Speaker 2 00:00:59 And good evening. Thank you for joining Disability and Progress, where we bring you insights into ideas about, and discussions on disability topics. My name is Sam, the host of your show. This show, Charlene Doll is my research team here. Hello, Charlene. Good
Speaker 3 00:01:15 Evening everyone. Welcome to Cold Minnesota <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:01:19 Don't Tell. Um, so we would like to welcome some people to our listener club, and I'm gonna turn that to Charlene and she's gonna make that go ahead.
Speaker 3 00:01:30 Hello. And thank you for joining the K F A I Disability and Progress Listeners Club. We value your feedback, ideas, and listenership. This week we would like to give a shout out to wingspans development director Darlan Gray from St. Anthony Village, Minnesota, and Jeff Thompson in Fri Friendly Fridley, Minnesota.
Speaker 2 00:02:04 There's a tongue twister for ya,
Speaker 3 00:02:06 Producer of the Blinds Blind Abilities, uh, podcast. Thanks for joining us. If you want to be a part of our listeners' club, please send an email to Disability and
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Speaker 2 00:02:25 And thank you Charlene. Also, we'd like to welcome our guests and our guests this week are Paul Linen, um, founder and president of three I Home, and Corey Fellows. Good evening, gentlemen.
Speaker 4 00:02:40 Hi, Sam. Hi, Charlene.
Speaker 2 00:02:42 Do I have both of you on? Oh, there we go. Well, thank you guys so much for joining us. I really appreciate it. And to this week, we're gonna be talking about three I Home. Is that how you pronounce that?
Speaker 4 00:02:57 It is. It's a, an acronym. It, we're in, uh, Bombi, uh, Maine
Speaker 2 00:03:02 <laugh>, just about as bad as us. Maybe it is as bad as US <laugh>
Speaker 4 00:03:07 We're, we're ex we're expecting to get on the next day what you guys have been dealing with in the past couple of days.
Speaker 2 00:03:14 So, very frigid. Well, yes,
Speaker 4 00:03:16 It's, wait, we're gonna dis We are. Yeah. We are, uh, three I Housing of Maine shortens its name to say, uh, three I home because that's what we're building. We're building, um, independent living through innovative technology and an integrated home and community based setting, uh, here in the state of Maine. And, and anxious to, uh, uh, share our ideas and, and, uh, and listen to what, uh, is going on in, in your space as
Speaker 2 00:03:46 Well. Excellent. So we'll get this discussion started to this week we're gonna talk about the development of accessibility, accessible, affordable, and support, uh, supportive housing options for people with dis disabilities. So thank you very much. So as we start out, can we please start out by having you, we'll, I'll have you go first, Paul, tell me a little bit about you and how you got to this place, and then Corey, you go next. Go ahead.
Speaker 4 00:04:14 Well, it, it's, um, it's actually, um, a lived experience that, um, I drew upon in my retirement to recognize that, um, just as the moniker of this show, um, disability, um, rights and needs have, uh, progressed, but they've not progressed to the point where, uh, folks who, um, need accessible housing are, are able to obtain that. Right. So a group of us, um, got together and started to noodle and meet with others and, and, uh, got our finger on the pulse. And, you know, we understand that there is an affordable housing crisis mm-hmm. Uh, for people with disabilities. It, it, it, it is a, a catastrophe. There are 18, 18 million disabled people, uh, living in the United States who are eligible for federal assistance and cannot find the housing that they need. So we know that stable, supportive, accessible housing is a social determinant of health. And, um, we were, um, very fortunate to, um, create a nonprofit with, uh, a a number of people who have had that lived experience. Um, and then to team up with Corey and his organization that is a NA, nationally recognized affordable housing developer. So, uh, that's how we started. And, uh, we're very excited that in the three years we've progressed so far, um, that in 2023 will be a, a groundbreaking year. We hope. So that's, I'll I'll turn it to Cory.
Speaker 5 00:05:55 Thanks, Paul. So, um, my organization has its own acronym, p <laugh> Preservation of Affordable Housing, which is not the flashiest name, but it's very descriptive. Mm-hmm. Yes. Um, I have been involved with affordable housing in one way or another for over 20 years. Um, for the last almost 11 years I've been with p we are a Boston based national nonprofit. Um, we develop own over the long haul and manage, um, close to 13,000 units of affordable housing around the country. The majority concentrated in New England, but also some in the Midwest and some in the southeast as well. Um, and we do a lot of partnering with, with local mission driven organizations like Paul's. Um, I actually live in Scarborough, Maine, which is the, the location plan location of the, of our first project that we'll be talking about a little bit mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and our organization has not done any, um, any work in Maine yet.
