While a new report from a state agency shows a slight decrease in homeless persons in Maine compared to the same period last year, a brief visit to Portland is enough to demonstrate that the problem persists and – in the summer months – may be more disparate throughout a state with ample places for outdoor camping.
The Maine State Housing Authority released its point-in-time homeless report Monday, the findings of which were based on data collected in January of this year. The report looks at the issue from a range of perspectives – in terms of geography, demographic character and what kind of temporary solutions are currently being utilized.
Compared to 2024, the total number of homeless individuals decreased by 282 this year, coming in at 2,413.
Included among those counted in this total are people who are in shelters, transitional housing, emergency housing, and who are unsheltered.
This year’s figure comes as part of an ongoing trend where the size of the state’s homeless population has steadily been returning to lower pre-pandemic levels.
According to the report, many of those who were being housed in motels have likely turned to other housing options, like couch surfing, that are not included under the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of homelessness.
MaineHousing also suggests that many “benefited from the expanded shelter capacity
created by temporary winter warming shelters,” funded through the Emergency Housing Relief Fund from 2023 to 2025 that “expanded system wide shelter capacity by about 350-400 beds.”
Based on reporting from Catholic Charities of Maine, over three quarter of “asylum-seeking households” have secured employment and moved from motels or transitional housing programs into “permanent housing of their own.”
The Maine State Housing Authority goes on to highlight work done by the City of Portland, Prosperity Maine, and Catholic Charities of Maine to help over 400 families go from shelters and transitional housing into permanent housing, suggesting that this has contributed to the reductions seen in the state’s overall homeless population this year.
14.9 percent of all homeless households in 2025 included at least one child, but only one was found to be unsheltered. 138 were sheltered, and 132 were in transitional housing.
Compared to 2024, there were 93 fewer homeless households with children, representing a 25.5 percent decrease. There was a 3.3 percent increase in the number of homeless households without children.
When broken down by race, White Mainers made up the largest share of unsheltered people at 89 percent.
65 percent of sheltered people were White, while 33 percent were either Black, African American, or African.
Black, African American, and African homeless individuals represented about 46 percent of those in transitional housing, followed by 38 percent of White homeless individuals and 12 percent of multi-racial homeless individuals.
Cumberland County saw the greatest share of unsheltered homeless individuals, while York County had the highest share of those in transitional housing.
The highest proportion of sheltered homeless individuals were in Penquis, representing Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties.
There were 127 homeless veterans in Maine this year, 72 of whom were sheltered, 45 in transitional housing, and 10 who were unsheltered. This represents just over 5 percent of Maine’s total homeless population.
The largest share of homeless Mainers, around 27 percent, are adults with a “serious mental illness.” About 16 percent have a substance use disorder.
About five percent of homeless Mainers are survivors of domestic violence. Among them, none are unsheltered, 110 are sheltered, and 21 are living in transitional housing.
Around 23 percent of homeless Mainers are considered to be chronically homeless.
The number of homeless individuals who are survivors of domestic violence has decreased steadily since 2023, coming in at 131 this year down from 245 two years ago.
Although the population of homeless veterans dropped from 123 to 115 from 2023 to 2024, it increased by about 10 percent since last year.
The chronically homeless population has grown dramatically over this period, rising from 370 in 2023, to 494 in 2024, to 549 this year. This represents a nearly 50 percent increase over two years.
“We know we have a long way to go yet in ensuring that when homelessness is experienced in Maine, it is rare and brief — even one person experiencing homelessness in our state is one too many,” said Maine’s Continuum of Care Executive Director Dean Klein.
“But this year’s Point In Time also gives us reasons to be hopeful in that we appear to be moving the needle in the right direction,” Klein said. “While only a glimpse at the state of homelessness, this annual exercise continues to help us strengthen our homelessness response and build a better data network through our nine regional Homeless Hub Coordinators.”
The Maine State Housing Authority cautions those interpreting the data included in this report that it is only reflective of “how homelessness presents on a single winter night” and should not be viewed “as providing a complete picture of homelessness in Maine over time.”
