MEASURE TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN MAINE RECEIVES PUBLIC HEARING

Posted: March 05, 2014 | Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development, Senator Patrick

Senator Patrick’s bill allows Maine State Housing Authority to accept federal funds to increase access to affordable housing

AUGUSTA –Earlier today, Democratic Senator John Patrick of Rumford introduced legislation to address homelessness in Maine by enabling the Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) to receive federal funding through the National Housing Trust Fund to provide communities with funds to build, preserve, and rehabilitate affordable rental homes that are affordable for low-income families.

 

“For too many Mainers, the simple security of having a roof over their heads is out of reach,” said Senator Patrick. “We have to act now to address this crisis.”

 

According to a 2013 study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, while homelessness declined by 4 percent nationwide in the last year, homelessness in Maine increased by 26 percent.

 

The National Housing Trust Fund was established as a provision of the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. It is a dedicated fund intended to build, preserve, and rehabilitate affordable housing for people who are struggling.

 

The Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development Committee will hold a work session on LD 1790, “An Act To Designate Maine State Housing Authority To Receive

Funds from the National Housing Trust Fund,” later this session.

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