I picked up my mail today and discovered a notice from Guerrette Properties that my rent has
gone up $100 this year.

Readers may remember me as the one who made a big fuss when a corporate entity bought out the nonprofit that ran this senior housing project for many years at Howell House. Interestingly, there was no letter regarding my request that they fix the pillar that fell down months ago before winter sets in.

In general, Guerette Properties has done a great job. I expect to continue to rent here because
it is so convenient for my mobility impairment. And while it is expensive for a one-bedroom in
Augusta, it is also quiet and convenient; we do get help with the snowplowing and salting. We
do have friendly neighbors.

However, in Portland, Brooklyn, Oakland and many other places I have had the privilege of living, this $100-a-year trick has made housing pretty unaffordable for ordinary Americans.

I think we should notice that nonprofit housing is being bought out at an alarming rate
throughout Maine, and it is entirely legal, as land values and land taxes soar. It is just a
mechanism of gentrification, as we all know, but a gentrified Maine is an unhoused Maine.

As my work life in Bangor teaches me, anyone and everyone can be houseless, and once
they are, the breakdown of health is almost immediate.

Grace Nichols
Augusta