Mainely Empowering Foundation launched its first program on July 1, 2026. This page is a plain account of what we do, who we serve, and what we will report — including what we don’t know yet.
What we run
Mainely Empowering Foundation operates one program: Bridge to Stability.
Bridge to Stability helps households in Cumberland and York Counties, Maine who are behind on rent or a mortgage, or who have received an eviction or foreclosure notice and still have time before a court date. We work before an eviction is filed, while options remain — that is the whole premise of the program. Prevention costs dramatically less than rehousing a family after they lose their home, and it costs the family incomparably more to be rehoused than to stay.
The program has four parts, and all four are actually delivered:
- Case management. One person works with a household from first call through resolution — understanding the situation, mapping the options, tracking the deadlines.
- Direct outreach to landlords and lenders. We contact them on the household’s behalf to ask for a payment arrangement. This conversation alone frequently stops an eviction, before any money changes hands.
- Emergency financial assistance. When it is needed and funds allow, assistance is available once per 12-month period, up to $2,500, paid directly to the landlord or mortgage holder — never to the household. Where the arrears exceed what we can cover, we pair our assistance with a payment plan so the account is genuinely caught up rather than temporarily patched.
- Financial education. Every household in the program completes it. It is required, not optional, and it is where the change outlasts the crisis. We provide financial education. We do not provide credit counseling, credit repair, debt management, or financial advisory services.
Who we serve
Households in Cumberland and York Counties with income at or below 50% of Area Median Income for their county and household size.
We are honest about the edges of that. If a household falls outside our criteria, we say so quickly and refer them to a program that fits — MaineHousing’s Eviction Prevention Program, 211 Maine, or Pine Tree Legal Assistance. Everyone who contacts us receives a response and a referral, whether or not they qualify for our program.
What we measure
We track two things, and we verify both from case records rather than asking families to self-report:
Housing retained — the household’s lease is current or their mortgage is not in default, with no active eviction or foreclosure proceeding. We check twice: at 90 days, and again at 12 months.
The 12-month check is the one that matters and the one most programs skip. Reporting a placement or a 30-day number is easy. Asking whether the intervention actually held, a year later, is where results become uncomfortable — which is exactly why we committed to measuring it before we had any results to report.
What we will report, and when
Our pilot began July 1, 2026.
- September 30, 2026 — first 90-day outcomes
- July 2027 — first full 12-month cohort completes
We are not publishing outcome numbers before those dates. We have served households and we have data, but a program ten weeks old cannot honestly claim a track record, and we would rather be trusted later than impressive now. When the September report is ready, it will be posted on this page.
What we are, on paper
- Legal name — Mainely Empowering Foundation
- Status — 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, State of Maine
- EIN — 41-4450976
- Maine Charitable Solicitation License — CO17137
- Incorporated — January 2026
- Program launched — July 1, 2026
- Service area — Cumberland and York Counties, Maine
Board of Directors: Katiuska (Kat) Cabral, PhD, LSW, CSWM — President & Executive Director · Allan Phinney — Vice President · Lucas Ferreira Rodrigues, CFP — Treasurer · Tsveta Kalaydzhieva — Governance Officer · Jeremy M. Alas — Director · Jessica M. Alas — Director
Our organizational profile, including financial disclosures, is public on Candid, where we hold a 2026 Silver Seal of Transparency.
How we are staffed, honestly
Mainely Empowering Foundation currently has one staff member, its Executive Director, supported by a volunteer Board of Directors. Our program is deliberately limited to the number of households one person can serve properly.
We would rather serve fewer families well than more families badly. As funding allows, our first hire will be a case manager — and the households we serve will grow with the capacity to serve them, not ahead of it.
Contact
(207) 800-9066 · assistance@mainelyempoweringfoundation.org
We return client calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Serving Cumberland and York Counties, Maine.
Empower · Protect · Thrive