Home : Rental Assistance

With rents rising faster than incomes, rental housing costs are increasingly out of reach for many lower income Maine people. Rental assistance, either in the form of housing choice vouchers or subsidized apartments, can help. Vouchers can help pay your rent in the apartment of your choice. Subsidized apartments provide qualified tenants affordable (usually below market) rents. Waiting lists can be long, so you may want to apply for both kinds of help.

Voucher Programs
Under these programs, people who are income-eligible pay a percentage of their incomes toward rent and government subsidies pay the rest.

		Housing Choice Vouchers
		MaineHousing’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental assistance to income eligible tenants by subsidizing a portion of their monthly rents and paying it directly to their landlords. MaineHousing offers this program in areas of Maine that are not served by local housing authorities.

		Rental Assistance Coupon Plus
		The Rental Assistance Coupon Plus Program (RAC+ Program) offers rental assistance to eligible people who have been homeless for seven or more consecutive days and who are willing to participate in a self-sufficiency program.

		Family Self-Sufficiency Program
		The FSS Program helps families that have Housing Choice Vouchers to start savings accounts and find jobs. Having a job and savings will help you to become independent. It is way to invest in your future. With FSS, you can finish school, find a better job, or start a business. You can get care for your children or transportation that you need to keep your job.

Related Rental Information

		Subsidized Apartments
		With financing from MaineHousing and other government sources, affordable apartments have been developed across the State. MaineHousing provides landlord contact information for these apartments to prospective tenants.