A new Maine law introduced by Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York) went into effect Wednesday morning after being passed by the Legislature earlier this year.

LD 384, also known as “An Act to Prevent Student Homelessness,” aims to provide direct financial support to students and families experiencing homelessness in Maine.

The law also establishes the Student Homelessness Prevention Program with the Department of Education, and will help students and families find stable, permanent housing, reducing their vulnerability to homelessness.

This is possible by using designated McKinney-Vento liaisons, which each Maine school has, with the ability to provide students facing housing instability emergency with financial assistance in an amount up to $750. McKinney-Vento is an organization that shares education and resources regarding student homelessness.

The law was championed by Rafferty, who was first elected to the Maine State Senate in 2020.

“Being able to run this bill through the Legislature, with the support from my colleagues, all the way to the end zone, makes this moment feel like a touchdown,” Rafferty said.

Rafferty spent his career teaching physical education at Kennebunk High School and also coaching the high school’s football team for decades. He considers himself dedicated to education and wellness of students.

In a testimony shared with the Senate in 2023, Rafferty told a story from his wife, Norma Nardone, who also taught at Kennebunk High School.

During a parent-teacher conference, Nardone told a 16-year-old student’s parents that the student had been falling asleep in class.

“The mom burst into tears and went on to explain that the family was struggling and would be homeless,” Rafferty wrote. “I can’t grasp the state of mind she was in while facing all of this.”

Rafferty and Nardone immediately got involved, looking for housing for the family.

At one point, with no housing available in the area, the couple considered taking the family into their own Kennebunk home.

“It was all my wife and I could think about,” Rafferty wrote.

Despite help from the community, the family ultimately suffered a brief stint of homelessness, spending nights in their car.

“They became homeless on a school night,” Rafferty wrote.

The family is now housed in a neighboring community, and the children are back in school, but it was this story that inspired Rafferty to introduce the bill.

“It is hard for us to understand what being homeless looks like,” Rafferty wrote. “The story I shared made it real for me.”

Student homelessness is on the rise in Maine.

According to the Maine Department of Education, nearly 2,200 students were experiencing homelessness in 2023, up from an estimated 1,384 students in 2018.

In May, Biddeford officials called for more state education funding to support students and families experiencing homelessness, citing a rise in student homelessness.

Biddeford-Saco Superintendent Jeremy Ray said he was seeing homelessness grow in Biddeford, creating unique educational challenges for students.

“We have to look at ways to help disadvantaged kids and make sure that as a state, we’re helping those in need,” Ray said.

According to Ray, approximately 64% of Biddeford students are considered disadvantaged.

LD 384 is aimed at helping those students. 

Biddeford Mayor Martin Grohman said the law is an important step to give students the stability they need to succeed.

“I know kids can’t focus on learning if they’re worried about where they’re going to sleep,” Grohman said.

In the story he shared with the Senate, Rafferty said the student who was sleeping in his wife’s classroom only did so because she felt safe to sleep there.

“School was her comfort zone,” Rafferty said. “She knew she was safe there.”

LD 384 received overwhelming support from the Senate, and was signed by Gov. Janet Mills in July.

“These guardrails help ensure that our kids don’t have to worry about where they are going to sleep or whether or not that place is safe,” Rafferty said. “They can just focus on being kids.”