{"podcast":{"title":"Housing Matters Podcast","slug":"housing-matters-podcast-7058173","podcast_index_feed_id":7058173,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/housingmatters/feed.xml","website_url":"https://housingmatters.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/19615879/HOUSING_matters_podcast_logo_2500_x_2500_px__zygnmc.jpg","author":"Matt Pouliot","episode_count":37,"summary":"Housing Matters is a podcast dedicated to discussing the importance of housing and development in our State. Hosted by Matt Pouliot of Pouliot Real Estate, the podcast aims to educate and inform the public about the significance of housing initiatives, the intricacies of development, and how individuals can secure their dream homes. Through engaging conversations and expert insights, we aim to: ° Advocate for the importance of housing initiatives in fostering thriving communities ° Educate the public about the complexities of real estate development and its impact on local economies ° Empower individuals with knowledge and resources to navigate the housing market effectively ° Spark meaningful discussions on topics ranging from affordable housing solutions to the legal and regulatory challenges facing developers ° Cultivate a deeper understanding of the intricate connections between housing, quality of life, and economic opportunity","last_synced_at":"2026-06-25T06:18:36.975302+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173"},"episode":{"title":"34. Bath Iron Works Hired 690 People From Out of State. Almost None of Them Could Find Housing","slug":"34-bath-iron-works-hired-690-people-from-out-of-state-almost-none-of-them-could-find-housing","published_at":"2026-05-13T17:52:59+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173/34-bath-iron-works-hired-690-people-from-out-of-state-almost-none-of-them-could-find-housing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173","url":"https://housingmatters.podbean.com/e/34-bath-iron-works-hired-690-people-from-out-of-state-almost-none-of-them-could-find-housing/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fpietjz3u52e45gf/JulieDave.mp3","summary":"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 Rabinowitz, Director of Communications at Bath Iron Works, and Dave Hench, BIW's communications and media relations veteran and former Portland Press Herald reporter of 25 years, to talk honestly about what Maine's housing crisis looks like from inside one of the state's most important employers. Bath Iron Works is the largest manufacturer in Maine. They build Arleigh Burke class destroyers, among the most complex machines made anywhere in America. They have been on the Kennebec River since 1884. They employ people from all 16 counties in Maine. More than half of their workforce commutes at least 35 miles each way to get to the shipyard. And since COVID, the housing crisis has made all of that dramatically harder. Wages in Maine have gone up about 38% since 2019. Home prices have gone up 79%. That gap is not just a statistic. For BIW, it showed up as tents. It showed up as employees living out of their cars. It showed up as a young woman in new hire orientation who had a job offer in hand and still could not pass a credit check to get an apartment because she had never had one before. So BIW decided to do something about it. They are now investing in an 84-unit attainable housing complex in downtown Bath, a 20-minute walk from the shipyard. The $22 million project is a partnership between General Dynamics, the Navy, Bath Housing, and Developers Collaborative. It will include stu…","meta_description":"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…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3642,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/housing-matters-podcast-7058173/episodes/34-bath-iron-works-hired-690-people-from-out-of-state-almost-none-of-them-could-find-housing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173/34-bath-iron-works-hired-690-people-from-out-of-state-almost-none-of-them-could-find-housing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}