Mainers urge lawmakers to approve zoning bill in bid to address devastating housing crisis
As the state’s housing crisis threatens to spiral out of control, a wide cross-section of Mainers urged the legislature during a public hearing Monday to pass a bill that would help address certain aspects of the problem by reforming zoning laws and cutting red tape that often prevents the development of affordable units.
The numbers behind Maine’s housing crisis are stark. The state is experiencing a shortage of about 20,000 affordable options and around 25,000 Maine households are on a waitlist for federal Section 8 housing vouchers. In addition, nearly 60% of renters in the state spend half their income on housing.
Low-income Mainers are bearing the brunt of the crisis. A study from 2021 found that the average wage needed in the state to afford a two-bedroom rental home was $21.39 an hour, far above Maine’s $12.75 an hour minimum wage.
To meet the housing demand in the state, Maine must build 1,000 affordable units annually, advocates say. But recently, the state has been building an average of just 250 a year, except last year when that number rose to a little over 500.
Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/mainers-urge-lawmakers-to-approve-zoning-bill-in-bid-to-address-devastating-housing-crisis/
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