Committee gives unanimous bipartisan support to Sen. Rafferty bill to prevent student homelessness
Housing crisis has led to 2,186 homeless students this year
AUGUSTA – On Friday, the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Housing voted unanimously to support a bill sponsored by Sen. Joe Rafferty, D-Kennebunk, to create the Maine Student Homelessness Prevention fund. An amended version of LD 1609, “An Act to Prevent Student Homelessness” won full support from all Democrat and Republican committee members.
Every Maine school has a dedicated McKinney-Vento liaison who works with local students facing housing insecurity or who are at risk of homelessness. These liaisons would have access to this fund in their efforts supporting their students.
“When I heard from schools that a fund for minor expenses could help prevent homelessness, I knew we had to take action. Our school liaisons work tirelessly on the front lines, and we must seize the opportunity to help these families before it’s too late,” said Sen. Rafferty. “As a coach and educator, it pains me to see housing-insecure students struggling to make it through the school year. It is our responsibility as adults to provide support to these children in need. It is not easy for them to focus on their studies when their families are experiencing overwhelming stress.”
“Students who experience homelessness face numerous barriers to education, including high rates of chronic absence, mobility, academic challenges, and trauma,” according to Maine Department of Education’s Homelessness Education Specialist Amelia Lyons. “Oftentimes, the difference between a few hundred dollars – for things like a car repair, rent payment, or utility bill – can determine if a family will experience homelessness or not. This funding would ensure schools can access resources to support the basic needs of their students, so that these children can have what we wish for all our children – a peaceful childhood to focus on their school experiences, and not worry about where to sleep that night, or if there will be heat, or if their parent will lose their job because the car broke down.”
As a result of Maine’s housing crisis, schools reported over 2,100 students experiencing homelessness in 2022. Last year was the first year that homeless students made up over 1 percent of Maine’s total student population.
According to the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, over 73 percent of evictions in Maine occur as a result of less than $1,300 in outstanding costs, highlighting the precarious financial situations that many families in our state are facing.
In 2021, Maine received $2.6 million in federal funding to support homeless children and youth through the pandemic, which allowed McKinney-Vento liaisons in Maine school districts to provide more support to students in need. During the bill’s public hearing, educators were clear that this funding improved outcomes. But the federal funding will expire in September 2024. The Maine Student Homelessness Prevention fund will ensure there are no gaps in service.
LD 1609 is expected to be voted on by the full Legislature in the coming weeks.