At Greater Portland Family Promise, we support families facing homelessness on their path to sustainable independence through a community-based response. Our vision is a community where every family has a home, a livelihood and the opportunity to build a better future.

Every day, we confront Maine’s housing crisis head-on, strengthening families’ chances for long-term stability. Through our Housing Navigation and Homelessness Prevention Program, we provide case management, transitional housing, rental assistance, food support and move-in help. Our work focuses on housing stability and family well-being, we connect families with health care, education, employment and other vital resources.

Maine has long been a place where newcomers seek safety, rebuild their lives and create better futures for their children, a state that has the slogan “the way life should be.” But for too many families, life here has become an uphill battle for survival.

The lack of affordable housing, the shortage of shelter beds, barriers to work and the lack of essential resources have created a humanitarian crisis. Under the Trump administration, this dire situation is deepening through policy decisions rooted in fear, exclusion and cruelty.

At Family Promise, we work with families who have lost everything — their homes, their stability and hope. What we are witnessing is no longer just personal hardship. It is a system actively pushing families deeper into poverty and homelessness.

Imagine being a family that has fled violence and persecution, risking everything to bring your children to safety. You arrive in Maine seeking refuge, but instead find shelters are full, affordable housing nonexistent and rents beyond reach. You face barrier after barrier while the rhetoric from the highest levels of government sends a clear message: you don’t belong here.

The Trump administration has launched an assault on immigrant families. Families that fled violence arrive seeking safety, only to be met with detention, deportation proceedings and indefinite legal limbo.

Humanitarian parole has been stripped away from many immigrants who had lawful pathways to apply for asylum. Even those who entered on valid visas now face the threat of immediate removal. Families are receiving confusing, fear-inducing emails demanding they leave — even when the notices don’t apply to them. The panic and heartbreak are real.

Immigration isn’t the only front under attack. We are watching proposals unfold that:

• Slash Medicaid and SNAP, cutting off healthcare and food.

• Reduce funding for Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Education.

• Eliminate FEMA funding for emergency shelters.

• Dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts designed to protect marginalized populations.

This isn’t policy. It’s punishment. This isn’t just an immigration issue. It’s a housing issue. A racial justice issue. An economic justice issue. And above all, it is a moral issue.

At Family Promise, we see firsthand the power of community. We help families rebuild their lives, but charity alone will never be enough. No nonprofit, no faith group, no city can solve this crisis without strong policies and real systemic change.

We need policies that reflect our shared values:

• Policies that fund affordable housing at every level, from shelters to permanent housing.

• Policies that expedite work authorization.

• Policies that protect families from discrimination and unsafe living conditions.

• Policies that recognize housing as a human right, not a privilege.

• Policies that fully fund SNAP and school meal programs so no child is left hungry.

The families I work with can’t wait for the next election cycle. Every day without housing is another day of trauma. Every delay in work is another day forced deeper into poverty.

Here’s my call to action:

• Talk about housing as a human right.

• Talk about the families being pushed into homelessness by policies designed to exclude them.

• When you meet with your elected officials, demand that families are seen, protected and included. Demand that Congress reject cruel policies and fund programs that shelter families, feed children, and create opportunity.

Families aren’t asking for handouts. They’re asking for a chance to contribute, to belong, and to thrive. And it’s up to all of us as neighbors, advocates and voters to make sure they get that chance. Let’s meet this moment with compassion and courage, not complacency. Let’s be the community that stands up, not the one that looks away.