ILAP Testimony in Support of LD 211: An Act to Support Emergency Shelter Access for Persons Experiencing Homelessness

Testimony of Julia Brown, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project In Support of LD 211: An Act to Support Emergency Shelter Access for Persons Experiencing Homelessness

Senator Rafferty, Representative Sylvester, and distinguished members of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing. Thank you for the opportunity to write in support of LD 211.

My name is Julia Brown. I am the Advocacy and Outreach Director at the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP). ILAP is Maine’s only statewide nonprofit provider of immigration law and related legal aid to Maine’s low-income residents. Each year, ILAP serves over 3,000 individuals statewide, coming from approximately 100 countries around the world. On behalf of ILAP and our clients, I ask the Committee to vote “ought to pass” on LD 211, otherwise known as “An Act to Support Emergency Shelter Access for Persons Experiencing Homelessness.”

Homelessness is a racial justice issue -- communities of color disproportionately experience poverty, homelessness, and the effects of COVID-19. This is true in Maine, where Black and African American people make up over a quarter of Maine’s unhoused population but less than two percent of Maine’s population.

94 percent of ILAP’s clients are people of color, and many of our clients are experiencing homelessness. During this public health emergency, their circumstances are even more dire. Now more than ever we must make sure that everyone in Maine has a safe place to go when they need shelter.

Many of ILAP’s clients are survivors of trafficking or domestic violence. Shelters are critical and lifesaving resources for survivors, both adults and children. Not only do shelters provide a safe and warm place to sleep, but they also often offer comprehensive services survivors need to find stability and independence.

ILAP has had the privilege to work with staff at shelters across the state. Their work saves lives. They deserve and need more funding to keep doing this vital work. I urge you to vote “ought to pass” on LD 211. Thank you.

A PDF version of this statement is available here.