The Trump administration is withdrawing a plan that would have gutted funding for Maine homelessness programs. But Maine's support network for people experiencing homelessness faces a new round of uncertainty.
Under a new policy from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Maine was set to lose about $13 million for programs that provided permanent supportive housing and other services to people experiencing homelessness. The funding cuts would have put about 1,200 people at risk of losing their permanent housing and becoming homeless, state officials have said.
But this week, HUD told a federal court that it is rescinding that funding plan. The Trump administration said it will instead issue a new funding opportunity but has not given a timeline.
The uncertainty means many of Maine's homelessness programs are in limbo. A handful of Maine programs that provide permanent or rapid rehousing services are set to run out of funding this winter, Dean Klein, executive director of the state's Continuum of Care, told state lawmakers Wednesday.
As a result, providers are developing contingency plans, he said.
Meantime, Maine, along with nearly two dozen other states, are asking a federal court to intervene.
