Florence House
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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]
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
- ^ Florence Young Housing for Homeless Women In Portland Archived 2012-09-07 at archive.today, Preble Street Resources.
- ^ 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.
- ^ John Richardson, Florence House to Open Doors for Homeless Women, Portland Press Herald, April 5, 2010.
- ^ Avesta Housing.
- ^ Maine State Housing Authority Funding News.
- ^ 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.
- ^ The Nation’s Best, Affordable Housing Finance, July/August 2010.
- ^ Affordable Housing Finance magazine 2010 Readers Choice Award finalist.
- ^ First affordable housing development to be named a finalist[permanent dead link].
Sources
- Governor Marks Next Step for Florence House RealEstateRama, January 28, 2009.
- Florence House Gives Homeless Women a Second Chance Maine Insights, August 27, 2010.
- The Kresge Foundation Portland Maine's Preble Street Brings People "Home for Good " by Claudia Capos, January 23, 2008.
- Affordable Housing Finance (AHF) AHF selects sixth annual Readers’ Choice finalists, August, 2010.