Plus about $800 in pilot program qualifications
Not every eligible person will receive $800 in aid for 24 months under the eviction prevention measure.
However, according to MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan, who spoke with Central Maine, the initiative is underway and funding for rental assistance will be available at the end of July.
O Housing Opportunities for Maineor HOME, Act, a $76 million housing aid package, included a previous rent relief program administered by MaineHousing.
However, Central Maine said it was changed to investigate issues regarding the shortage of affordable housing.
As more affordable housing is built, Gattine expressed to the channel his expectation that the pilot program will be successful in mitigating the housing issue.
Check if you qualify for the $800 pilot program
To be eligible, anyone curious about cannabis must earn less than 60% of the region’s typical income.
According to Central Maine, anyone who earns less than $49,749 per year and lives alone in Portland, Maine is eligible, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
You qualify for assistance if you and your family earn $70,980 or less annually.
However, at the time of registration, you cannot be paying rent with a federal housing voucher.
Additionally, residing in a subsidized housing unit will disqualify you.
More about the $800 pilot program, continued
Maine Equal Justicea non-profit legal aid service, reported that more than 6,000 families threatened eviction in 2023 – a 16% increase from the previous year.
According to Central MaineAs the economy falters, Maine’s population and the state’s homeless population are expected to increase.
“Our homeless system is overwhelmed, and as a result we are seeing exponential growth in unsheltered homeless people and encampments in places we never expected,” said Katie Spencer White of Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter and Services. Maine Lighthouse.
Authorities hope that people who spend more than half their income on housing costs will feel less stressed as a result of the planned initiative.
More about the $800 pilot program
The city has long struggled with a housing crisis caused by rising rents and property prices, which are worsened by an aging and inadequate supply of homes.
Rent relief advocates have been organizing protests and rallies to campaign for funding for this long-standing initiative.
According to Central Maine, Democratic state Rep. Drew Gattine supported the pilot program, which is being administered by MaineHousing. Gattine projected that about 2,400 individuals will be eligible.
He saw it as a chance to change Mainers’ lives for the better. According to Gattine, he wanted the issue of families having difficulty maintaining their homes to be recognized on an equal footing with the demand for new housing units.
“A $300 or $400 grant would be really helpful to someone, but for people on very low incomes, that wouldn’t be enough to keep them housed,” he told outlet.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story