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Committee recommends HOME‑ARP awards: youth & family housing, transitional housing rehab and supportive services
Summary
Portland’s Housing Committee recommended City Council and Cumberland County approve $3.6 million in HOME‑ARP funding allocations, including $950,000 for a Youth and Family Outreach housing project, $479,000 to Greater Portland Family Promise for a two‑family rehab, and about $1.02 million for supportive services across three providers.
The Portland City Council Housing Committee voted Aug. 2 to forward recommendations for the Cumberland County HOME‑ARP allocation to the full City Council and to county review. The HOME‑ARP funds — routed through the Cumberland County HOME Consortium — total roughly $3.6 million and are restricted to specified qualifying populations.
Mary Davis and Lauren Bowen of the Housing and Community Development Division described the program and the recommended awards. HOME‑ARP funds must serve eligible populations, including people experiencing homelessness, people experiencing domestic violence, and those at risk of losing housing. The committee heard that several initial applications were ineligible under HUD guidance and were revised before resubmission.
The committee recommended the following development awards in the rental housing category:
• $950,000 to the Youth and Family Outreach (YFO) project to close a financing gap and designate 10 of 60 units for HOME‑ARP qualifying populations. Staff said construction is expected to begin this fall and lease‑up in early 2027.
• $479,000 to Greater Portland Family Promise to rehabilitate a two‑family dwelling in Portland to serve as transitional housing for eligible families.
The committee recommended these supportive services awards (fully utilizing the supportive‑services allocation):
• Common Space — approximately $471,000 for the Torchlight program, providing peer support, recovery coaching and residential services across four properties.
• Milestone Recovery — $197,000 to sustain three programs serving qualifying populations: the HOME team, the HOPE program and a housing navigator program.
• Preble Street — just under $351,000 for case management, client assistance and supports through site‑based Housing First and rapid‑rehousing programs.
Staff noted that the development category would retain approximately $612,000 in balance and that the application window remains open for additional eligible projects. Because the allocation comes from the Cumberland County HOME Consortium, the county commissioners must also approve the recommendations; staff said consortium staff will take the slate through county review in August and September. Committee members voted to send the recommendations to the City Council; the roll call on the primary motion recorded Councilor Sykes voting no and other committee members voting yes.
Davis emphasized HUD’s requirement that HOME‑ARP‑funded activities be broadly available to qualifying populations (for example, not limited solely to one demographic such as seniors), a constraint that required some applicants to rework proposals. The committee requested staff continue outreach and to finalize agreements with awardees if county review is successful.
