Florence House

Florence House is a 3½ story building in Portland, Maine, United States, named after Florence Young "a social worker who spent more than 20 years working at Preble Street."[1]

Florence House
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The building was created to help end homelessness. Florence House is based on the Housing First model, a strategy to help move women from homelessness to a permanent supportive home environment.

Florence House can house 50 or more former homeless women. The building includes 25 efficiency apartments, a safe-haven area with 15 semi-private spaces and 10 to 25 emergency shelter beds [2]

The $7.9 million facility was completed in April 6th, 2009.[3] It was developed by Preble Street and Avesta Housing[4] and received state and federal funding[5] as well as private contributions.

The opening in April, 2009 (five years after the project started) was attended by Maine Governor John Baldacci, Shaun Donovan (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development — HUD),[6] Senator Olympia Snowe, Senator Susan Collins, Representative Chellie Pingree, and other dignitaries.

Florence House was nominated by the Affordable Housing Finance magazine[7] as a finalist for the 2010 Readers’ Choice Award.[8] It is the first affordable housing development from Maine to be named a finalist for this award in its six-year history.[9]

References
  1. Florence Young Housing for Homeless Women In Portland Archived 2012-09-07 at Archive.today, Preble Street Resources.
  2. Anne Mostue, New Housing Project Aims to Open Doors for Portland's Homeless Women, Maine Public Broadcasting Network Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, June 4, 2010.
  3. John Richardson, Florence House to Open Doors for Homeless Women, Portland Press Herald, April 5, 2010.
  4. Avesta Housing.
  5. Maine State Housing Authority Funding News.
  6. Prepared Remarks for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan at the Florence House Grand Opening, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), June 4, 2010.
  7. The Nation’s Best, Affordable Housing Finance, July/August 2010.
  8. Affordable Housing Finance magazine 2010 Readers Choice Award finalist.
  9. First affordable housing development to be named a finalist.

Sources

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