May 15: Bangor nonprofit to turn vacant buildings into housing for unhoused individuals
Nonprofit, Design Wall Housing, is currently looking to renovate a vacant building or home in Bangor for those experiencing homelessness. In addition, Design Wall Housing plans to offer rents that “align with voucher programs in the area.” Penobscot County commissioners have given a grant of $25,000 to help.
Read the full article here.
May 15: Portland to close emergency shelter at Expo in August
An official date hasn’t been set yet, but Portland officials are meeting next Monday to determine when to close the emergency Portland Expo shelter, which currently houses 300 people. Portland has a contractual obligation to close the shelter by August, so the city will need to start the decommissioning process. The city is working with other partners on opening another emergency shelter, but no locations have been finalized.
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May 15: Hundreds of asylum-seekers apply for Brunswick housing
A new housing development in Brunswick is set to open its first building in August. The affordable housing development Brunswick Landing is a 60-unit community for asylum-seekers. With five buildings set to open between August and November, Brunswick Landing currently has a full waiting list of over 250 families.
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May 15: YWCA in Bar Harbor buys 27 acres to create affordable housing
The YWCA of Mount Desert Island purchased a 27-acre plot of land in Bar Harbor with plans for an affordable rental housing community. The development will likely be divided into phases starting with affordable apartments.
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May 16: City removes Bayside homeless encampment in Portland
On Tuesday, the homeless encampment behind Trader Joe’s near the Bayside Trail was removed. Over 80 tents had been set up since January at the Bayside encampment. City-run shelters are currently full. The encampment was removed due to public health and safety concerns.
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May 16: Portland among U.S. News' Top 10 'Best places to live'
Portland was ranked number 7 for best places to live by U.S. News. According to the real estate editor at U.S. News, Devon Thorsby, “people are considering more than housing when they look at an area’s affordability.”
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May 18: Nontraditional 3i Housing project poses new challenges for Scarborough Planning Board
3i Housing project poses new challenges for the Scarborough Planning Board. The new project at The Downs in Scarborough would create more than 50 affordable units for individuals with disabilities. However, the number of appropriate parking spaces is a point of concern, and the Scarborough Planning Board is worried about the building’s smaller lot size.
Read the full article here.
