Assistance
General Assistance
The Town of Sweden administers a General Assistance program for the support of the poor pursuant to Title 22 M.R.S.A. §4305 to assist needy residents, individuals, and families of the Town to meet their basic needs, if they meet eligibility requirements. General Assistance may include help paying for:
- Household or personal supplies (toiletries, cleaning supplies)
- Food
- Housing (e.g., mortgage, rent, room rent, temporary housing)
- Fuel & utilities
- Medical, dental, prescriptions, medical supplies/equipment
- Burial costs
Who is eligible?
You may be eligible for General Assistance if you do not have the income or resources to meet your own basic needs. You can apply in person at the Sweden Town office. If it is determined you are are eligible, assistance is provided in the form of a voucher payment to the vendor. The Town must issue a written decision regarding eligibility within 24 hours of receiving an application. For questions regarding the General Assistance Program, call The Maine Department of Health and Human Services at: 1-800-442-4305.
Food Assistance
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides a monthly benefit to help low-income households purchase nutritious food.
If you receive SNAP you may also be eligible to participate in Maine SNAP-Ed or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) For information and applications to see if you qualify, visit their website.
The Sweden Food Pantry serves the towns of Sweden, Lovell, Fryeburg, Stow, Stoneham, and Waterford, but they do not turn away any eligible individual or family.
The Pantry is open to the community on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, and is located in the basement of the Sweden Community Church, 137 Bridgton Road, near Sweden’s Four Corners (intersection of Rt 93 and Waterford Road).
Emergency food boxes are available. To arrange for emergency service, please call the Pantry at (207) 647-5735
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
- You may qualify if you are a: renter, renter with heat included, homeowner, subsidized renter with heat not included, employed or unemployed, or have income earned by wages or other sources.
- Download the current guidelines you need to follow.
- If you qualify for HEAP, you may qualify for many other programs. Our team will help direct you to those programs once your application has been approved.
Property Tax Abatement
Abatement is defined as a reduction in assessment (valuation) resulting in a lesser tax amount. Certain abatements are able to be granted only through the Select Board, while others are only able to be granted the local Assessor. Below are the various types of abatement requests that can be granted under Maine Law:
Overvaluation
36 M.R.S.A. § 841 – If a taxpayer believes their valuation is too high, the taxpayer’s only remedy is to submit a written application to the Town’s assessors stating the grounds for abatement. This can only be done after the commitment of taxes for that year. The assessors may also grant an abatement on their own initiative; the Select Board has no authority to grant an abatement based on a claim of overvaluation.
Illegality, Error, or Irregularity
36 M.R.S.A. § 841 authorizes municipal officers to grant an abatement upon written application at any time after one year, but within three years of the commitment of the tax to correct any illegality, irregularity, or error in the assessment. Assessors may also grant an abatement on these grounds within one year of commitment.
Abatement Due to Poverty or Infirmity
Per Maine State Statute 36 M.R.S.A. § 841, taxpayers who, because of poverty or disability, are unable to pay some or all of their taxes may seek an abatement under this section. The Select Board, not the assessor, are able to grant this type of relief. An application must be submitted, and the municipality must provide a written decision within 30 days from the date they receive your completed application.
Property Tax Deferral for Senior Citizens or the Permanently Disabled
The State Property Tax Deferral Program is a lifeline loan program that can cover the annual property tax bills of Maine people who are ages 65 and older or are permanently disabled and who cannot afford to pay them on their own. The loan program allows Maine’s most vulnerable community members to age in place and ensures that property taxes are still delivered to municipalities, requiring repayment of the loan once the property is sold or becomes part of an estate.
To be eligible for the Program:
- You must be at least 65 years old or unable to work due to a disability. In addition, all owners must have combined liquid assets of less than $75,000 ($50,000 if a single owner) and combined income of less than $40,000. For applications filed after January 1, 2024, all owners must have combined liquid assets of less than $150,000 ($100,000 if a single owner) and combined income of less than $80,000.
- You must own and occupy the property as your principal residence, and you must be receiving a homestead exemption on the property.
- You must own your property in fee simple, there must be no municipal liens on your property, you cannot be participating in a municipal deferral program, and there must be nothing preventing deferral in any federal law or rule.
To apply, you must file an application with your local assessor between January 1 and April 1: view/print application The municipal assessor will verify certain information, then forward the application to MRS for review. MRS will review your application and may request additional information from you to confirm your eligibility for the program.
More information can be found here.
Property Tax Deferral Programs
Sweden Town Office
