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Victoria Forkus is the managing director of Maine Community Action Partnership.
Congress faces a defining choice as it considers President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts: Will it protect the well-being of Maine’s people, or put it at risk?
We represent Maine’s 10 Community Action Agencies, nonprofit organizations rooted in every region and county of our state. For over five decades, we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with Mainers, helping hundreds of thousands of individuals and families — from Kittery to Fort Kent — meet urgent needs and build lasting stability. We don’t just provide services; we create opportunity, restore dignity, and strengthen communities. Our work transforms lives and makes Maine a more resilient, equitable, and hopeful place to live.
For more than 40 years, the Home Energy Assistance Program has helped homeowners and renters pay heating costs. In a state like Maine, heating our homes is a life-or-death matter. In 2024, the HEAP program served 52,210 households statewide — our families, neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
The Community Services Block Grant is a locally led program and the backbone of Community Action Agencies. Through CSBG, our agencies assisted 117,677 Mainers last year — helping children become school-ready, people advance in their careers, seniors remain in their homes, employees access transportation to work, and families avoid crises such as eviction.
According to 2024 Census estimates, 10.4 percent of Mainers — roughly 146,000 people in a state of 1.4 million — are living in poverty. In the same year, Maine’s Community Action Agency network served more than 80 percent of those individuals. This extraordinary reach underscores not only the effectiveness of our programs, but also the growing and urgent demand for them. As poverty persists and deepens, our work remains essential to the health, stability, and future of Maine’s communities.
Eliminating or reducing funding for these programs, as the administration’s budget proposes, will have an immediate and devastating impact on Maine’s most vulnerable residents.
Older adults, people with disabilities, veterans, and children will be left without critical support. More families will be forced to choose between basic needs like food, heat, and electricity. Seniors will face increased exposure to life-threatening conditions. Housing insecurity and homelessness will rise across our communities
Every year, CSBG enables the Maine Community Action Agencies to work with individuals and families. Any reductions to the existing funding levels would force us to downsize or eliminate core programs, reduce staff, and turn away families who are already struggling.
We would like to thank U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree for their longstanding support for these vital programs. And we thank them for their continued support now during this critical moment. This is not just an investment in services; HEAP and CSBG are an investment in the revitalization of our most underserved Maine communities. They represent opportunity and hope.
For more than 50 years, our network of 10 Community Action Agencies has walked alongside hard-working Maine families as they worked to achieve economic independence and social well-being.
Our communities cannot afford to go backward. We ask that you join us in ensuring the continuation of these programs, by standing with us, advocating for sustained support, and investing in the future of Maine families. Together, we can preserve the progress we’ve made and build a stronger, more equitable tomorrow for all Mainers.