Speaker 5 00:06:52 Um, this was a kind of a, just a, a great alignment of, of circumstances that came together, uh, where Paul had already done a lot of great work with, with his, with his organization to sort of, um, develop some momentum and identify a potential site. And, um, recognized that, um, they really wanted to bring in a, an organization, an experienced organization that had some resources and the capacity and experience to really develop a real estate project, which in a sense is what what, um, what it boils down to. Um, you know, in, in one respect. I mean, there's a lot that goes on with this, but, uh, for better or worse, um, you have to, you have to be able to, to pull the financing together, get through the regulatory hurdles and, and kind of put the nuts and bolts together to make it all happen.
Speaker 5 00:07:42 Uh, but we do have, in addition to, to being a, a dev development and a management organization, we have a very robust resident services program, which, which we refer to as community impact. And we really feel very strongly about, um, really creating and managing housing that's, you know, not just a roof over people's heads, but it's, as we say, it's sort of a platform for, for people to be fully engaged and economically mobile and, um, you know, socially connected. And that's a, that's a big part of what, of what the three I vision really is.
Speaker 2 00:08:17 So, you know, I hear the term affordable housing thrown around a lot. What is affordable housing, because that feels so subjective
Speaker 5 00:08:28 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, absolutely. I guess, I guess I'll take a crack at that. <laugh>. Okay. Um, you're absolutely right. Affordable means it's sort of a loaded term and it's by definition it's subjective and it's comparative, right? So Right. It's con affordable compared to what and, and what are your resources? And it, and I will say that, um, you know, in our world, um, we, we work with a lot of federal and state funding programs that are based on, uh, HUD defined US Housing and Urban Development mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, department Housing, urban and Urban Development, uh, benchmarks around income levels. And so for, you know, in our world with a lot of the resources that we work with, affordable typically means 50 to something that's affordable for, for someone or a household at 50 to 60%, sometimes 80% of area median income. And we recognize that that is, you know, that that's not necessarily a universal definition home. And, and there are definite, definitely different definitions when you start talking about home ownership as opposed to rental. Right. Working, working on, and talking about here is, is, um, is, is rental housing, but mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's all based on the principle that, um, no one should be spending more than approximately 30% of their, uh, gross household income on housing. And unfortunately in a lot of, in a lot of the markets where we, where we're, we have a presence, um, people have to spend a lot more than that. Oh, yes. So some very tough decisions.
Speaker 2 00:10:02 Right. Um, so affordable housing is, I guess one thing, but a affordable housing with people with for disabilities. I, I guess, you know, there's a lot of different disabilities out there, as I'm sure you guys are aware of. So what one person might be able to live in might be different than another person. Um, how much harder is affordable housing with somebody for somebody with a disability to find than just quote affordable housing? Or do those overlap a lot?
Speaker 4 00:10:43 Well, um, you know, one of the problems has been, quite frankly, getting statistics. Um, but I, I, we, we have been dealing with anecdotal information. Um, my, uh, experience comes, uh, through, uh, decades of, um, of, of being a family caregiver mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, for, um, uh, my, my wife who passed in 2016
Speaker 2 00:11:10 Oh,
Speaker 4 00:11:10 Sorry. And her, um, her condition came, uh, into play in her mid thirties. And, and when we talk about, as you, uh, correctly point out, um, disabilities, it's an equal opportunity life
Speaker 2 00:11:26 Condition, <laugh>. Yes, it is.
Speaker 4 00:11:28 Thi thi this, this is something that, you know, impacts 61 million Americans. And, um, you know, we, we, uh, I'll draw from what I think, uh, a great Minnesotan, Hubert Humphrey, uh, said, uh, 50 or 60 years ago, which was, and it may not have been originally his, uh, notion, but the measure of a society is how we treat, um, our young, our older, uh, citizens. And at the time he used the word infirm. And, um, what we're trying to do in, in our project is demonstrate that through the application of coordinated services, enhanced coordinated services, um, and, um, appropriate person-centered, tailored, um, technology that rather than having, uh, a future that would, uh, be, uh, uh, would result in institutional placement that is in a nursing home. Um, folks who, who have needs with activities of daily living can live life under their own terms as active members, uh, as they so choose, um, in, in, in, uh, the three I home model. And that, um, has caught on. And, uh, our, our proposed, um, design is, uh, for aging in place, it's a universal design, um, for 51 units. Um, and it's, uh, um, it's been designed in, in on purpose, uh, to address the accessibility issues.
