Housing Matters Podcast

What if the affordable housing crisis isn't really a supply problem? What if the answer is already built, sitting in empty bedrooms across America, and we just haven't figured out how to use it? That's the argument Atticus LeBlanc has been making for years, and he built a company around proving it. Atticus is the founder of PadSplit, the largest coliving marketplace in the United States, with over...

What happens when the people who serve your community can't afford to live in it? Chris Moeller, CEO of Orion Growth and creator of the Pathway Communities model, joins Matt Pouliot on Housing Matters to lay out a different way of thinking about housing entirely. Not as an asset class. Not as a rent-versus-own binary. But as an operating system built around stable living. Chris has spent over two...

You've driven past it. An old mill building sitting right on the river, windows gone, roof caving in, weeds taking over. And you've thought the same thing everyone thinks: why hasn't anyone done something with that? The answer is complicated. And in this episode, I'm talking with someone who is working every single day to change it. Gabe Gauvin is the Programs Manager at Maine Redevelopment, a qua...

In 2021, Bath Iron Works hired nearly 2,000 employees. 690 of them came from out of state. And almost every single one of them left. Not because they did not want the job. Not because BIW was not a great place to work. They left because they could not find anywhere to live. That story is where this conversation starts, and it is one I have been wanting to have for a while. I sat down with Julie Ra...

The average person hears "manufactured home" and thinks trailer park. That reaction is costing them somewhere between $50,000 and $70,000 over five years. Today I'm sitting down with someone who has spent the last 14 years proving why that stigma is not just wrong, it is financially damaging to the people who can least afford it. Andrew Cramer is a partner at Bridge View Asset Management in the Pa...

If you have ever thought about building a house in Maine and walked away from your research more confused than when you started, this episode is for you. I sat down with Emily Mottram, principal at Mottram + Maines and co-author of The Pretty Good House, for one of the most honest, practical conversations about home building I have had on this show. Emily is a registered architect licensed in Main...

In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Steve Kautz, Accredited Financial Counselor and Financial Education Programs Specialist at the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), for an honest conversation about the psychology of money, the real forces behind Maine's housing affordability crisis, and what individuals can actually do about it. Steve has spent over 20 years worki...

What does it really take to create housing that works for a community? In this episode of Housing Matters, Matt Pouliot sits down with Debora Keller , Executive Director of Bath Housing , for a thoughtful conversation about the future of housing in Bath and across Midcoast Maine. They discuss the growing mismatch between wages and housing costs, the lack of downsizing options, workforce housing ne...

Bangor is one of Maine’s true regional hubs: a city of about 33,000 that swells to roughly 130,000 people during the day. In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot (Pouliot Real Estate) sits down with Anne Krieg , Director of Community & Economic Development for the City of Bangor , to talk about how Bangor is tackling housing supply while protecting the scale and character of its...

Zoning might sound technical—but it quietly shapes where we live, what gets built, and why housing costs keep rising. In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Sara Bronin — architect, attorney, George Washington University law professor, and Founder & CEO of Land Use Atlas, Inc. — to unpack zoning in a clear, practical way. Together, they explore how local land use...

In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot is joined by Dan Bacon, Development Director at M&R Development, for an in-depth conversation on what it actually takes to build housing at scale in Maine. Dan brings a rare perspective, having spent more than a decade on the public planning side before moving into private development. He shares how that experience shapes his approach today...

In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Kevin Sutherland, Town Manager of Newcastle, Maine, for a deep dive into why housing has become the backbone of community survival across the state. This conversation goes beyond real estate and into the realities town managers face every day: staffing EMTs and fire departments, keeping schools and daycare centers running, stabil...

Why do so many housing projects in Maine get approved—but never actually get built? In this episode of Housing Matters, Matt Pouliot sits down with John Egan of the Genesis Fund to unpack what’s really stalling housing development across the state. From financing gaps and broken appraisals to the “missing middle,” workforce shortages, and misunderstood tools like TIFs, this is a deep dive into the...

