AUGUSTA - The Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing voted to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, that would support emergency shelters for persons experiencing homelessness.
LD 211 would create the Shelter Operating Subsidy Program within the Maine State Housing Authority to support operations and capacity at the 36 emergency homeless shelters across the state. The bill would allocate ongoing funding in the amount of $3 million per year to the program. Currently, MaineHousing allocates approximately $7 million for shelters, equating to less than $200,000 per shelter.
The bill was voted out of committee on a party-line vote, with eight Democrats voting in favor and five Republicans voting against.
"Housing insecurity was an issue pre-pandemic and it will continue to be an issue once the pandemic has subsided," said Cloutier. "Our homeless shelters provide more than just a roof over residents' heads. They provide vital services to clients working to manage substance use disorder and their mental health, in addition to providing a place of safety, warmth and nourishment. In these dire times, we can and must do better to support Mainers experiencing homelessness and provide the necessary resources for those caring for them."
"This is an exciting opportunity to really provide the operating support that our emergency shelters need. They're doing essential work taking care of unsheltered people and are asked to do too much with too little," said Craig Saddlemire, founder of Raise-Op Housing Cooperative and a member of Housing Justice Maine. "We really need to fund the operations of shelters to support and honor the essential services they are providing and that means making sure they have consistent and reliable funding. This bill is an important step in that direction."
The bill will face a vote in the full Legislature in the coming weeks.
Cloutier is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents part of Lewiston. She serves on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Cloutier], c. 812-111