The Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) last week announced that they have awarded over $13 million in state subsidies to create affordable housing apartment buildings in Lewiston and Portland, the state two most populous cities.
According to MaineHousing, the total $13.4 million in subsidies will create 129 affordable rental units across three different projects–two in Lewiston, and one in Portland.
The two Lewiston projects are Martel Phase II and Soleil I apartment complexes, both of which will contain 44 units and will be managed by the Lewiston Housing Authority.
The Portland project, led by Developers Collaborative, is to build 41 units of senior housing in the Time and Temperature building annex off of Preble Street.
“This state funding has allowed MaineHousing to significantly increase the production of affordable rental homes in Maine,” said MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan on Tuesday.
“We are grateful that these programs, initiated by Governor Mills and approved by the Maine Legislature, will help thousands of Mainers have a safe, warm, and affordable place to call home for many decades in the future,” Brennan said. “Without additional state funding or an alternative to it, MaineHousing’s current production pipeline for affordable housing will begin to taper dramatically in the coming years.”
The funding for the three apartment complexes marks the end of the availability of state funding for affordable housing development, as the resources approved by the Maine Legislature have now been exhausted, according to MaineHousing.
Across this program and two others–the Affordable Homeownership Program (AHOP) and the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program (Rural)–MaineHousing says they will have added 895 new affordable homes for purchase or rent in Maine, and a combined investment of $106 million.
