A group of renters, advocates and some lawmakers formed a human chain of paper keys outside the State House on March 13 urging legislators to fund homeless shelters and rent relief in the $71 million supplemental budget. (Photo Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star)
Applicants who are eligible for Maine’s first rent relief program will soon be able to apply to receive subsidies from the independent state agency, Maine State Housing Authority. If eligible, applicants could receive up to $800 per month paid directly to their landlords to help with rising housing costs.
The Eviction Prevention Program, authorized in the supplemental budget last year, will be open for applications mid to late October, according to MaineHousing. The agency has contracted with a third-party administrator to run the program, although the organization’s name was not disclosed.
Applicants can apply for rent subsidies online, by phone, or in person with an appointment. The program will prioritize eligible households who have received a forcible entry and detainer notice or summons from court ordered eviction notice for non-payment of rent, and households who have received a notice to quit.
Once applications are complete, they will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Applicants who live in subsidized housing or use federal housing vouchers will not be eligible for the program.
Last legislative session, after a State House rally and a push from business owners calling for more affordable housing, lawmakers added $18 million to the supplemental budget to operate the state’s first rental assistance program. It is not yet clear how many people will be able to receive subsidies, but MaineHousing released income and rent thresholds for Maine’s 16 counties and separate thresholds for the Bangor, Lewiston, Kittery and Portland areas to qualify for the program.
MaineHousing did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Eligibility criteria for rental assistance
Eligibility for the rental assistance program is limited to households earning less than 60% of local area median income and paying no more than 125% of fair market rents for the area in which they live, according to the law governing the pilot program. Fair market rents are determined by the federal government, and are supposed to represent an average price of a moderately-priced dwelling.
In the Portland area, depending on the household size, the income threshold to qualify for the program ranges from $53,000 for a one-person household to $100,980 for an eight-person household. In the Bangor and Lewiston areas, that range is about $34,000 for a one-person household to $65,000 for an eight-person household.
MaineHousing also listed the maximum rent an applicant can pay to be eligible for the program, which varies widely from region to region. In Portland, 125% of the fair market rent for a one-bedroom home is almost $2,000 a month whereas in Bangor and Lewiston, it’s just more than $1,300. In rural Washington and Aroostook Counties, that amount is around $900.
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