Portland Public Schools committee says state housing grants helped hundreds of families; urges continued funding
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Summary
Portland Public Schools staff told the committee that two state grants—PAP/FAP and SHOP—have helped hundreds of families secure or maintain housing, but staff warned funds are running out and called for continued state investment and staffing to sustain services.
Portland Public Schools staff told the district’s Public and Legislative Affairs Committee on Jan. 12 that two state programs intended to prevent student homelessness have provided rapid financial help and housing navigation for hundreds of families, but officials cautioned that the grants are time‑limited and cannot replace deeper housing supply or sustained staff capacity.
Grace Valenzuela, executive director for family and community engagement, said the district has used two separate state awards to provide direct assistance, case management and rapid stabilization services for students and families at risk of losing housing. One program—referred to in the meeting as the Preventing Homelessness Pilot (PAP/FAP), established under LD 384 and administered through the Department of Education—offers up to $750 per student per year for rent, utilities or repairs. The second, the Student Homelessness Prevention (SHOP) grant from LD 747, was awarded through Maine Housing and initially allocated roughly $759,670.43 to Portland Public Schools, with an additional roughly $95,000 later awarded as an extension.
Priscilla Bettencourt, the district’s McKinney‑Vento liaison, said FAP operated as a low‑barrier application process through school social workers: documentation is submitted by the social worker, reviewed by liaison staff and the finance department, and payments are made directly to city‑approved vendors. Bettencourt reported 607 approved FAP requests over the two grant cycles; she clarified that figure represents requests (families may submit more than one) and said the district has exhausted available FAP funds this week aside from small redistributed balances from other districts.
Corey Anthony, a housing navigator specialist working on SHOP, described eligibility and services: SHOP targets students identified under McKinney‑Vento or families with current eviction notices and covers emergency needs such as move‑in costs, security deposits, first month’s rent, rental arrears and some utility settlements. Anthony said the SHOP award supported staffing (a half‑time grant manager plus navigation support), and the district contracted with Project HOME (formerly Quality Housing Coalition) for landlord relations and housing searches.
As of mid‑December figures reported in the meeting, staff said about 144 family applications to SHOP represented roughly 281 Portland Public School students; about 63 families had been housed with district/Project HOME assistance, roughly 30 had housing maintained via arrears or utilities support, and about 50 families remained waiting for stable, adequate housing. Valenzuela said, overall, the work has helped “approximately 800 families” since the grants began, and she tied housing stability to improved attendance, emotional well‑being and academic engagement.
Staff emphasized that financial assistance alone is not enough. Bettencourt and Valenzuela highlighted recurring barriers: single‑parent households with constrained incomes, language barriers that increase exploitation risk, and the particular difficulty of finding accessible units for students with disabilities. They also noted that many families must seek housing outside the district to find an affordable unit—sometimes leaving the district entirely—making transportation and cross‑agency coordination part of the solution.
Committee members asked for demographic breakdowns (grade bands, race/ethnicity, economic status and disability status) and data comparing referrals to awards; staff said that data exist and would be provided. Multiple speakers urged the committee to document outcomes and share impact data with the legislative delegation as appropriations season proceeds. Speakers also noted statewide context: Maine Housing distributed $2 million in SHOP funds across five districts; staff said $4.9 million was requested by 11 districts, indicating unmet demand.
At the meeting close, staff and committee members agreed to continue legislative outreach to renew or expand the funding, to share detailed demographic and referral data with board members, and to sustain partnerships (Pine Tree Legal, Opportunity Alliance, Family Promise, Project HOME and others) that support referrals and legal/tenant assistance.
The district’s McKinney‑Vento liaison cautioned that the FAP allocation is exhausted and that SHOP remains time‑limited (SHOP funds were described as available through June 2026). Staff asked the committee to consider advocacy and continued investment in dedicated staff to maintain and scale housing navigation services.
The committee did not take a formal vote on policy changes but directed staff to gather and share demographic and budget‑balance details and to pursue legislative meetings to explain the programs’ impact.
