Everyone who calls Maine home should have a safe and affordable place to live. Our schools, businesses, cities and towns are all better off when homes are affordable for all. Maine has plenty of space and resources for everyone to thrive, whether they recently immigrated or have lived here for generations.
We won’t stop until everyone is inside, safe and warm, and has the chance to stay in the community they call home. In the Maine Legislature or in Washington, D.C., we stand for tenant rights and housing affordability.
Last year, the Maine legislature did the right thing and passed LD 1522, a bill to reinvest in the successful Eviction Prevention Program (EPP). EPP, launched in 2024, is a new program that provided financial help to 1,300 Maine households so they could catch up on rent and stay on their feet. It has helped people in every county in our state.
People who applied were mainly working, and reported going without medical care and food to make ends meet.
It’s no secret that Mainers are struggling with the high cost of housing, but renters with low incomes have seen some of the worst difficulties. Maine rents have gone up faster than the rest of the country (rising 32.1% between 2019 and 2025). By 2023, a whopping 65% of Maine households making $32k or less per year (about half of Maine’s avg. income) were paying more than half of their income on rent.
When a family is evicted because rent is unaffordable, it’s not only a personal hardship—it’s a disruption that ripples through our schools, our local businesses, and our neighborhoods.
The legislature passed LD 1522 in 2025, but they didn’t fund it. The legislature must move this year to fund eviction prevention to continue helping Mainers afford to stay in their homes and their communities!
Through research, coalition-building, and direct engagement with lawmakers, we work to ensure Maine’s housing policies reflect the needs and voices of renters in every community.
Both LD 1673, sponsored by Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, and LD 2003, sponsored by Speaker Ryan Fecteau, took steps to improve Maine’s zoning laws to encourage housing affordability and help reverse segregation and exclusion in our cities and towns. LD 2003 was signed by the Governor and LD 1673 is expected to become law without the Governor’s signature.
LD 473, sponsored by Rep. Victoria Morales, which would provide state housing vouchers to 1,000 households and institute a housing navigation program, passed the House and Senate! The bill’s three components – rental assistance, landlord incentives and housing navigation – work in tandem to ensure tenant success in housing. We are hopeful that MaineHousing will fund the programs outlined in LD 473.
LD 913, sponsored by Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, reduces barriers for low-income renters to find housing stability and opportunity; prevents disparate harm to Mainers of color; and ensures that the benefits of putting Maine’s court records online doesn’t come at the expense of the safety and well-being of low-income Mainers. It was signed into law in April of 2022.
LD 910, sponsored by Rep. Michael Brennan, was partially funded with a $10 million appropriation for municipalities to fund their General Assistance programs and help low income families facing economic emergencies to stay housed, fed and able to afford the medicine they need.
We’re standing with renters who need a chance at affordability, and we need you in this corner too.
Sign up to get involved now and select 'Housing' as an interest.
Address: 126 Sewall Street, Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: (866) 626-7059 (toll-free)
EIN: 04-3346273
Proud member of MaineShare | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Donate Online