Speaker 4 00:13:13 So, so, um, you know, we, we think that, um, from, from what we've been able to discern so far without a lot of heavy lifting, we're going to be oversubscribed. That is to say there are more people in the greater Portland, Maine, um, area, um, that need this housing. Then there is available. And we continuously hear and see, um, fellow citizens with stories such as, Hey, um, I worked until I was, you know, my late sixties, I'm disabled. I'm living in a, uh, rest stop on the main turnpike living out of my car, uh, out my van because there's no, uh, accessible housing. So that's the threshold. And, uh, then, um, you know, we, we hope to replicate this model, um, in, in Maine and elsewhere.
Speaker 2 00:14:08 I want to talk a little bit about, you know, a lot of the stuff with your prince makes, it talks about people with physical dis disabilities. So I'm, I'm guessing that the housing you're building, you're going, you're gravitating more towards people with a physical disability.
Speaker 4 00:14:29 Um, so I, I'll, I'll try to take a stab at, at that and, and I don't know the, um, that the terms, um, are, um, uh, concisely and ubiquitously understood. Um, okay. Because, um, and, and, and I'm not the leading expert, but, um, you know, there are within the various waiver programs that states, uh, employ to determine what kinds of, um, social services mu an individual might be eligible for, they place, they place folks in buckets. So there's, um, developmental disabilities, uhhuh, <affirmative>, and there are intellectual disabilities. Right. And there are physical disabilities, and, um, it's very difficult to navigate through these waiver systems. Yeah. Um, someone may have developmental disabilities and, um, mobility impairments. So I guess what we're looking at at the threshold is if there are folks that, um, are interested in our project and they have mobility impairments, that would be the, the basic, uh, starting point. And, um, and we, we believe that through our three I model in of, uh, independent living through innovative technology, that in this integrated community-based setting where our, um, location for this, uh, complex will be, people can live, uh, in a vibrant community and have a, a life, uh, in which they exercise self autonomy. And we all want control regardless of what kind of characteristics or conditions that we have or how old we are.
Speaker 2 00:16:16 So the, the term that I hear thrown around a lot is smart housing. Um, can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 4 00:16:29 Um, I've been, you wanna take a stab at that, Corey, or would you like me to continue?
Speaker 5 00:16:34 Uh, why don't, why don't you just keep rolling Paul <laugh>. I'm happy to, I'm happy to jump in whenever though.
Speaker 4 00:16:41 Well, um, I, I, I'll draw on a, uh, a personal, um, story that, uh, went, uh, goes back probably eight years or so, probably closer to 10. Okay. Um, and there was a, uh, an opportunity to visit a, a, um, sort of, uh, new model of a long-term care facility, and it was in Boston. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, the HU Boston is, uh, well known for high tech and technology. And, um, there wa there was one, uh, facility that my wife and I spent the weekend at that I would consider at the time, you know, sort of futuristic, you know, jet Jetsons or Star Trek <laugh> or, or something. And, and, and there there were folks with neurological, uh, diseases who were, um, using wheelchairs and they were controlling their own environment mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, the, the calling for the elevator when need be, um, taking the, and, and managing the lights and the H V A C in their, uh, rooms and doing all sorts of things.
Speaker 4 00:18:01 And it was, it was astounding. Now, um, at the time, those things, those particular items were not ubiquitous and they were very expensive mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and it seemed like, you know, that was, you know, unattainable. But we put that in our memory bank and now, um, you know, those items are, um, off the shelf. Um, but you know, there, there, there are a variety of needs and ways in which those items can be used to reduce the dependence on personal care attendance. And we know that caregivers are few and far between because people can make more money, uh, rather than being a direct care worker, they can be, uh, going to a fast food restaurant. And, uh, and so we have to come up with ways that are unique and innovative to address this crisis. It's really significant here in Maine means the oldest state in the country.
