BRUNSWICK

A new series of legislative proposals called KeepME Home could help ease the senior housing crunch, according to Maine’s House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick. The initiatives were announced Wednesday at Creekside Village, a senior housing apartment complex managed by the Brunswick Housing Authority.

Creekside has a waiting list of 140 seniors, according to Eves.

“And it’s not an anomaly,” said Eves. “The waiting lists are extraordinary. Thousands of seniors are waiting for an affordable initiative.”

One of the cornerstones of KeepME Home is a $65 million bond to be used in combination with private and public resources to create 1,000 energy-efficient homes for seniors in 40 locations across Maine, said Eves.

“Not only are we the oldest state in the nation, we also have the oldest housing stock in the nation,” Eves said. “Maine’s housing stock is poorly matched with our needs. It is too unaffordable, it is too inaccessible, it is too inefficient, and it is too remote from the services and resources our seniors need to thrive in their communities.”

The initiatives also call for an increase in the Maine’s Property Tax Fairness credit for older residents, and an increase to Medicaid reimbursement rates for direct care workers who provide in-home and personal care services who have seen their pays reduced over the last decade, said Eves.

In an interview Wednesday afternoon, Spectrum Generations President and CEO Gerard Queally said he supported Eves’s initiatives.

Queally specifically cited the proposed pay raises for care workers, who he said are vital in keeping more senior citizens in their homes and out of hospitals.

Regarding housing, Queally noted that many seniors are struggling to live in homes that are often in remote locations.

“What many seniors struggle with are that they’re in housing they can’t maintain,” Queally said.

In Brunswick, for example, it is nearly impossible to purchase a new or wellmaintained home close to services such as hospitals, transportation networks and organizations such as People Plus.

The initiative comes as the state faces “significant” challenges with having an aging population, Eves said.

“Maine is the oldest state in the nation,” Eves said. “Each day, 50 people turn 65. And in just 15 years, one in four Mainers will be over the age of 65.”

The proposals will be formally introduced when the Legislature reconvenes in December.

Elaine Parker, a resident at Creekside Village, said improving access to transportation is key to allowing the elderly to stay their homes.

“I came from the Hudson Valley, where we had lots of housing,” Parker said in an interview. “Maine does have to step up to the plate for their elderly citizens.”

jswinconeck@timesrecord.com