Maine beat its 2025 housing production goal. Islands still need their own tools.
The state permitted 7,499 homes in 2025 against a 6,900 target. Only 13% were affordable, and the island-specific MaineHousing program that funded NHSH's rentals has had no new round since 2022.
Maine announced on June 26 that 7,499 housing units were permitted statewide in 2025, about 9% above the 6,900 goal set after the state's housing production study found Maine needs roughly 84,000 more homes by 2030. The 2026 target is 7,600 and the annual target climbs to 13,300 by 2030.
The fine print matters for an island:
- Only 722 of those units, 13%, were affordable.
- The Affordable Housing Initiative for Maine Islands, the MaineHousing program that gave NHSH a $840,000 forgivable loan for four rentals, has funded 49 homes on ten islands since 2007 but has not run a new round since 2022. Its future is unclear.
- Building on an island costs about 30% more than on the mainland.
That is why NHSH raises private money for every project. State programs come and go; the covenants on our homes do not.
Source: Office of Governor Mills
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