It was recently announced that Maine would receive federal assistance funding for housing and heating. The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that $3.5 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan will be distributed to Cumberland County and Portland through the HOME investment partnership program. These funds are to help create housing and wrap-around services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, or fleeing domestic violence. Cumberland County will be accepting comments on the county's funding allocation plan until March 10th.
Other Maine housing authorities that will also be receiving funding to make investments in their public housing stock include:
- Auburn $492,735
- Bangor $1,943,182
- Bar Harbor $335,064
- Brewer $432,873
- Ellsworth $148,724
- Fort Fairfield $233,671
- Lewiston $1,255,195
- Mount Desert Island $49,447
- Old Town $241,958
- Portland $3,262,735
- Presque Isle $654,623
- Sanford $370,020
- South Portland $740,166
- Southwest Harbor $141,309
- Tremont $61,587
- Van Buren $311,442
- Waterville $689,691
Another round of funding is also coming for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The omnibus supplemental funding bill that was signed on December 29, 2022, included an additional $1 billion in supplemental funds for LIHEAP. Maine will receive $6.5 million of that $1 billion. Maine has already received $42.5 million for November 2022, as well as $7.2 million for October 2022. The LIHEAP program is based on a household's income, size, and current energy costs. To qualify for assistance with the program, a household of two needs to make less than $40,356 a year, while a family of four needs to make less than $59,348 a year.
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