PORTLAND, Maine — A plan to build the state's first affordable housing project for the LGBTQ+ community is kicking into high gear.
The project led by the Equality Community Center in Portland has been years in the making and will create a first-of-its-kind complex in the heart of downtown Portland.
"To have something right downtown Portland for the LGBT community to be part of is huge," Ed Gardner said.
Gardner, a prominent developer and founding member of the ECC, donated the land for the building. The parking lot adjacent to the community center will soon be home to a five-story building, complete with housing, parking, and a café.
The plan is to provide 54 affordable units for people aged 55 and older. Eleven units will be for those with disabilities or living with HIV/AIDS. There will also be resources provided to those individuals through partnerships with the Frannie Peabody Center and the Independence Association.
Gardener said the facility will bring together a vulnerable population under one roof, where they can find acceptance and essential services.
"I think we'll be able to see them come out and be more part of the community rather than being stuck in their homes and not have anybody to socialize with," he said.
Gardner and a team of LGBTQ+ people and allies first opened the ECC in 2021, providing a space for equality organizations and the community to gather safely. It is now home to nearly 20 organizations and hosts daily events and programming.
The latest project expands that mission. Leaders say it will be the only complex like it in New England.
"This place brings not only a positive place, a place where you can live with people who are going to be awful to you, but it's connected right to this. So it's a place to live and community all put together in one spot," Christine Caulfield, a volunteer at the center, said.
Despite fundraising for years, the organization announced that plans were solidified for the project this week. Executive director Chris O'Connor said they have already been inundated with requests from people in the community hoping to call it home.
"We're at about 150 right now on the interest list," O'Connor said. "It's actually happening."
The project is being funded largely by donations as well as support from MaineHousing and the city of Portland. It is set to be completed by the spring of 2026. To learn more, click here.