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SAVE THE DATE

Dec 5 - MAHC Member Meeting, 9-10:30 am, Portland - Sponsored by Norway Savings Bank

Feb 6 - MAHC Member Meeting, 9-10:30 am, Portland. Panel discussion on the Affordable Housing Investment Market. Want to sponsor this event?

Committee on Housing Public Hearings - 11/14, 10 am, Cross Building, Rm 216

You may watch a livestream of the meeting here. Zoom testimony can be given if you register here. MAHC supports all three bills up for public hearing in order to improve access to housing in Maine.

LD 1976 AMENDED "An Act to Update the Growth Management Program Laws" Rep. Sachs. Build Maine talking points.

LD 1134 "An Act to Improve Housing Affordability by Amending the Definition of "Subdivision" Under the Site Location of Development Laws" Rep. Boyle.

LD 772 "An Act to Establish a Process to Vest Rights for Land Use Permit Applicants" Sen. Pouliot. Advocacy kit from MEREDA here.

Sign Onto Letter to Sen. Collins for Housing Appropriations

Congress has until November 17 to approve final spending bills or face another government shutdown. The road to enacting a final FY24 spending bill with sufficient HUD funding is steep. New analysis shows that neither the House nor Senate bill provides sufficient funding to renew all existing Housing Choice Vouchers. Under the Senate proposal, as many as 6,000 fewer households would receive needed assistance, and under the House funding level, roughly 40,000 fewer households would receive assistance.

The House bill proposes funding HUD at $68.2 billion, a $6.4 billion (or roughly 10%) increase to HUD programs over previously enacted levels, while the Senate proposes $70.06 billion, an increase of $8.26 billion (roughly 13%) from FY23 levels. Yet HUD needs an approximately $13 billion increase in funding over current levels just to maintain existing assistance. Two ways to take action:

Add your organization to the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding's letter using this form.
Contact your members of Congress directly here.

Please note: This is an ORGANIZATIONAL sign-on letter, and your organization, not your individual name, will be listed as an endorser.

11/20, 10 am - Fireside Chat with Federal Housing Finance Dir. Thompson

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is responsible for ensuring the soundness and liquidity of the housing finance system through its oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system. Established by Congress in response to the Great Depression and currently consisting of 11 regional banks, the FHLB system is designed to provide low-cost loans to its 6,800 member institutions to facilitate mortgage lending, while also offering financing for affordable housing and community development projects. Last year, FHFA began a comprehensive review of the FHLB system to evaluate its performance over the past 90 years and to consider the role it should play going forward. Join us for a fireside chat with FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson as we discuss the agency’s findings from its anticipated report, FHLBanks at 100: Focusing on the Future, as well as the status of the housing finance system more broadly. ATTEND VIRTUALLY

MaineHousing 2024 DOE State Plan - Weatherization Program Public Hearing - 11/21, 9:30 am

A public hearing to comment on the 2024 DOE State Plan will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 beginning at 9:30 a.m. More information in the Interested Parties memo here.

Home Design Survey - By 11/27. Please share.

New MAHC member, Zero Energy Homes, is bringing a new, single family home product that is modularly built primarily with Maine forest products. They are looking for home design input from future homeowners. Are you searching to buy a home but having a tough time finding ANYTHING, let alone something that's right? What features do you need? How much space? At what price point?

Zero Energy Homes Maine and BrightBuilt Home are working together to design a series of single-family homes that are modularly-constructed, right-sized for customers' needs, and built to net zero energy standards. The homes need to be attainable and affordable to a wide range of incomes and lifestyles - from families starting out to safe and comfortable independent homes for seniors. Our builders and architects need to hear from you. Take the survey.

Efficiency Maine Hosts Stakeholder Meeting for Upcoming Multifamily Rebates for Retrofits

MAHC attended and provided input at Efficiency Maine's stakeholder meeting on the Federal Inflation Reduction Act funding that will be coming to Maine and their plan for providing multifamily property owners with funds for efficiency upgrades. Overview slides here.

Virtual Forum: Tuesday, November 14th, 2023, 4:30pm- 6:00pm ET

ADUs can enable downsizing/aging in place, increase housing choices, provide affordable housing for young adults who might not be able to live in the communities they grew up in and provide rental income to assist owners in affording their homes. Learn more about how you can make ADUs part of smart growth in your community. Our panelists will address your questions, from construction, financing, to permitting. The panelists:

What is the state of housing design in the US? In particular, how are architects responding to the warming climate, the affordability crisis, increasing regulations and construction costs, and the demand for new housing that better reflects today's demographic realities?

Join us for the release of The State of Housing Design 2023, a new book that examines themes in housing design, explored through over 100 recent buildings in the US. The event will feature panels with the book's editors, authors, practitioners, journalists, academics, and others (speaker list).
(No registration required to watch online)

AARP Advocates for Senior Electricity Pricing to Keep Aging Mainers Housed

The fight to keep utility rates fair is especially important in Maine, the state with the country’s oldest population. Our electricity rates are higher than the national average and they’re going up even faster than the inflation rate.
Older Maine residents shouldn’t have to choose between paying for groceries or paying to keep the lights and heat on. That’s why AARP Maine is fighting for reasonable utility rates, and we’d like you to get involved.
Join us for a free workshop that will provide valuable information about how to better understand your electric bill and how you can help us advocate for others in your community:
Portland – November 14, 10 AM to 2 PM at University of Southern Maine
University Events Room, 7th floor of the Glickman Family Library
Bangor - November 16, 10 AM to 2PM at the Bangor Public Library
Lewiston/Auburn - November 17, 10 AM to 2 PM at the Auburn Public Library
Every voice makes a difference in the fight for fair and transparent utility rates. For more information and to register for our free workshops, Click here.
facebook.com/AARPMaine | @AARPMaine | aarp.org/ME

MAHC ONLINE MEMBERSHIP SYSTEM HERE
Renew Your Membership- July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Create your directory listing with logos, additional contacts and more.

YOU MAY NEED TO RESET YOUR ORGANIZATION'S MEMBERSHIP LEVEL. Log in with your email address and set your password by clicking "Forgot Password". Please reach out if you have any questions HERE.