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DonateQuality Housing Coalition is a 501 (c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization.
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About Us
Our Mission
supporting and creating quality housing opportunities for those in need
Our Vision
every individual, family and child has access to housing, health, and financial security
The Housing Challenge
Maine is full of active and vibrant small town communities, brimming with restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, breweries, art, music, inland and coastal green spaces, beaches, and trails for all to enjoy. As Maine grows in population and economic productivity in the coming years, our communities are working hard to make space for new job opportunities within our innovative and resilient economy. The biggest obstacle to this growth, however, is the lack of housing.
According to a recent 2023 Maine Housing Authority report, Maine is currently in need of 84,000+ new units of housing today to meet the current and future needs of employees to live and work close to their jobs. With 41% of our 154,000 renters unable to afford the rent, 20,000+ households on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers, a statewide homeless population exceeding 4,000 people, and evictions rising to 6,000 per year, this is an urgent challenge that requires immediate attention.
Quality Housing Coalition was created in direct response to this challenge and is dedicated to opening new pathways to stabilize and access the housing people need to live, work, and raise their children. QHC centers its work around inclusive cross-sector community partnerships by working with municipalities, housing authorities, state and local leaders, housing and homeless advocates, nonprofit and for profit housing developers, tenants, landlords, property managers, and community members to create housing forward policies that provide quality housing for those in need in Maine.
Project HOME, QHC's flagship program, provides rental brokerage and scattered site tenancy management services with 60+ landlord partners in Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc, and Kennebec Counties.
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We are a 501 (c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization.
Board of Directors
Brit Vitalius
Brit has been representing buyers and sellers of multi-unit investments since 2004. He founded Vitalius Real Estate Group in 2011 to form a group of specialists to provide a full complement of residential, multi-family and commercial brokerage services to clients.
Brit is in his fourth term as President of the Southern Maine Landlord Association, a group which seeks to keep landlords up-to-date on important issues, trends and regulations. In the wake of the 2015 Noyes Street Fire, Brit became an active participant in multi-unit fire safety issues, and he was asked to serve on Portland's Fire Safety Task Force.
As a Realtor, he serves as a member of the Board of Maine Listings (the Maine MLS). Brit also enjoys his non-real estate community roles as a member of the Board of the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Trustee and Governance committee for the Portland Symphony Orchestra. The Vitalius team is also a proud sponsor of 2 Degrees Portland. In his free time, Brit manages his own portfolio of multi-unit investments in Portland and Yarmouth.
Brit grew up in Yarmouth, before he graduated from Harvard University in 1995. He lives in Yarmouth with his wife, Yasmin, 8-year-old son, Coltrane and 5-year-old daughter, Allegra. He enjoys mountain biking, tennis, and single malt scotch.
Heather Latham
Heather comes to QHC with a background in social work, nonprofit management, and communications. Currently, she manages compliance for tax credit and Section 8 properties for Westbrook Housing Authority. Previously, she oversaw a portfolio of 300+ units in Portland as a senior property manager at Avesta Housing. Heather believes safe and stable housing is crucial to the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. She has a MSW from University of Michigan, where she focused on program development and management, and a BA from Wellesley College.
Larissa Gahimbare
Larissa brings her expertise in working closely with families experiencing income and housing insecurity and the community support they need to be successful to her role as Board Member at QHC. She is a Human Services Counselor for the City of Portland Family Shelter where she facilitates and supports transitions out of the Family Shelter with the social services connections. Prior to this role, Larissa worked for the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Family Independence, and for FEDCAP Rehabilitation Services, a non-profit dedicated to create opportunities for people with barriers to economic well-being, specifically with Breaking the Cycle, a program with the mission to increase participation in work-related activities and achievement of sustainable employment for adults with families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Leah Bruns
Leah Bruns works with the Portland Housing Authority as Deputy Executive Director. In her position Leah is responsible for the implementation of all phases of the agency’s administration of approximately 2000 housing vouchers and 20 million in annual voucher funding. This work includes policy development, planning, and compliance for a wide variety of voucher types and initiatives. Leah holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the Muskie School of Public Service, as well as advanced certification in Research and Evaluation Methods, Social Policy Analysis, and Housing Choice Voucher Executive Management. Leah has 30+ years of non-profit experience in Maine, and has focused on building positive relationships, and creating innovative solutions to meet the needs of disenfranchised households throughout the state. Directly preceding her arrival to PHA, Leah managed the Homeless Initiatives Department for MaineHousing. In this position she supervised, led, and managed their day-to-day operations which provides data management, program monitoring, voucher administration, and oversight of more than 6 million in federal and state funds serving the unhoused population in the State of Maine.
