Latest news with #LD384
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Maine lawmakers hope to combat rising student homelessness with new housing assistance fund
In Maine, the number of unhoused students has increased from 2,317 students in the 2021-22 school year to more than 5,000 in the 2023-24 school year, said Maine Rep. Kelly Murphy (D-Scarborough). (Photo by Getty Images) Legislation to establish a fund to financially help students avoid homelessness passed both chambers of the Maine Legislature this week. The bill, LD 384, would allocate up to $750 per academic year to the family or guardian of a student at risk of homelessness for housing-related needs, which could include rental assistance, utilities, critical home repairs and transportation. In light of increasing student homelessness, the disruptions to students' learning caused by housing insecurity, in addition to a lack of available assistance to prevent homelessness, the bill was 'perhaps one of the most impactful bills that the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee heard this session,' according to committee co-chair Rep. Kelly Murphy (D-Scarborough). The Maine Senate passed the bill on Wednesday with 28 members voting in favor and only six opposed. The House of Representatives had a narrower margin, with 81 members voting Thursday in favor of the bill and 62 opposed. The bill will go back to both chambers for final enactment votes. Sponsor Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York), who also co-chairs the education committee, explained that the bill builds on a pilot program approved in the 131st Legislature, which succeeded in helping more than 800 students. Several administrators who spoke at the public hearing vouched for the support they were able to provide struggling students in their districts through the pilot program, which LD 384 would make permanent. 'It breaks my heart to know that there are students throughout Maine who are struggling with housing insecurity and don't know where they're going to sleep each night,' Rafferty said during the Senate floor discussion Wednesday. 'The bill before us today would continue with this good work by permanently establishing a program so that our students can grow up and learn without worrying about where they're going to sleep. It is the right thing to do.' In Maine, the number of unhoused students has increased from 2,317 students in the 2021-22 school year to more than 5,000 in the 2023-24 school year, Murphy said. Opponents of the bill in both chambers said the intent was noble, but took issue with the $1.5 million fiscal note. Rep. Barbara Bagshaw (R-Windham) also questioned how much the one-time payment would help families avoid homelessness in the long term. 'If a family is already on the brink, this amount is unlikely to provide lasting stability' she said. 'We're offering a temporary fix to a systematic problem without addressing the root causes.' During the public hearing, Mallory Cook, director of training and early educator engagement for the Maine Education Association, cited a Maine Housing Coalition report from 2020 that said a vast majority of Maine tenants only owed between $1,000 and $1,500 to their landlords, making the $750 per student annual allocation in LD 384 critical in preventing student homelessness. 'It's not a lot of money, but oftentimes when we've reached a crisis situation in these families, $750 does make the difference between being evicted or having your utility shut off,' Murphy said Thursday. 'This is one way to prevent student homelessness and to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.' Sen. James Libby (R- Cumberland) said given the current budget deficit the bill was not likely to be funded and would likely languish on the appropriations table, where bills not provided for in the budget compete for remaining funds. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, all students experiencing homelessness are entitled to a free, appropriate public education. But it does not allocate any money to prevent homelessness, Murphy pointed out. This week the Legislature also passed another bill, LD 747, which directs the Maine Housing Authority to develop a program to provide assistance to homeless students in coordination with the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills to reduce and prevent student homelessness are a ‘critical safety net,' advocates say
During the 2017-18 school year, there were 1,867 Maine students considered homeless. That number increased to 4,028 in 2023-24, according to Maine Department of Education data. (Photo) This winter, the Oxford Hills School District paid for emergency heating oil for a family with four young children, according to Superintendent Heather Manchester. The district also worked with Central Maine Power to restore electricity to a family of six, including three elementary school students, who were living in the dark for over a month. Oxford Hills was also able to provide transportation to an unaccompanied youth living outside the district, making it possible for them to attend school and access driver's education classes. All these initiatives were made possible by a pilot program to prevent youth homelessness, which a bill introduced by Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York) wants to make permanent. The bill 'will provide a vital safety net for families on the verge of hardship and will allow some of our most vulnerable students an opportunity to thrive,' Manchester said in a public hearing for LD 384 held by the Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on Wednesday. If passed, it would allocate up to $750 per academic year to the family or guardian of a student at risk of homelessness for housing-related needs including rental assistance, utilities, critical home repairs and transportation. The number of homeless students in Maine has continued to increase over the last decade, according to Maine Department of Education data, referenced in public testimony by the Maine Education Association. During the 2017-18 school year, there were 1,867 students statewide considered homeless. That number increased to 4,028 such students in 2023-24. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, all students experiencing homelessness are entitled to a free, appropriate public education. This year, the Legislature is weighing several bills that would bolster the amount of financial support districts get to help these students and meet their heightened needs, including transportation, social services, and direct payments to help unhoused students and families with rental assistance and utility bills. Maine school administrators push for more funding for poor, unhoused students Rep. Michael Brennan (D-Portland) introduced a separate rental assistance bill, LD 747, to the Joint Committee on Housing and Economic Development on Tuesday. If passed, it would direct the Maine Housing Authority to develop a program to provide assistance to homeless students in coordination with the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. 'Maintenance of stable housing and continuity in school placement is critical for a student's safety and social and emotional well being,' said Mallory Cook, director of training and early educator engagement for the Maine Education Association, who testified in support of both Brennan and Rafferty's bills. According to a Maine Housing Coalition report from 2020, a vast majority of Maine tenants only owed between $1,000 and $1,500 to their landlords, making the $750 per student annual allocation in LD 384l critical in preventing student homelessness, Cook said. However, despite the obvious need, several organizations cited the current budget deficit, projected to be $450 million in the next biennium, as a key stumbling block. LD 747 would cost the state an estimated $2 million each year for the next two years for rental assistance while LD 384 would amount to roughly $1.5 million to cover the $750 allocations to at-risk households. 'If our state budget was in a better situation, we would likely voice our full support for LD 747, but that is not the case,' said Steven Bailey, executive director of Maine School Boards Association, which testified against Brennan's rental assistance bill. 'In this environment, our school board members believe that legislators should prioritize existing educational priorities — 55% state funding, support for students with disabilities, universal school meals — and should not consider additional costs that could jeopardize our core priorities.' Earlier this month, the education committee also held a public hearing for a bill that would change the state formula to allocate more funding to districts depending on how many unhoused students are enrolled. It's unclear how much that bill would cost, but there is currently no additional funding allocated for unhoused students. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
