2021 Goals

Avesta Housing believes that everyone deserves a place to call home. Our goals for the next year include:

• Goal 1: Provide infrastructure and services that allow seniors to age in place gracefully.
• Goal 2: Increase and improve affordable housing options for low-income residents, including families, seniors, and formerly homeless individuals.
• Goal 3: Create financial stability for homeowners through education and counseling services.
• Goal 4: Advocate for safe, affordable, quality homes for people in need.

Who We Are

We are a nonprofit organization driven by our mission to improve lives and strengthen communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need. We care deeply about people — those who urgently need safe, affordable housing and those living in the homes we develop and manage. Since COVID-19, the urgency around having a safe, stable, and affordable home has intensified. It is only possible to “stay safe at home” when you have a safe and stable home in which to stay.

We have four Core Values that sustain the work we do:

• Humanity: We care about people
• Stewardship: We manage our resources responsibly, efficiently, and sustainably
• Relationships: We seek meaningful interaction and effective collaboration
• Quality: We pursue excellence in all our work

What We Do

Our staff and board of directors are passionate about affordable housing and the positive impact it has on lives and communities. We focus on five strategic areas:

• Advocacy: We are devoted to addressing local, regional, and national affordable housing needs through strategic collaborations and in conjunction with our advocacy partner, the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition.
• Development: We collaborate with community leaders, building professionals, housing advocates, and financial partners to develop, acquire, and preserve hundreds of affordable homes each year.
• Property Management: We manage 100-plus properties and 2,700-plus affordable homes throughout Maine and New Hampshire. These properties vary greatly, but our philosophy managing them is consistent: we care about the people living in our communities and we care about the condition and performance of our buildings.
• Senior & Assisted Living: As Maine’s population ages, the scope of our commitment to affordable housing has grown to include those for whom a private residence is no longer an option. We have two assisted-living communities — Inn at Village Square in Gorham and 75 State Street in Portland — that offer personalized, affordable, and supportive living options for seniors.
• Homeownership: Our HomeOwnership Center fosters strong, thriving communities and personal financial health and stability through enriched financial literacy, improved personal financial management, and increased homeownership.

Support Our Work

Securing a safe, stable, and affordable home is critical to the health and well-being of older adults. Avesta Housing and its partners have embarked on a $2,000,000 fundraising campaign called the Silver Hearth Fund to provide vital support and assist the most vulnerable among Maine and New Hampshire’s older population in three ways:

• New Homes: To meet the growing unmet need for a safe, affordable home among low-income older adults, we will increase production and acquisitions of new homes.
• Resident Services: To help older adults age in place safely and with dignity, we will expand and strengthen support services for residents.
• Improved Homes: To ensure homes are safe, warm, sustainable, and affordable, we will increase our investment in the rehabilitation and modernization of our oldest properties.

Leadership

Dana Totman, President & CEO

Tony Cipollone, Board Chair: President & CEO, John T. Gorman Foundation

Board officers

Jonathan Culley, Board Vice Chair: Principal, Redfern Properties

Janice de Lima, Board Treasurer: Vice President, Community Investment Officer, Norway Savings Bank

Kimberly Twitchell, Board Secretary: Maine Regional President, NBT Bank

Board Members

Tim Agnew: Principal, Masthead Venture Partners

Peter Bass: Owner, Random Orbit

Andrea Dodge Patstone: Chief Operating Officer, Western Maine Health

James Elkins: Owner, Career Planning Services

Dr. Renee Fay-LeBlanc: Chief Medical Officer, Greater Portland Health

Katherine Griffin: Partner, Toole, Powers & Griffin, P.A.

Chomba Kaluba: Community member

Raissa Kaze: Community member

Gail McBride: Retired

Lori Parham: State Director, AARP Maine

Peter Pitegoff: Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law

Nathan Poore: Town Manager, Town of Falmouth

Arthur Sabiti: Cooperative Developer, Cooperative Development Institute

Jeffrey Shaw: President, Clark Insurance

Amy Smith: Founder & President, Healthy Homeworks

Douglas Stockbridge: President, Rollins Management Group, Inc.

At A Glance

Established: 1972
Employees: 238
Annual revenue: $49 million

Top funding sources

55.0% Private fees for service
34.8% Federal
6.1% State
4.1% Grants

Contact

307 Cumberland Ave.
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 553-7777

AvestaHousing.org
facebook.com/AvestaHousing
twitter.com/ AvestaHousing

Awards/Accolades

2020: Best Places to Work in Maine 2019: Best Places to Work in Maine; President & CEO Dana Totman / Catalyst Award / Portland Chamber of Commerce 2018: Best Places to Work in Maine; Best Property Manager in Portland / Portland Phoenix; President & CEO Dana Totman / Maine Business Hall of Fame / Junior Achievement; TD Bank Housing for Everyone grant

Mission statement

Avesta Housing improves lives and strengthens communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need.

Service Locations

Maine and New Hampshire

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