Maine is in the midst of a homelessness crisis, and our state’s students are especially at risk. According to the Maine Department of Education’s McKinney-Vento State Coordinator, Amelia Lyons, students who experience homelessness face high rates of chronic absence, mobility, academic challenges, and trauma.

Joe Rafferty Courtesy photo

McKinney-Vento is a federal program that provides rights and services to children and students experiencing homelessness. Maine’s housing crisis has led to 2,186 homeless students this year, marking the first time this figure has made up over 1 percent of Maine’s total student population. The situation is dire, but we have a solution that can help: LD 1609, “An Act to Prevent Student Homelessness.”

Every Maine school has a dedicated McKinney-Vento liaison who works with local students facing housing insecurity or who are at risk of homelessness. In 2021, McKinney-Vento liaisons were able to drastically improve outcomes for students because of federal funding they received during the pandemic. But the problem is that this funding will expire in September 2024. That’s why my bill, LD 1609, would create the Maine Student Homelessness Prevention fund.

The McKinney-Vento liaisons would have access to this fund, which would ensure that they have the resources to continue providing essential support to our most vulnerable students experiencing housing instability. The Maine Student Homelessness Prevention fund will make certain there are no gaps in service after the federal funding expires.

As a lifelong coach and educator, it pains me to see housing-insecure students struggling to make it through the school year. It is our responsibility as adults to provide support to these children in need. It is not easy for them to focus on their studies when their families are experiencing overwhelming stress. Oftentimes, the difference of 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 they can have what we wish for all our own children – a peaceful childhood to focus on their school experiences, and to 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.

LD 1609 recognizes that we must address the underlying financial pressures that lead to homelessness. It also costs far less to help folks who are housed and in need than to wait until they are homeless to intervene. If we can provide a fund that prevents these evictions, that’s money well spent to me.

The Joint Select Committee on Housing recently voted unanimously in favor of the bill, and I am grateful for their strong, bipartisan support. This is a crucial step toward preventing student homelessness in Maine. I hope that the full Legislature will follow their lead and pass this bill in the coming weeks.

The need for this bill is urgent. We cannot stand by as more and more students face homelessness in our state. Our children deserve better. We must act now to create the Maine Student Homelessness Prevention fund and provide the support our students need to succeed.

Joseph Rafferty is a member of the Maine State Senate representing District 34, Acton, Kennebunk, Lebanon, North Berwick, Wells, and part of Berwick. He can be reached at Joe.Rafferty@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515. Sign up an email newsletter at mainesenate.org.