The Harpswell Housing Committee is looking for a few dedicated housing advocates to form an independent, nonprofit trust that would help facilitate the creation of modestly priced housing in Harpswell.
The committee hosted a public forum on Monday, Nov. 17, to explain the benefits of a local housing trust and gauge residents’ interest in participating. The group encouraged those interested to attend a follow-up meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, at the Town Office.
“What we’re looking for here is a coalition of the willing,” said Aaron Fuchs, a retired finance expert who volunteered to help facilitate the trust’s creation. Fuchs has experience launching both businesses and nonprofits.
The committee hopes to convince a handful of locals — preferably five or more — to participate in the creation and management of a private entity similar in structure to the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, but for attainable housing rather than land preservation.
State Rep. Cheryl Golek, D-Harpswell, is a member of the Housing Committee. She said Harpswell has missed opportunities to accept donations of potential housing sites — including the former Harpswell Coastal Academy — because it lacks an organization willing to accept such sites and develop them.
Attendees at the meeting asked how the trust would operate, what its goals would be, and how it could be held accountable to the community. Fuchs said it would have a board of trustees responsible for defining the mission, securing nonprofit status, fundraising, and acquiring or developing properties to create long-term attainable housing.
The trust would be fully independent of town government, but Harpswell officials are assisting in the effort to create it. Those interested in learning more about the project can email Town Planner Margaret McIntire at mmcintire@town.harpswell.me.us, or call the Town Office at 207-833-5771.
