Housing and Homelessness

Obtaining Housing / Renting

Homelessness

Running Away: You're Not Alone

Pregnant or Teen Parents

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OBTAINING HOUSING / RENTING

You can legally enter into a lease or rental contract for housing even if you are a minor. A landlord may have his own rules against renting to a minor, and he can refuse to rent to you because of your age. You can't make him change his rules, but you can tell him that the law allows minors to sign contracts just like adults. It is important to remember that it is illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to you because of your color, race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, having children, or receiving benefits (like TANF or social security). A contract with you can be enforced just like a contract with an adult.

If you are able to lease or rent, these links to Pine Tree Legal pages can help.

Rights of Tenants in Maine
Los derechos del inquilino en el Estado de Maine
Comprehensive review of the Maine landlord/tenant laws, with an emphasis on tenants' rights.

What Can I Do if My Landlord is Trying to Evict Me?
Steps you can take if you're being evicted from your home.

How to Get Your Security Deposit Back
If your landlord won't return your security deposit, read about the steps you can take to get it back.

How to Get Your Property Back from Your Landlord
Find out about the steps you can take to get your things back, if your former landlord is holding on to them. Includes sample court forms.

How Much Heat Does My Landlord Have to Provide?

Fair Housing for People with Disabilities
Frequently asked questions about fair housing, who is covered, and the basic rules.

Fair Housing: Your Right to Rent or Own a Home
El derecho a la vivienda: el alquiler o la posesión de una casa
Cadaaladda Guryaha: Xaqa Aad u Leedahay Guri Kireysasho ama Guri Iibsasho
حقوق الإسكان: حقّك لاستئجار أو لامتلاك بيتك
Logement Equitable: Votre Droit à la Location ou à l'Achat d'une Maison
Закон о справедливом жилищном праве: Ваши права при съёме или покупке жилья

Artist: Rose Contributed by Shaw House

One page fliers:
Fair Housing in Maine
Vivienda Justa en Maine
公平住屋法
Logement Equitable dans le Maine
الإسكان العادل في "مين"

You may have heard of "subsidized" housing programs. They are programs for poor or low-income families. With these housing programs, your monthly rent is based on your income. The landlord still gets the whole rent for the apartment, but an agency pays the difference between what you pay and what the full rent is. Your rent will be cheaper than if you rented an apartment from a landlord. Two types of subsidized housing programs are public housing and section 8 vouchers. Section 8 vouchers and Public Housing may not be available to you unless you are emancipated. However, some youth programs have vouchers and housing targeted especially for youth on their own. A youth shelter or Community Action Agency in your area may help you find these programs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a Subsidized Apartment Search to help you locate a subsidized apartment in Maine.

HOMELESSNESS

Homeless Crisis Hotline: 1-800-438-3890
There are shelters just for young people (i.e., kids and teens). They are:

• Preble Street Teen Center, Portland: 874-1197
• Lighthouse, Portland: 774-3073
• New Beginnings, Lewiston: 795-4077
• Shaw House, Bangor: 941-2874
• Sister Mary O'Donnell Shelter, Presque Isle: 764-4125

National Runaway Hotline: 1-800-231-6946

Maine Statewide Shelter Listing

The rights of homeless children are growing. Homeless minors, now called "unaccompanied youth," have the right to:

• enroll in school immediately by using someone other than a parent
  (Each school district should have a person designed to assist homeless youth. Contact the Superintendent of the District or Shelly Reed, Coordinator of Homeless Education, 287-5111)
• be assessed for disabilities and special education services at school
• special eligibility for Job Corps (16 to 24 years of age)
• special eligibility for Youth Services programs (14 to 21 years of age)
  (Contact the U.S. Department of Labor at 1-877-USA-JOBS)
• get MaineCare health coverage, if you are otherwise eligible
• get Food Stamps, if otherwise eligible
• get Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), if otherwise eligible

The National law Center on Homelessness and Poverty created an easy-to-read booklet about the Legal Tools to End Youth Homelessness. It is primarily an overview of Federal laws, that is, laws that apply in every state, and phone numbers to national switchboards and hotlines.

KIDS Legal Aid of Maine visits Shaw House, a homeless youth shelter in Bangor, on a weekly basis, and has an attorney who specializes in the issues of unaccompanied youth.

Find more information at Running Away: You're Not Alone

PREGNANT OR TEEN PARENTS

Elements Contributed by Shaw House

If you are pregnant or a teen or young parent, housing may be available to you through these programs:

22 Park Avenue
Portland, ME
Phone: 874-1129

Transitional living program for homeless young families. Parents work with a program case manager to set education and employment goals, learn parenting and living skills, and utilize the supportive services through The Parenting Place. Families may stay for up to two years.

My Choice
Portland, ME
Phone: 772-7555 or 800-640-7550

Residential and transitional housing for pregnant or parenting young women 18 or older and their children. Individual case management services, planning and support to achieve educational, vocational and financial goals, prenatal and parenting classes.

Stepping Stones 2
Houlton, ME
Phone: 532-6689

Residential Facility for homeless or at-risk pregnant and parenting young women, ages 15 to 25, and their children. Maximum stay 18 months. Must be eligible for MaineCare.

Stepping Stones 3
Houlton. ME
Phone: 532-6689

Transitional Living Program for runaway and homeless young women between the ages of 16 and 21 who are pregnant or parenting. Apartment rentals based on a percent of resident's income. Individual case management services, access to skilled staff and services. Maximum stay 18 months.

St. Andre Home, Inc.
Central office in Biddeford,ME
Phone: 282-3351

Housing in Biddeford, Bangor and Lewiston. Call the central office for information.

1. Biddeford Group Home: Residential care for pregnant and parenting single mothers, from 15 to 25; infants from newborn to two years old. Prenatal care, counseling, parent training, adoption services, after-care planning. Maximum stay 2 years.
2. Bangor Group Home: Residential care for at-risk parenting mothers, from 15 to 25, and their children, from newborn to two years old. Structured setting focusing on education and training, with individual and family counseling. Adoption services upon request.
3. Mary's Place in Lewiston: Residential care for single mothers, from 15 to 25, and their children. Individual and family counseling, parent training, group counseling, adoption services upon request.

The Community School: 236-3000

Family Planning Association of Maine: 1-877-326-2345