Housing authorities across Maine to share $10M in federal money

A row of small public housing townhouses with very small yards in front

Photo / Maureen Milliken The Portland Housing Authority is one of 19 in the state that will share more than $10 million in federal Housing and Urban Development money to modernize and renovate public housing.

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By Staff

Housing authorities across Maine will share $10 million for public housing development and renovation, awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Capital Fund Program.

Some 19 housing authorities from York to Aroostook county will get grants ranging from millions to five figures to develop, finance and modernize public housing.

HUD provides Public Housing Capital Fund Program grants to more than 3,200 housing authorities across the country every year to spark housing development. The money has be used for that purpose, and can't be used for things like luxury improvements, direct social services or cost funded by other HUD programs.

Portland, which got the largest chunk of the money, $2.6 million, is in the midst of a program to not only add new units in the housing-crunched city, but also but also to renovate aging urban-renewal era public housing in East Bayside, East Deering, and other spots in the city. The authority manages 1,226 apartments and provides another 1,975 through subsidized vouchers, providing housing for more than 6,200 people.

This year's funding will be allocated, in order of amount:

Portland Housing Authority, $2,639,668;
Housing Authority City of Bangor, $1,575,346;
Lewiston Housing Authority , $1,033,168;
South Portland Housing Authority, $754,344;
Waterville Housing Authority, $554,547;
Presque Isle Housing Authority, $526,403;
Brunswick Housing Authority, $467,767;
Auburn Housing Authority, $393,593;
Brewer Housing Authority, $346,980;
Sanford Housing Authority, $298,780;
Bar Harbor Housing Authority, $296,928;
Van Buren Housing Authority, $252,941;
Bath Housing Authority, $243,485;
Fort Fairfield Housing Authority, $191,699;
Old Town Housing Authority, $194,142;
Ellsworth Housing Authority, $121,861.
Southwest Harbor Housing Authority, $115,874;
Tremont Housing Authority, $49,857;
Mount Desert Housing Authority, $40,560.

“Maine’s housing authorities provide an array of vital services to seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a news release announcing the funding. "I am committed to ensuring that the housing needs of all Mainers are met.

"This funding will help Maine housing authorities preserve and modernize homes and meet the needs of the individuals and families who live in them," said Collins, who's a member of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee.