Publications

Many people don’t apply for unemployment insurance benefits because they think they are not eligible when in reality they could get benefits. Find out if you are eligible by applying!

The Build HOPE Project will help lift families out of poverty and will address Maine’s workforce shortage by strengthening the HOPE program. 

In the summer of 2014, Maine Equal Justice Partners and the Every Child Matters Education Fund went directly to Maine people to ask their thoughts about poverty. We utilized two different approaches to assess their opinions. The first was a telephone survey of 478 likely Maine voters. The second was a written survey, completed by 941 Maine residents with low income over the age of 18. We asked both groups similar questions about the causes of poverty and how to reduce it. What we learned is that the two groups shared common ground - with striking agreement among conservatives and liberals, men and women, and people of all ages and income levels.

Below are Maine Equal Justice’s comments opposing the above-referenced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”), which would destroy the opportunity for millions of families, children, mothers fathers and individuals from escaping persecution and seeking refuge in the United States, a country that thrives in large part due to the hard work and contributions of immigrants, and a country proudly known as the melting pot of the world.

When COVID hit a year ago, lots of people lost jobs or income and had to apply for unemployment. If you are still getting these benefits, you will need a new unemployment benefit year. Learn how this can affect your benefits.

A new law passed by Congress gives some workers new paid sick leave and paid family & medical leave options due to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. This law went into effect on April 1, 2020 and ends on December 31, 2020.