 |
| State Senator Tim Nangle of Windham has introduced legislation to provide critical assistance to help veterans overcome barriers to stable housing and avoid homelessness. FILE PHOTO |
“When someone serves our country, the very least we can do is make sure they’re not worrying about where they’ll sleep at night,” Nangle said. “Housing is stability, it’s safety and it’s the foundation for everything else. This bill helps ensure Maine veterans can live with the dignity and security they’ve earned.”
The LD 2135 bill would support the Veterans Flex Fund – an already successful program led by Preble Street and the Maine Homeless Veterans Action Committee, which includes the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, Volunteers of America, Vets Inc., Bread of Life Ministries and others. The program provides small but critical assistance to help veterans overcome barriers to stable housing, such as covering unexpected rental costs, offering incentives to landlords and conducting outreach to connect veterans with safe, affordable homes.
In his testimony at the public hearing, Dan Hodgkins of Preble Street emphasized to legislators that these efforts directly translate into housing for veterans, saying landlord incentives “allow case workers to quickly secure housing for homeless Veterans, as it separates them from other applicants in a competitive housing market.”
Hodgkins said that additional funding “would support landlord engagement for housing homeless Veterans, a critical piece of ending Veteran homelessness in Maine.”
David Patch, President of Maine Veterans in Need agreed with Hodgkins.
“As someone who has sat with veterans in their cars in the winter, walked through encampments in the woods and helped people navigate the system one step at a time, I can say this with confidence: Preble Street's work saves lives, and this funding helps keep that work going.” Patch said.
According to the organization VA Maine, some 236 homeless veterans in Maine found permanent housing during 2025, which is about a 10 percent increase from 2024.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs says about 52,000 veterans in the United States were without permanent housing in 2025 which amounts to a seven-year high. Most homeless veterans experience a complex set of factors influencing all homelessness including extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care. A large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. Additionally, military occupations and training are not always transferable to the civilian workforce, placing some veterans at a disadvantage when competing for employment.
The VA believes community-based allies, such as the ones cited in Nangle’s bill, can leverage VA resources – and their own assets – to expand veterans’ access to affordable housing, meaningful employment, household items, transportation resources and a wide range of other services.
Nangle’s proposal would bring more attention to the issue of veteran homelessness and will serve to further educate the public about how solutions can be found to overcome this problem facing Maine and will act to assist communities to track and quickly house homeless veterans through coordinated entry systems.
LD 2135 legislation now faces further action in committee.
Senator Nangle is serving his second term in the Maine Senate, representing Casco, Frye Island, Raymond, Windham and part of Westbrook. He serves as Senate chair of the Transportation Committee and sits on the Health and Human Services Committee. <
Hodgkins said that additional funding “would support landlord engagement for housing homeless Veterans, a critical piece of ending Veteran homelessness in Maine.”
David Patch, President of Maine Veterans in Need agreed with Hodgkins.
“As someone who has sat with veterans in their cars in the winter, walked through encampments in the woods and helped people navigate the system one step at a time, I can say this with confidence: Preble Street's work saves lives, and this funding helps keep that work going.” Patch said.
According to the organization VA Maine, some 236 homeless veterans in Maine found permanent housing during 2025, which is about a 10 percent increase from 2024.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs says about 52,000 veterans in the United States were without permanent housing in 2025 which amounts to a seven-year high. Most homeless veterans experience a complex set of factors influencing all homelessness including extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care. A large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. Additionally, military occupations and training are not always transferable to the civilian workforce, placing some veterans at a disadvantage when competing for employment.
The VA believes community-based allies, such as the ones cited in Nangle’s bill, can leverage VA resources – and their own assets – to expand veterans’ access to affordable housing, meaningful employment, household items, transportation resources and a wide range of other services.
Nangle’s proposal would bring more attention to the issue of veteran homelessness and will serve to further educate the public about how solutions can be found to overcome this problem facing Maine and will act to assist communities to track and quickly house homeless veterans through coordinated entry systems.
LD 2135 legislation now faces further action in committee.
Senator Nangle is serving his second term in the Maine Senate, representing Casco, Frye Island, Raymond, Windham and part of Westbrook. He serves as Senate chair of the Transportation Committee and sits on the Health and Human Services Committee. <
No comments:
Post a Comment