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djsteve2014 t1_j5y0m5x wrote

Reply to comment by iceflame1211 in MaineHousing ready to spend $21 million to provide overnight shelters this winter by Shake-Spear4666

The answer isn’t more affordable housing. The answer is to limit short-term rentals, aka AirBnB’s before there’s nothing left for anyone to affordably rent. Yes, even those affordable housing condos are getting converted to AirBnB’s. Everything is being converted to short-term rentals. It blows my mind how folks aren’t seeing the forest for the trees on this issue.

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iceflame1211 t1_j5ykjjy wrote

I wholeheartedly agree short-term rentals can be an issue, but it's a very nuanced subject. This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say more affordable housing isn't the answer, though. Affordable housing is one of very few topics that politicians on both sides of the aisle generally agree is a good thing, and historically has proven to help house families in need.

Those "affordable housing condos" I assume you mean apartments, but I'm still perplexed by this statement. Affordable housing complexes are required to have a certain set-aside of units remain affordable (opposed to market rate), typically for 15 or 30 years, and often at the end of that period they're "redeveloped" and spun into the same thing again, or sold to non-profits to operate in perpetuity.

Can you tell me the names of any affordable housing projects that have been/are being converted into short term rentals? It's just something I've never witnessed or heard of.

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