Speaker 4 00:19:05 And so we have collaborated with a number of forward thinking people to make certain that each of our units are going to be, uh, tailored for the specific needs of the residents using this, uh, this technology. And, uh, and our, our our ideas have been recognized, um, uh, through the, uh, uh, recent, uh, Omni Thebus bus, uh, appropriations bill. Um, um, so we, um, we think that we, again, are going to be setting the trend on, um, on that kind of application of technology, which, uh, is an exciting, um, idea. And it came, quite frankly, to fruition through one of our board members who is an engineer, um, with a progressive multiple sclerosis. And he has done an amazing job of creating a, an environment of autonomy in his own home.
Speaker 2 00:20:04 So you, you kind of gave me an idea, Paul, of how, you know, you came to this and, and the experience you've had with people with disabilities, obviously, so, but Corey, have you, had you had any experience with disability issues, disability housing, things like that then? Or is this kind of a, um, I mean, it sounds like you kind of have with other houses.
Speaker 5 00:20:32 I I, I, I have not personally been, you know, directly touched by that in, in my life or in my immediate family. I've, I've certainly had, uh, older elder family members who have experienced things like Alzheimer's. And so that definitely has, um, you know, that's obviously more of a neurological condition, but still, uh, touches on some of the same themes of sort of independence and, um, you know, autonomy. Um, but I, I would say that I come to this more from just sort of, sort of my evolution as an affordable housing practitioner. Um, you know, I, I, I went into grad school to get a master's in city planning, and really as I, when I entered that program, it, housing was not really on my radar. And, and the, in the course of being in that, in that program's environment and being in the, in the, in the Boston area, I really was exposed to some, some interesting things that were going on.
Speaker 5 00:21:31 Boston's really, uh, evolved and transformed in some fascinating ways. And the real estate market has, um, gone through several, um, several, uh, extreme cycles and affordability has been a recurring theme. And so I, um, I sort of, I sort of came into this on, on more of a kind of a crooked path mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and really from the time that I landed at pwa, um, I really became more and more, um, immersed in sort of the mission of affordable housing. And roughly half of our portfolio of nearly 13,000 apartments, um, is comprised of senior housing. And some of these issues come into play in that sort of, quote unquote more conventional affordable housing, if you will, where you have these issues of accessibility. Um, and we've approached those as best we can through design and through our, what I mentioned, our, our com, our community impact resident services programming.
Speaker 5 00:22:33 Um, but one of the recurring challenges in, in, in, in our industry is that resources are scarce. Um, you're often, you're often having to compete, uh, through competitive rounds for tax credits and other, other public and quasi-public, uh, funding. And so there's always a lot of pressure on budgets, and there are sort of baseline, as I'm sure you're aware, there's sort of baseline codes, uh, in, in local building codes. And they also exist, um, in different ways and are attached to the, the, the forms of financing, public financing that we use that sort of require that you have x percentage of, of apartments in a given development must be ADA accessible. Um, and we've tried to go in above and beyond wherever we can, but, um, recognize that there are, as Paul has has described, there's such a great need out there. And so we see this as a really unique opportunity to, to, to be part of an effort to develop a community that is 100% universally accessible and really goes way above and beyond.
Speaker 5 00:23:38 And so the, the type of, uh, funding that Paul made a reference to from the, the, from the recent federal spending bill that's going to help us explore some of these assistive technologies is critical because we, in a more conventional, affordable housing project, you really could not, you couldn't afford to incorporate something like that. You really focused more on, you know, the, the basic bricks and mortar and providing, providing the, you know, the important necessities of, of, of a, of a building and, and of a home. So we really, um, this is a, it's a, it's an interesting challenge, but we're excited at the progress we've made in kind of marrying these two worlds of affordable housing that kind of has all of its own acronyms and its its own alphabet soup of funding programs and regulatory frameworks. And then the, you know, the world of, of, you know, disability advocates and, and accessibility.
Speaker 5 00:24:33 And we've, we've, we have a really, a really, um, really great design team that includes both, you know, con uh, sort of conventional, uh, highly experienced architect that has done a lot of affordable and market rate housing design work for us and other clients as well as, um, uh, you know, the board member that, that, that Paul referenced. And we have a, a disability design consultant who's part of the team that's based in here in the Portland area. So, um, it's really sort of a, a very multidisciplinary effort. And that, that's part of what's always appealed to me about the work in general. And this just sort of takes it to another level. And I, I've definitely become a, a true believer.
Speaker 2 00:25:18 Yeah. I believe that.
