For countless Mainers, housing vouchers have been a crucial steppingstone to stability. In the last decade, especially the past few years, as rents went up and the number of available apartments or houses to rent has dwindled, waiting lists for vouchers have grown and it’s become more difficult for voucher-holders to secure housing.
This summer, after HUD funding became depleted, almost all but a few housing authorities in Maine were depleted, including Portland, Westbrook, Brewer, and MaineHousing, put a freeze on Section 8 housing vouchers. The impacts from this loss of rental assistance are devastating – vulnerable people, including youth, families, and domestic violence survivors can’t access housing and the time that people experience homelessness is increasing. The freeze also prevents much-needed movement within all housing programs and within emergency shelters, creating a ripple effect of growing waitlists and lack of open beds as we move into the colder months.
Preble Street’s Rapid Re-Housing Program is working to help clients navigate these impacts. Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) is an evidence-based and housing first intervention designed to help individuals quickly exit homelessness, return to housing in the community, and not become homeless again in the future. It is a short-term, intensive, housing-focused intervention that has three components: housing identification, move-in support, and rental assistance. Each participant works with a caseworker to create an individualized housing plan with the goal of obtaining a connection to permanent housing as quickly as possible.
Since the Rapid Re-Housing Program began in 2020, 115 RRH clients have moved into permanent housing and 98 of those (or 85%) were utilizing an ongoing housing voucher subsidy, including Section 8. But now, clients cannot access these vouchers and it’s taking longer for clients to connect to permanent housing. “Rapid Re-Housing caseworkers are working harder right now to find alternative solutions,” shares Leanne Pomeroy, Director of Rapid Re-Housing, Preble Street. “This involves getting clients on a variety of waitlists including Low Income Housing Tax Credit units, age and disability restricted properties, and project-based units. However, these waitlists can vary and take up to 6-8 months at a minimum until someone is considered. All our resources are being stretched right now to try to meet the needs of the community.”
“One of the women I work with is a survivor of multiple incidences of traumatic violence and is faced with safety concerns, long-term psychological and physical effects,” shares Jen Dickstein, Rapid Re-Housing Supervisor. “Historically, she has always worked full-time and due to the voucher freezes, now only has General Assistance as an option for a housing subsidy. Finding GA eligible units is extra challenging, not to mention accessing GA monthly is an ongoing barrier to landlords being comfortable with accessing this as a form of payment. She would have previously qualified for BRAP, Shelter Plus Care, Housing Choice, and STEP vouchers.”
“Staying in a shelter in a neighborhood where she is unsafe wasn’t an option. Domestic violence shelters rarely have vacancies and safe houses with vacancies and adequate staffing are typically far away and can be isolated. Plus, most unhoused folks need access to providers and the community they know.”
“With a voucher, she would only have to pay 30% of her income towards rent, but now she is paying the full cost of her rent, as she recovers from her traumas and navigates safety concerns, and long-term psychological and physical effects. She is not trying to get a free ride or work the system; she is a survivor looking for a hand up…not a handout.”
Vouchers are also an essential support for youth and young adults who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, or who are beginning their independence in adulthood with a disabling condition. All Preble Street Teen Housing programs utilize vouchers, for Rapid Rehousing, as a transition plan from our transitional housing units, and as a permanent supportive housing option from Transitional Living Programs post-graduation after a year+ of independent living skills support, financial literacy, and case management services.
From July 2023 through July 2024, Teen Housing has helped 15 young people secure a voucher. Five of the 15 have children; these vouchers give these youth the ability to parent independently and receive vital supportive services for their families. For the other youth, the vouchers have helped them sustain living near family, jobs, and schools, as well as stabilizing mental health and medical providers.
“One youth recently graduated from a transitional living program and is navigating a debilitating mental illness,” shares Amanda Morais, Director of Teen Housing Services. “We had a landlord lined up willing to work with a voucher and accommodate her needs, but when vouchers became unavailable, we lost this opportunity.”
Preble Street is advocating about the harm this freeze is causing through numerous channels. Leanne Pomeroy is serving on a new stakeholder group that will examine and report back to the legislature on Maine’s federally funded Section 8 housing voucher system. This group, which was formed due to passage of L.D. 2158, a Resolve to Improve the Housing Voucher System and Reduce the Number of Voucher Expirations, will produce a report aimed at recommending improvements to the voucher system.
Additionally, the Federal government must also increase funding for Section 8 voucher programs and ensure that the funding is indexed to inflation, so that rental assistance can keep pace with changes in the economy.
If we don’t want people living in tents on our streets or stranded in shelters, we must provide the resources for them to secure housing.
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