WHEREAS,  the Maine State Housing Authority, also known as MaineHousing, was established as a quasi-public housing agency charged with expanding affordable housing opportunities for the State's low-income and moderate-income families and individuals; and

WHEREAS,  MaineHousing has been helping Maine people own, rent, repair and heat their homes since 1969; and

WHEREAS,  MaineHousing has financed 54,851 first-time homebuyer mortgages and 323 affordable apartment projects with a total of 10,697 units; and

WHEREAS,  MaineHousing has helped 23,038 low-income families and seniors afford their rents, weatherized 15,292 homes, served an average of over 42,000 households a year with fuel assistance benefits, helped shelter the homeless and provided needed repairs to many thousands of homes, addressing problems of radon, arsenic, accessibility, lead paint and general disrepair; and

WHEREAS,  through prudent investment, MaineHousing has grown to become a $1.8 billion public purpose financial institution with its bonds rated AA+, thanks to the support of a wide network of partners including Maine's financial institutions, real estate agents, community action agencies, local homeless shelters, developers, apartment owners and managers, landlords and federal and state political leaders; now, therefore, be it