For thousands of Mainers with disabilities, home and community-based services (HCBS) are not luxuries—they are lifelines.

These Medicaid-funded programs make it possible for people to attend day programs like STRIVE, access medical care, eat healthy meals, and participate in their communities with dignity and autonomy. But now, due to cuts in federal Medicaid funding, those very services are in danger of disappearing.

Parents like Maura McDermott, whose daughter Olivia relies on HCBS to live fully with Down syndrome, are terrified of what’s coming. “If the money gets cut,” she says, “they can’t hire the staff—and if they can’t hire the staff, the program goes away.” Without that support, people with disabilities are at risk of being forced into institutions or isolated at home.

This isn’t just about budgets. It’s about human rights, safety, and inclusion. It’s about making sure Maine doesn’t abandon the very people it promised to support.

We call on Governor Janet Mills, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and legislative leaders to immediately:

• Publicly commit to protecting HCBS funding in Maine;
• Create a state-level emergency fund to stabilize disability service providers if federal support is delayed or reduced;
• Increase provider reimbursement rates so staff can be recruited and retained;
• Center the voices of disabled Mainers and families in all funding decisions.

Programs like STRIVE, OHI, and others keep people connected, cared for, and visible. If we let them collapse, we risk losing decades of progress in disability rights.

Sign now to demand Maine protect disability services and invest in important, accessible community services for everyone.