Auburn council to consider $125,000 request to support homeless housing project
This drawing shows the proposed Hampshire Commons affordable housing project at 143 Hampshire St. in Auburn. The Auburn Housing Authority's project for 32 units is not expected to exceed $9 million.
The Auburn City Council is expected to consider a request at its meeting Monday night to allocate $125,000 to help furnish a planned affordable housing development for individuals suffering from chronic homelessness.
The roughly $9 million development, called the Hampshire Commons, will be at 143 Hampshire St. and provide permanent housing to 32 individuals. Auburn Housing will manage the facility and Spurwink will provide 24/7 on-site support services.
The development is part of the state’s Home for Good program, meant to provide homeless individuals with permanent housing. MaineHousing will fund construction of the project and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services will finance on-site support services.
The Auburn project was in the state’s first round of funding for the program, with areas including Bangor and Portland in the second round.
Furnishing the building’s units is not included in the state funding. According to Auburn Mayor Jeffrey Harmon, the city’s Homelessness Committee will be asking the council Monday for $125,000 that would come from Auburn’s unassigned fund balance.
Harmon said $100,000 would be paid back over time and $25,000 would be in the form of a donation from the city.
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“The Home for Good project is an important part of the response to homelessness in the Auburn-Lewiston area,” Harmon said.
The vacant lot, lower left, is where a proposed 32-unit apartment building for homeless individuals, called Hampshire Commons, is slated at 143 Hampshire St. in Auburn. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
The Homelessness Committee has already received $15,000 in pledges and will work to secure the additional $85,000 this year to pay off the requested city loan, Harmon said.
The development received approval from the Auburn Planning Board in May, according to Martin Szydowski, executive director of Auburn Housing Authority.
This will be the first time in several years that affordable housing units are being built in Auburn, the last one coming before the pandemic.
The three-story building will feature a gathering space for residents and visitors, a space for a medical office, and a fitness and wellness space among its amenities. Spurwink will also be providing a minimum of two staff members on shift every day at the building 24 hours a day to support residents.
Rent at the Hampshire Commons will not exceed 30% of a person’s income.
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“This is important to help those who are homeless get back on their feet,” Szydowski said. “The chronically homelessness need a place to live and this is a very functional model that’s been tested by other organizations in the state (Avesta Housing and Preble Street.)”
Szydowski said applications for the housing development are not open yet, but those interested will need to go through MaineHousing and its “Coordinated Entry System.” A scoring system will be used to identify the strongest candidates for the housing, as well as a “project-based voucher component” set to Housing and Urban Development requirements.
“We’re very excited to be part of a unique team and a great opportunity to help with the issue within the city,” Szydowski said.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2027 with project completion in 2028.
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Tagged: affordable housing, auburn maine, Homeless in Maine, homelessness
Matthew is a staff writer for the Lewiston Sun Journal covering the Lewiston and Auburn areas. Before joining the Sun Journal, Matthew covered news in the Bangor area before moving to Lewiston to cover. More by Matthew Jaroncyk
