Assistive technology, universal and green design will promote independent living in the heart of community
Scarborough, ME – MaineHousing has awarded $5.4 million in subsidies and a Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocation to an affordable housing development of 51 rental apartments at the site of a former racetrack in Scarborough, Maine. The new housing will feature “smart home ” and innovative technologies to enable people with disabilities to control their living environment in the heart of a vibrant community neighborhood. The first of its kind, supportive housing is being developed by Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and 3i Housing of Maine (3i HoME), a non-profit organization working to create independent community-based living options for people with mobility impairments and physical disabilities.
The development is gaining increasing interest because the apartments will be designed according to principles of universal design, green standards and the entire building will be the first of its kind with wired technologies for adaptable environmental controls and smart home functionality. The development will be located in the vibrant Town Center at The Downs in Scarborough, Maine. The community of affordable rental apartments will be home to 51 households in which at least one member is disabled. In addition to the private rental apartments, the project will feature a common living area for social activities, a designated workspace for human and health service providers and an entrepreneurial center deemed the mobility and assistive technology hub (M.A.T.H.) with extensive educational opportunities for assistive technology invention.
The state funding was part of a $30M funding package supported by Maine Governor Janet Mills and the legislature with $17.5 million coming from the first half of the 131st Legislature in 2023 and another $10 million coming from the recently passed state supplemental budget in March. The appropriation will help finance the development of 248 new affordable rental homes in six Maine communities. The POAH/3i HoME project is the largest family-focused project in the package. “This funding announcement comes on the heels of five recently completed affordable housing developments in Maine, with a sixth celebrating its opening next week in Madison,” said MaineHousing Director Daniel Brennan. “These funding awards are yet another clear example of the unparalleled support for affordable housing development that has been shown by Governor Mills and a bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers who have made the creation of safe, warm and affordable housing for all Maine people their priority.”
“People with disabilities who find themselves challenged to complete activities of daily living are at risk of institutional placement well before their time, said Paul Linet, Founder & President of 3i HoME. “Our residents will be empowered to manage their own lives in a supportive, accessible environment in the heart of the Town Center of Scarborough.”
“This new community is being built in what will soon be a thriving, diverse, mixed-income community near transportation, employment, shopping, social and recreational activities, and health-care services,” said Cory Fellows, POAH Vice President of Real Estate Development. “Residents will have accessible homes in the center of a vibrant new neighborhood.”
POAH expects to start construction in the first quarter of 2025 with an opening slated for the end of 2026.
“I have always believed that a home is much more than just a roof over your head, and with these new projects, we will make home a reality for hundreds more Maine families,” said Governor Janet Mills. I thank MaineHousing for its continued work to create safe, comfortable, and affordable places to live for Maine people.”
About 3i Housing of Maine: 3i Housing of Maine (3i HoME) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to create Independent living options for people with disabilities, through Innovative person centered assistive technology in an Integrated home and community-based setting www.3ihome.org.
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