About Us
Our Project At The Downs
Supportive Housing for People with Disabilities
Background
Some 8% of Maine residents ages 18 to 64 live with a mobility disability that significantly impacts their activities of daily living.
Whether due to chronic illness (e.g., multiple sclerosis or other neurological disease), traumatic injury (e.g., car accident) or other life altering occurrence (e.g., injury during military service), many of these individuals require stable housing and personal care/community based assistance in order to live independently.+
+ Taken from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure is in line with the limited stock of housing that is available nationally to people with mobility limitations. “According to one estimate, fewer than 4% of housing units qualify as 'livable' for people who have moderate mobility problems, and even fewer are wheelchair accessible. These supply constraints amplify the affordability difficulties of . . . people with disabilities who are on fixed incomes.”
A First of its Kind Supportive Housing
Project for Maine
In partnership with our co-developer, Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), 3i HoME is designing a fully-accessible affordable residential building in Scarborough, Maine. Our building will be located in the vibrant Town Center at The Downs. Our community of affordable rental apartments will be home to 51 households in which at least one member is disabled. In addition to the private rental apartments, the project will feature a common living area for social activities, a designated work space for service providers and a mobility and assistive technology hub.
The apartments will be designed according to principles of Universal Design for easy mobility with or without a wheelchair. Bathrooms, kitchens and all living areas will be barrier free and the entire building will be wired for adaptable environmental controls and smart home functionality.
Project Location
We are pleased to announce that our pilot project will be located in The Downs in Scarborough, Maine! The Downs represents the revival of an iconic destination where residential and commercial elements support each other and retail and recreation knit the planned community together, setting a new standard for a modern live-work-play lifestyle.
Our fully accessible and affordable community complex will be located in the Town Center where over 3,000 new jobs are being created and the perfect opportunity for commercial, industrial, retail, medical, hospitality and recreational businesses of all sizes.
Project Partners
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Project Updates:
December 2022
3i Housing of Maine awarded $509,000
The federal government’s Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations bill (aka Omnibus) was signed into law at the end of last month and we are very excited to share the news that 3i Housing of Maine was awarded $509,000 to fund a key component of our Scarborough project at The Downs!
The funds will be used to design, implement and analyze the impact of user-friendly, person-centered assistive/"smart home" technology and telehealth applications for low-income people with complex needs and disabilities!
June 5, 2023
Town of Scarborough Approves Project
Scarborough Planning Board approved our project at The Downs, in Scarborough. Approval from the Scarborough approval makes it possible for our project's groundbreaking to take place in Spring 2024.