About Us

Freeport Housing Trust, Inc. is a community-based charitable organization whose mission is to provide safe, decent and affordable housing opportunities to the lower and moderate-income households of Freeport, Maine.

The Freeport Housing Trust (FHT) grew from the work of a Town-sponsored Housing Committee acting in response to the housing crisis of the 1980s. During that decade over 100 housing units were lost to commercial development in Freeport Village, dislocating many families out of Freeport. At the same time, housing prices rose dramatically, making it nearly impossible for young Freeport families to get into the home ownership market. These same forces continue to make housing difficult for many Freeport families.

Members of the Housing Committee looked to developer Pritham Singh to remediate the impact of the housing units taken out of service by his multiple retail developments. Singh offered the Town a major contribution if a non-profit corporation was set up to address housing needs. Freeport Housing Trust was incorporated in 1989 with that mission.

Since that time, the Trust has successfully utilized loan and grant funds available to nonprofit housing groups to leverage Singh’s initial gift of $550,000 to purchase or develop a total of eight affordable housing properties with a book value of over $14 million. Freeport Housing Trust now owns 149 units of affordable rental housing. FHT also purchased Wardtown Park, a 60-unit mobile home park. In 2015 the park was sold to a homeowner’s cooperative. FHT has also purchased and re-sold 9 condominium units with deed restrictions that will keep them perpetually affordable to low-income homebuyers.

A total of 224 housing units have been taken out of the speculative housing market and made available at affordable rates. None of these properties will ever fall into the hands of absentee speculators. Freeport Housing Trust will maintain them perpetually as an important asset to the Freeport community.

Freeport Housing Trust Project Timeline