The York County cities of Biddeford and Saco are participating in a nationwide project designed to strengthen their response to homelessness through a program at the Housing Solutions Lab at New York University’s Furman Center.
The Homeless Response Peer Network will provide free technical assistance, research-driven housing and policy expertise and access to proven approaches from across the country.
The joint municipal team is one of only seven selected nationwide and the only one from Maine in 2026. This is also only the second time a Maine municipality has participated in the program.
“Biddeford and Saco have increasingly recognized that homelessness is a regional challenge that requires regional leadership,” said Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain. “Being selected for this peer network reflects the work already happening in our two cities and gives us direct access, at no cost to our municipalities, to the research, expertise and technical assistance of a leading university.
“This partnership will help us bring national best practices home and strengthen our response to homelessness across southern Maine,” LaFountain added.
Biddeford and Saco will participate in six monthly sessions from September 2026 through February 2027, supplemented by technical assistance from New York University and opportunities to learn from other selected municipalities.
“Local leaders are under immense pressure to do more with fewer resources as homelessness rises across the country,” said Jess Wunsch, director of city engagement at NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab. “This peer network gives these seven communities the space, tools and national expertise needed to identify existing gaps and build more resilient, high-impact homeless response systems.”
