What a Maine experiment shows us about universal basic income
September 10, 2024
Published by Bangor Daily News | By Zara Norman
Decky Mbala came to Maine in 2021 with her daughter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Like many asylum seekers initially barred from working when they get to the U.S., she survived on General Assistance.
The day Mbala got her first paycheck, she lost the state and local aid that covered basic expenses. Without it, she did not know how she was going to pay the $1,300 rent for her Biddeford apartment. She had hit the so-called benefits cliff, the abrupt drop in public assistance as incomes get just above limits.
The Maine Association for Public Interest Law (MAPIL) auction is a time honored Maine Law tradition, one that has been going strong for 37 years. An integral part of this tradition is also the presentation of the Excellence in Public Service Award, conferred to a Maine Law alum who has dedicated their career to lawyering in the public interest. This year’s recipient, Victoria Morales ‘05, currently serves as Executive Director of Quality Housing Coalition, a Maine-based nonprofit devoted to tackling the many facets of the affordable housing crisis in the state
For the last four years, the authority has been circulating 17 housing vouchers for young people aging out of foster care. Now they are getting an additional 13.
More than 1,500 are queued up, hoping to receive up to $800 a month in rent relief and a one-time payment to catch up on back rent.
Maine Calling
