While the issue of affordable housing remains a top concern for state and local political leaders, Guy Gagnon of Biddeford has his boots literally on the ground, as he works to address the housing crisis in northern York County.

Gagnon, 61, is the executive director of the Biddeford Housing Authority, a quasi-governmental agency that serves Biddeford, Saco and smaller communities bordering the twin cities.

Gagnon is passionate about the housing issue. He grew up in Biddeford, graduating from Biddeford High School in 1980 before graduating from the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

His father, Ray, owned and operated Ray’s Barbershop near the corner of Elm and South streets for nearly 60 years. “Sometimes it feels like almost everyone knew my dad,” he laughed. “It is a big part of what I love about this community. There’s a sense of being connected. I often run into people I knew in Kindergarten.”

Before taking the helm of the Biddeford Housing Authority 13 years ago, Gagnon worked as executive director at the Westbrook Housing Authority for eight years and before that spent several years working for the Maine Housing Authority. He and his wife, Denise, have been married 25 years and have three daughters.

We caught up with Gagnon on an especially warm and humid day last week at the former St. Andre Church on Bacon Street. The former church, purchased by the housing authority from the Portland Diocese, is being renovated and will soon be the new home of the My Place Teen Center.

You have essentially spent your entire career focusing on housing and housing-related issues. Why is that topic so important to you?

“Because it’s not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about people’s lives. About neighborhoods. About communities. It’s deeply rewarding work. I never wake up thinking I have to go to work today. I feel an obligation to my community.”

The Biddeford Housing Authority is not an extension of city government, right?

“Correct. Our agency was established in 1985. We serve the communities of Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Buxton, Dayton and Arundel. We have five full-time employees. We’re sort of like the Maine Turnpike Authority. We were created by the community but do not have a direct relationship to any of the communities we serve.”

So how do you get your funding?

“We are essentially connected to HUD (the federal Housing & Urban Development department) to locally administer the Section 8 housing program. We also apply for and receive grants from all over the place, and we do get some funding from the Maine State Housing Authority.

“We are, however, quite fortunate to have a good working relationship with the city of Biddeford. We’ve been able to coordinate some of our projects with money the city receives through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The city has also helped us with some TIF (Tax Increment Financing) revenues on some projects. So we have a really good relationship with them.

“It’s also important to note, I think, that we have some really great private-sector assistance from local lenders such as Biddeford Savings Bank and Saco and Biddeford Savings Institution. Our borrowing requirements are much lower than those required for most borrowers.”

How many projects have you done over the last few years?

“We now have 14 properties that we developed over the past 10 years. We work to create opportunities for first-time homebuyers, senior housing and even affordable rentals. Of course, the term ‘Affordable Housing’ has 100 different meanings for a 100 different people.”

What about the unhoused population and those close to becoming homeless?

“We have developed three different properties that serve 13 people who were in need of permanent housing. We don’t make a big deal about those properties because we want the families to blend in to the neighborhood. We don’t want people pointing to those properties as anything other than just another property in the neighborhood.”

Your agency bought the entire block of the church property that was owned by the Diocese. You turned the former school building into senior housing units and the rectory into some affordable housing units, but the main piece of property is this huge church building that will soon be a teen center.

“Yeah, this has been an exciting project for us. It would be almost impossible to convert this space into housing units, but it’s a near perfect fit for the teen center.

“When we first approached the Dioceses about this property, I was thinking to myself if this building goes down, the neighborhood will go down with it. This is a critical piece of this neighborhood and the surrounding community. It’s within walking distance for kids living in downtown Saco.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. This project will help stabilize the neighborhood. We’ll also have programs to connect the seniors living next door with the young people using the teen center.”

How can government fix the housing problem we’re facing today?

“It’s a very complex issue, and unfortunately there are no simple or easy answers. But I believe we need to focus on the private sector. We live in a free-market society. The trick is to entice businesses into creating more affordable housing. We should be focused on creating incentives: for lenders, borrowers, developers and landlords.

“We all have to work together, but I think the answers need to come from the marketplace. I’m not dismissing the problem. Personally, I find it very sad that my oldest daughter – a nurse – cannot afford to buy a home here; in the same community where I grew up. It sickens me.

“One thing local governments may want to consider is the creation of a Housing Trust Fund. It won’t solve the whole problem, but we have to start somewhere; we have to be willing to take it step-by-step. Any progress is good progress.”

Randy Seaver can be contacted at [email protected].