Recently housing shortages have been in the news at the state and federal level. Many of our neighbors have been struggling to find a place to live, especially one they can afford.

Government officials and policymakers are looking for solutions by pushing for increased housing stock, often within the context of a subsidy program. Meanwhile, housing built via these programs, as we are hearing, is loaded with mold and suffering from poor maintenance, displacing those who live there.

On Feb. 13, the stock market took a big slide on news that inflation had not dropped as much as anticipated. Some economists attribute the stubborn inflation to housing costs. The housing issue is big, very big.

At the same time, news of illegal marijuana grows in residential neighborhoods seems to hit headlines daily. The initial leaked Customs and Border Protection memo cited possibly 270 illegal grows in Maine, but I’ve since seen that number estimated at 400. That is a significant number of housing units taken off the market. It would seem that addressing the problem of illicit growing in residential neighborhoods, including returning those properties to residential use ASAP would be a big help for Maine families seeking housing and indeed, have an impact on inflation.

It’s unfortunate that no one is drawing these connections and talking about how the proliferation of illegal growing is impacting the housing market and taking steps to identify these sites. It’s not hard as they are not really trying to hide what they’re doing. Close them down, and quickly return the housing stock back to the market. What would it take, from a policy perspective, to accomplish that?

Steph Barrett

Belgrade