Legislators, housing advocates call for action to address Maineâs affordable housing crunch
Some Mainers wait 8 years for housing vouchers Share Updated: 8:39 PM EDT Apr 27, 2021
Some Mainers wait 8 years for housing vouchers Share Updated: 8:39 PM EDT Apr 27, 2021
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Show Transcript state legislators say 30,000 Maine residents are on waiting lists for the states, 14,000 affordable housing units. While the state builds only 250 new units every year. We need to invest heavily and we need to be building 1000 units a year. Lewiston s raise up housing cooperative offers these affordable apartments for 15 low income households, and I have to tell people that it ll probably be 2 to 3 years before we have a unit that would be available to meet their needs for people in substance use recovery. These Augusta rooming houses with rooms with a shared kitchen renting for 100 $75 a week are usually full. I text them every single day in hopes
The Zoning Atlas developed by Desegregate Connecticut identifies the extent to which communities limit housing choices.
President Barack Obama once said, “a child’s course in life should be determined not by the zip code she’s born in, but by the strength of her work ethic and the scope of her dreams.” Yet we know where a child is born, and grows up, affects their future education, finances, and health. However, changing one’s zip code is not always easy. From the availability of affordable housing to systemic policies hindering mobility, there are a myriad of factors limiting families’ mobility. Now is the time to urge state lawmakers to support legislation to dismantle discriminatory practices and advance fair housing in Connecticut.
First published on Wed 28 Apr 2021 06.00 EDT
Alyson Graham raised three children by juggling multiple jobs and making tough choices about what they should go without. For more than 20 years, she made weekly visits to a food pantry, before going to the store to supplement the free groceries using food stamps and whatever money she had left after paying rent and bills.
It was a struggle to put nutritious food on the table.
“I always had two jobs when my kids were growing up, but still couldn’t make ends meet,” said Graham, 51, who worked minimum-wage jobs in call centres, bars and restaurants in Houston. “I couldn’t let the lights or water go off, and there were always other expenses like shoes and books, so I relied on food pantries and frozen food like chicken nuggets to fill them up. The system is so skewed, it’s almost impossible.”
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Alyson Graham raised three children by juggling multiple jobs and making tough choices about what they should go without. For more than 20 years, she made weekly visits to a food pantry, before going to the store to supplement the free groceries using food stamps and whatever money she had left after paying rent and bills.
It was a struggle to put nutritious food on the table.
“I always had two jobs when my kids were growing up, but still couldn’t make ends meet,” said Graham, 51, who worked minimum-wage jobs in call centres, bars and restaurants in Houston. “I couldn’t let the lights or water go off, and there were always other expenses like shoes and books, so I relied on food pantries and frozen food like chicken nuggets to fill them up. The system is so skewed, it’s almost impossible.”