Housing Navigator

For a recent immigrant, finding and renting an affordable place to live can seem bewildering. With no rental history, no credit history, and no references, finding a private apartment is a daunting and critical first step for any newcomer, and stable housing is harder to attain in the current housing crisis. 

ProsperityME began offering housing support services to the community in 2017 and the Housing Navigator Program is a direct outcome of the organizational growth we experienced as administrator of the Emergency Rental Assistance program between June of 2021 and March of 2023.

Funded principally by MaineHousing and the State of Maine, the Housing Navigator Program provides help to immigrants struggling with housing stability or homelessness. Services our Housing Navigators provide include:

• Culturally sensitive one-on-one housing stability counseling

• Referral services to community and state housing resources

• Cultural brokerage with landlords and social services agencies.

• Case management to individuals and families enrolled in specific programs

• Other assistance as needed.

ProsperityME accepts walk-in appointments, but we encourage community members to call ahead or schedule an appointment in advance. This way, we can guarantee one of our counselors will see you.

Make an Appointment

Housing Support Programs History:

ProsperityME has always offered housing support services to the immigrant community through individual financial counseling. Below is our history of major housing programs.

2017- 2022: Supporting Immigrant Tenants (SIT): In partnership with a local credit union and a panel of committed community volunteers, ProsperityME created "Supporting Immigrant Tenants," or SIT, to help asylum-seekers overcome a common barrier to provide housing - the security deposit, which is not covered by General Assistance. Our lending partner provided no-interest loans of up to $1,500 with a delayed repayment schedule, to help immigrants secure private housing, find a job, repay the loan, and building credit

2021-2023: The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA): A Federal program designed to support low-income people who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. ProsperityME worked in partnership with the State of Maine, the Opportunity Alliance, and York County Community Action to provide culturally appropriate access to this critical federal program that helped to stabilize many immigrant families in the latter half of the pandemic. Between June 2021 and March of 2023, over 2,000 families - with an average family size of 3+ - we helped through the ERA.

The ERA was a major factor in our organizational growth and housing support clients are encouraged to participate in our financial empowerment programs.

Long-Term Goals

While addressing the rental challenges facing low-income immigrants, the ERA Program highlighted that the unavailability of affordable housing on the market is a much bigger problem – a Housing Crisis.

ProsperityME is now working with Maine Housing and other providers to come up with a plan that would address this crisis, both in the short and long-term.