Maine renters and advocates urge legislature: put rent relief in this budget!

The following was issued as a press release on June 6.

Maine renters and advocates urge legislature: put rent relief in this budget so more people are not put out on the streets

AUGUSTA – Leaders of the fight for affordable homes for all shared their deep frustration with Augusta’s proposed solutions to the housing crisis so far this year, and called for rent relief to be included in the supplemental budget. LD 1710, a bill which would establish state rental assistance to close the affordability gap for Maine’s lowest income renters, was tabled in the Housing Committee on May 30th, and will be carried over to the second session of the 131st legislature. Maine renters facing an unstable housing market and possible eviction cannot afford to wait that long.

Belinda Vemba, a member of the Housing Leadership Team at Maine Equal Justice which has informed the drafting of LD 1710, rallied for Mainers facing eviction, and testified for the bill said, “We did our best to fight for everyone but there is more work to be done. We're not giving up."

Advocates urged the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee to fund rent vouchers in the budget to allow potentially thousands of Mainers to stay in their homes or bridge the affordability gap in an unaffordable housing market. Rent relief is a natural complement to housing solutions like new construction of affordable units that serve Mainers with higher incomes, and the Housing First model for those who experience chronic homelessness. Without rent relief, stable housing will remain out of reach for thousands of Mainers who are at risk of homelessness.

Representative Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell), a member of the Housing Committee and LD 1710’s lead sponsor pointed out, “While the legislature is working hard on building more affordable housing, we also need rental assistance to bridge the gap for people who make around 30% of the annual median income (for a family of three, that's around $21,000 a year) because even housing that is built to be affordable is out of reach. LD 1710 is the only bill that has been presented that would provide help for these very low income renters. We have let this population of Mainers fall through the cracks for far too long, and it is past time they receive needed assistance and a solid ladder to climb up.”

Federal support for people caught in the housing affordability gap has not kept up with the need. In Maine, the federal Section 8 program has a 15,000 person waitlist and some people wait at least four years to get a voucher. A state rental voucher will help more Maine households cover the cost of rent while seeking jobs that pay a living wage, waiting for longer-term federal rental assistance, and while more affordable housing is built. The majority of individuals who accessed rental assistance need the help for an average of three years or less. Rent relief can provide a critical bridge to housing stability.

In the five years prior to the pandemic, Maine courts handled between 5,300 and 6,200 eviction cases each year, most for nonpayment of rent.

Andrea Steward, housing policy advocate for Maine Equal Justice concluded, “We need state rent relief to help Maine families who are struggling right now to stay housed. Many priorities are competing to be in the budget, but we want lawmakers to understand how critically important it is for the overall wellbeing of Maine families to stay housed. This is truly urgent. Eviction dockets at Maine courthouses are setting records. Rent prices keep going up while more and more renters become extremely cost burdened.”

Organizations that testified in support of rent relief as part of LD 1710 included the Maine Municipal Association, Maine Association of Public Housing Authorities, Maine Community Action Partners, Maine Primary Care Association, Maine Center for Economic Policy, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, MUUSAN, Maine Council on Aging, the Maine Children's Alliance, Maine ACLU, the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Populations, Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, and Good Shepard Food Bank.