SHELTER
Low Impact, Inspiring and Cost Effective
"Age, size, and resulting affordability currently exclude working families and individuals from the housing market. We want to change that."
One of the greatest struggles for many in our communities is to find affordable, inspiring shelter. Much of the housing in our towns and rural communities is old and inefficient, and new construction is often geared toward larger homes. Strides have been made in energy efficiency, but the sheer size of many homes and the energy that is consumed in their construction will continue to exclude working families and individuals from the housing market.
Recent developments in green building technology utilizing local timber, clay, stone, and agricultural waste products like straw have shown that beautiful, highly livable and ultra-efficient housing can be affordable and have a much lower impact on the environment both in their construction and operation. These techniques are not only affordable but are accessible to the ambitious owner-builder with some training and experience. Ongoing training in green building skills can both help to create a new generation of low-impact shelter, and a new generation of builder/teachers. Intentional communities and co-housing projects have also demonstrated efficiencies in creating affordable shelter by sharing costs of essential systems, with added benefits of localized food and energy production and other benefits of close community.
Current Projects
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Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative Project
Providing accessible, affordable, and climate-friendly housing was part of the inspiration for the Norway Equitable Housing Cooperative, a project we started when we were approached by local renters in 2021. Over the last five years, we met regularly around the shared need and vision for equitable and energy-efficient housing in our community. We knew that finding funding and following this project to completion would be a long road, and that if our first efforts didn’t succeed, we’d continue to work to meet the needs expressed by our community.
The site we’re developing into 12-18 energy-efficient units is a half-acre in a residential neighborhood within walking distance of Main Street Norway. With generous support from our community, we’ve completed three of six phases of the project, including the purchase of 33 and 35 Whitman Street, asbestos abatement and demolition of hazardous structures, and becoming ‘shovel ready’ by solidifying architectural and engineering plans and receiving approval from the Town’s Planning Board. In 2025, we applied for funding of the project through the Maine Housing Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program (RARHP), but were denied. With the support of partner organizations, the project will seek support from a new round of RARHP funding in September 2026.
We welcome anyone who is interested in living cooperatively, or in simply supporting cooperative living to join us. If you have time, interest, resources, or expertise in budgeting, real estate development, grant writing, Indigenous land rights, farming and gardening, green energy or building and design, please consider joining our team. To build and sustain a diverse, inclusive and vibrant community and a thriving local economy will demand innovative housing solutions.
WindowDressers Norway Community Build
Oct. 22-26, 2026
Each year, we host a Community Build in Norway. Program participants are encouraged to volunteer, and we also welcome community members to help make this program successful. Measurements for window inserts are taken in the summer - order your WindowDressers inserts here.
The build will take place at the First Universalist Church of Norway. Sign up for a volunteer shift here. Food and tools provided, and we'll teach you all the skills you need.
"WindowDressers brings volunteers together to improve the warmth and comfort of homes, lower heating costs, and reduce CO2 emissions by producing low-cost insulating window inserts that function as interior-mounted storm windows. Our staff supplies, trains, and supports teams of community volunteers as they build affordable, insulating window inserts at local Community Builds."
Learn more about WindowDressers and order your inserts here.
Past Projects
From 2022-2023, CEBE led a Community Weatherization Project in partnership with We Built This. The project focused on households experiencing low incomes, and provided them with a free energy assessment and the skills and materials to weatherize their own homes. In a pay-it-forward model, program participants also volunteered to help with other homes in the community. This program functioned as additional support to WindowDressers, our annual window insert build.
We Built This
Our Shelter Working Group partnered with Maine Passive House to offer She Built This, a carpentry workshop for women, in the fall of 2020. To be more inclusive, the workshop series has been renamed We Built This, and grew to become its own non-profit that we're proud to partner with and support their programming.
Little Free Pantry
With the rise of food insecurity and demand on the emergency food system in the Western Foothills, the Shelter Working Group partnered with the Food Working Group to build a Little Free Pantry.
Inspired by the Little Free Library movement, this Little Free Pantry was first located on the information kiosk in Longley Square, and is now located at Alan Day Community Garden in Norway. The pantry is stocked with produce during the growing season, and non-perishable and dry goods during freezing months, open to anyone at any time. Donations are always welcome!
