New Mainers for Many Reasons

In her testimony to the Health and Human Services Committee in opposition to two bills that would create a 90-day residency requirement for General Assistance, Laura Harper, Maine Women’s Lobby’s Director of Public Policy stated, “People decide to move to Maine for various reasons: families may move here to be closer to a family member or for work-related reasons. We know of families who have chosen to move here because Maine is a safe place to raise children. Domestic violence shelters report that families also move here to escape violence in their previous homes. A woman may be applying for general assistance because of her very difficult decision to leave an abusive spouse or partner…  We cannot assume to know or understand the circumstances that families were dealing with in the states which they previously lived in. Nor can we penalize these new residents for their choice to join us in Maine by forcing them to live 90 days in situations that are possibly dangerous to themselves and their families. We must not erect impossible barriers that jeopardize the safety of Maine women, and we should not erect barriers for anyone who is exercising their right to relocate.”

Nick Blake, a writer living in New York City, and the author of the blog “What A Great Depression,” couldn’t agree with Harper more. In an April 2, 2009 post entitled “Maine is in for troubled times,” Blake argues that tough economic times are the worst time to restrict benefits to families.