Speaker 5 00:25:19 And, and I know that, and, and Paul has, sorry to, sorry to That's okay to interrupt. But, uh, Paul has, has, has said in, in the past, and I think it's a really powerful statement that, um, you know, becoming someone, someone with, with a physical disability, it's sort of the only quote unquote, um, you know, demographic minority, if you will, that anyone could become a part of at any time. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> either through a degenerative medical condition or through an accident. Uh, there are people who obviously, um, we, we, you know, sort of runs the gamut in, in terms of age. So I, being part of this effort has really, has really, um, opened my eyes to that as well, that, you know, that this is something that even though I haven't been personally touched by to this point, I myself or someone, someone I love could be, could be in those shoes anytime. Um, so that, that's really a, a powerful motivator.
Speaker 2 00:26:15 Yeah. I believe that funding that I remember reading about was the consolidated, um, appropriations bill. Is that Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And you guys received a good chunk from that to assist you in this endeavor. Yay. President <laugh>. Yes. Um, so when you talk to me about the apartments, what do they look like? What are some of the special things that will be in them to help make them great for all? Because I always talk about on the show, you know, when you, when you put in something, that's the thing. When you put in something that is accessible for somebody, it's almost always good for the whole. Um, so tell me about what the apartments look like and, and how they will be different as far as, you know, accessible.
Speaker 4 00:27:09 Well, the, uh, uh, for, they're going to exceed, uh, I, uh, ADA a requirements, um, the doorways, uh, for instance, I believe are going to be 42 inches. Um, the, uh, the, the contour, the, the apartments themselves are bigger than the typical, uh, apartment that POA would build. We're building, uh, as I said, 51 units. Um, they're going to be one, uh, two and three bedroom, uh, units. Um, certainly, um, they'll, there'll be more ones and twos than threes mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But, um, this will be, um, uh, uh, a space that will, um, be easy to maneuver. Um, it will be, um, um, you know, totally accessible again, universal design, rollin showers, um, cabinet tree that, uh, in the kitchen that someone, um, who, who needs, um, lower space would be able to access, uh, without a problem. Um, each of the, um, of the units will be designed to, uh, uh, adapt in the event that a resident needs a, um, a lift system in the ceiling, um, that will be, it will be completely wired so that, um, again, the, the technology, uh, in order for the individual to really control his or her en environment will be, um, you know, be all set and ready to go, uh, on the ground floor.
Speaker 4 00:28:51 Um, there are going, there's going to be, um, a maker space. By that, I mean, we have a mobility and assistive technology hub. So, um, that's in the plan. Um, we learn through our focus group, um, that, you know, people who, uh, use wheelchairs oftentimes, uh, end up having them break and when they break Mm. Yes. If they're not fixed, then people are, are really confined and isolated. Yeah. And, and so we think that not only for our residents, but for the community at large, having, um, the ability to, um, have a, a, a, a technician, uh, address that need with, with printers and the like, will be able to keep people, um, as active as they can while they go through the morass of getting insurance clearance so that their, uh, chair can be repaired appropriately. So those are some of the things that, um, are part of the, are part of the building.
Speaker 4 00:29:52 Um, moreover, um, this, um, building will be, uh, right in the, um, in, in a complex that is being un is being, um, developed as a 500 acre master plan community with various, um, amenities. And our building is going to be directly contiguous to, um, the new town center that's happening in a, uh, community that, uh, taking shape on an old harness race track <laugh>. So, um, it's, it's going to be f full of, uh, you know, restaurants and mixed use, um, various types of housing, uh, work opportunities. And, uh, it's going to be an exciting, uh, place and it's already taking shape. So, um, as, as, as Corey says, um, we've received, um, a lot of interest in the town of Scarborough. And, um, that is, uh, in the southern part of the state, which is the most populous and very close to the largest community Portland, um, in the state of Maine.
Speaker 2 00:31:03 I want to, um, take a step back a a little bit and talk about housing, because you, you, you talk about not enough accessible housing, which I, I really think is true. And I think I read, said like 8% of Maine residents ages 18 to 64 have a mobility disability that impacts their daily life. And this was according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if there's, like, it sounds like, you know, yours is the first of the housing that's truly really above and beyond accessible in Maine. Where are these people staying now? <laugh>,
Speaker 4 00:31:51 Huh? Well, you know, um, as I indicated before, there are, um, you know, this is really what, what prompted me to get the, the ball rolling, so to speak. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, my, my wife, um, um, had a, uh, a, a life of impact. And it may not have been as long as we would've liked, but, um, she, um, left, uh, an indelible mark and, uh, in going through some material, I saw, um, a blue ribbon state commission on home and community based services, and she was a member of this, uh, blue Ribbon commission that reported out in 2008 Uhhuh of the need for more, uh, housing and among other recommendations. So this, this isn't, this isn't a new, uh, phenomenon. Um, and in some regard, you know, the fact that it's taken 15 years to, uh, get this project, um, from where that recommendation, um, left off and where we are now, um, is a telltale, um, commentary, quite frankly on the priorities mm-hmm. <affirmative> of, um, of, of how, uh, we look after our fellow citizens. Um, and, and if, sorry if I get a little pedantic here, but
Speaker 2 00:33:21 I told this is what this is all about.
