Following a lengthy career in business and law, Paul Linet, founded 3i Supportive Housing in 2019. 3i HoME was organized as a non-profit in 2020 as a natural outgrowth of the foundational work Paul initiated through 3i Supportive Housing.

Paul brings more than 25 years of family caregiving advocacy, as well as regulatory and legislative experience at the state and federal level, to this effort. Over the years, Paul has served as a member of the government relations committee of the Northern New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society during which he was involved on a task force that produced recommendations on supportive housing in Massachusetts.  He has testified before state regulators on the impact of the Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead community-based care decision and was an organizer and presenter at a regional symposium held under the auspices of the National Family Caregivers Association (now Caregiver Action Network). ln 2005, Paul’s  dedication and commitment to family caregiving was recognized at a State House event in Boston when he was presented the Outstanding Caregiver Award by the Office of Elder Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Paul currently serves as a member of the board of directors for The Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, a non-profit agency whose mission is to advocate for quality of life and care for long-term care consumers. 

Paul Linet

Founder & President | 3i HoME

Program Interview

Paul attended Affordable Housing: Principles for Changing Domestic and Global Markets in fall 2022. We caught up with him a month after the program to see why he chose to learn with us, and what impact the program had.

You and your organization have an incredible story. How would you describe your mission?

I want to create an environment where people without means can live independently, as opposed to the current model of warehousing and institutionalization. 61 million Americans live with a disability, and we must come up with a better model of housing them.

3i Housing of Maine’s mission is to create Independent community based living options for adults with disabilities through Innovative affordable housing and Integrated support services.

What sort of model are you proposing?

We have a project at The Downs, in Scarborough, Maine that is first-of-its-kind. Executing this project is at the confluence of housing, housing finance, and the excruciatingly complex set of rules and regulations dealing with public health benefits in the US. This is the supportive housing world – housing plus services. We are trying to design a new community that will change the paradigm for housing people with disabilities.

What did you find in the Affordable Housing program?

What I found through David Smith and his approach, as well as in my fellow participants, were kindred souls who understood this dynamic world, embraced it, and demonstrated a commitment based on shared aspects of humanity that transcend specific problems and jurisdictions. This program brought me together with brothers and sisters I didn’t know I have, and we are beginning to dialogue and network, and finding ways to assist one another to solve this enormous problem. It was a great environment to learn, share and continue the work.