affordable housing

There was little disagreement that more funding is needed but no consensus about how much of an investment the Legislature should make.

Avesta Housing, one of Maine's largest affordable housing developers, said it saw a 26% jump in the number households on its waitlist last year.

The plans call for the construction of about 200 affordable and 600 market-rate housing units in seven new buildings in Portland's Bayside neighborhood.

At the same time, park officials are gearing up for what they believe will be another difficult hiring season.

A nonprofit is taking over a few dozen rental units in Thomaston under a first-of-its kind model for preserving affordable housing properties. State officials and housing advocates believe that same model could be used to rescue the hundreds of other federally subsidized rentals at risk of being sold across rural Maine in the coming years.

MaineHousing is helping fund several developments in southern Maine that will be reserved initially for asylum seeker families, but advocates say it won't be enough to fully address the housing challenges of new immigrants.

New research commissioned by the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition suggests the Bangor region will need to add an average of 300 homes or rental units each year, and it will take millions of dollars annually to subsidize development projects.

Hundreds of asylum-seeking families currently rely on the federal Emergency Rental Assistance program, which is set to expire at the end of the month. Aid groups say that asylum-seekers are at a particular disadvantage because, under U.S. immigration law, they are not allowed to work in the U.S. until six months after they file their asylum case.

The home is made entirely from a wood-based material, which University of Maine researchers say is an inexpensive, renewable and recyclable building option.

The program was designed to distribute federal relief money to people who needed help paying their rent or utility bills during the pandemic, but it has been paused for new applicants last month amid rising demand for help and dwindling funds.