Jonathan Culley
Jonathan is the founder and co-owner of Redfern Properties, a Portland-based multi-family housing developer. Redfern focuses on high-quality, energy efficient infill development. He has been developing housing in Maine since 2006. Jonathan also serves as Chair of the Board of Avesta Housing, Maine’s largest non-profit dedicated to providing affordable housing for people in need.
A Maine native, Jonathan has both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Duke University. He lives in Falmouth with his wife and three children.
Anna Melbin
Anna is an activist with more than 25 years working for social change and justice. Anna believes in the human dignity of all people, regardless of race, gender, zip code and other identities. And also believes that those with power and resources have a responsibility to invest in communities most impacted by racism and other forms of oppression. Anna’s career has spanned from direct services to research, state and national policy, capacity building and technical assistance, and nonprofit management. She has worked across diverse issue areas including domestic and sexual violence, housing and homelessness, child welfare, juvenile justice and criminal justice reform.
When not working, she travels for fun and finds balance living in Maine, gardening every day the Maine weather will permit, hiking with her partner, and cuddling with her dogs and cats (too many to name).
Marpheen Chann
Marpheen Chann is an author, writer, thinker, advocate, and speaker on social justice, equity, and inclusion. As a gay, first-generation Asian American born in California to a Cambodian refugee family and later adopted by an evangelical, white working-class family in Maine, Marpheen uses a mix of humor and storytelling to help people view topics such as racism, xenophobia, and homophobia through an intersectional lens.
Marpheen Chann lives in Portland, Maine. He works in the nonprofit and advocacy sector and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.
Quality Housing Coalition Staff
Victoria Morales
Executive Director
Victoria has spent most of her professional life working within under-resourced communities to find practical solutions to shared challenges. Having worked as an attorney within the State and local governments for many years, a pro bono immigration attorney, and a Maine State Legislator, Victoria brings her legal and systems knowledge to QHC's mission. Victoria also serves on the Board of Trustees of Mercy Hospital/Northern Light and the Board of Directors of Youth-LED Justice, a nonprofit she co-founded dedicated to reducing school suspensions and youth incarceration through restorative practices.
Victoria earned her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.
Rod M.
Director of Programs
As Director of Programs, Rod oversees the Housing and Financial Security Continuum that is Project HOME. A visionary with lived experience, Rod has been instrumental in the creation of Project HOME Trust, a direct cash assistance program for single mothers, Project HOME to Profession, a program that matches residents with employers, and Project HOME Ownership. During his tenure, the Project HOME team has grown and more than doubled the number of households we move into stable and affordable homes each month. Rod has a degree in International trade and transport, and experience in the logistics and relocation industry having worked for International Institutions in South Africa and the Republic of Congo. Rod believes that when we work together, we can solve the big issues facing our communities. He enjoys learning about social entrepreneurship and new technologies. Rod speaks English, French, and Lingala.
Dan Black
Chief Financial Officer
Dan has been involved in community development his whole professional career. In addition to his role at QHC, he also is a partner in LB Development Partners, a consulting company which works with non-profits to provide and preserve affordable housing through creative partnerships and risk-sharing.
Prior to working in real estate, Dan worked as a labor organizer in Vermont, for an organization that encouraged economic development through urban farming in Detroit, and had a brief stint at both Coastal Enterprises Inc. and Avesta Housing.
Dan moved back to Maine after receiving his Masters in Public Policy with a focus in affordable housing and community development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School for Government. He is the former treasurer of the East Bayside Neighborhood Organization and currently serves on Portland’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
Zoe Miller
Development Coordinator
Zoe is dedicated to building healthy, equitable communities through inclusive engagement and collaborative development strategies around mobility and housing security. Having served as a QHC Board Member, Zoe is intimately familiar with Maine's housing crisis and the proven community conditions investments needed to solve it.
Lucas Schrage
Project HOME Manager
Lucas cares deeply about housing and brings with him a background in Section 8 special programs, having administered Housing Choice Vouchers for homeless and disabled families in the Greater Portland metro area. Having earned his BA in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University, Lucas uses his previous work experience in Washington, D.C. to implement more effective approaches to community outreach in hopes of better navigating Maine’s evolving housing crisis. He loves being outdoors and spends his personal time fly fishing, gardening, cooking, hiking, and traveling with his partner and their two dogs.
