The affordable housing crisis, inflation in the cost of basic necessities, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a homelessness and eviction crisis in Maine and across the United States. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado has introduced a bill to address this growing issue. Join us in asking Senator Susan Collins and Senator Angus King to co-sponsor the Eviction Crisis Act!
In 2020, 46% of American renters spent 30% or more of their income on housing, and 23% of American renters spent at least 50% of their income on housing. For households spending so much of their income on rent, any unexpected expense — such as a car repair or emergency medical care — could lead to eviction and homelessness. Often living on fixed incomes, senior citizens are especially vulnerable to losing their homes, and because they are disproportionately affected by poverty, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are also at high risk. The Eviction Crisis Act will:
- shed light on the root causes of evictions by improving data and analysis on evictions
- reduce preventable evictions by establishing an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide short-term financial assistance and housing stability-related services to eviction-vulnerable tenants
- limit the devastation to families when eviction is unavoidable by connecting them with services to help them get re-housed quickly
Tell Senators Collins and King not to allow more families to fall into homelessness! Ask them to co-sponsor (or at least support!) the Eviction Crisis Act!
