Two months after launch and one month after moving to waiting list procedures due to high demand, the Maine State Housing Authority’s newly launched Eviction Pilot Program has made nearly $1 million in payments and is already committed for roughly $1.5 million more.
These figures, however, represent just a fraction of the total amount of funding that has been allotted for the program, totaling around $18 million, 12 percent of which is set aside for administrative costs.
The Eviction Pilot Program was designed to “help tenants who may be facing eviction and the loss of their housing” by paying tenants’ rent with taxpayer dollars that flow from Maine State Housing Authority to landlords.
Eligibility for the program is limited to households earning less than 60 percent of the local median income, paying no more than 125 percent of fair market rent in their area, and not currently receiving other forms of rental assistance.
As of this week, over 1,500 applications for funding have been received by the Quality Housing Coalition, the organization responsible for administering the program under a contract with the Maine State Housing Authority.
Of these, 183 have been approved with a benefit issued, while 140 have been withdrawn or denied.
The average monthly rent benefit provided thus far is equal to $761, while the average overdue rent benefit to date comes to $4,700.
The program’s online data portal suggests that based on these current estimates, the Eviction Pilot Program will be able to serve up to 1,225 eligible households.
The vast majority of benefits so far have been paid to landlords in Cumberland County — totaling $224,047 — closely followed by York County at $170,790.
The average monthly rent amount of applicants to the program similarly varies by county, ranging from $1,633 in York County to $805 in Aroostock County.
Statewide, the average income of those receiving benefits through this program is around $17,000 annually, or 34 percent of the state’s area median income (AMI).
75 percent of those participating in the program are earning less than $30,000, while 50 percent are earning below $13,000.
Of the applications that have been submitted, it is currently unknown for the vast majority whether or not an eviction is currently pending.
According to housing records, 142 applicants — less than the 183 applicants currently receiving benefits — are known to have an eviction pending against them, while 76 do not.
Despite 323 applications having either been approved, denied, or withdrawn, eviction status is only known for 218.
According to demographic information collected during the application process, the vast majority of applicants — 80 percent, or 1,224 — are White, while 154 are Black, 18 are American Indian or Alaskan Native, 13 are Asian, and 1 is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 104 applicants indicated that they would “prefer not to answer” questions about their race.
Women have applied for assistance through this program at approximately twice the rate of men.
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