Migrants receive 2 years of rent-free living at new Maine apartments

The Maine State Housing Authority recently opened new apartments at a former naval air station base in Brunswick that will provide migrants with up to two years of rent-free living, funded by the state's taxpayers.

According to WCSH-TV, the city is opening 60 new apartment units in five buildings. The units, 24 of which are already completed, will provide up to two years of free housing to migrants waiting for work permits.

One migrant residing in the apartments told the news outlet that her new unit feels like a “palace.”

“In [a] hotel, there are rules and regulations," she stated. "In a shelter too, we have so many people. We share the kitchen together. We share the restroom together."

The rent for these units will be paid using state funds approved by the legislature. Once migrants living in the units are approved to work, they will be expected to allocate 30% of their income to rent, WGME reported.

The Maine State Housing Authority, an independent state agency, is leading the project. After the two years expire, the program will either be extended, or the units will be converted into market-rate and affordable housing.

Earlier this week, people gathered outside the apartments to celebrate the nearly completed project. MaineHousing executive director Dan Brennan stated, "This is a very unique solution to a very exciting opportunity in our state."

"We have thousands of folks coming to Maine who want to make Maine home. We're doing everything we can to help that situation," Brennan added.

Developers Collaborative, the builder of the apartments, said the remaining units should be open by the end of January or the beginning of February.

In less than one hour of the waiting list opening, 250 applications were submitted, according to Fatuma Hussein, the executive director of the Immigration Resources Center of Maine, the organization responsible for selecting migrants to reside in the apartments.

"For every unit that's been built, there are hundreds if not thousands of people out there that need that unit," Hussein said. "It's life-saving. It signifies hope. It signifies the beginning of a new home."

United Way of Mid Coast Maine, a nonprofit organization, plans to launch a volunteer bus ambassador program to provide transportation to migrants in the area.

The organization's executive director, Nicole Evans, told WGME, "It could be running to the grocery store or doctors' appointments or getting an incredibly important job interview."

According to WSCH, more than 1,600 migrants arrived in Maine last year.

The state previously built another 52-unit complex to house migrants in South Portland.

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