ROCKPORT, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) visited the Knox County Homeless Coalition (KCHC) Headquarters in Rockport for a first-hand update on their services – including the Hospitality House, a housing facility for homeless women and children; The Landing Place, a facility that provides a home base to homeless teens; and KCHC’s collaboration with Midcoast Habitat for Humanity.

“With Maine facing a statewide shortage of affordable housing in addition to food insecurity affecting too many of our citizens, the folks at Knox County Homeless Coalition are dedicating themselves to making sure Maine people don’t fall through the cracks,” said Senator King. “The optimism and commitment of the staff, and the variety of services they provide, make a tangible difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. They’re doing vital work, and I’m standing with them as we fight to make sure all Maine people have the resources they need to build a better future.”

The Knox County Homeless Coalition addresses homelessness in Knox County, as well as parts of Waldo and Lincoln counties. KCHC includes multiple services that work to break the cycle of poverty by helping people get back on their feet, and employs qualified case managers who help struggling families find stable housing, access food resources, and address all related challenges to support their clients.     

Senator King has fought to help Maine people access affordable, safe housing to provide a foundation for success. Earlier this month, he urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address the agency’s failure to protect tenants living in federally-subsidized housing from the cancer-causing dangers of radon. In July 2019, Senator King backed legislation which would expand and modernize the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.  In June 2019, Senator King introduced a bill to create a Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis. In March 2019, Senator King joined Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to introduce the Housing for Homeless Students Act, legislation which would update current law to ensure students who have experienced homelessness or are currently homeless can access affordable housing while pursuing their education. In February 2019, Senator King cosponsored the Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams Act (BUILD Act), which allows nonprofit organizations offering mortgage loans for charitable purposes to use certain alternative disclosure forms to satisfy disclosure requirements; the bill will help reduce the compliance burden for Habitat for Humanity.