• For housing assistance or to request new housing, call the Portland Housing Authority (located at 14 Baxter Boulevard) at 207-773-4753 between 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm

• For help with specific issues such as pest control, defective smoke detectors, repairs etc, first try to contact the landlord whenever possible about resolving the issues. The Portland Housing Authority site also has resources to help with issues that have not been resolved by a landlord. The Portland City Code Enforcer, 207-874-8693, can also help.

• For help in making requests or navigating the housing system, case managers can be helpful. Individuals with MaineCare can request case management in a variety of languages at Gateway Community Services. They are located at 501 Forest Ave in Portland, ME and can be reached at 207-536-1590. For individuals who do not have insurance, the Maine Access Immigrant Network (MAIN) can also help. They are located at 237 Oxford St. Suite 25A in Portland, ME and can be reached at 207-552-1800, info@maine1.org or http://main1.org/.

MaineHousing and Maine’s Community Action Agencies are accepting applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This program helps pay rent and utility costs for eligible renters affected by COVID-19. Maine’s Community Action Agencies are running this program in communities across Maine.

Program information and the application link can be found here: Emergency Rental Assistance for Covid-19

Opportunity Alliance Rental Assistance Program

• Through the Opportunity Alliance Rental Assistance Program, people can apply for 3 months of future rent at one time. For example, an eligible applicant can apply in March 2021 and the application could cover March, as well as April, May, and June rent.

• The program is for people who are having a hard time paying rent or utilities. Or if one or more people in your household has had financial trouble during the pandemic.

• The program may cover some utilities: electricity, water, sewer, trash, and heat. You may apply for help paying for utilities even if you do not need help paying for rent. Opportunity Alliance will need documentation that you owe money for those utilities.

• You may be asked for documentation of unemployment, job loss, hours being reduced, or other COVID-related income loss. You do not need to be on unemployment to get help from this program. Tenants should work to pull this information together so it is ready when they call.

Prosperity Maine's Housing Assistance Program

The Prosperity Maine Housing Assistance Program provides volunteers who will:

• Explain how apartment rentals works in the United States, especially leases.

• Help people fill out application forms for new apartments.

• Work with people to get Supporting Immigrant Tenants (SIT) loans from Infinity Credit Union for down payments.

• Teach people how to be good tenants and neighbors.

• Make sure people understand the law and their rights as tenants.

**To be eligible for this program, you must take ProsperityME’s Basic Money Management course.