- Maine legislative committees are holding meetings next few week to begin the session, or some soon there after.
- The Governor released a draft budget that includes $30 million to expand affordable rental housing options for workers and their families through equal funding to the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. More here.
- The Revisor's Office will be releasing language for proposed legislation soon and MAHC will share relevant items.
- REMDINDER: You can sign up to receive notices of meetings and opportunities to testify for the Joint Select Committee on Housing here, or the permanent Labor and Housing Committee page is also updated with this information. Feel free to reach out to members to share our priorities to address housing, and thank them for their service on these committees. MAHC will share specific asks and talking points to reach out to them over the coming weeks and months as the legislative session moves forward.
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MAHC In the News: Bangor region needs to invest $5M annually to keep pace with housing demands
The research, commissioned by the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, suggests that as the regional population ages, more workers will need to move to Bangor and its surrounding communities, putting a strain on an already tight housing market. To meet those demands, the Bangor region will need to add an average of 300 homes or rental units each year to accommodate older adults and people moving to the area for work. But homes under $300,000 and units with monthly rents at $1,500 or less are expensive to build, and developers typically incur tens of thousands of dollars in debt to finance each one. “The reality is we as a state and as a nation really have underfunded housing for decades, and now that issue is really coming home to roost,” said Jason Bird, the housing development director for Penquis and vice-chairman of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition. The coalition worked with several local employers and organizations, including the city of Bangor, Northern Light Health and Bangor Savings Bank, to launch the study, according to executive director Laura Mitchell. Read the full story here.
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Join MAHC for Hill Day Meetings - March 23
As an NLIHC member, MAHC is supporting Maine organizations in participating in Housing Hill Day
More details coming soon, but please reach out if your organization would like to participate in advocating with Maine's Federal Delegation to support the production and preservation of affordable homes for all people in Maine. Simply click here. |
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Long-Range Planning for Health Equity and Prosperity using The Tools of Law and Policy - January 18, 1-3 pm - Brought to you by AARP Maine
ChangeLab Solutions, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that uses the tools of law and policy to advance health equity, will present about community-centered approaches to creating healthier, more equitable communities. Planning plays a central role in the health and wealth of all community members. Planning touches all aspects of our lives: how we get to work or to school, where we live, what services or resources are available in our neighborhoods, the availability and affordability of housing, and where our food comes and how we get it. However, the ways that our communities have been planned for have not always led to equitable health outcomes. To change these patterns of inequities in health and prosperity, the planning process must be inclusive and focus on equity. We will share key concepts for promoting health equity across all elements of a healthy community such as housing, public spaces, workplaces, schools, and transportation. The presentation will provide you with a framework to align policies that promote health equity in your community. Timing: Wed, January 18, 1–3 PM Registration In Advance |
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HUD 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report Finds Unsheltered Homelessness on the Rise
HUD has released the 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), Part 1, which provides estimates of homelessness in the U.S. The 2022 report estimates that approximately 582,500 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2022, which represents a slight .3% increase from 2020. The increase was driven by a rise in unsheltered homelessness, or people living in places not meant for human habitation, such as streets, parks, vehicles, or abandoned buildings. According to the report, unsheltered homelessness increased by 3.4% (7,752 people) between 2020 and 2022. At the same time, sheltered homelessness fell by 1.6%. Among people experiencing homelessness, 60% were staying in sheltered locations, while 40% were staying in unsheltered locations. Read more of this article here
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2023 MAHC Member Event Schedule Announced - See you Feb. 7
MAHC holds membership meetings every other month on the first Tuesday in February, April, June, August, October and December from 9 - 10:30 am in person. Members can add these events to your calendar here by clicking on "Subscribe to Calendar" at the bottom of the page. If you aren't already a member, but are considering it and would like to experience the networking before joining, reach out to MAHC here. |
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Find a New MAHC Member? Get a Gift.
We are launching a new MAHC membership promotion. If you help MAHC recruit a new member in 2023, you can get a free MAHC water bottle, and the sincerest thanks from the MAHC Board, and the thousands of Maine people that need a home.
Check out our membership list here and reach out to let us know who is missing that might be interested in a MAHC membership.
You can invite them to try out membership by attending a MAHC member event with you. Simply let MAHC know who you will be bringing here.
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