Avesta Housing

About Avesta Housing

Avesta Housing is a Portland-based nonprofit organization with a mission to improve lives and strengthen communities by promoting and providing affordable quality homes for people in need. Avesta advocates for affordable housing, develops and manages high-quality housing, and helps residents access other needed services. Founded in 1972 with a shoestring budget and a staff of three, Avesta has grown to become one of the country’s most innovative and respected leaders in affordable housing.

Avesta owns and/or manages more than 100 affordable housing developments in Maine and New Hampshire, for a total of more than 2,700 units. The Avesta Housing Management portfolio consists of state and federally assisted family and elderly/disabled housing, affordable rent-restricted apartments, and special housing for long-term homeless and visually impaired. Our residents represent an incredibly diverse population of low-income individuals and families throughout southern Maine and New Hampshire.

Avesta currently has total assets of $300 million and a $53 million annual budget. Our 17-member Board of Directors is drawn from the financial, business, public-sector community, social-service, and housing spheres, and we have approximately 255 employees.

Avesta has continued its trend of substantial growth by developing 12 projects and 395 units over the past four years. We consistently receive high marks from our state, federal, and private-sector partners, and we are recognized nationally for groundbreaking work in bringing together nonprofit, for-profit, private and public-sector organizations for the benefit of our communities. Our growth has earned us a place in Affordable Housing Finance Magazine’s Top 50 Developers list.