A three-year long effort to provide housing for Lincoln County residents with developmental disabilities moved towards the construction phase Thursday.
Mobius, the largest provider of these services for county residents, hosted a ground breaking for a new housing project located at 35 Chapman St. July 16.
The facility, scheduled to be completed in six to eight months, will provide decent and affordable housing for persons with developmental disabilities in central Lincoln County, an area where affordable rental housing has become hard to find, said David Lawlor, the Mobius executive director.
The project will provide five affordable, quality apartments for four individuals who require partial staff support to live in the community and one for a live-in support person, who will provide back-up support to the other residents.
Additional staff support will be provided based on the needs of each individual as determined through a person-centered planning process involving teams of key supporters for each resident. The planning process results in independent living goals unique to each individual that address skill development and support needs in a variety of aspects of community living activities.
Kathleen Mack, President of the Mobius Board of Directors, reported that the project was almost three years in the making, due to the need for financial support from several agencies.
Partner organizations collaborating with Mobius Inc. to finance the project include: the Maine State Housing Authority – Supported Housing Program; the US Department of Agriculture-Rural Development; the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Genesis Community Fund.
The integration of all of these funding entities resulted in a viable program that will be financially self-sustaining. The contractor for the project is JARR Management of Augusta, who was selected to build the facility, following a competitive bid process. The architect for the project is Archetype of Portland, Maine.
The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Michael Jenkins, Area Specialist, for the USDA Rural Development; William Floyd, Director of the Genesis Community Fund; and Mobius Board of Directors and staff.
Christie Hopkins, a member of the Mobius Board of Directors, led the ceremony recognizing the initiation of the construction of the apartment units.
Diane Eder, Director of Programs and Michaela York, Director of Community Support Services, senior program management staff at Mobius Inc. will coordinate referrals for the new apartments.
