on May 07, 2024

Mills Administration and MaineHousing Announce Launch of New Statewide Housing Data Portal

This press release was originally issued by the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.

 

Augusta, MAINE – The Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, the Department of Economic and Community Development, and MaineHousing today announced the launch of the State of Maine Housing Data Portal, a central repository of housing and community data to support planning and actions to address housing production needs across the state.

 

The online portal, now available at mainestatehousingdata.org, builds upon the State of Maine Housing Needs Production Study (PDF) released last year, which assessed the effects of historic housing underproduction in Maine, as well as estimated housing needs in the state going forward based on current demographic trends.

 

 

The portal compiles publicly available housing market, population, and economic data for Maine, such as housing supply, rental affordability, and homeownership access, as well as detailed demographic, income, and employment information. The data is sortable by state, county, and community, and is available for export and download.

 

Through the portal, Maine communities, housing organizations, and public can assess state regional, and local housing trends to maximize housing opportunities, inform housing discussions, set housing priorities, plans, and goals, and aid development of local ordinances.

 

“This new portal is an important resource for Maine communities to help inform and advance efforts to make housing more accessible and affordable across the state,” said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. “Addressing Maine’s urgent need for more housing requires a strong partnership between state, regional, and local governments. By providing ready access to the latest housing data and trends to support thoughtful housing planning and actions for the future, this portal is an investment in that partnership.”

 

“We are excited to join with the administration to offer this new tool for planners, developers, and housing leaders across Maine,” said Dan Brennan, Director of MaineHousing. “For the first time they’ll have ready access to current, detailed data to help set local housing production priorities, establish goals, and track progress.”

 

“In order to continue Maine’s economic growth, we need to increase our workforce, and ensuring appropriate housing stock is key,” said Heather Johnson, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. “This dashboard will allow stakeholders at all levels of government to effectively address housing needs in all geographies and at many income levels.”

 

Since Governor Mills took office in 2019, the Mills Administration has allocated more than $285 million to support the construction of homes in Maine, an unprecedented level of investment that has resulted in more than 600 new homes so far, with more than 1,000 homes under construction, and more than 3,000 homes in the construction pipeline at MaineHousing – the largest number in the agency’s history.

 

The supplemental budget signed by Governor Mills on April 22 and approved by the Legislature included an additional $30 million to build more than 260 new homes in Maine, through $10 million to the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program, $1o million to leverage Federal low-income housing tax credits, and $10 million for single-family home construction through the Affordable Homeownership Program.

 

The Study and the portal were prepared for GOPIF, DECD, and MaineHousing by national housing planning consultant HR&A Advisors, in consultation with housing stakeholders from across Maine and with authorization of the Legislature through LD 2003, landmark housing legislation signed into law by Governor Mills in 2022.

 

The State of Maine Housing Data Portal will be updated regularly. For questions about the Housing Data Portal or for guidance on its use, please contact the Maine Housing Opportunity Program at housing.decd@maine.gov.