I hope that the voters of Maine will join me in favor of passage of Question 1. I am disabled and so it my partner. We live in a motel because we can’t find affordable housing in Lewiston. We have been there for two years.

When I was 16, I suffered a traumatic brain injury — I crashed a moped into a hayraker and one of the stakes drove two inches into my brain. Since my early 20s, I have had Cushing disease, a rare endocrine disorder, and had my adrenal glands removed in 2000, so now I have Addison’s disease as a result.

It has been really hard for my partner and I to live. We could use help at home. Daily life is a struggle — groceries, cooking, cleaning — those mundane household chores can take a huge toll on us. I fear for the day that we can’t care for ourselves and each other. A doctor told my partner that it’s only a matter of time until she’s in a wheelchair.

At this time, she’s really struggling. Thank goodness for our family and friends because, with my own disability, there’s only so much I can do. There are thousands of unpaid family caregivers across the state that the initiative could help too. Caring for our loved ones can be an enormous burden on an individual or a family.

The universal home care initiative would relieve some of that responsibility, stress and financial strain. Plus, people could stay in their homes, with their dignity.

Gina Morin, Lewiston

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