This month, the 132nd Maine Legislative session came to an end, and we are so proud of all that was accomplished to make our state better for our most vulnerable neighbors! Preble Street’s Advocacy team and our partners spent many days in the halls of the State House to ensure that the voices, needs, and priorities of people experiencing hunger, poverty, and homelessness were built into the state budget. THANK YOU to each one of you for making your voices heard, for answering our calls to action, and showing up with compassion for Mainers in need!

Here are the top three wins we’re celebrating: 

1. Keeping emergency shelters open: Maine’s emergency shelter system has been facing a funding crisis because of rising operational costs and increased need. Thanks to a mixture of one-time funding for this fiscal year and some new annual funding, Maine’s 37 emergency shelters are safe from closing for another year. We will continue to advocate for more ongoing funding to ensure that our neighbors experiencing homelessness have a safe place to rest and access the resources they need to return to housing.
   
   Special thanks to the bill’s sponsors, Representative Drew Gattine and Senator Rachel Talbot Ross, and all Housing and Economic Development Committee members for their bipartisan support of long-term sustainable funding for emergency shelter operations.  
   
   
2.  Support for survivors of human trafficking: There is a significant gap in federal funding for Maine’s only anti-trafficking program assisting adult survivors of sex trafficking. One-time state funding was crucial to fill this urgent need and provide survivors with the resources that can help them reclaim their lives. As of earlier this month, 30 individuals were being forced to wait for services, some as young as 13-years-old.
   
   We are thrilled to announce that after months of persistent advocacy, LD 2136: An Act to Support Victims of Trafficking in Maine in Response to Federal Funding Cuts, was passed, and funding will be released in July! Special thanks to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Tim Nangle; Health and Human Services Committee leadership support for this funding; Representative Michele Meyer and Senator Henry Igwersen; the bipartisan Senate support for this bill; and final Appropriations and Financial Affairs support by Senator Peggy Rotundo, Senator Cameron Reny and Representatives Michael Brennan, Deqa Dhalac, Drew Gattine, Ann Matlack, Ambureen Rana, and Holly Stover who all ensured this critical funding came through.
   
   
3. Ending Veteran homelessness in Maine: Nearly 200 Veterans in Maine are currently experiencing homelessness. For Preble Street Veterans Housing Services and our partners in Maine’s No Homeless Veterans coalition, landlord engagement has been a key part of moving Veterans into housing. This includes providing landlords with financial incentives when they rent to Veterans who are unhoused or imminently at risk of becoming unhoused.
   
   This session, the Maine Legislature approved a bill establishing the Veterans’ Housing Provider Incentive Fund with $90,000 from Other Special Revenue Funds (Sports Betting). Thanks to Senator Tim Nangle, the bill’s sponsor, and the bipartisan support the bill received in the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs for ensuring Maine’s Homeless Veterans Response System can continue our best-practice landlord engagement work and get closer to our goal of ending Veteran homelessness in Maine! 

These victories show what’s possible when communities come together to advocate for dignity, stability, and hope. We’ll continue to build on this momentum until every Mainer has a safe place to call home!