title:  Low-Income Renters Lose Their Homes To Rich People Because Their Neighborhood Is Trendy
text: Maine is one of those beautiful places where bustling metropolises lay hidden in the trees. As  you make your way up 195,  a short hop across I-295 brings you into Portland, where sprawling hills are covered with multi-family dwellings.. Historical landmarks, cemeteries with stones dating back to the American Revolution and old, massive churches intermingle with the modern amenities of city life; a minor league baseball complex and a bustling downtown full of hipster bars and food trucks.It s a pleasant mix of New England quaint meets the rise of the millennials. Maine is one of those misunderstood states because of the rural nature and low population. People think of the rural redneck, pick- em-up truck driving, hick wearing flannel and hunting moose all day for fun. Sure, they exist, by the gross ton. There also exists an urban culture of liberalism that can sometimes take a wrong turn.San Francisco is a great example. A city that prides itself on being liberal just spent more than a million dollars to hide their homeless problem from Super Bowl fans. Rents in the city have increased so much that the middle class can barely survive. Portland, Maine may never be San Fransisco, but it does have some similarly disturbing issues.On the front page of the Portland Press Herald today is a story of a couple dozen residents of an apartment complex in the city. Many of the residents are elderly or disabled and on public assistance. The complex was purchased by a private investment firm, most likely for its aged appearance and high ceilings, something very trendy in urban centers of the northeast. With no current leases left to contend with, the owners of the building just said,  sorry, get out. The units, which were renting at $800 per month and affordable to low-income and disabled people, will probably become buildings full of $300K one and two bedroom condos with re-finished wood floors, cheap granite countertops and stainless steel appliances with great access to the city, public transportation and the food truck district known as the Old Port. The next logical step for most of these people would be to seek housing in Biddeford or Lewiston, the next most likely places to find low-income housing, as Portland is going the way of the latte  and $12 mac and cheese.And yet again the wealthy will succeed in winning yet another battle against the poor. With no real protections in place for this kind of thing, people who are less fortunate take the fall as the ones who need to  move on  and  take personal responsibility.  Imagine for a moment you work a job, the only one you can find, that is in the city you barely squeak by living in, within a few blocks of a public bus route. The next thing you know you have nowhere to stay, you can t shower or wash clothes to go to your job, you have no car and the closest affordable place to live is 30 miles away.What do you do? These are real-life situations that are happening to people who in many cases can t take proper care of themselves. And yes, as a society it is our responsibility to take care of those who can t take care of themselves. Deal with it. You can t let people starve and you can t let them die of exposure because they didn t have a warm place to spend the night.Portland, Maine is a great little city. All hope isn t lost. But when this kind of thing happens and goes unchecked to the point that it s front page news, things are spiraling out of control. Featured image from shneiderpropertymanagement.com