Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.
Two Maine island communities joined forces to hire a part-time housing manager to help improve housing availability and affordability in the region.
Dan DeBord started his new job as the part-time housing manager for Deer Isle and Stonington in early August. The one-year gig is his latest in a career centered around municipal planning and economic development throughout coastal Maine.
The new position was recommended by a housing task force the two communities formed in 2024 to identify paths to expand housing, especially for those working in the region, according to James Fisher, Deer Isle’s town manager.
The Interlocal Housing Task Force issued a final report in December 2025 that revealed the island has a shortage of more than 100 units of affordable housing to hold local workers. Furthermore, Deer Isle and Stonington have a workforce shortage of about 102 year-round employees.
Like many of Maine’s picturesque coastal communities, much of Stonington and Deer Isle’s housing stock is taken up by seasonal second homes and short-term rentals. This limits the number of units available to people who work in the communities, and the homes that are available are usually too expensive for those working locally to afford.
“We have seen a dramatic spike in home values following COVID, the emergence of online technology for booking short-term rentals and climate change,” Fisher said. “The supply of housing that is affordable to the workforce is insufficient.”
In addition to recommending goals, the Interlocal Housing Task Force found that many of the regions’ existing workers earn below 60% area median income — roughly $42,540 or less each year. This is especially true for workers filling essential positions in retail, hospitality or fishing industries.
From January to early December 2025, 45 residential properties in Deer Isle and Stonington sold for prices ranging from $110,000 to $1.6 million, with a median sale price of $440,000, according to the task force.
Without affordable housing options that match local workers’ incomes, the island faces ongoing labor shortages, declining school enrollment, a shrinking year-round population and dwindling tax base, the task force warned.
DeBord has a series of goals he’s expected to achieve each quarter over the next year, such as identifying land that could hold housing, especially starter homes for first-time buyers, and finding seasonal properties that could be turned into year-round rentals.
However, Debor said his overall mission is to expand the availability of quality housing that people who work in Deer Isle and Stonington can afford.
“It’s important to me that we try our best to make sure that the people that keep the communities running can also live in the communities.” DeBord said.
In the first few weeks of his new position DeBord said he has already heard stories of teachers commuting from Bucksport or Bangor to teach Deer Isle and Stonington students.
“This housing problem isn’t isolated to Deer Isle and Stonington, but it’s particularly acute on our peninsulas, bridged islands and remote, unbridged islands,” DeBord said.
Originally from southwestern Virginia, DeBord became acutely aware of the housing shortage in Maine’s coastal communities when he worked for the Island Institute, based in Rockland, and lived in Monhegan, where most homes are seasonal.
“My first two years in the state were a crash course in what it’s like to live and work in a community where the folks who want to live there and make their lives there have a tough time finding a place to live,” DeBord said. “As a result, businesses have some difficulty finding workers and keeping them.”
In the next year, Debord hopes to help develop some affordable housing that existing island residents are excited to welcome, as he hears of affordable housing getting pushed to the outskirts of a community so as to not upset neighbors, he said.
“Just because housing is workforce or income-capped doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve a nice view and quality housing somewhere that’s safe and pleasant to live,” he said. “I think it’s a fun challenge to try to build good quality housing in a nice place that the people in the community are proud of.”