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Mike Myatt is BangorHousing’s executive director.
Rising food prices, income inequality, homelessness, lack of child care and record levels of debt are some of the defining issues of our time. How we deal with those issues will define our generation. At BangorHousing, we’re helping our public housing residents write a different story for themselves. But we can’t do it alone.
Our residents can write that story because of our work with partners who are committed to making a difference in the lives of Mainers. We can do more, but only if we consider everyone and think creatively about how to solve the issues around affordable housing.
One of those solutions that BangorHousing is working on has come through our work with the John T. Gorman Foundation to enhance our Family Self Sufficiency program. It allows families to increase their savings while working toward career, education and personal goals. In the past year, 59 families in that program have increased their annual income by an average of $15,000. Sixteen people have graduated from the program and four graduates have moved on to home ownership. For these families, the results have been truly life changing.
Another solution we’re pursuing is in the construction of an Opportunity Center in our BangorHousing community. The Opportunity Center will house space for the entire family — while parents or caregivers take financial classes or meet with parenting groups, children will be watched in the same building thanks to our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor. The Opportunity Center is within walking distance for many of our residents. We’ve attempted to eliminate possible barriers for those without reliable transportation or child care options so they can have access to opportunities otherwise not available to them.
Building on the opportunities solutions, we recently teamed up with Eastern Maine Community College and the Eastern Maine Development Corp. to launch our Industry Exploration Academy. Students met with area employers, participated in career exploration in different industries and developed plans based on the careers that interested them the most. Of our first two cohorts, we have had 18 students graduate.
As we continue to develop a holistic approach to public housing, we know that more needs to be done at the federal, state and local levels to ensure that everyone, particularly those on fixed incomes, has a safe and affordable place to live. That’s why we’re prioritizing senior housing. We recently partnered with MaineHousing and private investors to open Blueberry Ridge, a 55-plus community. The 32-unit building opened last fall and has been at full capacity since shortly after it opened. We have more projects like this one on the horizon.
Everyone has their own role to play in helping the most vulnerable in their community. To some, these issues are abstract, but the next time you hear a story on the news or read an article in the paper about these issues, think on a micro-level — not about the statistics or the alarming need — but of your neighbors. Think of someone you love, and how you would help them if you knew they needed it. That could be as simple as offering to babysit while someone goes to an interview or helping a senior shovel in the winter or mow their lawn in the summer, or as big as supporting new housing in your city. No act or gesture is too small if you’re helping someone in need. We’re only limited by our imagination.
We have a housing crisis in Maine and nationwide that will require creative thinking to solve. If more action isn’t taken to fix these issues — whether it’s by giving people the tools to end generational poverty, helping people move out of public housing to a place of their own or building more housing for those in need — nothing on the federal, state or local levels will change. Let’s all write this next chapter together.