Speaker 4 00:33:24 In 1999, there was a Supreme Court decision that said institutionalizing people when there could be a better, more, uh, appropriate accommodation for folks with disabilities is v violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and is unlawful. Well, that was 23 years ago. 24 years ago.
Speaker 2 00:33:47 Amazing, isn't
Speaker 4 00:33:48 It? And, and, and they're still litigating that issue. As a matter of fact, there's a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of, I believe, tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, saying that you need to do something about this housing crisis. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So, um, I, I, I know that we're not the first to look at this as an issue, but all of the momentum that has been created by people who have really paved the way for, um, you know, looking at a universal issue where regardless of your race or your income or your, um, uh, sexual preference, you know, housing is a critical component of the human condition. And nursing home placement for somebody who is a, a low income person who may be looking at decades of life in, in such a, a circumstance is just anathema to the human experience. And that's why we're working so hard and feel so right about what we're doing.
Speaker 5 00:35:08 And I would just add to that, that, you know, to the question of where, where these folks living now, you know, as, as Paul alluded to, some of them, many of them are, are, are in, in places like nursing homes and, and sort of institutionalized, some of them are also among the other, um, housing challenge folks who are living in hotels or motels. Um, you know, that that's, that's not unique to this area, but it's become a growing concern in the greater Portland area. Um, folks who have a lot of, a lot of special needs in some cases, who are, who are taking shelter in, in motels that are not equipped to, to, to house, to house people, and certainly not equipped with any sorts of assistive technology or, or services. Um, and then unfortunately, there are also people, and this includes, this includes physically disabled who are, who are unhoused, who are homeless mm-hmm. <affirmative>,
Speaker 5 00:36:07 And then, you know, on, on, you know, nights like this. And tomorrow night when we're gonna have wind chills of 40 to 45 below. Yeah. Um, that's, that's the definition of in humans. So, you know, there are temporary measures that can be taken as they are now, where they're opening up temporary warming shelters and things like that. But, um, it's just a really bad combination to have a population that's the oldest population in the nation, as Paul said, and, you know, that has, has these great needs at all age levels, um, and, you know, and to be exposed to the elements at times like that. So, um, you know, I think, frankly, part of what has resonated about about Paul's and three i's vision, um, has been that frankly, you, you would like to think that you could get everyone to buy into the, just the human, the human element to this and just do the right thing. But there's an economic argument to be made as well, and a and a fiduciary argument to be made in terms of how we're using our public resources. And that if we're gonna be spending public money, tax dollars, if you will, to be housing in some cases, warehousing people and institutions, why not direct at least a fraction of those funds, at least initially, um, maybe more down the road to, to really creating more permanent housing that, uh, creates more opportunity for, for, you know, independent integrated living.
Speaker 2 00:37:33 And, uh, you could make the argument if all housing was accessible, all housing would be for everyone. Um,
Speaker 4 00:37:43 What is Absolutely, absolutely. They, there was, there's, um, there's this case that has received some, uh, publicity in, in the state of Maine, and it's a young man, he's 30 some odd years old. Um, he's, uh, has cerebral palsy, um, and he's been bounced around from, um, um, group home to different locations, uh, again, at state expense. He's, he is, uh, a person, uh, that is eligible for benefits and the accommodations that this, this, uh, individual is, uh, subjected to, does not, you know, uh, meet his, his situation, uh, bathrooms that are not accessible in these locations. Um, and, uh, it's, you know, it, it, it so happens that it's, um, a, we mentioned the word universal, but you know, this is a worldwide, uh, concern. There are a billion people in the world that have, um, disabilities and, um, a Google search, and you'll find all sorts of, uh, of stories similar to this gentleman here in Maine. And they, they pop up in Australia and in, uh, in the, and in Britain, um, and, uh, all over. So, uh, we're trying, we, we we're building 51 units. We're not gonna be able to solve the problem immediately, <laugh>, but we're gonna make, uh, make inroads and, um, demonstrate, as Corey mentioned, the efficacy, both in terms of the quality of life that we, um, we, we expect will be enhanced, um, as well as the savings to the public, uh, coffers, uh, as a result of our efforts.