Grier Burgoon Miskell
Housing Navigation Coordinator
Grier is a collaborative team member skilled at problem solving the many unpredictable housing challenges we face. Her work at QHC focuses on landlord recruitment and retention, and tenant management for Project HOME. Grier truly enjoys being able to connect with QHC partners on all aspects of housing, employment, and education to best meet the needs of asylum seekers in Maine. Grier was born and raised in Maine, is fluent in French, and is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews with a degree in International Relations and Philosophy.
Peace Mutesi
Project HOME Trust Manager
Peace Mutesi is a driven, enthusiastic person who believes in the Quality Housing Coalition mission to provide safe and affordable housing to everyone in need. She has both volunteered and worked with families facing homelessness and insufficient housing statewide. Peace believes that direct cash assistance for our families is critical to bridge the gap between families trying to survive and the time they need to prepare for their goals in life and work. She has a strong desire to assist others and takes so much pride in working with families to achieve their goals. Peace is excited to be working with and learning from the team at Quality Housing Coalition.
Josephine Kamagaju
Health Outreach Coordinator
Josephine cares deeply about her community and believes in the Quality Housing Coalition mission to provide safe and affordable housing and access to health care for everyone in need. Her professional and personal knowledge and experience as a public health professional, a Project HOME graduate, a Project HOME Housing Mentor, and her work with the New Mainer community are tremendous assets that guide our work at QHC. Josephine loves reading, cooking, arts and crafts, and outdoor activities, especially with children. Josephine lives in Portland with her 2 children.
Tiffany Thompson Converse
Leasing Broker
Tiffany has been in the real estate business for over 20 years as a New Homes specialist in and around the Boston area, department manager of a large relocation company finding homes for international clients from all over the world, as a liaison between realtors and IT for the largest real estate company in Paris France and for the past 15 years working as an associate broker in Portland Maine.
Tiffany has joined Quality Housing Coalition to use her RE expertise as a tool to help families with the housing crisis here in Maine.
In her spare time Tiffany loves to ski, hike, watch her boys play baseball and music and just hang out with her family.
Severina Pedro
Housing Navigator
Severina Pedro is a driven, enthusiastic person who is a tremendous asset to the Project HOME Team. She focuses her work on building relationships with residents and landlord partners and ensuring the success of each tenancy. Severina is a graduate of the University of Johannesburg with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. She is invested in our Maine community having volunteered for organizations like: The Salvation Army and Hope Acts, offering language services in Lingala and Portuguese to new Mainers and immigrants.
Austin Pine
Foster Youth Independence Housing Navigator
Austin has a strong background in positive youth development and a deep passion for helping young people learn and strengthen the skills they need to be successful. He has worked with youth development programs in Providence, RI and Burlington, VT that sought to make education and enrichment programming more accessible to youth of marginalized identities. He is excited to continue working to create equitable opportunities in the Portland area by connecting young adults formerly in the foster system with housing and living skills resources. He enjoys hiking, skiing, drumming, and spending time with friends and family, and he holds a BA from McGill University in Psychology and Cultural Studies.
Joe Jambor
Housing Equity Project Legal Intern
Joe finished his undergraduate studies at the University of Southern Maine and is currently a J.D. candidate at the University of Maine School of Law. His professional interests include public interest and information privacy law. When not studying he enjoys cooking, photography, and exploring Maine.
Kevin Fitzpatrick
Housing Equity Project Legal Intern
Kevin completed his studies at the University of Maine and is currently a J.D candidate at the University of Maine School of Law. Prior to QHC, Kevin worked on labor policy with the ENACT Labor Policy Fellowship. His professional interests include housing, real estate, labor policy, and trusts/estates. Outside of work, Kevin enjoys hiking with his fiancé, reading fantasy/sci-fi novels, and baking.
Supporting & creating quality housing opportunities for those in need in Maine.
Quality Housing Coalition is a 501 (c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization with offices at 188 State Street, Suite 402, Portland Maine, 04101.
Land Acknowledgement
The work of QHC in York, Cumberland, Oxford, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, and Kennebec counties is conducted on the stolen ancestral lands of the Wabanaki long before colonists named our state Maine.
We acknowledge the painful colonial history harming the Wabanaki and their land and commit to better understanding it.
We acknowledge the strong and personal relationship between the Wabanaki and the land and waterways.
We commit to building more sustainable and inclusive communities and celebrating Indigenous culture.