AUGUSTA — Several Maine cities and nonprofits asked lawmakers Thursday to reject a proposal to limit emergency housing support, saying it would put hundreds of families at risk of eviction and lead to higher demand for other safety net programs.

The proposal contained in Gov. Janet Mills’ $94 million supplemental budget plan for fiscal year 2025 would limit recipients to three months of General Assistance housing support in a one-year period. It’s aimed at reducing the ballooning expense of the program, which cost the state $36 million last year, well above the $13 million spent in 2019.

But municipal and nonprofit leaders who testified at a public hearing on the budget plan Thursday said the proposal could harm hundreds of Maine households that rely on the program to pay rent and avoid eviction.

“We cannot stress enough the concerns this raises for those across the state who rely on short-term GA to get through a hard patch while remaining housed, or for those working to achieve self-sufficiency in this extremely difficult housing environment,” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said in written testimony opposing the change.

Most people who testified on the proposal Thursday were opposed to the change, though the Maine Municipal Association, which advocates for the common interests of towns and cities in Maine, has not yet taken an official position and testified neither for nor against.

The conservative Maine Policy Institute submitted written testimony in support of the change, saying it is “a logical step toward reducing reliance on public assistance and encouraging individuals to seek other housing solutions.”

The Mills administration has defended the proposal as a necessary step to get the costs under control and focus resources on short-term emergency support.

“The department recognizes that General Assistance is a critical temporary support for Maine people, but reforms are needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program and to preserve its core mission of supporting basic needs for a short period,” DHHS Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes said in written testimony provided to the Legislature’s Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees Thursday.

General Assistance is Maine’s program of last resort to help people pay for basic necessities like food, utilities and shelter when they don’t have the resources to do so themselves. Under the current law, there is no limit on how much housing assistance people can receive per year. Mills’ proposal would cap assistance to 3 months in a one-year period.

The proposed limits would not apply to emergency shelters and would include hardship exemptions for people with severe mental or physical disabilities and those with a pending application for Social Security Administration assistance.

The proposal also limits municipalities from exceeding the maximum assistance levels the state sets for all assistance categories to no more than 30 days in a 12-month period per household.

While the state funds 70% of GA costs, municipalities cover 30%. Because the program is municipally run, the department is not able to precisely calculate how many people currently receive more than three months of housing assistance, said department spokesperson Lindsay Hammes.

However, the department has estimated that the proposal would affect about 1,400 households, she said.

In Portland alone, 592 households received housing assistance for four months or more in 2024 and would be affected by the proposed cap, a city spokesperson said.

In addition to Portland, the city of Bangor and the Maine Mayors Coalition also submitted testimony opposing the change, while the city of Auburn voiced concerns and urged the state to carefully consider how the reductions would impact vulnerable residents.

Auburn Mayor Jeffrey Harmon said many residents face challenges to maintain housing, including noncitizens who are not yet authorized to work, residents who have a criminal history that creates barriers to qualifying for housing programs and securing employment, and those with physical and mental health challenges.

AFFECT ON OTHER PROGRAMS

The proposed reduction to General Assistance could increase the demand on other programs, including low-income legal assistance, housing authorities and Social Security, Harmon said.

“While we acknowledge the necessity of addressing budgetary challenges, the proposed reductions to public assistance programs raise concerns for those in our community who depend on these services to maintain housing stability,” Harmon said in written testimony.

Nonprofit groups, particularly those that serve immigrants and asylum seekers, also testified against the change on Thursday.

Because federal rules prohibit asylum seekers from obtaining work authorizations for at least six months from the filing of their asylum application, families often rely on General Assistance to pay their rent while they await their work permits, said Ruben Torres, advocacy manager for the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition.

He said that without the continued support of General Assistance, landlords might be reticent to rent to asylum seekers or others who use the program.

“Asylum seekers come to Maine seeking safety, stability and an opportunity to contribute to our state. With proper support, they can — and do — enrich our communities,” Torres said. “However, (this proposal) penalizes families and communities striving to succeed under difficult circumstances.”

‘REALLY IMPORTANT TO US’

Antonio Tera, a student at the University of Southern Maine whose family came to Maine from Angola as asylum seekers while he was growing up, said they relied on General Assistance for about a year while they adjusted to life in the U.S. “I can tell you this program was really important to us,” Tera said.

Thursday wrapped up three days of public hearings on Mills’ proposed supplemental budget. Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee Co-Chair Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, said committees are now holding work sessions on the budget and will report back to appropriations. Rotundo said it is her goal to have the appropriations committee vote on the supplemental proposal by the end of next week.

Other major items in the supplemental budget include funding to cover a $118 million gap in MaineCare costs this year and cuts to cost-of-living adjustments for MaineCare rates.

“The sooner we finish with the supplemental budget, the sooner we can get to the biennial,” Rotundo said.

Lawmakers on Thursday also discussed moving the General Assistance proposal from the supplemental budget to the biennial budget, which is a change the administration has said it would support.

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