I am writing this column the week before Christmas, knowing that it will be published in shortly after New Year’s Day. While this is certainly a joyous season for many, I want to acknowledge that it can also be a difficult time of year for many of our neighbors. I am thinking of these folks as I contemplate the work my colleagues and I will do in the Legislature in the forthcoming months.
Sometimes the challenges facing our community are obvious. Seeing neighbors who live in tent encampments or who are forced to sleep on the streets is a stark reminder that so many do not have a safe place to call home. How we respond to this crisis says a great deal about who we are. Unhoused people need homes, but there is a lack of affordable housing all across the state. Last session, I made it a priority to advocate for legislation to address this crisis, and this session I promise to do the same. I strongly believe that once stable housing is secured, folks will be able to more easily access essential support services.
Other challenges are more prevalent than we might like to think. Substance use disorder, particularly from the opioid crisis is impacting all Mainers across different communities, backgrounds, and socio-economic circumstances. The state has made some slow progress — drug overdose deaths are down in 2023 compared to 2022 — but too many families are missing loved ones. Maine has many people working hard to address the problem, but it remains persistent and complex.
There are no easy answers, but we can still take steps to make progress. We can continue to invest in evidence-based recovery and treatment programs. We can embrace opportunities like the one provided by federal funding for a recovery center in Alfred and the state can further invest in harm-reduction efforts like recovery services for all forms of substance use disorder including alcohol.
Some of us are struggling in ways that we cannot see. Many are battling mental illnesses of varying severity. Whether or not they are receiving treatment, it is too often a pain that folks suffer through in private. I will continue my work to ensure that the state continues to invest in mental health services and to ensure that a wide variety of supports are available to folks in need.
But for all of the struggles, there are also many good things happening in our community as well. Unemployment is low, inflation is coming down and wages are rising. I’m proud of the work our Legislature has done to address our state’s foundational needs and support of Maine families.
There is so much good in the world and so many people with kindness in their hearts. We’ve seen this time and again following the tragic shootings in Lewiston, where Mainers across the state have come together to grieve and support each other. It is with this spirit of resilience and compassion that we must move forward.
This time of year, I often reflect on the strength of community and the positive change that groups of people can enact together. I believe government, while imperfect, can be used as a collective expression of our will to lift our neighbors up. No matter what kind of nonsense might exist in the national political atmosphere of our country, I want to stand with those who lead with compassion and care in their hearts. We won’t always agree on the best path forward; that’s okay. People with good intentions can still accomplish a lot together.
Be well, and have a happy and healthy new year.
As always, please feel free to contact me at marc.malon@legislature.maine.gov or call my office at 287-1430 with any concerns you have on this or any issue.
Rep. Marc Malon is serving his first term in the Maine House, representing a portion of Biddeford. He serves as a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and the Labor and Housing Committee.
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