Aid groups and municipal agencies have been warning of the potential for mass evictions when a federal rental assistance program expires at the end of December.
Hundreds of asylum-seeking families currently rely on the federal Emergency Rental Assistance program, which is set to expire at the end of the month. Aid groups say that asylum-seekers are at a particular disadvantage because, under U.S. immigration law, they are not allowed to work in the U.S. until six months after they file their asylum case.
The growing number of asylum-seekers in Maine has spurred cities and towns to join forces and build more transitional housing for families in need. The Safe in Maine coalition aims to raise $2 million of the $43 million it hopes to receive in state and federal funding for some 200 modular housing units. Belinda Ray, director of strategic partnerships for the Greater Portland Council of Governments, said the temporary homes would help the approximately 1,000 people currently residing in emergency shelters and hotels throughout the region. .
With the federal Emergency Rental Assistance program coming to an end, city officials and nonprofits are especially worried about finding housing for at least two dozen pregnant asylum seekers.