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We need urgent rent relief. People paying significantly more in rent this year aren’t living in a much improved apartment. It’s the same apartment, just hundreds of dollars more a month. A $14.15 minimum wage and the cost of living does not add up.
I stayed in an abusive relationship for four years because I knew that I could not do it on my own. When I finally got out, I had to leave the house I was buying. I had only three years left to pay. I lived in my car for a long time due to not finding a place I could afford on my own.
Now I help others find housing. I am the shelter advocate/housing specialist at Next Step. We see how much people struggle with rent and also how hard it is to get help, like a voucher. Someone might get a voucher but landlords won’t rent to them. We run into this all the time with people we work with. There is a stigma that exists for people that use services. It’s not right.
I feel if Mainers had a safe place to call home, there would be less homelessness, less domestic violence between families, and less crime. There needs to be more funding for things like domestic violence prevention and rent relief. Let’s put more money into housing and supporting people and less money into jails.
Brandi Mason
East Machias