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Sponsored by: Avesta Housing
Updated: September 21, 2021 2021 Giving Guide

Avesta Housing

2022 Goals

  • Goal 1: Provide infrastructure and services that allow seniors to age in place gracefully.
  • Goal 2: Increase and improve affordable housing options for low-income residents, including families, seniors, and formerly homeless individuals.
  • Goal 3: Create financial stability for homeowners through education and counseling services.
  • Goal 4: Advocate at the local, regional, and state levels for safe, affordable, quality homes for people in need.

Who We Are

We are a nonprofit organization driven by our mission to improve lives and strengthen communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need. We care deeply about people—those who urgently need safe, affordable housing and those living in the homes we develop and manage. The need has never been greater—the COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation resulting in higher construction costs, and skyrocketing real estate prices have greatly exacerbated the affordable housing crisis in Maine and New Hampshire.

We have four Core Values that sustain the work we do:

  • Humanity: We care about people.
  • Stewardship: We manage our resources responsibly, efficiently, and sustainably.
  • Relationships: We seek meaningful interaction and effective collaboration.
  • Quality: We pursue excellence in all our work.

Avesta Housing improves lives and strengthens communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need.

What We Do

Our staff and board of directors are passionate about affordable housing and the positive impact it has on lives and communities. We focus on five strategic areas:

  • Advocacy: We are devoted to addressing local, regional, and national affordable housing needs through strategic collaborations.
  • Development: We collaborate with community leaders, building professionals, housing advocates, and financial partners to develop, acquire, and preserve hundreds of affordable homes each year.
  • Property Management: We manage more than 100 properties and more than 2,700 affordable homes throughout Maine and New Hampshire. These properties vary greatly, but our philosophy managing them is consistent: We care about the people living in our communities, and we care about the condition and performance of our buildings.
  • Senior & Assisted Living: As Maine’s population ages, the scope of our commitment to affordable housing has grown to include those for whom a private residence is no longer an option. We have two assisted-living communities – Inn at Village Square in Gorham and 75 State Street in Portland – that offer personalized, affordable, and supportive living options for seniors.
  • Homeownership: Our HomeOwnership Center fosters strong, thriving communities and personal financial health and stability through enriched financial literacy, improved personal financial management, and increased homeownership.

Support Our Work

Securing a safe, stable, and affordable home is critical to the health and wellbeing of older adults. Avesta Housing and its partners have embarked on a $2 million fundraising campaign called The Silver Hearth Fund (www.SilverHearthFund.org) to provide vital support and assist the most vulnerable among Maine and New Hampshire’s older population in three ways:

  • New Homes: To meet the growing unmet need for a safe, affordable home among low-income older adults, we will increase production and acquisitions of new homes.
  • Resident Services: To help older adults age in place safely and with dignity, we will expand and strengthen support services for residents.
  • Improved Homes: To ensure homes are safe, warm, sustainable, and affordable, we will increase our investment in the rehabilitation and modernization of our oldest properties.

Leadership

File Photo
Dana Totman, president and CEO of Avesta Housing
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Jonathan Culley, Board Chair: Developer, Redfern Properties

Board officers

Janice de Lima, Board Vice Chair: Vice President, Community Investment Officer, Norway Savings Bank

Tim Agnew, Board Treasurer: Principal, Masthead Venture Partners

Kimberly Twitchell, Board Secretary: Maine Regional President, NBT Bank

Board Members

Peter Bass: Owner, Random Orbit

Tony Cipollone: President & CEO, John T. Gorman Foundation

Andrea Dodge Patstone: President, Western Maine Health

James Elkins: Owner, Career Planning Services

Dr. Renee Fay-LeBlanc: Chief Medical Officer, Greater Portland Health

Katherine Griffin: Partner, Toole, Powers & Griffin, P.A.

Chomba Kaluba: Immigrant and Refugee Youth Advocate, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

Raissa Kaze: Community member

Lori Parham: State Director, AARP Maine

Peter Pitegoff: Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law

Nathan Poore: Town Manager, Town of Falmouth

Arthur Sabiti: Cooperative Developer, Cooperative Development Institute

G. Jeffrey Shaw: President, Clark Insurance

Amy Smith: Founder & President, Healthy Homeworks

Douglas Stockbridge: President, Rollins Management Group Inc.

At a Glance:

Established: 1972
Employees: 230
Annual revenue: $51.3 million

Top funding sources

52.2% Private fees for service
38.6% Federal
5.6% State
3.6% Donations

Contact

307 Cumberland Ave.
Portland, ME 04101

(207) 553-7777

https://www.AvestaHousing.org
https://www.facebook.com/AvestaHousing
https://www.twitter.com/AvestaHousing

Awards / Accolades

2021: Southgate House — Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award (Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition)
2020: Best Places to Work in Maine (Society for Human Resource Management – Maine State Council)
2020: President & CEO Dana Totman — Catalyst Award (Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce)
2019: Best Places to Work in Maine (Society for Human Resource Management – Maine State Council)

Mission statement

Avesta Housing improves lives and strengthens communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need.

Service Locations

Maine and New Hampshire