Housing
NEW!
Explore the Washington County Housing Summit Dashboard
Washington County is facing a housing crisis — rising costs, shrinking vacancy, and aging stock are making it harder for families to find a place to call home. This dashboard brings together data on short-term rentals, latent housing parcels, dilapidated properties, and community infrastructure across nine focus communities to help residents, municipal officials, planners, and developers understand the scope of the challenge and identify opportunity.
Developed by Sunrise County Economic Council, the Dashboard is part of a regional effort to connect housing need with actionable sites and local planning tools.
Explore the map to see what the data reveals in your community.
Foundational to Our Economic Health
Stable, attainable housing is foundational to the economic health of Washington County. When residents can find homes they can afford in the communities where they work, raise families, and build businesses, the entire regional economy benefits. When they cannot, employers struggle to hire, young people leave, older residents face hard choices, and community vitality erodes.
Our Role
Sunrise County Economic Council works alongside developers, lenders, municipal leaders, social service providers, and housing organizations to advance practical solutions to the county’s housing challenges.
SCEC convenes the partners, practitioners, and decision-makers working on housing across Washington County. We also connect communities to the tools, financing, and expertise they need to move projects forward.
QUESTIONS?
For more information, please contact Elaine Abbott, Program Manager for Broadband and Workforce Housing
Phone: 207-255-0983
Email: eabbott@sunrisecounty.org
Housing Pressures:
Workforce Housing Shortages
Small labor markets, high construction costs, and limited infrastructure make workforce housing development uniquely difficult in rural Maine. Even well-designed projects can stall before breaking ground.
Hidden Homelessness
Many neighbors are not sleeping on the streets but are cycling through spare rooms, staying with friends, or moving between temporary living situations. These unstable arrangements mask the true scale of housing insecurity and make it harder for families, youth, and workers to access support.
Limited Housing Turnover
Older residents often remain in homes that no longer fit their needs, constrained by fixed incomes, rising property taxes, limited downsizing options, accessibility challenges, and the emotional weight of leaving longtime homes. This dynamic reduces turnover and restricts opportunities for younger households.
Short-term rental pressures
In communities where tourism is essential but housing supply is limited, short-term rental activity shapes housing availability, neighborhood stability, and economic vitality in ways that require careful balance.
Gaps in Supportive Housing
Residents facing complex challenges need affordable homes paired with wraparound services such as case management, behavioral health support, and transportation assistance.
Washington County Housing Summit: From Strategies to Solutions
Keynote: How Washington County’s Housing Needs Are Evolving & Why It Matters Now
Featuring Charles Rudelitch, Executive Director, Sunrise County Economic Council
Plenary: Tools That Move Housing – Financing Strategies & Barrier Removal
Featuring panelists: Emily Wassmer, TRC
Steven McDermott, Genesis Community Loan Fund
Caleb Lincoln, Lake City Holdings
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
