Significant and ongoing funding is needed to keep Maine’s professional, low-barrier shelters open. On Friday, February 23, 2024, the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs will consider funding for emergency shelters and low-barrier shelters. Please reach out to the AFA committee, using the drafted email below or with a personalized email. You can refer to the bottom of the page for all the Committee member’s contact information.
Hello AFA Committee Members,
I am writing to you today on behalf of Preble Street to request $10M and $2.5M be allocated from the supplemental budget to emergency shelter and low-barrier shelter funding, respectively.
Maine is experiencing a homelessness crisis, and our low-barrier shelters are in danger of closing due to a lack of sustainable funding, operating at a four-million-dollar cumulative deficit.
Emergency shelters and low-barrier shelters are a vital part of any healthy community.
Please support this critically important funding to keep our emergency shelters and low-barrier shelters open and serving the community.
Thank you,
Your Name
Low-barrier shelters are the emergency rooms in the journey from shelter to housing. They’re often the first step toward long-term housing.
They connect unsheltered Mainers to life-saving services, like healthcare, case management, and recovery programs/services. These services can be provided on-site or through community partners.
These necessary and comprehensive services come with significant staffing requirements and operating costs. Due to a lack of sustained and permanent funding, the only five low-barrier shelters in Maine are currently operating at a nearly four-million-dollar cumulative deficit.
And, one of these five low-barrier shelters, Hope House Health & Living Center in Bangor, plans to close in October 2024 due to rising costs and a lack of funds. Hope House, a 64-bed, low-barrier shelter, is Bangor’s largest shelter and Maine’s only low-barrier shelter north of Waterville. Its closure would be devastating to more than 300 people, experiencing homelessness – many with untreated substance use or mental health issues – who find shelter at Hope House.
This funding from the supplemental budget for emergency shelters and low-barrier shelters is critical to ensuring the long-term health and survival of Hope House and low-barrier shelters across the state of Maine.
There are only five low-barrier shelters in Maine: Bangor’s Hope House Health & Living Center in Bangor, operated by Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC); Waterville’s Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services (MMHSS); Portland’s Milestone Recovery, Preble Street’s Elena’s Way Wellness Shelter, and Florence House Women’s Shelter.
Members of the AFA Committee
Senator Margaret Rotundo of Androscoggin – Chair, D – Senate District 21
Senator Jill Duson of Cumberland, D – Senate District 27
Senator Richard Bennett of Oxford, R – Senate District 18
Representative Nathan Carlow of Buxton, R – House District 13
Representative Jack Ducharme of Madison, R – House District 71
Representative Drew Gattine of Westbrook, D – House District 126
Representative Melanie Sachs of Freeport – Chair, D – House District 102
Representative Dan Ankeles of Brunswick, D – House District 100
Representative Mark Blier of Buxton, R – House District 138
Representative Benjamin Collings of Portland, D – House District 114
Representative Jessica Fay of Richmond, D – House District 86
Representative Ann Matlack of St. George, D – House District 43
Representative Sawin Millet of Waterford, R – House District 81
Take Action: Tell Maine to provide permanent funding for emergency shelters!
UPDATE MARCH 10, 2026: Please contact Maine’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs committee (AFA@legislature.maine.gov) today and tell them to permanently allocate $5 million/year to sustain Maine’s 1,200 emergency shelter beds! — UPDATE FEBRUARY 24, 2026: Mainers experiencing homelessness need you to advocate for shelter funding now! After the public hearing and work session on the shelter funding bill
One year of Hope House
In February 2025, Preble Street officially assumed operations of Hope House Shelter in Bangor! In that time, staff have helped an incredible 57 people move from the shelter into permanent housing and provided 268 individuals shelter and housing navigation services. 365 days/year, Hope House provides 56 people (68 when renovations are complete) in the Bangor area a safe place to sleep, warm meals, and connection to services that will help them move
Preble Street testimony in support of permanent, sustainable funding for Maine emergency shelters
Maine needs and deserves safe, accessible, professionally run, and sustainable emergency shelters that can meet the needs of the growing number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our state. On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, shelter executive directors and staff from across the state went to Augusta to advocate for a sustainable funding source that