What if the real problem isn’t home prices or interest rates—but the money itself? In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Jeffrey Truchon, founder of Sovereign Wealth Management, to connect the dots between time, inflation, broken money, housing, and why he believes Bitcoin is the premier long-term store of value. Jeff shares his journey from Maine kid and Enterprise...

Maine’s next generation is stepping up — and few voices capture that energy better than Collin McGarr, founder and host of The Maine-ifesto Podcast . In this episode, Matt Pouliot sits down with Collin to talk about how law, business, and community can work together to shape Maine’s future. From housing policy and local control to entrepreneurship, education, and workforce renewal, this conversati...

Real estate development doesn’t have to be big to make a big impact. In this episode, Matt Pouliot sits down with Jim Heid, infill developer, author of Building Small, and founder of the Small Developer Forum, to explore how incremental, human-scale projects can strengthen communities and expand housing choices. From cottage courts and ADUs to the future of zoning, Jim shares lessons from his 40-y...

How do we grow without losing what makes Maine… Maine? In this episode, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Nancy Smith, CEO of GrowSmart Maine, for an insightful conversation about how thoughtful planning, smart policy, and community engagement can help solve Maine’s housing challenges. Nancy shares her incredible journey — from forester and farmer to legislator and nonprofit leader — and explains h...

Housing Affordability in Maine & Beyond – Policy, Economics & Solutions In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot welcomes Dr. James (Jim) Siodla, Associate Professor of Economics at Colby College, to unpack the complex relationship between zoning, land use regulations, and the housing affordability crisis. Jim’s research in urban economics, U.S. economic history, and redevelop...

What if the solution to America’s housing crisis could be built in your backyard? In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Brian English, founder and CEO of Origin Studio, to explore how modular accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are reshaping affordability, multigenerational living, and community development. Brian brings a global perspective—from leading post-disaster ho...

In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Gaius and Clayton Hennin of Maine’s renowned Shelter Institute—a family-run business that’s been teaching people to design and build their own homes since 1974. We explore how Shelter’s blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern building science is reshaping what it means to be a builder in today’s world. From hands-on timber...

Monte Anderson: Start Local, Stay Committed, Build What’s Missing In this episode of Housing Matters, Matt Pouliot is joined by Monte Anderson—President of Options Real Estate Investments, Inc. and co-founder of Neighborhood Evolution . Monte has spent decades revitalizing Southern Dallas through sustainable, small-scale development that puts community first. Monte shares how he went from racing m...

What if the future of housing isn’t just about building more homes—but building them smarter, faster, and more affordably? In this episode of Housing Matters, Matt Pouliot sits down with Dennis Steigerwalt, President of the Housing Innovation Alliance, to explore how real change is happening across the housing industry. From modular construction and micro-factories to smart lending and policy refo...

In this episode of Housing Matters, Matt Pouliot sits down with Jason Levesque—former Mayor of Auburn, Army veteran, entrepreneur, and now a real estate developer leading one of the largest market-rate housing projects in Central Maine. Jason shares his journey from founding Argo Marketing to transforming Lewiston’s downtown through Aegean Development. They talk candidly about zoning reform, plann...

In this episode of Housing Matters, Matt Pouliot is joined by Dottie Chalmers Cutter, Chief Operating Officer of Chalmers Insurance Group and a fourth-generation leader of one of Maine’s most respected family-owned businesses. Dottie shares her expert insight on the evolving landscape of home insurance—why premiums are rising, how national disasters affect local rates, and what homeowners really n...

Building Homes Like Cars: Why Modular Just Makes Sense Guest: Thatcher Butcher, President of KBS Builders In this episode of Housing Matters, host Matt Pouliot sits down with Thatcher Butcher, a seasoned construction industry leader and President of KBS Builders, to explore the transformative potential of modular housing in Maine and beyond. Together, they dig into: Why Maine’s aging population an...