We are actively working with public and private partners to develop numerous affordable housing opportunities in the Midcoast region.
KCHC is committed to addressing root causes of homelessness through innovation and collaboration around affordable housing. Lack of affordable housing continues to be the #1 reason people seek our services. In Knox County, the median home price increased by 28% in 2021 alone—the highest of any county in Maine. From 2018 to 2022 the median price of a home in Knox County rose from $211,000 to $375,000, an increase of almost 78%. In 2022, 75% of renter households in Rockland could not afford the median rent. In 2023 the median home price in Knox County rose to $450,000 putting homeownership out of reach of 80% of those who live and work here.
What We Are Doing
Last year, our housing specialists helped 106 individuals find housing despite the tight housing market in Knox County, a 51% increase over 2021. We are currently working with private and public partners to bring even more housing to the Midcoast area.
Collaborating with private and public partners at the state and local level, we acquired and are developing the two properties below to provide much-needed and varied types of affordable housing options in the Midcoast.
In addition to our Transitional Living Program which provides four efficiency studios for youth between the ages of 18 and 22 and emancipated minors, we are developing two properties which will bring an additional housing to 40+ people in the Midcoast area.
TALBOT AVENUE
Midcoast Habitat for Humanity, The Knox County Homeless Coalition (KCHC), and Maine State Housing Authority have teamed up to create this neighborhood community to serve as a model for other rural towns across Maine and the U.S. looking for affordable and sustainable solutions. Now underway with support from the Maine State Prison building trades program, the Firefly Field subdivision will provide as many as 40 people—children, families, single adults, and the elderly—with a place to call home. The neighborhood will include six cottages, two duplexes with multi-bedroom apartments, and three Habitat homes. There will be both rental and home ownership options in this diverse community, within walking distance of downtown.
DOWNTOWN ROCKLAND
This rental property includes two 3-bedroom apartments, which are in very short supply in the Rockland rental market. Through a private-public partnership, we acquired this property, which we rent directly to families, providing supportive services, including rental education and financial literacy, to ease the transition into the traditional rental market.