PORTLAND, Maine — A project bringing increased childcare services and dozens of affordable housing units to Maine’s largest city is moving forward.
Recently, the City of Portland gave the thumbs up and an interest-free $1 million loan to Youth and Family Outreach to expand its childcare facility.
Right now, the center serves 58 children. The majority come from low-income families. But soon, the number of children it can care for will nearly double to 110 thanks to the project.
"Our waitlist is over 300 children long and so the need is vast," Camelia Babson-Haley, the director of Youth and Family Outreach, said. "If a parent can't find childcare, they can’t go to work or they can’t go to school. It’s just horrible to not be able to help these people out."
The project is expected to break ground in 2025 and includes taking down the current structure that Youth and Family Outreach is currently in. A six-story building is expected to go in its place.
The building will also help tackle the housing crisis in Portland by adding 60 apartments, and a majority of them will be considered affordable, according to Babson-Haley.
"People are being priced out of their housing in the city," she told NEWS CENTER Maine. "One of the ways we know that here, is the number of people that have had to leave Youth and Family Outreach because they can't afford to live in the city."
The project is still waiting to get approval for a tax credit from Maine Housing.
