The three-bedroom, one-bath condominium on Collyer Brook Road in Gray is a bit of a fixer-upper. The driveway is crumbling, with large chunks of pavement missing entirely. The front steps are rotted, the privacy fence in the backyard is toppled and until a few weeks ago, there was mold and water damage in the basement.
Tackling the affordable housing shortage requires a myriad of creative solutions. Building new affordable homes is essential, but multi-family developments can take years to complete. Meanwhile, thousands of houses in Maine sit vacant due to abandonment, foreclosure, or other reasons. A new program administered by the Avesta Housing Homeownership + Financial Counseling department is an
U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) with Avesta Housing senior leadership staff at Porter Station in Portland, Maine, on Nov. 1. L-R: President & CEO Rebecca Hatfield, Resident Services Manager Nick Kjeldgaard, Sen. Angus King, Director of Real Estate Development Patrick Hess, HomeOwnership Center Director Nicole DiGeronimo, Senior Vice President of Finance & Administration Eric Boucher
Housing advocates in Maine said they’ll seek a dedicated, consistent stream of funding for new development initiatives next year, in the face of potential changes that could come with the new Trump administration. Developers have relied on variety of sources, including federal tax credits, to subsidize the building of income-restricted homes in Maine. State lawmakers
(L-R): Bangor Savings Bank Vice President & Community Relations Manager Gavin Robinson, Avesta Housing HomeOwnership Center Senior Financial Counselor Madisen Corcoran, Avesta Housing Vice President of Advancement Sara Olson, Avesta Housing Corporate & Major Gifts Officer Zoë Alexis Scott, Bangor Savings Bank Senior Vice President & Team Lead of Southern Maine Commercial Lending Diane Donaldson,
Helen Burns is a resident of Thomas Heights, an Avesta Housing affordable housing development in Portland. She volunteers to teach free sewing classes at The Root Cellar, a Portland-based nonprofit. Helen’s mother was a seamstress who taught her four daughters to make their own clothes “out of necessity” — skills that Helen now passes on
Deedee Garcia organizes the food pantry at Woodsedge, an Avesta community for older adults and people with disabilities in Alfred, Maine. It began when she visited the food pantry in town once or twice a month to pick up a box of groceries for herself and donated $10 to $20 for a second box, which
Jan Troisi, left, and Sylvia Archer display their scarecrow at The Common in Hampton Falls, N.H. Sylvia Archer and Jan Troisi are residents of The Meadows, an Avesta Housing development for older adults in Hampton Falls, N.H. They give back to the community as volunteer members of the Town of Hampton Falls Recreation Commission, a
Avesta Housing, the largest nonprofit affordable housing provider in Northern New England, recently honored the exemplary service and dedication of its employees with its Core Values Awards. The awards are presented annually to four staff members who exemplify Avesta’s core values: Humanity: Care about people Stewardship: Manage resources responsibly, efficiently and sustainably Relationships: Seek meaningful
Avesta Housing, the largest nonprofit affordable housing developer in Northern New England, received a $25,000 gift from the Mascoma Bank Foundation for a new program administered by the Avesta HomeOwnership Center that helps moderate-income households achieve homeownership and housing stability. The program, called A Path Forward: Homeownership for ME, is designed to create a pathway
Avesta Housing improves lives and strengthens communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need.
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