Speaker 2 00:39:41 Well, you have to start somewhere. What is Uhhuh <affirmative>? What is the term, um, passive housing concept?
Speaker 5 00:39:51 So, passive house is a, uh, originally a German term, uh, passive house <laugh>, um, that really refers to a highly energy efficient building that, uh, really at its full, at its sort of in its ideal form. You, you need virtually no, um, active heating or cooling. That's sort of where the, the passive and passive house comes from that. Um, when if you design a building that is sufficiently insulated, both in terms of, you know, insulation within the, within the walls and the envelope of the building, as well as the windows and in the roof and so forth, and you have the right type of ventilation, um, that you can minimize the use of, of, uh, fuel to, to actively heat or cool a building. And so we at, at POA preservation, affordable housing have among, along with others, we're certainly not the only ones in the industry who are doing it, but, um, I, I would say we have been, been, been on the cutting edge of it in, in the affordable multi-housing, multi-family housing space, um, have really incorporated that as, as a, as really our part of our standard, standard, uh, basis of design, as we call it mm-hmm. <affirmative>.
Speaker 5 00:41:08 Um, and so we, we are striving now with all of our, certainly all of our new construction, and we do, we do a mix of, of renovation of existing properties and new construction. And this project that we're talking about here, this is new construction, uh, all of our new construction projects, we, we set out with the goal of, of reaching a passive house standard. And it involves a lot of special, um, uh, you know, a lot of specifications around, around building materials and how they're assembled. Um, how, how your, how your window is installed to, to, uh, minimize heat loss and so forth. Um, one example, one good example of of sort of the impact of passive house design is if you're standing in a room that's got an open window and the sun is coming in, you're on a, say you're on a north, a south facing, uh, you know, south facing, uh, window, the sun is coming in.
Speaker 5 00:42:05 Uh, in a more kind of typical, what we've become used to is sort of a typical building design. You get sort of that greenhouse effect where the sun is blasting in and it becomes uncomfortably hot. Um, in a passive house building with the right type of insulated windows, you still get that light, but you're not, that, that heat is not all coming through and it sort of balances out whether it's hot or cold. And so we're incorporating that into all of our new construction, as I said. And this project, this three I project is, is no exception. Um, and we find that it, um, you know, it certainly cuts down on operating costs, which is a benefit to, you know, to owners and managers, but also to the residents, because that means even if the residents aren't the ones paying all of the utility bills, they benefit at least indirectly because that frees up more funds that go back into the building for programming and upkeep and, and things like that.
Speaker 2 00:43:02 Where are you now with the construction of this project?
Speaker 5 00:43:07 We are still in pre-construction, pre-development. Um, we have a, uh, a pretty well developed architectural design, um, and floor plans and a basic building design. We are in the process of preparing to go before the local planning board to, to get site plan approval for, for the project. Um, and then we also simultaneously are preparing to apply for, to the state of Maine, the main housing finance agency for, uh, what will really be the bulk of the, sort of the, the front end capital financing for the project in the form of local housing tax credits, as well as, um, long-term loans. Um, and we expect to get through the local permitting process by late spring, early summer. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> be submitting our financing application in a, in a competitive round in July, and we'll hope to get good news on that by November or so, which would, uh, put us on track to, to break ground during the spring of, of 2024, and then be complete roughly a year later, maybe a little bit more during 20, mid 2025.
Speaker 5 00:44:20 So I will say, you know, one of the challenges with this effort has been that we're, you know, there's been a lot of excitement around the concept, and we've made some good progress. We've secured some important funding. Um, we have a site and a, as Paul said, you know, a surrounding master plan that's really coming together. Um, but one of the challenges with affordable housing is that, um, even a even sort of regular affordable housing, if you wanna call it that, is that it really, the is involved can be long. Right. Um, as we say, the term we use sometimes it's a, it's a long runway <laugh> before you get it, you can sort of get it off the ground. Um, so we're, you know, we don't have a building yet, but we're, we're on our way.
