Maine

NLIHC has estimated a need for no less than $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and broke down the need and cost for each state (download Excel spreadsheet). 

In response to COVID-19 and its economic fallout, many cities and states are creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, and NLIHC is tracking in-depth information on these programs.  

You can use the interactive map and searchable database to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. You can also see the latest news on rental assistance programs through the state-by-state news tracker. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all rental assistance programs as we continue to update frequently. If you are aware of a program not included in our database, please contact [email protected]. 

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

Across the country, homeless service providers are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to follow public health guidelines and help ensure people’s safety, some shelters are being forced to reduce services, restrict admittance, or close entirely. The loss of these critical resources puts people experiencing homelessness at even higher risk of illness. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of shelter closings.

Below is a list of shelters that have had to majorly alter services or completely close:

The Portland City Manager temporarily closed the Oxford Street Shelter and family to new individuals after two people tested positive for COVID-19. 

In response to the recent rent increases imposed by the new owners of Redbank Village Apartments, the South Portland City Council unanimously approved a six-month emergency ordinance on June 7 that immediately imposed an eviction moratorium and a 10% cap on residential rent increases through November. In recent weeks, JRK Property Holdings of Los Angeles raised rents as much as $598 per month and moved to evict tenants in the 500-unit Redbank Village complex, some of whom receive rent subsidies through the South Portland Housing Authority and other agencies.

Updated on June 14, 2022

More than $100 million in emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds have been distributed to 17,000 households across Maine. Average monthly eviction filings in Maine are lower than pre-pandemic averages, suggesting that ERA has been successful in keeping families in their homes.

Updated on January 30, 2022

August has seen a substantial increase in homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and residents expect this trend to continue as pandemic-related eviction protections expire. The Kennebec Journal reports city officials are considering long- and short-term solutions to homelessness, including providing emergency shelter and expanding the supply of affordable housing. Two local hotels recently stopped partnering with the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program to house individuals in long-term stays, leaving more than 40 residents scrambling to find housing. 

Updated on November 22, 2021

Evictions in Knox County have spiked since the federal eviction moratorium was lifted in August. The onslaught of evictions has compounded a COVID-fueled real estate boom and a growing affordability crisis. The confluence of factors is increasing homelessness in Knox County, with housing officials seeing unprecedented levels of need.

Updated on October 25, 2021

Bangor Daily News and other small states say the federal government’s emergency rental assistance (ERA) recapture and reallocation plan is unfair. ERA grantees in states with smaller populations say their slow spending pace does not reflect a lack of need; instead, the initial ERA allocations provided too much money for small states to spend quickly.

Updated on October 19, 2021

More than 9,000 Maine households have received or been approved for about $46 million in rent relief since the program relaunched on March 1. The Maine legislature approved a new law that requires landlords to attach a plain-language notice to all future eviction complaints, which will include key information about the eviction process, how tenants can access rent relief, legal assistance, and housing counseling, and how tenants can request mediation of their case.
Updated on August 30, 2021

Eviction relief efforts are ramping up in Maine to prevent a wave of evictions when the federal eviction moratorium ends. MaineHousing and Pine Tree Legal have partnered to ensure tenants can access legal aid. Advocates, including the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, say legal representation is one of the most effective ways for tenants to avoid eviction and the harmful effects of evictions. A bill in the Maine legislature would require landlords to inform tenants facing eviction of their legal options.
Updated on July 15, 2021

The Bangor Daily News reports that Maine has distributed less than two percent of the $350 million in federal rental assistance, even though tens of thousands of Mainers still face housing insecurity. Since the program launched in March, local community action agencies have received 8,700 applications. Of those, only 573 households received assistance so far, with payments totaling more than $2.6 million.

Updated on April 17, 2021

According to Maine Housing, about 2,000 applications for the state’s rent relief program that were filed before the program ended December 31 are still being processed. A report from the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC) found that Mainers are falling behind on their rent payments, burning through their savings, and skipping bills to stay housed. “The big thing that seems to (be) happening is the pressure is really building – more people are falling behind and they’re hanging on by their fingernails,” said MAHC Director Greg Payne.

Updated on February 17, 2021

An op-ed in the Bangor Daily News outlines the urgent need for COVID-19 relief for Mainers experiencing housing and food insecurity. One in three Maine households report being unable to meet basic household expenses, and 20,000 to 40,000 households are behind in their rent and at risk of eviction.

Updated on January 15, 2021

An op-ed in the Press Herald from Daniel Brennan, the director of MaineHousing, urges Congress and the White House to take immediate action to keep Mainers housed by providing additional federal funding for emergency rental assistance and shelter operations. Brennan also discusses the critical need for FEMA to fully fund non-congregate sheltering programs.

Updated on December 19, 2020

The Bangor Daily News reports that calls for legal assistance from Maine renters facing eviction have increased statewide by more than 20% in the past three months since the federal protections under the CARES Act expired. The state on November 2 reopened the COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, which has assisted 14,000 Mainers since April. Housing advocates, including the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, fear that without federal rental assistance, the looming eviction crisis is being delayed, not prevented. 

Updated on November 10, 2020

Nonprofit organizations in Augusta and city staff report receiving surges in calls for assistance from people experiencing homelessness and those on the brink of homelessness. There has been a flood of evictions since Maine’s court system reopened and a state rental assistance program ran out of funds. The need for emergency housing in Augusta is expected to increase amid the ongoing pandemic and the expiration of the state and federal eviction moratoriums at the end of the year. 

