Hannah unveils plan to invest in housing, take on corporate greed, and build a future where Mainers can afford to stay
Portland, ME — Today, former Speaker of the House and candidate for Governor, Hannah Pingree released her comprehensive Housing Affordability Plan for Maine, a bold, urgent, and actionable plan designed to meet the scale and complexity of the housing crisis and help more workers, seniors, and families achieve their dream of owning a home here in Maine.
“Maine families are struggling to find homes they can afford, and Washington isn’t helping,” said Hannah Pingree. “I’m running for governor with a bold plan to build more homes, make housing attainable, and ensure families, workers and seniors can stay in the communities they love. We’ll take on the out-of-state private equity companies who are buying up mobile home parks and displacing residents from their homes, and we’ll work to preserve housing for Maine people. Housing is a fight worth taking on and I’m ready to get it done.”
The same week that the Trump Administration proposed 50-year mortgages that trap families in debt and drastically cut HUD housing grants, Hannah is offering a plan that does the opposite—building homes, cutting costs, and helping Maine families afford to stay in this state.
At a press conference at Stevens Square, a historic redevelopment now home to Maine seniors, Hannah was joined by housing experts, developers, and advocates who know what it takes to get real homes built. They stood with her because her plan takes on the forces driving up costs and shutting Mainers out.
Hannah’s plan was created by listening to Mainers and focuses on five key priorities:
- Invest $100 Million a Year in Housing: Provide consistent funding for the development and preservation of homes across Maine that are affordable and attainable.
- Take on Private Equity and Corporate Greed: Stop out-of-state corporations from displacing families from existing homes and driving up rents.
- Accelerate Permit Approvals, Cut Red Tape, and Reduce Barriers to New Housing: Streamline and simplify state and local permit approvals and support land use reforms that allow homes to be built faster, smarter, and more predictably.
- Grow the Workforce and Industries that Build Our Homes: Invest in apprenticeships, training programs, business supports, and tuition-free community college to ensure Maine has the skilled workers, materials, and businesses to build the housing we need.
- Reduce Evictions and Address Rising Homelessness in Maine: Expand permanent housing solutions for Maine’s most vulnerable residents and invest in efforts to help households avoid evictions.
“Hannah understands housing policy at a depth few others do,” said Kevin Bunker, Founder of Developers Collaborative. “She’s preserved affordable units, pushed zoning reforms, and advanced investments that will shape Maine’s housing market for decades. That kind of leadership is rare and exactly what Maine needs.”
The Housing Affordability Plan reflects insights gathered during Hannah’s Statewide Housing Tour, where she met with residents, local officials, and housing experts in communities across Maine. Her plan calls for doubling the pace of housing production, strengthening protections for renters and mobile home residents, and ensuring public investments benefit Maine families—not Wall Street investors. SEE THE FULL PLAN HERE.
Hannah’s leadership has been instrumental in pressing for solutions, including overseeing the creation of two key state reports: the 2023 Housing Production Needs Summary that declared Maine is short about 84,000 homes,and the 2025 Housing Production Roadmap, that provided detailed recommendations to the Legislature for addressing the state’s housing challenges.
“Hannah Pingree gets it. She’s out there talking to the people building homes and the families trying to afford them,” said Rep. Traci Gere, Chair of Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee. “She knows this crisis won’t be solved from the top down — it’ll be solved by Mainers working together, and she’s leading that charge.”
Hannah has a wide range of experience in housing, with a proven record of leadership at both the state and community level. As Speaker, she championed long-term, sustainable funding for new housing production. After leaving office, she directed a community-based housing organization that expanded homeownership opportunities, developed rental housing, and provided weatherization support for local families.
As Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF), Hannah led the effort to secure the largest pipeline of funding for affordable housing production in state history, including funds for rural rentals, affordable home ownership, mobile home park preservation, opportunities for veterans and seniors, homelessness prevention, and home weatherization.
Photos and videos of the event available upon request.
For more information on Hannah Pingree’s campaign, visit www.hannahforgovernor.com.
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