Maine’s newly launched Eviction Pilot Program—designed to “help tenants who may be facing eviction and the loss of their housing”—has proven so popular that the organization running it is sending new applicants to a waiting list.
The program first began accepting applications on October 18, and as of November 18, more than 1,400 applications had been received by the Quality Housing Coalition, the organization responsible for administering the program under a contract with the Maine State Housing Authority.
The program works by paying tenants’ rent with taxpayer dollars that flow from Maine State Housing Authority to landlords.
Over 500 landlords and property managers have agreed to accept funds distributed by the program and are now taking steps to end eviction proceedings against tenants who have fallen behind on their rent.
As of Tuesday, November 19, new applicants will be placed on a waiting list and, if eligible, will only be served as funding allows.
It is expected that the program will serve about 1,000 households in total by providing “support” for past-due rent payments, as well as “forward rent supplements.”
The Eviction Prevention Pilot Program is being funded by an $18 million allocation approved by the State earlier this year.
Eligibility for the program is limited to households earning less than 60 percent of the local median income, paying no more than 125 percent of fair market rent in their area, and not currently receiving other forms of rental assistance.
Prioritized for assistance under this program will be households that are facing eviction in court or have received an eviction notice.
[RELATED: Maine State Housing Authority Launches Eviction Prevention Pilot Program]
“We know this program is going to help keep thousands of Mainers stably housed this winter and are grateful to the Legislature and Governor Mills for making these resources available,” said Maine State Housing Authority Director Dan Brennan in a statement Tuesday.
“As a pilot program, we knew at the start of this program that funding would go quickly given the very difficult housing market Maine is grappling with,” Brennan continued.
“As a pilot we opened this program with our eyes wide open, knowing two things: the money would go quickly because the existing demand for housing help is so high; and there would be lessons to be learned and changes that would be necessary to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of these very limited and valuable resources,” Brennan said.
“The move to a waitlist process is going to ensure continued fairness and that we are not providing false hope to those that the reach out to this very popular program,” he added.
Brennan also explained in Tuesday’s statement that while the program does aim to “alleviate housing instability in the short term,” the “lasting result” of the program will be to make use of the data gathered about the “circumstances that lead to eviction filings” in order to “identify strategies and policy changes to reduce evictions.”
HOTB — a California-based online software developer known for working with state and federal governments — was awarded the contract to “create and manage the online portal and application processing” for the program.
According to the Maine State Housing Authority’s press release, the “responsive and robust network” they have developed is reaching Mainers in all sixteen counties and from “a broad range of demographically unique household types.”
“The fact that so many households are at imminent risk of eviction reaffirms my conviction that preventing evictions is a necessary crisis prevention strategy, particularly when we have limited housing available for them to move to if they were to be evicted,” said Quality Housing Coalition Executive Director Victoria Morales.
“What I know for sure is that because of this pilot program, 2,000 to 3,000 adults and children will not have the stress of losing their homes this year,” Morales said. “That is a very good thing.”
Click Here to Read the Full Press Release
Data from the Maine Judicial System reveals that the number of eviction filings this year between January and September have decreased in comparison to this same period in 2019, prior to the implementation of a federal eviction moratorium and the United States Treasury’s multi-billion dollar Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
With 2,341 total eviction filings during this nine-month period in 2019 and 2,022 filings in 2024, there has been an approximate 13.63 percent decrease over the past few years.
Click Here to See the Maine Judicial System’s Full Eviction Report
Earlier this year, Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed a bill into law implementing new regulations on the fees that landlords can impose upon their current and potential tenants.
LD 1490 also adds into statute a mandatory 45-day notification requirement for any increase in recurring fees, mirroring that which is currently in place for rent increases.
In addition to this, the law now requires landlords to provide potential tenants with a total price disclosure before signing a lease that includes the cost of rent and any additional fees for which they would be responsible on a recurring basis.
These changes will go into effect on January 1, 2025.
[RELATED: New Regulations on Fees Charged by Landlords Signed into Law by Gov. Janet Mills]
There are also elements of this law that apply to mobile home park owners, such as an extension of existing restrictions and notification requirements to these facilities.
