The Maine Housing Authority recently opened a new apartment complex at the former Naval Air Station in Brunswick that will provide up to two years of rent-free housing for immigrants with state taxpayer funds.
according to WCSH-TV, the city will open 60 new apartment units in five buildings. Twenty-four of the units have already been completed and will provide free housing for up to two years to migrants awaiting work permits.
One immigrant living in an apartment told the news outlet that the new unit felt like a “palace.”
“in [a] Hotels have rules and regulations,” she said. “There are so many people in the shelter too. We share the kitchen together. We share the bathroom, too.”
Rent for these units will be paid using state funds authorized by Congress. Once an immigrant living in a unit is approved to work, she is expected to put 30% of her income toward rent. WGME report.
The Maine Housing Authority, an independent state agency, is leading the project. Once the two-year period expires, the program can be extended or the units can be converted to market-rate affordable housing.
Earlier this week, people gathered outside the apartment complex to celebrate the nearing completion of the project. “This is a very unique solution to a very exciting opportunity in our state,” said Dan Brennan, executive director of MaineHousing.
“There are thousands of people coming to Maine who want to make Maine their home, and we are doing everything we can to help that situation,” Brennan added.
Developers Collaborative, the apartment's builder, said the remaining units should open by the end of January or early February.
Fatuma Hussein, executive director of the Maine Immigrant Resource Center, which selects immigrants to live in the apartments, said 250 applications were received in less than an hour after the waiting list was opened.
“For every unit built, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who need that unit,” Hussain said. “It saves lives. It means hope. It means the beginning of a new home.”
The nonprofit United Way of Midcoast Maine will launch a volunteer bus ambassador program to provide transportation for immigrants in the area.
“It could mean a run to the grocery store, a doctor's appointment, or a very important interview,” Nicole Evans, the organization's executive director, told WGME.
More than 1,600 immigrants arrived in Maine last year, according to WSCH.
The state previously built another 52-unit complex to house immigrants in South Portland.
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