See General Assistance for more information about help paying your rent or mortgage. General Assistance can also help with current utility bills and other basic costs of living.
If you are legally responsible for children and have very low income, you may qualify for TANF. If you are getting TANF, Emergency Assistance may help with housing expenses. If you are eligible for TANF but not receiving it, Alternative Aid may be an option.
You have housing rights! Reach out for help as soon as you get an eviction notice (Notice to Quit) or anytime you feel pressured, unsafe, or worried about losing housing. Your landlord has to take you to court and only a judge can order you to leave your apartment.
Your landlord has to give you a written eviction notice first.
Your landlord can’t just kick you out or change the locks. If the landlord wants you to leave, they have to give you a paper eviction notice (Notice to Quit) and take you to court.
Gather all your paperwork and reach out for help right away!
Contact a legal aid organization to learn about your rights. Contact us, Pine Tree Legal Assistance or local housing groups as soon as you get a notice. Save your lease and every notice and letter you get from your landlord. You will need them if you go to court.
Updated: November 2025
You have the right to a hearing.
Only a judge can decide if you must move out. It’s illegal for your landlord to lock you out or throw away your things without a court order. You must show up to court.
You can ask for an interpreter.
The court must provide an interpreter if you need one. Call the court or go to the clerk’s office to tell them you need an interpreter. You can also ask the judge at court!
Updated: November 2025
Only the police can remove you.
If you lose in court, your landlord should not lock you out or throw away your things. If you lose, around 9 days after court, the police may come and ask you to leave.
Updated: November 2025
We also have printable copies of the housing and eviction rights information above in English, Arabic, French, Lingala, Portuguese, Somali and Spanish.
Remember: housing discrimination is not allowed!
A landlord cannot evict you because of your race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexuality, family, or disability.
HEAP, also called LIHEAP, helps Mainers with low income pay for their home heating costs.
HEAP, also called LIHEAP, helps Mainers with low and moderate incomes pay for their heating costs.
HEAP helps pay for heating fuel, including firewood, oil, electricity and gas. The amount of HEAP that eligible households get depends on household size, income, heating costs, and other factors. HEAP is usually paid directly to your heating and electric company.
You can apply for this benefit at your local Community Action Program (CAP) agency or online here.
You are financially eligible for HEAP if your income is at or below the amount in this chart for your family size.
Some paid, documented medical expenses may be deducted from your income when determining eligibility for HEAP. This means that even if your income is over the limit, but you have medical expenses, you may be eligible and should apply.
If you receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), you are automatically eligible for HEAP. You will also automatically get the highest HEAP benefit for your family size. This means you are eligible for HEAP by just showing proof that you get TANF to your CAP agency. You won’t have to provide any other income verification (like a pay stub, or verification of unearned income such SSI, SSDI, child support, veterans benefits, etc.) to show you are eligible for HEAP and get the highest benefit for your family.
If you receive SNAP, you are also automatically financially eligible for HEAP. All you need to do is show proof that you get SNAP to your CAP agency to get signed up for HEAP. BUT, if your monthly income is at or below the poverty level for your family size (see chart here), you may want to ask your CAP agency to use your actual income to calculate the amount of your benefits. Using your actual income may give you a higher HEAP benefit. If your income is over the poverty level just showing that you get SNAP will get you the highest benefit available to you.
NOTE: If you get both TANF and SNAP, you don’t need to show your actual income to get the highest HEAP benefit. You can just use proof that you receive TANF and you will get the highest benefit available for your family.
Possibly.
You are eligible if one of the following describes your immigration status:
You are not eligible if you:
Mixed status households can get HEAP assistance for eligible household members.
Contact us if you have questions.
Possibly.
If a member of your household is 60 years or older or disabled and you receive HEAP, you automatically get all of the SNAP you’re eligible for.
In the past, more SNAP recipients could take advantage of the bump in their benefits with HEAP, but in July 2025 Congress and the Trump Administration passed a budget bill that ended the heat and eat connection for most households unless they have an elderly or disabled member.
You can still make sure you’re getting the highest SNAP benefit for your household by reporting any utility costs not included in your rent or housing directly to DHHS. It just won’t happen automatically anymore when you apply for HEAP unless a member of your household is 60 years or older or disabled.
To show you’re receiving SNAP/TANF when you go to your HEAP appointment, bring the most recent “notice of decision” letter that DHHS sent you in the mail to show you are receiving TANF or SNAP benefits.
If you don’t have a paper copy of that letter, you can log into My Maine Connection (DHHS’ online benefits system) to get proof that you are receiving TANF or SNAP. After you sign in, from the home page you can click “overview” to see your benefits, including which benefits you are approved for. Take a picture of this screen, and show this information to your HEAP worker who will use it to help process your HEAP application.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are receiving SNAP (but not TANF) and your income is at or below the poverty level, you may want to use your actual income (not just show that you receive SNAP), to get a higher HEAP benefit.
You can do this by showing your HEAP worker your DHHS “Case Summary” which includes all of your gross income. You may have a paper copy of your Case Summary. If you do not, and if you have signed up with DHHS to get electronic benefit notices, you can access your case summary in My Maine Connection. To do this, sign in to My Maine Connection. From your dashboard, go to your messages in the “message center,” and look for your case summary notice. You can take a picture of this screen to verify your income for HEAP.
In addition to oil, HEAP can also cover costs for kerosene, coal, pellets, wood, corn, biobricks, LP gas (liquified petroleum gas), or electricity.
If your heat is included in your rent, you can still apply for HEAP because you’re still paying for heat in your rent. Applying for HEAP helps make sure you get all the benefits you’re entitled to, including getting a SNAP benefit or a higher SNAP benefit, and help with other utility bills.
You can apply at your local CAP agency or online here.
If you think you’re eligible for help, you should apply for HEAP as early as possible.
Applying early will not negatively impact your benefit amount. Your benefit will be calculated based on your current income and your energy use between May 1 - April 20 of the previous year, so there is no downside in applying as early as possible!
Applications for the 2025 - 2026 HEAP Program season started on August 1, 2025 and continue until funds run out, or May 29, 2026. We encourage people to apply as early as possible because funds usually run out before the application period closes.
The Energy Crisis Assistance Program (ECIP) is available if you are facing a heating emergency between November 1 and April 30. If you have a heating emergency, call your local CAP agency and tell them that you need emergency heating assistance. Once you are found eligible, you should get help within 48 hours. You may be eligible to get emergency heating assistance if:
If you are eligible for HEAP, you may be eligible for other benefits to help make ends meet. If you are interested in any of these other benefits, you can contact your CAP agency or tell your HEAP worker that you want to apply at your HEAP appointment.
Public and Subsidized Housing programs provide housing to low-income people at lower rents. Public Housing is administered by the Public Housing Authority in your town, and subsidized housing programs are privately owned and run. Maine State Housing Authority has a comprehensive list of subsidized rental properties based on county. Find your local Housing Authority: Local Housing Authority Contacts (mainehousing.org).
Homeowners who are dealing with mortgage foreclosure can call the Maine Foreclosure Prevention Hotline: 1-888-664-2569 to be connected with a housing counselor. Housing Counselors around the state are also still available to provide guidance and support if you get a foreclosure notice.
Address: 126 Sewall Street, Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: (866) 626-7059 (toll-free)
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