HUD News

A $20 Million grant announced last week will be used for initiatives in Maine which include rent for families, preventing human trafficking, and providing tens of thousands of meals to the needy.

Out of all the funding, 60% of the funding will go to state agencies whereas the other funding will be divided between 14 organizations combating homelessness and domestic violence across Maine.

The smaller local organizations must receive funding to end domestic violence in Maine. Most of the money will be used towards the organization’s initiatives to provide housing and financial assistance for families and individuals escaping domestic and sexual violence.

Preble Street, a Portland-based organization offering a range of services including food, shelter, financial assistance, addiction treatment, and housing for veterans, has received approximately $2.5 million from a grant. This is the largest amount awarded to any nongovernmental organization, supporting their extensive efforts to assist hundreds of thousands of people in southern Maine.

Domestic violence and homelessness are often intertwined due to which many victims are forced to flee from these abusive living situations. Johansen and Kelley think that homelessness, domestic violence, and drug abuse are more systematic issues than organizations trying to combat them.

Smaller organizations find it difficult to seek federal grants as they have limited resources to apply for the funding.

Johansen said, “We are constantly applying for additional grants, additional funding streams. No one funding stream fully allows us to do the work. The organizations that get this HUD funding in Maine are doing some really crucial work, and, believe it or not, although this is a nice amount of money that’s coming in, it’s still not enough.”

Due to the rising cost of living and other economic and market trends, the federal grants today do not provide the level of aid they once did for smaller domestic violence and housing organizations.