoria Morales) Will help 1,000 renters with housing navigation and rental assistance.
- LD 211 "An Act To Support Emergency Shelter Access for Persons Experiencing Homelessness" (Rep Kristen Cloutier) $10 million dedicated for emergency shelter!
- LD 1656 "An Act To Promote Energy-efficient Affordable Housing" (Rep Rebecca Millett) $20 million out of $50 million dedicated to workforce housing that has strong project labor agreements!
- LD 1478 An Act to Decriminalize Homelessness (Rep. Victoria Morales)
- Emergency Rental Assistance Program: Maine has $350 million in rent relief funds from federal laws passed to help in the pandemic recovery. These programs provide rental and utility relief payments to help renters maintain housing stability. The programs cover 100% of rent and utilities for those eligible. Maine’s Community Action Agencies are reviewing applications, checking eligibility, and processing payments for eligible expenses on behalf of households. You can apply here. The application has been translated into 8 of the major languages spoken in Maine. Please reach out to us if you or someone you work with has trouble applying.
Housing bills that failed:
- LD 1695 - An Act to Improve Housing Security by Improving Access to General Assistance (GA) (Rep. Victoria Morales) and LD 1143 An Act to Protect Tenants from Unnecessary Evictions (Rep. Thom Harnett) failed in committee.
- LD 1180 - An Act to Prohibit Discrimination in Housing Based on a Person’s Source of Income (Rep. Ben Collings)failed in the Senate.
- LD 1143 - "An Act To Protect Tenants from Unnecessary Evictions" (Rep. Thom Harnett)
LD 418 "An Act To Create a Graduated Real Estate Transfer Tax" (Rep. Lynne Williams) would have increased the Real Estate Transfer Tax minimally on houses that cost $1 million and more in order to fund affordable housing programs and construction. The bill passed in both the House and Senate, but was then vetoed by the Governor.
We are grateful to the advocates and legislators who worked so hard on all of these bills. The stark reality for low income renters and homeowners still stands: Maine has a shortage of over 20,000 affordable homes for low income families. This is leaving thousands of Mainers without a place to live, and tens of thousands more are making tough choices when it comes to paying their rent. While real estate interests are seeing major financial gains from the real estate boom, low-income tenants are facing housing instability, eviction and homelessness. Racial disparities and discrimination in the housing system persist. We're not giving up the fight for a fair housing system. How about you?
This summer, join us and other housing advocates to build the collective strength needed to win big changes. Please join us! If you're interested in being part of these efforts, Sign up to help out here and check the box for housing or email kbrennan@mejp.org.
Maine Equal Justice focuses its work on many of the issues that affect people’s daily lives – access to adequate health care, housing, transportation and childcare; food and income security; and higher education and training. Maine Equal Justice is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 04-3346273. 