jennifer Hawkins, a Rhode Island expert in housing and community development, has been named president and CEO of Avesta Housing, a Portland-based provider of affordable housing. The appointment comes six months after Rebecca Hatfield left the organization to join Hancock Lumber, with Eric Boucher stepping in as interim president and CEO. Hawkins will start her role
Marny Smith, second from left, at the Maine Health Care Association “Remember ME” ceremony in Augusta, Maine, with (L-R) daughter Jen; Katy Smith, vice president of assisted living for Avesta Housing; and son Ed. Marny Smith, a resident of 75 State Street, was one of 32 people honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Jason is a single dad raising two daughters, ages 8 and 13. When their apartment was turned into an air B&B, they had to find another place to live – and the options were slim. “I was afraid I would become homeless and lose partial custody of my kids if I didn’t have a place,”
Avesta Housing, an affordable housing provider based in Portland, has tapped the former head of a Rhode Island developer as its new president and CEO. Jennifer Hawkins will begin her new role July 14, the company announced Thursday. She comes to Maine with more than 20 years of experience in the affordable housing realm, having
Avesta Housing is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Hawkins as the organization’s new President & Chief Executive Officer. Jennifer brings more than 20 years of visionary leadership and deep expertise in affordable housing, community development, and health equity. “Jennifer’s leadership is defined by innovation, strategic vision, and a powerful dedication to meeting community
Affordable housing presents a paradox. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates the nationwide shortage at 7.1 million affordable units, with the majority of states having 40 or fewer homes available per 100 extremely low-income renters. Yet despite this high demand, new affordable product is increasingly difficult to build. Add up the potential impact of tariffs, high
MAINE, USA — As homeownership continues to stretch out of reach for many, dozens of existing homeowners in rural Maine are facing foreclosure, according to court documents. The recent series of foreclosure filings is related to what are known as Section 502 loans, issued by the US Department of Agriculture. The loan program is aimed
Oscar & Ruth moved into their Avesta home in South Portland five years ago with their young daughter. Since then, they have flourished – Oscar, who has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, works full-time as a machine operator, and they have welcomed two sons to their family. Both Oscar & Ruth have obtained U.S.
Some of the hundreds of rural Mainers who bought their homes through a government loan program soon could be hit by what state housing advocates have called a “tsunami” of foreclosures, the origins of which remain unclear. For decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office has offered low-income, first-time homebuyers all over the country
The students in Nicole DiGeronimo’s first-time homebuyer classes are increasingly older with a little more money saved up. They still can’t buy a home in Maine. “These are people that probably never anticipated it would be so difficult to purchase a home,” DiGeronimo, who directs Avesta Housing’s homeownership center, said. These homebuying hopefuls, often aged
