Nov. 30—More than a hundred Maine families avoided losing their homes this month thanks to a new statewide program aimed at preventing evictions.
But MaineHousing’s eviction prevention program has proven more popular than expected, with more than 1,200 families in line for assistance and another 200 on a waiting list. They’re all hoping for their share of the rapidly dwindling pile of money.
Victoria Morales, executive director of the Quality Housing Coalition, said the agency knew the need was great, but the magnitude was even greater than expected. The Quality Housing Coalition is the program administrator, meaning the nonprofit is responsible for receiving the applications, processing them based on eligibility and passing them on to MaineHousing, which makes the payments.
“We get 200 calls a day,” Morales said. “We knew we were in a housing crisis, we know we need supply, we know we have high rates of homelessness, we know we are at high risk of evictions, but I don’t think we realized how many of us are in need to this kind of support and cancellation of housing debt.”
A ‘LIFE CHANGING’ DIFFERENCE
The one-year pilot program offers up to $800 per month in rent relief and a one-time payment to catch up on back rent, paid directly to the person’s landlord.
The $18 million program aims to target Mainers most vulnerable to eviction – those who earn less than 60% of the area median income and pay less than 125% of fair market rent for the area in which they live . They are not allowed to live in subsidized housing or use a federal housing voucher.
In Portland, that includes an individual making less than $49,749, or $70,980 for a family of four, according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
MaineHousing lists “fair market rent” in the Portland metro area at $1,563 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,011 for a two-bedroom apartment, including utilities. A fair market means that 40% of rental properties of standard quality are rented for less money.
Real estate company Zillow, meanwhile, lists the average rent at $1,963 for a one-bedroom and $2,500 for a two-bedroom, excluding utilities.
Rep. Drew Gattine, D-Westbrook, pushed for the program’s inclusion in the budget, saying this spring that the $800 is enough money to make a “life-changing” difference for many Mainers.
“A subsidy of $300 to $400 would be very helpful for someone, but for people on very low incomes, that wouldn’t be enough to give them shelter,” he said at the time.
PAY DOWN ‘HOUSING DEBT’
The state has received more than 1,200 applications, and about 200 more are on the waiting list. More than $525,000 has been paid out to landowners, and of the $18 million, $15.8 million has been reserved. Only 49 applications have been disqualified or withdrawn.
The applications come from all 16 counties, with the highest numbers coming from Cumberland, Penobscot, Androscoggin and York counties.
Statewide, families have received an average of $756 per month, on top of an additional payment of $4,834 in back rent.
In Portland, where only 76 applications have been filed, the average monthly payment is $800, with just under $6,000 in back rent due.
The money is limited and won’t be enough to meet everyone’s needs, but Morales expects to help more than 1,000 families.
The first payments took place in the last week of October and within three weeks people were added to the waiting list.
For the roughly 40% of renters who cannot afford their home, paying their “housing debt” makes room for meeting other needs, such as car repairs or family expenses.
“Having that extra money can really help people move on to the next phase of their lives,” Morales said.
MORE FUNDING NEEDED
MaineHousing was not surprised by the demand, spokesman Scott Thistle said. The popularity only underlines a need that goes beyond a one-time infusion of $18 million.
“The acceptance of this shows how incredibly difficult it would be to maintain a program like this with only government funding,” he said, adding that the question of whether other rounds can take place is a decision for the Legislature .
In addition to its immediate goal of keeping approximately 3,000 adults and children housed through the winter, the program also aims to help housing advocates learn more about the people it helps.
“What’s really important is to learn how people get into this situation,” Thistle said, “to try to help inform future policies that can help prevent this.”
Housing agencies will contact recipients in six months to see how they are doing and whether they still qualify. They will complete a housing survey to gauge what the program has done so far and if and how they plan to prevent housing insecurity in the future, although Morales noted that they are not blaming recipients for their circumstances.
“We have a statewide housing crisis,” she said.
DISABLE DOWN DOWN
The number of eviction filings has decreased so far this year compared to previous years.
In the first nine months of the year, there were 3,517 eviction filings (which are not the same as evictions) compared to the same period last year when there were 4,579.
Experts are divided as to why the numbers are falling, while the housing crisis only seems to be getting worse. Some say it’s a sign that things are improving, while others argue that last year was the anomaly: Evictions increased as pandemic eviction moratoriums expired, so the drop in 2024 showed things were returning to normal. There were 3,989 filings in 2019, before the pandemic-era freeze on evictions.
It’s too early to say what impact the program could have on 2024 and 2025 eviction filings, but Morales said keeping people sheltered can only mean good things.
“Our economy just can’t survive and our businesses just can’t survive if the people who work there (and) their children are going to lose their housing,” she said.
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