"Islands in Crisis" housing conference planned for Nov. 3

Skyrocketing real estate values have priced many young families and much of the year-round workforce out of housing on Maine's bridged and unbridged islands.

Recognizing the immediacy of the housing problems facing Maine's bridged and unbridged islands, Terry Kelley of Mount Desert Island Housing Authority (MDIHA) proposed an "Islands in Crisis" track at the Governor's Annual Affordable Housing Conference, planned for Nov. 3. He received the go-ahead and the track will consist of a morning and an afternoon session at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.

Besides working locally with Mount Desert Island, Kelley has been involved in proposing state policy to support affordable housing.

Islanders and representatives from MDIHA, Maine Cooperative Extension Service, Genesis Community Loan Fund, Seacoast Mission, and Island Institute helped to plan "Islands in Crisis."

The morning session will include viewing the video "Against the Tide" that highlights the complexities and struggles of life on Maine islands, followed by a facilitated discussion. Next, a five-person panel will cover topics of concern to island affordable housing groups. Panel topics include: long-term affordability, fundraising, state policy and affordable housing, land conservation/affordable housing and local ordinances, and organizing at the local level. A discussion will follow that will frame questions for the afternoon session.

In the afternoon, small groups will discuss the five panel topics.

State and community level policies may be getting in the way of islanders solving housing problems. Raising these issues at a statewide housing conference where the Governor and state legislators are present, organizers believe, can be helpful.

Organizers will meet again in December to follow up, and they will also begin planning a spring Affordable Housing Symposium, where islanders can meet again, learn more about affordable housing, and follow up on work they have done since talking at the Islands in Crisis sessions.

The Island Lodging Program is available to assist islanders who need to stay overnight in order to attend the Nov. 3 conference. Contact Sally Perkins at the Island Institute (594-9209) for more information on how to reserve a hotel room at a reduced rate.

For registration and general conference information, contact Maine State Housing Authority at 207-626-4600 or 1-800-452-4668. Register as soon as possible. Contact Liza Fleming-Ives at 563-6073 for more information about the Islands in Crisis track.

Alyson Mayo, an Island Institute fellow working with Islesboro Affordable Property. She is helping to organize the spring Affordable Housing Symposium as part of her fellowship. Contact her at amayo@islandinstitute.org.