WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining legislation that would help public service providers like first responders and teachers afford homes and live in the communities where they work. The Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act would establish a new, one-time-use home loan program for law enforcement officers, firefighters, medical first responders, and teachers.

A recent study from a group of Maine housing experts found that Maine is now short more than 84,000 homes. The study also found that Maine faces serious challenges including historic underproduction, aging housing stock, future need, lack of affordability, workforce decrease, and a high demand of seasonal homes.

“Communities across America are facing a serious affordable housing crisis, including in towns and cities around Maine,” said Senator King. “The bipartisan HELPER Act would help public servants like first responders and teachers live in the communities they dutifully serve with a new home loan program, including the elimination of mortgage down payment requirements. There’s no one easy solution to our housing affordability problems, but this bipartisan effort would be an important step forward.”

The Homes for Every Local Provider, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act would:

• Create a new home loan assistance program administered by the Federal Housing Administration for law enforcement officers, firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), paramedics, and pre-K-12 teachers who have served for at least four years in their respective roles.
• Eliminate a mortgage down payment requirement.
• Eliminate a monthly mortgage insurance premium requirement.
• Include a 3.6% upfront mortgage insurance premium to help fund the program.
• Only allow for one-time use of the program by eligible individuals.
• Require reauthorization after five years.

Joining King on the HELPER Act are Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Boozman (D-AR), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).

Senator King has long been committed to ensuring Maine people across the state can access safe and affordable housing. He recently introduced the bipartisan Historic Tax Credit Growth & Opportunity (HTC-GO) Act and the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country – including thousands in Maine. He also worked with his Republican colleagues to improve affordability of rural homes and farms through introduction of the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act of 2023. Additionally, he has worked to expand affordable workforce housing on Mount Desert Island to support the economic development surrounding Acadia National Park.

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