📰BIDDEFORD | OPINION | Responding to the Opioid and Homelessness Crises

By Marc Malon, Candidate for Re-election District 133

October 6, 2026, The opioid and homelessness crises both have complicated histories rooted in decisions made generations ago. Resolving them is equally complicated and requires leaders who are willing to learn every detail, put the time in to craft a nuanced solution, and then use their experience and savvy to get things done.

From 2011 through 2018, the LePage administration demonstrated a callous disregard of people suffering from substance use disorder. Leaders recognized that more was needed to prevent people from dying, to make recovery possible, and to prevent people from using in the first place.

This is why Maine amped up its approach to recovery and harm reduction. The state increased access to naloxone and expanded access to recovery resources. Expanding Medicaid in 2019 was important so that people could afford the care they needed. Then, recognizing an increasing spread of infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV, harm reduction efforts were strengthened, including the enhancement of syringe service programs (SSPs).

These programs have worked to reduce the spread of diseases. According to the 2025 Annual Report from DHHS on the program, last year SSPs collected and safely disposed of more than 2.4 million syringes. Evidence demonstrates that individuals participating in these exchanges are more likely to seek treatment for substance use disorder. Programs like these increase individuals’ connections to the community.

Fatal drug overdoses have been declining for four years. This is meaningful - hope is critical to recovery.

Fatal drug overdoses have been declining for four years. This is meaningful - hope is critical to recovery. - Marc Malon, Candidate for Re-election District 133

Amidst this improving outlook, are there problems? Yes.

The pandemic increased social isolation, leading to negative impacts from increased addiction to aggravation of behavioral health conditions.

At the same time, a bubbling housing crisis boiled over. Even folks with decent incomes found it difficult to find places to live, which meant that more vulnerable residents were acutely exposed and found themselves unhoused, leading to a homelessness crisis which we are still dealing with.

Biddeford and other service center communities are working hard to address it, but they cannot be expected to fight the problem themselves. It is not sustainable for some towns to do virtually nothing while the problem is pushed to service centers. Every community has a role to play, and there must be statewide solutions.

Biddeford is a safe and strong community. But needle waste and disorder, real and perceived, can tear a community apart. While predatory social media accounts like The Maine Wire provoke outrage without any intention of helping communities, waste like this cannot be tolerated. A family must be able to go to a park, hike the Eastern Trail, and walk on our city sidewalks without fearing exposure to hypodermic needles and other squalor.

The safety and dignity of all community members is non-negotiable, and everyone has a role to play in fostering both.

SSPs must be strict with program participants - all needles must be properly disposed of, period. Maine Access Points in Biddeford shares these values. They are clear about expectations, engage in regular cleanups, and are responsive if any waste is reported to them. Accountability must be shared across participants, providers, and community members.

The state should look at reducing the allowed ratio of syringes given out to participants. The current maximum is 100:1 and while that does not mean that every participant receives 100 syringes, that number is too high. It may have been reasonable to go high at first given spikes in infectious diseases, but that is not what is needed now. Some communities have moved to a 1:1 ratio. That is probably too low to be effective. Eliminating the program altogether would be unacceptable and only make the syringe waste problem worse.

We need to expand access to recovery. There is some good news on this front - York County is about to open 58 more recovery beds in Alfred. The easier you make it for people to access recovery resources, the more likely they are to stop using drugs.

People who are homeless need a home, or at minimum a safe place to stay. The worst examples of waste and squalor have been found at pop-up encampments, which need to be cleared but often people don’t have much time to clean up. We need more shelter space and housing first programs to help get people off the street.

And of course - we need to build more housing that people can afford. More housing equals less homelessness. It’s that simple.

The reactionary approach to a problem like this is to cut funding, but that only makes problems worse. Cutting funding for crucial entities like Seeds of Hope would make the homelessness problem worse. Eliminating SSPs will hurt public health. Cutting Medicaid cuts off access to necessary medical care which includes substance use treatment.

The strength of a community is assessed by how strongly its members are connected with one another. The more we lash out on social media, ignore our most vulnerable neighbors, and put up barriers to connection, the worse off we all are.

These are serious times which require serious people working toward serious solutions. I am running for a third term because this is my approach - I work for you, and I listen to everyone in the community. You should expect that of your public officials.

Now let’s get to work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rep. Marc Malon is serving his second term representing House District 133 in his hometown of Biddeford. He serves on the Housing & Economic Development Committee and the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. For more on his campaign, visit marcmalon.com. He can be reached at marc@marcmalon.com.