Funds targeted to New Mainers will help accelerate work eligibility
The flagging pool of workers in Maine is getting a boost from the Maine Department of Labor by funding the tools New Mainers and asylum-seekers need to become eligible for work sooner.
Hope Acts, a nonprofit that provides housing, English classes and other resources, will receive $276,000 to expand its work permit clinic and add new staff and interpreters.
Through the partnership, the clinic aims to support 1,000 work authorization applications over the next two years. MDOL is also deploying staff from the Portland Career Center to provide on-site career counseling services to help link people to jobs and training opportunities.
In 2023 alone, the work permit clinic helped process over 288 applications. In 2022, Hope Acts processed over 700.
In addition, MaineHousing will address barriers to housing by providing $100,000 in funds over two years to Hope Acts to continue its highly successful Asylum Application Assistance Program. So far this year alone, Hope Acts has helped submit over 140 asylum applications.
“All of our work at Hope Acts is focused on assisting new asylum-seekers as they move to independence, so these investments by the state come at a critical time because more and more people need help,” said Martha Stein, executive director of Hope Acts.
All Hope Acts programs are held at the Portland Public Library.
“With the large numbers of asylum-seekers coming to Hope Acts for help, the funding and the offer of space at the library came at a critical time,” Stein said. “The library staff has really gone above and beyond to help us and to welcome our clients.”
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