March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Hot line helping Mainers avoid homelessness

A central Maine town is threatening to foreclose in February 1994 on a home owned by an elderly woman because she can’t pay her property taxes. The 80-year-old woman called the Homeless Crisis Hotline in Fairfield for help.

Jan Lightfoot, hot line director, advised the woman of her rights and put her in touch with Pine Tree Legal Assistance Inc., where staff are pursuing a tax abatement for the woman.

The call is one of about 700 a year logged by the hot line, which opened in 1991. It is a branch of Hospitality House Inc. of Hinckley, an organization that founded a shelter for the homeless, which closed two years ago.

The purpose of the statewide Homeless Crisis Hotline is to help people avoid homelessness, a problem that is on the increase in Maine, according to Lightfoot.

The hot line number is 1-800-438-3890.

Nationally, between 180,000 and 300,000 people are classified as homeless. This number includes from 61,500 to 100,000 children. Maine has an estimated homeless population of 4,000, according to figures from the office of Sen. William S. Cohen.

The majority of calls to the hot line are from the “working poor” on the verge of homelessness, according to Lightfoot. Many of the callers have children and are struggling to survive economically, often without state help.

Many “just need a little boost, financially or otherwise, to help them get through a crisis,” Lightfoot said.

The economic recession has increased business for the hot line, which logged close to 1,000 calls for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1993.

The organization has become well-versed in state laws that protect people on the verge of homelesness and in other crises, Lightfoot said.

For instance, a little-known statute that became law in late 1881 says towns are obligated to give homeowners a break on taxes if they can’t pay for reasons of poverty or poor health.

Hot line volunteers also advise callers on the obligations of towns to pay valid General Assistance claims. They also provide information on ways to avoid improper eviction and to remain in apartments despite lack of income.

Recently, a caller complained about a Somerset County landlord who had his tenants’ cars towed if they were more than 10 days late in rent payments.

The calls range from tragic pleas for help to offbeat, sometimes humorous, tales of bad luck.

Volunteers find it frustrating, on occasion, to be able to offer only referrals and advice, Lightfoot said.

“Sometimes it seems that’s not enough. At least we’re here, we know how to get help and we’re someone to talk to,” Lightfoot said.


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