Speaker 2 00:45:04 Um, the prices that I was rating said between 12 and 2200 per per unit, is that considered affordable housing or will that those prices be subsidized?
Speaker 5 00:45:20 Uh, we do expect that, we'll, we will have some rental subsidy as part of the project, um, both, uh, project based as it's referred to, as well as, um, we, we would anticipate that some incoming residents mm-hmm. <affirmative> may come in with, with, uh, subsidy vouchers, but those, all of the, all of the apartments will be priced at levels that will be affordable for people at or below 50 to 60% of area median income. Um, so again, we talked earlier kind of toward the start of the show about how there are different definitions of what affordable means. Right?
Speaker 2 00:45:57 Right.
Speaker 5 00:45:58 Um, that's, that, that, that's sort of the, those are the benchmarks that, that we'll be using.
Speaker 2 00:46:05 How can people find out more about what you're doing?
Speaker 4 00:46:10 Well, um, we have the website, which is www.threeihome.org. Uh, that's the number three, the letter I h o m e.org. Um, there's an opportunity to contact us through that and, uh, sign up for our quarterly newsletter. Um, we have, uh, periodically, um, maintained, uh, a list of, uh, folks who are interested and, um, we communicate with, with them, um, through various, uh, you know, uh, video, um, methodologies. And so, um, we're anxious to, uh, make sure that, you know, people who do have questions have, um, a responsive ear and, um, and, and so that process is in place. Um, those are the best ways to do it.
Speaker 2 00:47:06 Will you actually have like, video showing what these units will look like?
Speaker 4 00:47:13 I think that a, a as we, uh, wrap up, um, some of the, um, work later this, um, winter and in the springtime, yes, we'll have renderings and we'll have, uh, more depictions that will be, um, will be available for, um, for our pro potential residents. And, and, um, you know, we'll, we'll be doing, uh, a lot more obviously as construction begins and, um, you know, the excitement builds. Um, so yes.
Speaker 2 00:47:46 Well, I just wanna, uh, thank you guys for coming on and let see if there's anything else you'd like to leave us with, if there's anything that we didn't touch on you wanted to touch on.
Speaker 4 00:47:58 Well, I, I, we, we thank you very much for the, uh, for the opportunity to speak with you and, uh, um, you know, we're, I thank, uh, you know, um, I, I'd like to leave, I guess, with a quote that I will take from a press release that is dated January the fourth. It's HUD press release 23 0 0 1. So that means in the year 2023, the very first press release is about HUD's Housing and Urban Developments Award, uh, to provide affordable housing to support community living for non elderly people with disabilities. Um, this goes to some of the, uh, voucher, um, of funding mechanisms that are going to public housing authorities. And in this press release, the Secretary of Urban Development says people with disabilities deserve access to affordable housing that meets their needs. Um, it's a, this today's announcement is a step forward, one that will help more persons with disabilities serve as fully integrated members of their communities and allow them to live independently and with dignity. So I think that pretty much sums up what three I and POA are doing in our project. And, uh, we want other folks to, uh, to join with us in this course.
Speaker 2 00:49:35 Well, thank you again. And Charlene, did you have anything you wanted to say?
Speaker 3 00:49:42 I am. I, I would be really excited for this project. I think you really are opening a way for people to really be at home.
Speaker 4 00:49:55 Thank you. Thank you very much.
Speaker 5 00:49:57 Thank you. And as, as you said earlier, Sam, you know, you've gotta start somewhere. Yes. And we hope that this will absolutely be beginning.
Speaker 2 00:50:04 I hope so too. Good luck with it, and I hope, uh, maybe you'll come to Minnesota <laugh>. So thank you very much. Love too. Take care.
Speaker 5 00:50:13 All right. Thanks for having us. Stay warm.
Speaker 4 00:50:16 Bye now. Thank you. Bye.
Speaker 2 00:50:19 This has been disability and progress. Wow. Alright. And this is kfi I 90.3 fm, Minneapolis and kfi do org. This has been Disability and Progress. We bring you insights into ideas about and discussions on disability topics. My name is Sam. I'm the host of this show. Charlene Doll is my research team. Thank you so much. If you wanna be a part of our listener club, you can email me at disability and progress sam jasmine.com. And we would love to have you on This week we're speaking with Paul Lynette, who is founder and president of three I Home, and Corey Fellows who is part of p. Thanks again for listening. Goodnight.
Speaker 0 00:51:09 Hey.