It also prohibits mobile home park owners from charging potential tenants an application fee beyond the cost of a background check, credit check, or other screening process.
This, however, is not the only recent legislation to change the statutory landscape with respect to mobile home parks.
LD 1931 went into law without Gov. Mills’ signature in July 2023 and required mobile home park owners to notify residents when the properties upon which their homes are located are put up for sale, as well as to “negotiate in good faith” with them.
In addition to this, the legislation gives residents ninety days after the execution date of their purchase and sale agreement to secure appropriate financing.
This new law was put to use for the first time earlier this month when the Blueberry Fields Cooperative — formed by a group of residents at Brunswick’s Linnhaven Mobile Home Complex — purchased the property for $26.3 million, making this the largest resident-owned community in Maine, according to the New York Times.
Also facing significant difficulties affording the cost of staying in their homes are the owners of single-family residences.
Recent revaluations combined with rising local budgets have caused many homeowners to face significantly higher property tax bills for the upcoming fiscal year.
The Maine Wire has received numerous messages from Maine taxpayers in towns throughout the state reporting dramatic property tax hikes reflected in their FY25 bills.
[RELATED: Sticker Shock — Maine Homeowners Burdened by Property Tax Hikes Following Recent Revaluations]
Residents of South Portland have expressed grave concern over sudden property tax increases, with some worried that these hikes will make it more difficult to stay in their homes.
“My taxes went up almost 60 percent,” resident Millie Pelletier said during last week’s meeting. “I went in and asked for a reassessment. I’m a hundred percent disabled. I do not have a kitchen. My house has connecting bedrooms so it’s not technically a three-bedroom house, and the third bedroom has no closet.”
“The house has been in my family for a hundred years next month,” said Pelletier. “I took the house over. It needed a lot of work, hoping to save it. But now I’m afraid I’m the one who’s going to lose it.”
[RELATED: South Portland Residents Passionately Address Property Tax Concerns at City Council Meeting]
In April of this year, Mills signed a bill into law repealing limitations on municipal property tax collection that have been in place for nearly twenty years.
Brought forward by Sen. Teresa Pierce (D-Cumberland), LD 2102 sought to roll back statutes that have been in place since 2005 and were designed to curb government spending and reduce Mainers’ tax burden.
[RELATED: Janet Mills Signs Bill Repealing 2005 Limit on Municipal Property Tax Hikes]
The now-repealed law — referred to as LD 1 — was originally implemented in January 2005 after “countless hours” of consideration by the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Property Tax Reform” and was ultimately passed “by wide margins in both houses,” according to a 2006 report on the law.
Sen. Pierce suggested in her testimony introducing LD 2102 that the municipal property tax levy cap established by LD 1 “has served its purpose.”
In addition to local forms of property tax relief, the state government also provides options to homeowners struggling to afford the cost of rising tax burdens.
Mainers statewide, regardless of age, may apply for the Property Tax Fairness Credit when filing their annual tax returns, subject to qualification based on a number of criteria including income and filing status.
The relevant tax form for 2023 indicates that eligible individuals may receive up to $1,000 in a refundable tax credit, with seniors able to get up to $1,500.
“Permanently and totally disabled” veterans may receive a $2,000 credit, increasing to as much as $3,000 for those over the age of 65.
Click Here for More Information on the Property Tax Fairness Credit
The State also has a “lifeline loan program” that allows seniors over the age of 65 or those who are permanently disabled to defer payment of property taxes until “they pass away, move, or sell their property.”
During this period, the state reimburses municipalities for any deferred taxes. Once “they pass away, move, sell the property, or move the property (if mobile or floating home) out of Maine,” the deferred tax, plus interest, must be repaid to the State.
Click Here for More Information on the Property Tax Deferral Program
I missed it, do you have to be citizen to qualify or it this another thinly vailed immigrant give away? I suspect the second.
I would rather put a gun to my head than be a landlord .
Deadbeat tenants who trash the house , refuse to pay the rent , and THEN get the state to support them doing it .
Who would want this headache !
Where is the money coming from? I do not work I am not paying in.
Next sucker pleas.
If you want to “ensure continued fairness,” return the tax dollars to the hard-working Maine residents who are trying to pay their own rent and make their own ends meet.