HODGDON, Maine — A MaineHousing grant has already helped 90 Aroostook County families with children in school keep the furnace running, the lights on and avoid eviction.
MaineHousing awarded $353,233 to northern Maine schools earlier this year as part of a larger $2 million one-year grant distributed to five applicants in Aroostook County, Bath, Biddeford, Lewiston and Portland.
The grant, supported by the governor’s office and the state Legislature, is in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education to help students and their families avoid homelessness, according to MaineHousing.
Hodgdon School District Business Manager Catrina Kemp, who applied for the grant, partnered with Aroostook County Action Program’s housing navigator program as well as six other County Districts, including RSU 29, MSAD 1, MSAD 50, RSU 39, MSAD 20 and MSAD 45.
“Our rural area has such limited resources, shelters, and no public transportation. It can be very difficult for individuals to access assistance,” said Kemp. “With financial assistance, we can implement a comprehensive support system that empowers these students to overcome obstacles, excel academically and thrive in life.”
Kemp said that earlier this year MaineHousing reached out to schools throughout the state regarding the funding opportunity and her district was the only one in northern Maine to apply.
In total, 11 school systems applied for a portion of the competitive $2 million grant and five were selected, according to MaineHousing.
“Unfortunately, demand for these valuable state resources far outstripped the available funds,” said MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan in a statement earlier this year.
MSAD 70 serves the towns of Hodgdon, Haynesville, Amity, Ludlow, Linneus, and New
Limerick. RSU 29 serves Houlton, Hammond, Littleton, and Monticello; MSAD 50, the towns of Crystal, Dyer Brook, Hersey, Island Falls, Merrill, Oakfield, and Smyrna; MSAD 1, Presque Isle, Chapman, Castle Hill, Mapleton and Westfield; MSAD 20, Fort Fairfield; RSU 39, Caribou, Connor, Stockholm, and Woodland; and MSAD 45, Perham, Wade and Washburn.
“We have the potential to impact students across a wide area of the largest County in Maine,” Kemp said, adding that there are about 110 students in northern Maine who meet federal definitions for being homeless or at risk of being homeless.
The federal McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless students as those lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth living in shelters, motels, cars, or doubling up with other families due to loss of housing or economic hardship.
Earmarked for hiring homeless prevention and housing navigation specialists, the funds will also provide direct financial assistance to a student’s family to cover expenses that will help them not get evicted, keep utilities turned on or obtain new housing.
In rural Aroostook County the prevalence of homelessness among students has risen dramatically with about 110 to 120 students without adequate shelter. Without immediate and sustained support, these students risk falling behind academically, disengaging from school, and perpetuating cycles of poverty and instability, Kemp said.
In the Hodgdon school district alone, the number of homeless or near homeless students has doubled since last year from 12 to over 24, Kemp said.
“In the past three months we have served 90 families with $100,000,” Kemp said about the grant award.
The way it works, if a student is identified as being homeless or at risk of imminent homelessness, a referral from the school is sent to an ACAP housing navigator caseworker who reaches out to the student’s family and funds are dispersed based on the family needs.
For example, if a family is unable to pay their rent, the caseworker reaches out to the landlord regarding eviction and the funds are paid directly to the landlord. Or if they have had their electricity disconnected, the caseworker will have that turned back on.
Kemp said that she has had families reach out directly with thanks.
“Their lights were going to be shut off, or they didn’t have any water,” she said. “They didn’t know what they were going to do and they were so appreciative.”
While homelessness significantly impacts student attendance, Kemp said they noticed that the financial support has improved attendance and academic performance because students and parents are not worrying about whether they will have a place to live tomorrow.
Unfortunately, Kemp said, when the funds are gone there is no more to draw from: “When it’s gone, it’s gone.”
“We are trying to stretch it out,” Kemp said. “I don’t know if people realize how serious homelessness and the risk of homelessness is in the rural schools. Out of my 500 students, 30 are living in substandard housing.”
Last week, state legislators passed LD 384, An Act to Prevent Homelessness, in both the House and Senate. If funded, it would provide $750 to families of students at risk of being homeless.
