ORONO, Maine — Lissa Tissari has been a resident at Main View Apartments in Orono for more than eight years.
"When I found the place, it was kind of like—I wouldn't say a miracle, but it was kind of incredulous, like, 'Oh my god, I can afford this rent?'" Tissari said.
As a federally designated affordable housing development, Tissari and the other 23 residents of the building at 93 Main St. pay 30 percent of their monthly income on rent.
Many of the residents depend on this manageable cost of living, but a recent decision by the owner to sell the property put the affordability of their homes at risk.
"It's like, we're going to lose our home, where are we going to go? I mean, that's scary for everybody," Tissari explained.
The purchase was able to be done with assistance from The Housing Authority of the City of Old Town, or HACOT, and other nonprofits.
HACOT Executive Director Laurie Miller is hoping resident won't have to worry about rising rent anymore.
"The owner is getting older, and he's gotten to the point where he didn't want to own it anymore, so he wanted to sell it, so we stepped up and wanted to preserve it as affordable housing for the tenants," Miller explained.
Through loans, state funding, and grants Miller said the housing authority was able to purchase the complex, maintain its affordable development designation, and prevent any further actions that could financially impact residents.
"Somebody else could've stepped in, purchased the property, and raise the prices significantly for tenants," Miller said.
Genesis is the nonprofit responsible for gathering and supplying the funding for the affordable housing preservation. According to its director, Liza Fleming-Ives, they will also be making much needed repairs to the complex like re-paving sections of the parking lot and more.
"Make sure that the property is set up with a new heating system, and they're also doing some accessibility improvements," Fleming-Ives explained.
By supplying financial and technical assistance, Fleming-Ives said the organization is hoping to assist other housing authorities and groups in preserving affordable housing for other residents throughout Maine.
"It takes many hours of work, and there are several steps in the process to actually transfer these properties and to know what improvements are need," Fleming-Ives said.
Officials with Genesis and HACOT shared they're hoping to have improvements and repairs on the apartment complex finished by the end of 2025.