Did You Know: March 7, 2025
April is National Fair Housing Month and 2025 marks the 57th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. Signed into law on April 11, 1968, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, it was designed to protect Americans from discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on color, race, national origin, and religion. The act was later extended to sex, disability, and family status.
In honor of this we’d like to spotlight a new housing project, Equality Commons, that is under construction at 25 Casco Street. It’s right next to the Equality Community Center (ECC) a collaborative workplace which opened in 2022 at 15 Casco Street as a space for LGBTQ+ and social justice-seeking nonprofit organizations. ECC states on their website: "The new housing structure will be located right next to the ECC and open to all those ages 55+, including LGBTQ+ older adults, allies and other marginalized members of our community. Our goal is to make affordable housing available in the heart of Portland with easy access to public services, health care, entertainment, and recreation. This project will provide inclusive housing for all, regardless of orientation, along with special support services and programming for LGBTQ+ older adults.”
Several GPL longtime supporters are involved in this project including former GPL board president Ed Gardner and Kevin Bunker of Developer’s Collaborative, a 2018 GPL Preservation Award winner. Other collaborators include Maine Housing, the Frannie Peabody Center, and the Independence Association.
The 54 unit, 5-story building is within the boundaries of the Congress Street Historic District and the developers worked with the Historic Preservation Board to produce a design that fits with the context and scale of the historic neighborhood.
The project joins a growing national trend in which senior affordable housing communities are being built in conjunction with LGBTQ+ community centers in cities across the country, including Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and Philadelphia, according to ECC.
For more information check out the ECC website: https://eccmaine.org.