Domestic Violence Resources and Safety for Single Mothers in Maine

What has changed in this update?

• Changing locks: Maine’s current law gives a qualifying survivor 72 hours to provide a landlord with a duplicate key after changing a rental lock. The older 48-hour statement was incorrect.
• Paid safe leave: Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave began paying benefits on May 1, 2026. Eligible workers may get paid time away to seek safety after violence; this option was missing from the earlier article.
• Court filing: Maine eCourts expanded in 2026, including Cumberland County in September. A person filing their own emergency PFA case does not have to use eFiling. In-person and email options remain available under court instructions.

Where to start if you are not sure what to do

Start with the issue that could affect safety today. That might be where to sleep tonight, how to contact a court safely, how to feed your children, how to keep your address private, or whether applying for child support could make the other parent more dangerous.

Quick reference table

Protection from Abuse orders in Maine

A Protection from Abuse order, often called a PFA, is a civil court order. It may order the abusive person to stop abuse, stay away, leave a home, stop contact, follow temporary child-related terms, surrender weapons when ordered, or follow other court-ordered limits. What the judge can order depends on the facts and Maine law.

You can ask for a protection order in person at a District Court or by email. The Maine Judicial Branch explains current filing instructions. The official court forms page has protection from abuse packets, including email filing packets.

If you file a Protection from Abuse complaint, Maine law calls for a full hearing within 21 days, although a judge can continue (reschedule) it. A temporary order is not the same as a final order. A final PFA order can last up to two years and may be extended if the court approves. Ask the clerk or advocate how you will get notice, how the other person will be served, and what happens if you cannot attend. Pine Tree Legal Assistance explains PFA basics.

Filing and fees: Filing a Protection from Abuse case is free under the current court fee schedule. For self-represented people, the Maine Judicial Branch offers an in-person packet and an email-filing packet. Email filing needs a safe email and phone number so the court can contact you. Sending forms does not give you protection by itself: a judge must review the request. Courts can have different eFiling systems, but people filing their own emergency PFA cases are not required to use them. Ask the clerk or an advocate which method is safest.

Housing, shelter, and staying housed

If you need to leave tonight, call the domestic violence helpline first. A local advocate can tell you about shelter, hotel options, transportation, safer pet options, and what to do if the shelter is full. You can also check MaineHousing’s emergency shelters page and call 211 for local shelter referrals.

If you rent, Maine law protects survivors in several ways. A landlord generally may not evict you because of abuse, stalking, or sexual assault at the home. Under the law, a qualifying survivor may end a lease early by giving seven days’ written notice for a lease shorter than a year, or 30 days’ written notice for a lease of one year or more, with the required proof. Rules on rent and deposits still matter. Read Pine Tree Legal’s renter rights or ask legal aid before giving notice. Do not assume that simply moving ends a lease.

Changing locks: Under Maine law, a survivor covered by the rule may change the locks at their own cost and must give the landlord a duplicate key within 72 hours. This is not a reason to give the person causing harm a key. Talk to a domestic violence advocate or lawyer about a safe way to handle notice, keys, and entry. Read the lock law.

General Assistance is a city or town program that may help with basic needs such as food, housing, temporary housing, fuel, utilities, prescriptions, and other essentials. Apply at your municipal office. If you cannot reach the office or have questions, Maine DHHS lists a General Assistance hotline at 1-800-442-6003.

For more topic-specific help, ASMOM has Maine pages for housing help, emergency help, and utility help.

Food, cash, health care, and child care after abuse

Leaving abuse can create fast money problems. You may need food, cash, health coverage, child care, diapers, gas, medicine, and a phone. Maine benefits are not domestic-violence-only programs, but they may help if your income, household, or living situation changed.

Start with My Maine Connection to apply for or manage SNAP, TANF, and MaineCare. Ask the state about Emergency Assistance and other help that fits your case; not every program uses the same application. Maine’s Office for Family Independence (OFI) answers eligibility questions at 1-855-797-4357, weekdays 7 a.m.–4 p.m. If an account, address, or device is unsafe, ask an advocate about a safe way to apply and get notices.

