Fifty-six hours. That's how long a Mainer earning minimum wage must work each week to afford a one-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Price, according to the study. 

"We need to take action, and lawmakers are seeing that every day in Augusta," Policymaker BJ McCollister of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition said. "A lack of affordable housing in Maine is likely the root of the problem, something the state currently is working to fix with recent funding that will be used to create subsidy programs statewide. Maine right now is currently 20,000 units behind for affordable housing," he added. Read more.

WEBINAR: Register for August 23, 2023, at 2 p.m. for the EPA's webinar on their proposal to strengthen lead-based paint standards to protect against childhood lead exposure. EPA will present an overview of the proposed changes to the dust-lead hazard standards (DLHS) and dust-lead clearance levels (DLCL) and provide opportunities for stakeholders to comment on this proposal.

The new rule, which EPA proposed August 1, would strengthen the removal of lead-based paint hazards in pre-1978 buildings and child care facilities, known as abatement activities. The new DLHS, which are used to identify hazardous lead in dust on floors and window sills, would change to any reportable level above zero reported by an EPA-recognized laboratory. The DLCL, which are used to determine whether an abatement activity is successful at removing dust-lead hazards, would change to 3 micrograms per square foot (μg/ft²) for floors, 20 μg/ft² for window sills and 25 μg/ft² for window troughs. If finalized, this rule is estimated to reduce the lead exposures of approximately 250,000 to 500,000 children under age six per year by protecting them from dangerous dust generated from lead-based paint.

PUBLIC COMMENT: EPA is accepting public comments on the proposed rule until October 2, 2023, via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0231 at www.regulations.gov.

PERSPECTIVES FROM MAINE: Anything that we can do to reduce lead and keep children safe matters. Achieving the proposed goals with the current resources and workforce may be challenging, though. The EPA's proposed lower dust-lead hazard standards (DLHS) from 10 µg/ft² and 100 µg/ft²  for floors and window sills to any reportable level as analyzed by an EPA recognized Laboratory would increase the number of units needing lead abatement work. If the EPA’s proposal is passed it would have an impact on the number of units needing lead abatement and potentially increase the per unit cost to abate properties. MaineHousing currently uses the DLHS from 10 µg/ft² and 100 µg/ft²  for floors and window sills. Essentially if a floor is tested for lead-dust and it comes back at less than 10 it is acceptable. The proposed lower dust-lead clearance level (DLCL) from 10 µg/ft² and 100 µg/ft² and 400 µg/ft² for floors, window sills, and window troughs to 3 µg/ft² and 20 µg/ft² and 25 µg/ft² for floors, window sills, and window troughs has a potential to increase the project costs. 
 
This could impact the amount of time contractors spend and possibly the number of crew members to ensure the dust-lead levels will pass the inspections.  Another potential concern with the EPA’s proposal would be that there are only seventeen Lead Contractors in Maine and their capacity is often full attaining current standards.

More resources will be needed to ensure new standards can be met.

NLIHC is opening their Migrant Homelessness meeting to all groups who are directly providing support and services in this area. Reach out to Kayla for the zoom link: klaywell@nlihc.org. These are some of the questions she will use to guide that meeting:

1. What are you facing in your community?
2. What do people assume is happening but actually isn’t?
3. Is this an emergency response or long term issue?
4. How are services being funded?

Last month, the Maine-based Quality Housing Coalition (QHC) launched Project HOME Trust, the first direct cash assistance program of its kind in the state of Maine. Project HOME Trust was developed in partnership with people with lived experience of housing insecurity and seeks to support the long-term housing stability of participants, all of whom are single mothers who have experienced homelessness. Participants receive an unrestricted $1,000 monthly cash assistance payment for one year along with an array of supportive housing services. Community connection and resilience are further strengthened through the use of a cohort model. QFC is working with partners to evaluate the pilot program this year and hopes to use the lessons learned to influence policy change at the state level. “MAHC is so pleased to see this innovative approach to keep people in their homes launch in Maine,” said Laura Mitchell, executive director for the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition. “We know people need to work 50 to 60 hours a week at a minimum wage job just to afford a one-bedroom apartment here. This program allows hard working Maine people to afford necessities like childcare, medicine, and food while staying housed." Read the article here.

The Federation of American Scientists is soliciting submissions for a Housing Supply Action Challenge. They are seeking proposals related to federal incentive structures, financing mechanisms, innovations, alignment of existing policies, and improvement of data to increase housing supply. Submissions are just 350 words each, and the deadline is September 8. Authors of winning submissions will be invited to present them at a fall pitch workshop and convert them into a full memo, and their ideas will be incorporated into a set of policy recommendations to the White House, Congress, and key federal agencies.
 
This challenge is specifically focused on federal housing policy ideas, so if you have policies that have worked well at the state/local level that you’d like to see adopted at the federal level, this is a great opportunity to weigh in! We especially encourage you to submit ideas to increase the supply of homes affordable to extremely low-income renters. More information here: https://fas.org/accelerator/housing-supply-ideas-challenge/