“Progress is not an illusion; it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.”

This quotation, attributed to George Orwell, was my lesson for the week.

I have been watching recent state legislative Housing Committee meetings and I am finding the process fascinating and frustrating. A bill was put forth outlining real measures that would impact serious social issues and support our most vulnerable populations, only to be shaved down in committee, to another year-long study and report for the next Legislature to take up — next year.

We have a housing crisis in our state, now. The number of unhoused individuals is hard to count given the transiency of their existence. There are signs, however, that this population is growing. We see encampments expanding in volume and frequency, and we see more and more panhandlers on traffic islands. Shelters are full; warming centers and soup kitchens are in higher demand and are seeing more clients.

We have working families and families on fixed incomes who are unable to meet the ever-rising cost of market-rate rent and the wait lists for Section 8 vouchers are years-long. Maine Equal Justice reported that 72% of very-low-income households in Maine are paying more than 30% of their income on rent, and 52% of them pay more than half of their income on rent. When rents rise, low-income families, who cannot pay more, lose their housing and join the ranks of the unhoused.

When Section 8 vouchers finally come up for a family, they are faced with a housing market that does not always welcome subsidy payments, and so yet another barrier to stable housing must be navigated. Some families depend on General Assistance, money distributed by municipalities of which 70% is reimbursed by the state, to make ends meet. These funds demand that families apply each month, and the distribution is delayed by the cumbersome application process, causing rents to be paid late; this is a burden for the landlords, who then become jaded about accepting subsidized rents. These issues narrow the availability of housing for low-income families in Maine.

L.D. 1710, “An Act to Establish the Maine Rental Assistance and Guarantee Program and Amend the Laws Regarding Tenants and the Municipal General Assistance Program,” made a strong attempt to support low-income renters facing rising market rates over and above their ability to pay.

Presented by Rep. Cheryl Golek of Harpswell and cosponsored by Sens. Anne Carney, Teresa Pierce, and Mattie Daughtry from Cumberland, Reps. Kristen Cloutier and Margaret Craven of Lewiston, Rep. Drew Gattine of Westbrook, Rep. Ambureen Rana of Bangor, Rep. Traci Gere of Kennebunkport, and Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland, it seemed to have support from around the state.

In its original state, this bill would have established a fund to offer rent relief to low-income (incomes of 30% or less of area median income) renters, throughout Maine, to stabilize housing until Section 8 vouchers could be awarded or until higher earning capacity could be developed. Besides supporting renters, the consistency of the fund and distribution would support landlords to keep units rented and to collect rents on time.

The other issue this legislation sought to address was that of a growing number of landlords who are refusing to accept section 8 vouchers. There is concern that this practice is discriminatory against the vulnerable population of very low-income households and this bill would have made it illegal to refuse to rent to a household just because they are receiving a voucher or other public subsidy to help with rent.

On Feb. 13 the Housing Committee voted on the bill, so amended, that all the action steps to support families now, were out of the bill. The amendment that passed was to establish a 15-member committee of legislators and other stakeholder representatives to study the issue and submit a report in one year to the committee.

This was disappointing. While committees study and write reports, our most vulnerable citizens, young working families, the elderly and the disabled, continue to be priced out of their homes and our unhoused population continues to grow.

I wish I had easy solutions; I do not. But to continue to do nothing is not the answer.

Ruth Burke is a licensed social worker in the Lewiston-Auburn area pursuing a masters degree in social work at the University of Maine. 

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