Updated on November 4, 2020

The Maine Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC) compiled an evictions database using filings from 13 district courts in six counties and found 906 evictions in those counties in the first half of 2020. In a majority of cases, Mainers were behind on rent for less than two months and owed between $1,000 and $1,500. The Bangor Daily News outlines five lessons we can learn from MAHC’s report on the tens of thousands of renters at risk of eviction in the coming months.

Marketplace reports that as colder months approach, Maine housing advocates are seeking new resources to meet the housing, health, and food needs of people experiencing homelessness and people on the brink of homelessness.

Updated on October 14, 2020

An op-ed in the Press Herald discusses how the pandemic has altered the needs of people experiencing homelessness in Maine as well as the availability of services to meet these changing needs.

Updated on September 29, 2020

The Bangor Daily News editorial board writes that although the federal eviction moratorium is helpful, there remains a significant need for rental assistance. Greg Payne, director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, refers to the moratorium as “half a solution.”

Updated on September 22, 2020

The Beacon reports that housing advocates, including Greg Payne of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, consider the CDC's eviction moratorium to be only one part of the solution to the impending eviction crisis. Rent relief is needed to support landlords and tenants. NLIHC estimates 57,000 to 129,000 Mainers will be at risk of eviction by the end of the year. 

A Bangor hotel will serve as shelter space for people experiencing homelessness for the rest of the year under an arrangement that will reserve half of the hotel for those with COVID-19 and the other half for clients without the disease. Maine is contracting with Penobscot Community Health Care to provide services, including housing navigators who will work with clients to find permanent housing and offer continued support for an additional year. 

Updated on September 15, 2020

Housing advocacy organizations, including the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, warn of a devastating tidal wave of evictions in the near future if Congress does not provide critical housing protections and resources for Mainers.

Updated on August 19, 2020.

Fair Tide Housing in Maine has disbursed $15,000 in COVID-19 emergency response funds to households impacted by the pandemic. Like many nonprofit organizations across the country, Fair Tide Housing has seen a loss of income and the growing impact of the crisis. been impacted by the pandemic.

Updated on August 11, 2020.

Maine landlords can resume filing evictions on August 3, and housing advocates are concerned that the state will see a rise in evictions as the supplemental unemployment insurance benefits expire. “Tenants are in a very tenuous position,” said Greg Payne, director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner.

A new study from the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, found that Maine families in subsidized housing have barely been able to keep up with their rent payments. Some are falling behind on other bills, using food pantries, or relying on federal and state assistance.

Updated on July 28, 2020.

The Central Maine editorial board argues that robust federal action is needed to prevent widespread evictions and urges Congress to pass NLIHC’s policy priorities. Maine courts are set to reopen as soon as August 3, and officials are expecting a flood of evictions.

Updated on July 20, 2020.

Maine is collaborating with housing and homeless advocates to restructure the state’s network of emergency housing programs and shelters. According to the director of MaineHousing, COVID-19 has demonstrated that the state’s shelter system is inadequate.

Updated on June 12, 2020.

The Maine State Housing Authority is providing funding to house people experiencing homelessness in hotel rooms for 30 days. The funding is for people who were unsheltered, not for those who were staying in shelters.  

A commentary piece in the Portland Press Herald discusses Maine’s shortage of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing. The Maine Statewide Homeless Council and the Maine Continuum of Care sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills suggesting that a portion of the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund be spent on creating permanent supportive housing.

A resident of the Hope House shelter in Bangor has tested positive for COVID-19. This marks the first reported case of COVID-19 among an individual using the city’s homelessness services. City officials and community health partners are seeking a quarantine space for people experiencing homelessness who test positive.

Governor Janet Mills signed an executive order on April 16 that protects tenants against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and establishes a rental assistance relief program. Governor Mills, in partnership with MaineHousing, established a $5 million COVID-19 Rent Relief Program that will provide eligible households with a one-time, up to $500 payment in rental assistance.

Some landlords in Maine have argued that they should be allowed to restrict guests to rental units, advocates have argued that both renters and landlords should work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Mainers without permanent housing are increasingly anxious about staying healthy during the peak period of transmission.

Portland

The Portland City Council has approved a plan to use $500,000 of its 1.7 million for an emergency rental assistance program. The city dedicated more than $570,000 for shelter operations, including more than $130,000 for hotel vouchers.

No information at this time.

Federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums are rapidly expiring and the CARES Act supplemental unemployment benefits will end soon; at that time, millions of low-income renters will be at risk of losing their homes. The NLIHC estimates at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed to keep low-income renters stably housed during and after the pandemic. This tracker links to news reports of the growing evictions crisis in various cities and states. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of eviction updates.

Housing advocacy organizations, including the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, an NLIHC state partner, warn of a devastating tidal wave of evictions in the near future if Congress does not provide critical housing protections and resources for Mainers.

Updated on August 28, 2020.

The Governor's current executive order expands the time frame for eviction notices from 30 days to 45, and the time frame for repayment of arrearages from 7 to 30 days. The closure of the Court has most consistently prevented evictions thus far, but hearings will resume Aug. 3. Courts will begin with cases from March. 

Updated: August 1

In the third week of July, 16.9% of adults in Maine reported they had missed their previous housing payment or had little confidence they would make their next one on time, according to a weekly survey conducted by the Census. In the same survey, 24,699 renters reported they had not paid their previous rental payment. 

Updated: July 29

In interviews with low-income renters in Maine, nearly half sought aid from food pantries to save money on groceries, and about 42 percent have fallen behind on utilities and other bills in order to keep up with rent. Local officials expect a flood of evictions when the courts reopen in early August. According to a weekly survey by the Census, 1 in 5 adults in the state either missed their last housing payment or have little/no confidence of being able to make next month’s housing payment.

Updated: July 16