03/21/2026
has the inglorious distinction of ranking in the top 10 states for deaths, and ranks 8th for involved overdose deaths.
We also rank 15th for our rate of homelessness (per 10,000 people).
This is not the way life should be.
We took it a step further and calculated the risk of overdose death for people who are "undomiciled/transient".
Unhoused Mainers are more likely to die of an overdose than housed Mainers.
By contrast, in LA county, folks who are unhoused are 46 times more likely to die.
Just take that in for a minute.
There are so many reasons for this - our high cost of housing, inadequate and diappearing rural healthcare, insufficient recovery capacity, and high levels of poverty all contribute.
We can fix this, but we chose not to.
Thankfully, the solution is right in front of us - according to two recent studies from Stanford (2025) and Harvard (2021) shelter significantly reduces crime, emergency rooms visits, and *mortality* when compared to people who are street homeless.
Shelter is a humane and cost effective way to get people off the street and connected to housing, healthcare, and community.
We could prioritize funding for low-barrier . Sadly, Maine has just four and one municipal year-round low barrier shelter which is woefully inadequate given the scale of the problem.
To make matters worse, our low barrier shelters cost about $150 a bed night, but receive something like $8 per bed night in on-going state and federal funding. We have to fundraise the rest.
And yet, along with our family, DV, and youth shelters, we fight for scraps from our legislature, and get almost nothing from our counties or municipalities (Portland funds its own shelter).
We need to stop thinking someone else will solve this.
No one is coming.
The rate of human mortality should shame us all.
We need to stop thinking of shelter as some dirty after thought and invest in it like lives are on the line.
Because apparently in Maine, they are.
