Sen. Rafferty introduces legislation to prevent student homelessness

AUGUSTA – On Friday,  Sen. Joe Rafferty, D-Kennebunk, presented LD 1609, “An Act to Address Student Homelessness,” before the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Housing. The bill would create the Maine Student Homelessness Prevention fund, available to each school’s McKinney-Vento liaison in their efforts to support students facing housing insecurity or who are at risk of homelessness. 

“I’ve spent my career as a coach and educator and it breaks my heart to learn how many housing-insecure students are trying to make it through the day in Maine schools right now. As adults, we must support these children. I know how hard it is for them to focus on school when their families are under incredible stress. When I heard from schools that if Maine had a fund to cover minor expenses, we could actually prevent families from becoming homeless, this was a no-brainer,” said Sen. Rafferty. “You see, our school liaisons are on the front lines working with kids when there’s still time to take meaningful action.” 

As a result of Maine’s housing crisis, schools reported over 2100 students experiencing homelessness in 2022, marking the first year that homeless students made up over 1 percent of Maine’s total student population. Through a federal program that started in the 1980s, McKinney-Vento liaisons in every Maine school are responsible for serving those students in a variety of ways, including finding ways for them to carry out the school year in their home school, no matter their living arrangement. 

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 Friday’s public hearing, educators were clear that this funding improved outcomes. But the federal funding will expire in September 2024.

“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.”

“Homeless students are 87 times more likely to drop out of school than their peers with stable housing conditions. While the solution to addressing the needs of our most vulnerable students is multi-pronged, LD 1609 is a great step in helping families to establish stable housing with functioning utilities. Because the American Rescue Plan Funds expire in September of 2024, and the number of students impacted by housing instability continues to grow, the time to act is now,” said Mallory Cook, Director of Training and Early Educator Engagement for the Maine Education Association.

“This bill is a strong pivot from reactionary work to prevention work in terms of helping our students experiencing housing instability. It takes a fraction of the effort to support a family or person who is housed than it does to support someone who is unhoused,” said Amanda Atkinson-Lewis, Equity Resources Coordinator for the Westbrook School Department who testified in her personal capacity in support of the bill based on her experience working in a number of Maine schools.

According to the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, over 73 percent of evictions in Maine occur as a result of less than $1300 in outstanding costs, highlighting the precarious financial situations that many families in our state are facing. 

The Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Housing will continue to debate this bill as one of the solutions to Maine’s housing crisis.

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