2024 Build HOPE Report: Post-Secondary Support for Parents with Low Incomes in Maine

Parents want to provide the best lives possible for their kids, but too many don't have jobs with stable hours that pay enough to afford basic necessities. Post-secondary education for parents is one of the most effective routes out of poverty. The Build HOPE project, launched by Maine Equal Justice at the start of 2022, has granted flexible funds to nearly 500 parents pursuing postsecondary education as a pathway to economic security.

Within the framework of the Build HOPE Project, we're also conducting research to deepen the understanding of challenges faced by parents pursuing education as a pathway out of poverty, and the policy changes needed to support their success. Led by the expertise of Drs. Luisa Deprez and Sandra Butler, this 2024 report not only illuminates the complex realities for student-parents but also provides essential insights for policymakers and stakeholders working to help forge pathways to economic stability for Maine families.


    Higher Opportunity for Pathways to Employment (HOPE) is a higher education and training program for low-income parents, created in 2018 by the Maine legislature. Even with the critical support from HOPE, many students struggle to make ends meet. Find out more about the Build HOPE Fund and how to apply.


    Having trouble making ends meet? Help is available.

    Maine Equal Justice helps people in Maine get support for basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare.

    If you are having trouble making ends meet, you may be able to get support through MaineCare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), General Assistance, SNAP (Food Assistance), or other public assistance.

    Applying for benefits can be difficult and discouraging. We listen without judging and do whatever we can to help solve the problem with you. 

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      Learn more about the Peer Workforce Navigator Project!

      The Peer Workforce Navigator project is a three-year effort among community-based organizations (including Food AND Medicine, Gateway Community Services Maine, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Equal Justice and Prosperity Maine) in partnership with the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL). 

      We will connect people to good quality jobs, education, and training opportunities, help people navigate Unemployment Insurance and receive the benefits they deserve in critical times, and connect people with public benefits and worker supports (like Mainecare, food assistance, and childcare) that allow them to pursue their career goals.

      Learn more at workforcenavigator.org/!


        Policy solutions start with people.

        Effective advocacy to improve policies must come from real experiences and must be guided by people who are directly impacted by those policies. We partner with people who are struggling to make ends meet and work together to advance policy solutions to ensure that all Mainers have enough food in the fridge, a place to call home, and affordable health care.

        Together we work to increase economic opportunity so ALL people in Maine can get and stay ahead.

        Policy details matter

        Facts matter.Information is power. Data and research inform the policy changes we advance and support. 

        We know the law and can identify ways to improve it. We work with impacted communities, government agencies, policymakers, experts, academics, and state and national partners to gather the best information and to learn from the experience and perspective of others. 

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