QHC News

This time last year, Allison Edwards was living in fear and uncertainty, putting off necessary car repairs and skipping meals so her 3-year-old daughter could eat. Only a few months later, Edwards is hopeful for the future. The 29-year-old is taking better care of herself, easily makes rent payments, fixes her car when necessary and will graduate this spring from Southern Maine Community College and enter the workforce. She can even send her daughter to gymnastics class, something she wanted to do for years. “I didn’t think it would ever be possible for our family that my daughter would be enrolled in any extracurricular activities,” Edwards said. “It makes me feel good as a mom that I can provide for her. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”

Computers and internet access will be loaned out in a collaborative project aimed at overcoming a key obstacle to employment. Two Portland organizations are working to combat one of the challenges faced by formerly unhoused people who are looking for work – a lack of internet and computer access. The Quality Housing Coalition and the Greater Portland Council of Governments plan to distribute 100 refurbished laptops to people who are enrolled in the coalition’s Project Home to Profession program, which secures permanent housing for homeless people and provides them with employment services. “Almost all job applications and opportunities are online,” said Clara McCool, who manages GPCOG’s Regional Broadband Program, which is funding the laptop project through the Maine Connectivity Authority.

InterMed announced Monday that it has donated $30,000 to Quality Housing Coalition to help in the agency’s efforts to address the homelessness crisis in Greater Portland. The Quality Housing Coalition is working to secure permanent homes and financial security for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. “We believe that stable housing is the foundation of health and are so excited to partner with InterMed to address the community conditions Maine people need to thrive,” said Victoria Morales, executive director of the Quality Housing Coalition.

Maine housing agencies are incentivizing landlords to provide homes to vulnerable tenants, a strategy that is working but remains difficult to scale up due to a shortage of overall units. Groups from Caribou to South Portland are offering local landlords financial guarantees and logistical support if they offer units to Maine families experiencing housing instability and homelessness. Two groups using this strategy, Portland’s Quality Housing Coalition and the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter of Waterville, have found permanent homes for just under 200 families – many of whom have experienced chronic homelessness – this year alone. Project Home, the Portland group’s flagship program, has an applicant pool of over 2,000 families waiting to be matched with a unit right now. That underscores the short supply of housing statewide that is driving up costs and limiting how far they can reach, although policymakers largely see them as successes to date. “Given that we’re in the middle of a shortage, and we will be for a while, probably, I think this is probably one of the best tools we have,” Erik Jorgensen, director of government relations at MaineHousing, the state’s housing authority, said.

Even before the outbreak of Covid-19, some 1.5 million U.S. households received an eviction judgment each year, impacting nearly 3.8 million individuals. Additionally, there is evidence that the number of informal displacements could be twice as high, leaving over 11 million people at risk of displacement each year when considering both formal and informal evictions. That scale equates to potentially displacing, on an annual basis, more than every single resident of New York City and Chicago – the nation’s first and third most populous cities – combined. Now, with inflation on the rise and millions of Americans still saying they’re unsure if they’ll be able to afford rent next month, preventing eviction and supporting long-term housing stability are urgent national imperatives.

Women United announced investments totaling $299,500 in programs that advance the health and financial stability of single mothers and their children. The investments include the Giving Circle’s first investments in programs serving York County and renewed support for two programs in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. Women United will invest in three York County programs that help single mothers meet basic needs and provide pathways to employment. $40,000 to Project HOME (Trust) through Quality Housing Coalition, which offers direct cash assistance, individualized skill-building, and a peer-to-peer support network to single mother households who are housed through Project HOME.

Victoria Morales, the Executive Director of Quality Housing Coalition, has been chosen as one of the 2023 Mainebiz Women to Watch for her leadership in the field of affordable housing. Her tireless commitment to improving the lives of individuals and families by ensuring access to safe and quality housing options has made a profound impact in Maine. Victoria's innovative strategies and unwavering dedication to addressing housing challenges have transformed QHC. Her selection as a 2023 Mainebiz Women to Watch is a testament to her exceptional leadership and the positive change she continues to bring to the world of housing advocacy. View photos from the event below.

Mainebiz will be celebrating five inspirational women leaders in person at the 15th Anniversary Mainebiz Women to Watch reception from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 13. The reception will be held at Halo At The Point (Thompson’s Point), 20 Van Aken Way, Portland. To register for the event and read more about this year’s honorees, visit mainebiz.biz/WTW23. Mainebiz launched its Women to Watch award recognition program as a way to bring attention to top-notch women executives, women whose daily work strengthens their organizations and, by extension, Maine’s economy. The 2023 honorees are: Agnieszka Carpenter, executive director of The Bioscience Association of Maine; Jessie Davis, executive director of the Friends of the Strand Theatre; Victoria Morales, executive director of the Quality Housing Coalition; Susan Ruhlin, managing director of the Dirigo Labs; and Alissa Wetherbee, founder of Axe Women Loggers of Maine.