In the final day of the session, state lawmakers agreed to provide about $4.5 million to Maine's homeless shelter network.
Shelter operators had been advocating for a permanent increase in Maine's shelter bed reimbursement rate, which hasn't been raised in nearly decade.
But the Legislature instead agreed to provide a one-time infusion to help struggling shelters stay afloat.
"We're working on a revenue model that simply doesn't work," said Katie Spencer-White, CEO of the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter in Waterville. "The math has to math."
The state's current reimbursement rate provides $7.16 per bed a night. A recent MaineHousing study found that on average, it costs about $102 a night to operate a shelter bed.
Non-profit entities typically make up the difference through fundraising, along with state and federal grant funding. Pandemic-era grant funding, however, has run dry, at the same time that shelters are grappling with rising operating costs.
York County closed its emergency shelter for adults earlier this year.
Homeless Services Aroostook runs two shelters in Presque Isle and faced a budget shortfall of $200,000 earlier this year.
Executive director Kari Bradstreet said the shelters received a grant from the city of Presque Isle to cover more than of half of the shortfall. Still, the shelters were at risk of closing.
Bradstreet said Aroostook County can't afford to lose them, because the next closest shelters are three to five hours away.
"Anyone who's experiencing homeless, it still falls on the community that they are a part of," she said.
Shelter operators said they're grateful for the one-time funds that Maine legislators passed at the end of session, but they will likely return to Augusta next year asking for a permanent solution to help them stay afloat.
"It's a breath of fresh air because we can breathe and move forward from here," Bradstreet said. "But we're going to have hit the ground running again in the fall."
