The City of Portland has streamlined the application process for the Rental Assistance Program and increased the amount of assistance available. The program is funded with supplemental CDBG funding made available through the federal CARES Act and provides up to $1,000 in assistance for a maximum of 3 months, as well as up to $250 in utility assistance.

The new simplified application is available on the city’s website https://portlandmaine.gov/775/Housing-and-Community-Development, through the Maine Community Action Partnership website https://mecap.org/rent or by emailing The Opportunity Alliance ([email protected]opportunityalliance.org).

All information about the program is in English, however the city’s website invites those needing documents translated to contact Amanda Methot, Compliance Officer, Housing and Community Development for the City of Portland. When contacted, Methot offered to get the staff started with some translations right away, so they would be available by the end of this week. “Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to translate in every language that is spoken in Portland,” she wrote, adding, “French and Spanish can be done the quickest, so I will get those to you first, with Portuguese and Kinyarwanda following.” Methot’s email address is: [email protected] for those who need other translations.

The City’s program is separate from rental assistance programs being offered through the State of Maine/MaineHousing and Cumberland County. Because the programs are funded through the same U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Program, Federal rules prohibit residents of Portland from accessing funding through the state and county programs. Opportunity Alliance administers all three programs.