The Maine Child Care Affordability Program can help eligible families pay part of child care costs. Maine DHHS says CCAP helps eligible families pay for child care so parents can work, go to school, or participate in job training. The official child care page explains provider choices, applications, and contact options.

Ask your local advocate, WIC clinic, hospital social worker, or 211 Maine about diapers, children’s items, and postpartum care.

Child support, custody, and safety

Child support can help some families, but it can also create safety risks when the other parent is abusive. If you receive or apply for TANF, you may be asked to cooperate with child support rules. If cooperation could put you or your children in danger, ask about good cause because of domestic violence or sexual assault.

Maine law lets a TANF applicant or recipient ask for good cause not to cooperate with paternity or child-support enforcement when cooperation may harm the parent or child, including after rape or incest. OFI must tell applicants about this option. Ask how to request a decision, what proof may help, and how the office will protect contact details. Do not assume you must confront the other parent to ask about it. Read Maine’s TANF law.

Maine DHHS lists a Good Cause Verification Form for TANF and Parents as Scholars when domestic violence or sexual assault affects participation. Pine Tree Legal also has a good cause form that explains when it may help. Ask an advocate or legal aid worker before giving unsafe contact details or making informal exchange plans.

For Maine-specific next steps, read ASMOM child support and legal help.

Address privacy, work leave, and crime-related costs

Keeping your address private

Maine’s Secretary of State runs an Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) for eligible survivors who have moved somewhere their abuser does not know. It offers a designated address and free first-class mail forwarding. It cannot hide every kind of record or make a location fully safe. To apply, make an appointment with a trained Application Assistant through a local victim-services agency; the Secretary of State does not take direct referrals. Find an assistant on the official county list. Ask how to use the address for school, benefits, mail, and court papers before sharing a new address.

Taking time off work

Maine law requires public and private employers to grant reasonable and necessary leave, with or without pay, for certain needs tied to violence, including court, medical treatment, or services to address a crisis caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The work leave law also lists exceptions, so ask legal aid or the Maine Department of Labor if your employer refuses leave or retaliates.

New paid safe leave: Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave began paying benefits May 1, 2026. Eligible workers who meet the program’s earnings and coverage rules may receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave in a benefit year for qualifying reasons, including safe leave after violence. This is different from Maine’s existing reasonable, necessary violence-related job leave, which may be unpaid. The state worker guide explains eligibility and how to apply through the program administrator, Aflac. Ask an advocate how to protect your contact details while requesting leave. For an emergency, the usual advance-notice rule may not apply.

Costs after a crime

The Maine Crime Victims’ Compensation Program may reimburse some uninsured losses after a violent crime, including certain medical care, mental health counseling, lost income or wages, funeral costs, dentures, prosthetic devices, lock repair, security devices, and some security deposits. The Attorney General’s victims compensation page explains who can apply, what costs may be covered, and deadlines.

Deadlines and exceptions: For ordinary victim-compensation claims, the crime usually must have been reported to police within five days, and the claim generally filed within three years of the injury or loss, or within 60 days after finding the injury or loss if later. The board may waive time limits for good cause, with special rules for children. Some losses must first be billed to insurance or other payers. A police report is not needed just for Maine’s covered sexual assault forensic exam. Ask an advocate whether filing a claim is safe and right for you; don’t assume a late report always ends your options. See the official eligibility checklist.

Documents and information to gather if it is safe

Do not risk your safety to gather documents. Copies, when safe to keep, can help with court, shelter, benefits, housing, school, work leave, child care, and victim compensation. Tell the worker if you cannot get papers without alerting the abusive person.

For counseling, medical help, or support for a child with special needs, ask your advocate, MaineCare office, child’s health provider, or 211 Maine for local and statewide options.