Avesta Housing President & CEO Dana Totman recently gave a virtual presentation to the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and guests as the featured presenter at the Chamber’s monthly Eggs & Issues event. Totman gave a brief overview of affordable housing in Maine, addressed the current affordable housing crisis in the state, and gave 10
Dana Totman, who will soon retire as president and CEO of affordable housing developer Avesta Housing, on Wednesday said the need for such homes in Maine is at a historic level – and big changes in zoning, funding and attitudes are critical. “The need for affordable housing is far greater than any time in Avesta’s
Maine needs 25,000 more affordable homes, but even when it builds new housing, the elderly and others who need it most cannot afford it, the head of an affordable housing agency said on Wednesday. Dana Totman, the outgoing president of the nonprofit Avesta Housing, recalls a widower living in a farmhouse with a leaky roof
Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque remembers when he was a kid, riding around with his single mom, imagining what it would be like to live in one of the city’s nicer homes. Eight years ago, he bought one of their favorites, a stately white colonial perched on a hillside zoned for agriculture and resource protection. Built
PORTLAND — A surging population and highly-competitive market continues to drive up the cost of housing in Maine. Despite flurries of developments throughout the state, housing advocates have seen demand far out-pace available supply of affordable units. “Fundamentally I think what we have in our state is a mismatch of the housing we have is
LEWISTON — The developers behind a proposed senior housing project at the former Martel Elementary School say the project is moving forward after securing key financing. The proposed 44-unit senior housing redevelopment would reuse the aged school building at 880 Lisbon St., which permanently closed in 2019 before the new Connors Elementary School opened. Project
Dana Totman has announced his retirement as president and CEO of Avesta Housing, effective later this year. A lifelong Mainer, Totman has served as president and CEO for nearly 22 years, during which the nonprofit affordable housing organization has undergone tremendous growth. Under his leadership, the number of staff has increased from 60 to 300,
SOUTH PORTLAND — Avesta Housing and Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (BGCSM) have partnered to provide a unique after-school program in the Brick Hill neighborhood of South Portland that, if successful, may be expanded to other communities across southern Maine. Two days a week, staff from BGCSM provide on-site after-school programming to children
LEWISTON — The developers behind a proposed senior housing project at the former Martel Elementary School say the project is moving forward after securing key financing. The proposed 44-unit senior housing redevelopment would reuse the aged school building at 880 Lisbon St., which permanently closed in 2019 before the new Connors Elementary School opened. Project
PORTLAND (WGME) — The need for more housing is a crisis that’s only become worse during the pandemic. Maine officials are now looking to cut the red tape that can hold back housing projects. Click here to read the full article
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