Solutions

Maine ought to be a place where everyone has enough food in the fridge, a place to call home, and access to affordable health care.

In reality, many in our state are going without necessities and do not have a fair shot at getting ahead. People living in poverty face limited opportunity and a system that is, in many ways, rigged against them.

Poverty is not an intractable problem. Policy decisions affect whether people living in poverty gain economic security. In the richest nation in the world, the problem is not a scarcity of resources, it is a matter of priorities. Ensuring economic security for all Mainers must be a priority. Investing in people and communities benefits all of us.

Poverty and human rights are linked. We aim to reduce disparities in economic security and opportunity related to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, physical or mental health, immigration status, or background. If we are going to increase economic security for all Mainers, we have to shrink inequities in our institutions and systems. Find out more about how policy work is linked to racial equity.

Together, we advance workable policy solutions. We welcome your input and involvement in these initiatives to increase economic security, opportunity and equity in Maine. Join us by signing up for our email list and following us on social media.

Solution: advancing access to affordable health care

We helped lead the charge to provide access to affordable health care for 70,000 people in Maine through Medicaid expansion. At first, that meant building support through research, gathering data in Maine and from other states, and advocating at the Legislature to pass a Medicaid expansion law. When the Governor vetoed five legislative attempts, we helped bring national partners and over 100 Maine organizations together to advocate for expansion at the ballot box. 

• We organized Mainers who were going without health care, elevating their voices and their stories, and in response, nearly 60% of Mainers voted “Yes,” making our state the first to expand Medicaid by ballot. 
• When the governor still defied the will of Maine voters and refused to implement the law, Maine Equal Justice successfully sued—using clear deadlines we drafted into the ballot itself to ensure Executive accountability— and sent a meaningful message when it comes to the implementation of ballot initiatives.
• Now, we’re providing direct client assistance to Mainers who are enrolling in expanded Medicaid and working with Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services and community partners to successfully implement the law and get people covered under it, ensuring Mainers everywhere can access the care voters passed.
   

Solution: advancing equal access to Maine’s safety net

In 2015, against all odds, Maine Equal Justice preserved access to General Assistance (GA) for asylum seekers and other immigrants. The GA program provides vouchers for housing, food and medicine to Maine residents who cannot meet these basic needs. 

• Maine Equal Justice worked in collaboration with the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition and other stakeholders to mount a campaign against this discriminatory policy.
• We organized people to come testify at a rule hearing at DHHS when the Administration sought to change the GA rules to bar their access. We helped people access GA when they were improperly denied help, and we joined a lawsuit filed against the state on behalf of asylum seekers who were at risk of losing their housing and other basic necessities. We also helped towns and cities follow the law and advocated for other supports for people who fell through the cracks.
• We successfully advocated at the Legislature to pass a law to protect access to GA for immigrants. We then opposed the DHHS rule that implemented the law because it left many immigrants out who are protected under the law. We continue to work to fix the DHHS rule so everyone who is eligible can get this critical assistance when they need it.