For over 40 years, HEAP has helped homeowners and renters pay heating costs. In a state like Maine, heating homes is a life-or-death matter. In 2024, the HEAP program served 52,210 households statewide — our families, neighbors, co-workers and friends.    

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a locally led program and the backbone of Community Action Agencies. Through CSBG, our agencies assisted 117,677 Mainers last year — helping children become school-ready, people advance in their careers, seniors remain in their homes, employees access transportation to work and families avoid crises such as eviction.

According to 2024 Census estimates, 10.4% of Mainers — roughly 146,000 people in a state of 1.4 million — are living in poverty. That same year, Maine’s Community Action Agency network served more than 80% of those individuals. This extraordinary reach underscores not only the effectiveness of our programs, but also the growing and urgent demand for them. As poverty persists and deepens, our work remains essential to the health, stability and future of Maine’s communities. 

Eliminating or reducing funding for these programs will have an immediate and devastating impact on Maine’s most vulnerable residents.

We would like to thank Sen. Collins, Sen. King, Rep. Golden and Rep. Pingree for their long-standing support for these vital programs. And we thank them for their continued support now during this critical moment. This is not just an investment in services. HEAP and CSBG are an investment in the revitalization of our most underserved Maine communities — they represent opportunity and hope.

Victoria Forkus
Managing Director, Maine Community Action Partnership (MeCAP)
South Paris