Ensuring that families in Maine have a home to call their own:
- Made Historic Investments in Home Construction: The Mills Administration has worked with the Legislature to authorize almost $315 million to support the construction of more apartments and houses -- nearly five times more than the total amount the State of Maine spent on housing from 2000 to 2018 ($65 million).
- These investments have built more than 2,100 new apartments and homes so far, with more than 1,800 under construction, and more than 1,500 in the pipeline for construction -- the largest number ever in MaineHousing's history.
- Addressed Homelessness: With the support of the Legislature, Governor Mills created the Emergency Housing Relief Fund to fund shelter beds and transitional housing. She also created more stable housing for people with chronic substance use disorder through a cost-effective approach that combines providing stable housing and wrap-around services to put more people on a path to life-long recovery.
- Signed Historic Legislation to Break Down Barriers to Housing: In 2025, Governor Mills signed historic legislation to knock down barriers to housing in Maine: laws that reform zoning and permitting for construction projects; laws that expand the historic rehabilitation tax credit; laws that simplify Maine's building codes to encourage responsible housing development and avoid sprawl; and laws that help resident-owned mobile home parks, including a law to establish a right of first refusal so residents have the chance to buy their parks before an out-of-state corporation can. One of the laws Governor Mills enacted also created Maine's first ever long-term funding source for housing. By increasing the tax rate on real estate sales over $1 million, Maine expects to generate $17 million in revenue in the first year alone that will go directly into a new Housing Production Fund at MaineHousing.
- Invested in More Affordable Housing for Low- and Middle-Income Families: In her first term, Governor Mills signed into law the Maine Affordable Housing Tax Credit, the single largest state investment in housing in Maine's history.
- Built More Affordable Housing for Maine Seniors: Governor Mills signed into law a $15 million senior housing bond for the construction of more than 400 new affordable housing units for low-income seniors and the weatherization of another 100 existing homes for low-income seniors. The bond was overwhelmingly approved by Maine voters in 2015 but was never released by the previous governor.
- Accessory Dwelling Units: Governor Mills signed legislation to specifically allow property owners to build accessory dwelling units, or what was once called "in-law apartments", to create more housing and extra income for homeowners while also limiting sprawl.
- Paid the State's Fair Share to Cities and Towns: Governor Mills restored Municipal Revenue Sharing to five percent which helps stabilize property taxes by shifting the cost of essential services off of property taxpayers. Restoring Revenue Sharing makes good on the State's commitment to municipalities after the previous administration cut revenue sharing significantly.
- Made A Historic Investment in Maine Schools: Governor Mills met the State's obligation to pay 55 percent of the cost of K-12 education for the first time in Maine history, thereby lifting the burden off local property taxpayers.
- Provided Direct Property Tax Relief to Maine Families: Governor Mills expanded the Property Tax Fairness Credit to provide $114.5 million of property tax relief or rent relief to approximately 136,000 Maine resident tax filers in tax year 2024. Prior to Governor Mills taking office, the Property Tax Fairness Credit was estimated to provide $26 million of property tax relief to approximately 53,000 Maine resident tax filers.
- Provided Additional Direct Tax Relief: Governor Mills bolstered the Homestead Exemption Program allowing Maine people to take $25,000 off the value of their home and only pay property taxes on the remaining amount through the Homestead Exemption Program. Previously, municipalities were only reimbursed by the state at 62.5 percent of the cost, which limited the program's impact on property tax relief, but the Governor increased the reimbursement to 76 percent.