The Bangor Housing Authority plans to bring 30 apartments to the city, along with support services to people with a history of chronic homelessness.
The project is one of five approved recently through the state's "Home for Good" program by MaineHousing. Others are in Auburn, Augusta, Sanford and Portland.
The non-profit Preble Street will provide 24/7 support services for residents on site. Mike Myatt, executive director of BangorHousing, said the project is the first of its kind for the city.
"Most recently the largest encampment in Bangor was closed, and many of those folks were rehoused,' he said. "But we know that without some level of supportive services, a continuing level of supportive services, those folks may be at risk to become unhoused again."
Myatt said the goal is to start construction on the apartments next year, and have residents move in by 2027. BangorHousing is still deciding on a site for the project.
Maine's "Home for Good" program has been more commonly known as "Housing First" in the past. There are three such existing properties — developments that provide housing and 24/7 support services — in Maine. All three are located in Portland, where Preble Street also provides social services.
The non-profit will provide social services at a fourth site in Portland. That project, which received municipal approval earlier this year, will be located at the site of the city's former Oxford Street shelter.
Ali Lovejoy, vice president of mission advancement for Preble Street, said those services help residents stay successfully housed in the long-term — and provide benefits to the neighborhood where the development is located.
"You get a better quality of life for the individual, but it's also cost savings to the community," she said. "If you're really serving people who have experienced real chronic homelessness, then those are people who had increased use of emergency rooms, increased contacts with police departments and sometimes [increased use] of incarceration."
On-site social workers may help residents reconnect with employment, establish routines, and provide assistance to those who suffer from anxiety, insomnia or mental health challenges, Lovejoy added.
