ORONO — Legislators and inexpensive housing builders and advocates visited the College of Maine lately to see how the state’s flagship college is advancing housing and meals safety by means of analysis, innovation and partnerships.
The daylong summit showcasing options to one of many state’s grand challenges was organized by UMaine and the College of Maine System in partnership with the Legislature’s bipartisan Housing and Homelessness Caucus and MaineHousing.
It included a tour of the UMaine Superior Buildings and Composites Middle, the place, beneath the management of founding director Habib Dagher, analysis is underway to make use of Maine wooden and the world’s largest 3D printer to assist develop inexpensive housing. Within the face of employee and provide shortages, the modern course of would cut back labor and supplies wants and prices in comparison with customary building, whereas enhancing housing sustainability and availability for these in want.
A brand new Inexperienced Engineering and Supplies Manufacturing unit of the Future is deliberate to additional develop the Composites Middle’s world-leading work in biobased supplies improvement. Already, $35 million in federal funding for the undertaking, which is anticipated to interrupt floor in 2023, has been secured by the Maine Congressional Delegation led by Sen. Susan Collins, and the Mills Administration has moreover dedicated $15 million by means of the Maine Jobs and Restoration Plan.
Guests additionally heard from researchers with the UMaine Middle on Growing older in regards to the housing and well being wants of older Mainers, and the way know-how, good engineering and technical help from the college can assist communities change into extra livable throughout the life span — together with to permit Mainers to age in place.
“Because the state’s R1 analysis college, UMaine has the accountability and the sources to handle Maine’s grand challenges, and few are extra pressing than entry to protected inexpensive housing for working households and older Mainers,” defined President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, who can be the united statesvice chancellor for analysis and innovation.
“We’re grateful for the funding from state and federal policymakers and the general public that permits us to innovate and associate to enhance Maine’s future, as we showcased on Friday. From biobased inexpensive housing manufacturing to sustainable agriculture to rural well being care supply, our analysis and improvement signature strengths are in areas that the majority matter to Maine and can assist make this one of the best state by which to reside, work and study,” she mentioned.
Taking part legislators got here from eight counties. Statewide housing suppliers like Group Housing of Maine and native housing authorities in communities, together with Bathtub and Biddeford, in addition to nonprofit well being and social service organizations like Amistad, Preble Avenue and Penobscot Group Well being Care additionally attended.
“I imagine Maine can paved the way in fixing housing challenges with artistic options. I needed to carry the individuals who work on housing coverage, homelessness and inexpensive housing to see how UMaine’s improvements can assist our work. Collectively, we’re creating the instruments to develop the provision of housing to satisfy demand in Maine,” mentioned Rep. Victoria Morales of South Portland, who chairs the Housing and Homelessness Caucus and helped manage the go to.
“To develop our economic system and maintain our rural communities like these I characterize in Washington and Hancock counties, Maine employees and households should have entry to protected, inexpensive housing and meals. It was great to see firsthand how the College of Maine is creating options and offering direct help to handle these necessary points, and to share with college leaders the wants we’re seeing in our districts for which they may present assist,” mentioned Sen. Marianne Moore of Calais, who attended Friday.
MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan mentioned improvements that make constructing building extra environment friendly can be an necessary part to closing the housing hole in Maine and the U.S.
“This homegrown know-how coming from our personal College of Maine is one thing we are able to all be actually pleased with,” Brennan mentioned. “Not solely does it put our state on the entrance of the pack in fixing the housing disaster, it can additionally immediately make housing extra attainable and inexpensive for hundreds of Maine households.”
The group additionally went to Rogers Farm in Outdated City, a college analysis web site the place crops are grown as a part of sustainable agriculture analysis, and UMaine Cooperative Extension has instructing tasks, and donates to space meals pantries and shelters by means of the Maine Harvest for Starvation program.
Run by UMaine Extension, Harvest for Starvation helps house, college and industrial growers contribute further recent fruit and greens to these in want of their communities, a course of often called gleaning. Because the program’s inception in 2000, greater than 3.3 million kilos of produce has been donated. Extra data is out there at extension.umaine.edu/harvest-for-hunger. Extension’s Expanded Meals and Diet Schooling Program that serves low-income Mainers was additionally overviewed through the go to.
The Black Bear Alternate, UMaine’s on-campus meals and clothes pantry, additionally receives produce by means of this system and was highlighted Friday as a part of a university-led dialogue on its efforts to satisfy college students’ fundamental wants and notice social mobility by means of inexpensive entry to larger schooling.
Final month following supplemental appropriations from the Legislature and Gov. Janet Mills, UMS Trustees voted to carry in-state tuition flat for the seventh time in a decade to assist Maine college students and households recuperate from the financial affect of the pandemic and within the face of inflation. Moreover, for the reason that begin of the pandemic, Maine’s public universities have handed onto college students greater than $55 million in emergency help offered by means of three federal reduction packages.
