BANGOR, Maine — Maine is short more than 20,000 affordable housing units, according to MaineHousing.
While there aren't enough available affordable units, one nonprofit is looking to utilize what the city already has to help bring more affordable housing to Bangor.
Design Wall Housing is in the process of looking to find and renovate a vacant home or building to help house people experiencing homelessness.
"There are a number of housing that are boarded up, that are vacant, that are really liabilities for our city. We want to turn those liabilities into assets," Design Wall Housing President and Co-founder, Robin Sandau, said.
Robin said it's currently looking to make a purchase of a building for its first trial project. When the time comes to find tenants, the rents will align with voucher programs in the area, Robin said.
"We will more likely be able to help house individuals at a rate that they can also have some money for their other basic necessities. We definitely will calculate under 40 percent of someone's income," she said.
Robin's husband and co-founder of the nonprofit, Jonathan Sandua, said he's been working in social services in Bangor for more than two decades. He said there have been inadequate housing options in Bangor for the past 15 years, but said it's time to "link arms" with the community to get people into shelter.
"People shouldn't have to be living like that. We have plenty of housing around. We need to figure out how to utilize it properly, so we can get people off the street," he said.
The Sandaus said the goal is to make sustainable change in the community, but in order to make that progress, there need to be services available beyond a roof over one's head.
The nonprofit's team of 40 volunteers will offer wrap-around services once individuals move in. Robin said the nonprofit's board of directors has more than 50 years of combined experience in social services, so they understand the barriers unhoused people face.
Penobscot County commissioners gave the organization a $25,000 grant from its federal relief funding to help with its mission.
"It should hurt anybody who looks at it because in reality there's not a lot of us that can't say we are one step away from homelessness. All it is, is a job loss, a disability, maybe even for some folks a psychosis," Jonathan said. "It can happen to anybody."