Affordable and available housing has reached a crisis on MDI and difficult conversations are taking place in every community about possible solutions. How did we get here?

Join us on Tuesday, June 25th at 5:30 p.m. for "A History of Housing with Thoughts for the Future" with speakers Raney Bench from the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, and Susanne Paul and Noel Musson with the Housing Solutions Initiative. The program is offered in-person and online via Zoom. Register at: https://swhplibrary.libcal.com/event/12312907

Our history sheds light on how housing has kept pace with population growth and what changes brought about the current crises. Knowing the facts from our past adds context to the debates taking place today and provides models for community decision-making. Learn more about development and community growth over the past two centuries and explore how island residents and visitors resolved challenges in the past, followed by a conversation about our community values and how we can come together to solve problems. This talk is inspired by Eliza Bryant Worrick's 2024 Chebacco article, “The Influence of the Seasonal Economy on Mount Desert Island’s Year-Round Housing Patterns.”

The program is a collaboration between the Southwest Harbor Library and the MDI Historical Society.

Image: “Edwin "Ned" W. Lawson House, West Tremont,” Southwest Harbor Public Library, https://swhpl.digitalarchive.us/items/show/199.