MAHC Member Event Featuring Maine Redevelopment Land Bank, Networking, Legislative Session Wrap Up, and Voting to Elect New Board Members
@ USM Glickman Library, Tue, Jun 4, 9-10:30 am.
Not a MAHC member? Join today. We rely on your membership to elevate your voice in Augusta and beyond.
Maine Housing QAP Update - MORE TIME TO SEND IN YOUR COMMENTS - MAHC Submitted During the First Round
The version of the QAP that was published by Maine Housing for comment on March 27, 2024 attached an older version of Appendix E and referenced older language in Sections 5A3 and 5A4. The intention was not to make changes to Appendix E and the corresponding Rule language, so it has been reverted back to the language that was in the 2023-2024 adopted QAP. Additionally, Section 5I3 referenced an older version of the QAP, which has been corrected to show only changes to the currently adopted language. Because of this oversight, Maine Housing must publish the correct version for a 30-day public comment period. Attached is the QAP with the corrections mentioned above. There are no other changes to the document. Comments submitted previously do not need to be re-submitted. Maine Housing will address all comments in June after this additional comment period. 2025-2026 QAP Draft.pdfMAPA 3 - Notice of Agency Rule-making - QAP.pdf
MAHC Housing Policy Conference
Coming up on November 13, 2024 at the Doubletree by Hilton, Portland. Get your sponsorship and vendor table today.
Webinar: Using the FY25 Appropriations Process to Fund Solutions to Homelessness,” 5/21, 2-3 pm
NLIHC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (The Alliance), and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) invite advocates for our series on advancing solutions to the homelessness crisis. This will address the federal appropriations process and how advocates can engage their members of Congress on the need for robust funding for affordable housing and homelessness programs. The webinar will feature Sonya Acosta from CBPP, Kim Johnson from NLIHC, and Steve Berg from The Alliance. Register Today
Maine Highlighted by NLIHC for Housing Investments that MAHC Introduced
From the Field - Maine Governor Signs Supplemental Budget with Historic Funding for Affordable Housing and Rent Relief and Provisions Advancing Racial Justice
Advocates in Maine are celebrating the state’s commitment to housing stability and affordability following the enactment of a supplemental budget with historic housing investments that was approved by the legislature on April 18 and signed into law by Governor Janet Mills on April 22. Among several housing provisions, the budget invests $20 million in new funding for affordable housing development and $18 million to pilot a rent relief program to prevent evictions and keep more residents stably housed. Additional provisions in the budget bill aim to strengthen Tribal sovereignty and better support immigrants, further advancing racial justice in Maine. Advocates worked tirelessly for over a year to build strong coalitions of impacted tenants and other stakeholders and engage with champions in the legislature to ensure approval of the new investments and policy proposals. Read more of this article here
USDA Financing Available for Farm Labor Housing
USDA Rural Development is inviting applications for loans and grants to build new housing and to repair, improve or modify existing USDA-financed farm labor housing. Across programs the agency is particularly interested in applications that will advance Biden-Harris Administration priorities to:
Reduce climate pollution and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.
Ensure all rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development (RD) programs and benefits from RD-funded projects; and
Help rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
RURAL AREAS SAW DISPROPORTIONATE HOME PRICE GROWTH DURING THE PANDEMIC - Harvard Joint Center For Housing
Home Values Rose Markedly in Most Counties
Home prices rose at an unprecedented pace after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the result of record-low interest rates, the continued aging of millennials into prime homebuying years, and a historically limited supply of housing available for purchase. According to Zillow, for example, typical home values in the US increased 36 percent between March 2020 and March 2023, from $244,000 to $332,000. But this rapid home price growth was not uniform geographically. The expansion of remote work enabled many households to look further afield for housing, accelerating migration trends away from larger, higher-cost places in favor of lower-density, lower-cost counties and rural areas. In a new working paper, "The Geography of Pandemic-Era Home Price Trends and the Implications for Affordability," Read in browser »
DECARBONIZING HOUSING: THE STATE OF US RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIFICATION
The fuels we use in our homes have wide-reaching effects: nearly one-fifth of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions come from the residential sector. The debate over mandating changes in these fuels has been hotly contested, however, as evidenced by the 2019 Berkeley, California policy to ban new gas hookups (which was recently overturned in court) and the fracas over a rumored federal ban on gas stoves. Nevertheless, residential electrification—the conversion of on-site fossil fuel use to electricity for households—was a central piece of the Inflation Reduction Act, whichdedicated billions of dollars to help households make the switch, and many state and local governments are prioritizing it as well. The current state of residential electrification can provide insight into how households living in existing homes will be affected by these policies and how implementation will be affected by current patterns of use. Read more
US Housing Conference - May 30-31, 2024, Dallas, TX
