The Latest from Island Housing Trust
Updates on Homes, Projects, and People
Dr. Daniel and Allison Lomelin, Ripples Phase 3 Homeowners
An evening with IHT
More than 100 neighbors, supporters, and community leaders gathered at The Gallery at Somes Sound for An Evening with Island Housing Trust to celebrate what truly makes MDI thrive: its people.
Throughout the evening, we heard powerful stories about the people who make our year-round community thrive and those who are part of the solution.
One of the evening's most moving moments came from Dr. Daniel Lomelin, a family physician at MDI Hospital. He shared how he and his wife dreamed of raising their family on MDI, but after years of moving from one rental to another, homeownership seemed out of reach. They even began to wonder if they would have to leave the Island they had grown to love.
Then, one day, their oldest daughter came home from school and said, "I love my teacher. I love my friends. I want to stay here forever."
That is why Island Housing Trust exists.
As Executive Director Sherry Billings shared, Island Housing Trust is about more than building homes; it's about preserving a year-round community.
IHT Workforce Family
What do we mean when we say “workforce housing”?
We use the term often, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story.
For IHT, workforce housing means sustaining MDI’s year-round communities and creating opportunities for people already part of, or wanting to be part of, this island's fabric to keep building their lives here.
They are our teachers, nurses, carpenters, childcare providers, small business owners, municipal employees, restaurant workers, families, and neighbors. They live here, work here, raise families here, volunteer here, and contribute to our communities every day.
As IHT Executive Director Sherry Billings explains, many are middle-income residents who could afford a home in another market, but on MDI, home prices have put homeownership increasingly out of reach.
Workforce housing is about creating opportunities for people to live, work, and build their lives on MDI, and helping ensure our island communities remain vibrant, year-round.
Ripples Hill Phase 3
Progress at Ripples Hill
Construction is moving forward at Ripples Hill Phase 3, with the first two homes now set on their foundations. This exciting milestone brings us one step closer to more year-round housing opportunities for Mount Desert Island's workforce.
This progress is made possible by the generosity of our donors and the commitment of a community that believes the people who work, serve, and strengthen our island deserve a place to call home. Future homeowners include teachers, healthcare workers, small business employees, park staff, and others who help sustain our year-round community.
We look forward to sharing more updates throughout the summer as construction continues and these homes move closer to welcoming their new residents.
