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How Westbrook Housing landed the nation’s former federal HUD chief

By Robert Lowell Staff Writer

Portland native John Concannon, former director of the U.S. Բնակարանային շինարարության եւ քաղաքային զարգացման, is settling in as the new executive director of Westbrook Housing Authority.

Concannon is taking a breather while seeking funds to expand the number of local, affordable housing units.

“We’re watching closely the federal budget,” Concannon said in his conference room at Westbrook Housing. “We’re watching to see what happens.”

Concannon wrapped up his duties as HUD director in June and picked up the reins July 1 at Westbrook Housing, succeeding Chris Laroche, who retired. The housing authority’s seven-member board of commissioners hired Concannon after a nationwide search.

“We got very, very lucky to get him,” Colette Gagnon, chair of the Westbrook Housing Board of Commissioners, said in a phone call Monday.

A graduate of the Catholic Jesuit College of Holy Cross, Concannon volunteered with a Jesuit program to assist the homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles in 2003, and also served a similar stint in Chicago until 2006. Following graduate school, he applied successfully for a job with HUD, launching a career of assisting people needing places to live.

Concannon was hired during the tenure of President Barack Obama, who he subsequently met at a Christmas party at the White House.

He was promoted to deputy HUD director in 2018 and became director in December 2022. Concannon’s office was in the HUD building just off the National Mall in the nation’s capital. The HUD secretary’s office was on the top floor.

Concannon served under three presidents. “I reported to a deputy assistant HUD secretary,” he said.

At HUD, Concannon focused on developing innovative policies to expand housing opportunities to benefit more people and he oversaw staff spread all over the country. He worked with 140 housing agencies nationwide, serving 600,000 families. “We got to travel a lot,” he said.

Well in advance of landing the Westbrook post, he relocated his family here four years ago. He and his wife, Ann, have two children, ages 5 իսկ 2.

Concannon played soccer at Cheverus High School in Portland and is a 1998 graduate. His wife is a Deering graduate, but they met in Philadelphia, where he once lived while working for HUD.

He applied for the Westbrook Housing opening after learning about the availability of it from a government connection in Maine. Gagnon described Concannon as youthful and as having a good sense of humor.

As a Washington insider, Concannon’s appointment at Westbrook Housing works “in our favor,”Gagnon said.

Westbrook Բնակարանային ունի 14 properties with 1,800 households and he plans to follow the growth trajectory Laroche established.

Concannon said Westbrook Housing has been invited to Biddeford where it has four projects in the pipeline. He credits Laroche and the mayoral appointed board of commissioners with “a well-run organization.”

He will oversee a staff of 50 employees and has met with them.

He enjoys leisurely walks after leaving behind running to catch 6 ի սահմաններում. flights from Portland to Washington and checking into hotels.

Now back at home, he has gained time to spend with his family and both he and his wife have relatives in the Portland area.

LaRoche retiring from Westbrook Housing position

By Robert Lowell Staff Writer

Chris LaRoche will retire Monday, հունիսի 30, as executive director of Westbrook Housing after more than a decade. Ջոն Կոնկանոն, a Portland native, has been named to succeed LaRoche. Concannon comes to Westbrook from the director’s position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C.

“I’m handing him the keys,” LaRoche said in an interview June 20 at his Westbrook office.

LaRoche has been the executive director for more than 12 years. “I’m a little tired,” he said. “I’m going to take the summer to relax.”

He plans to spend time with his family and protest for democracy. LaRoche lives in York County and plans to do volunteer work, protest, and take courses at the University of New England and the UMaine System. “I’m looking forward to being a member of the community,” he said. “The biggest thing is to give back to the community — I want to hand out the sandwiches.”

Westbrook Բնակարանային, ստեղծվել է 1969 and overseen by a board of mayoral-appointed commissioners, provides affordable housing opportunities with 793 units in 14 developments. “We’ve grown about 40%,” he said in a reference to his tenure.

The agency also administers more than 1,000 vouchers in a Section 8 program so low-income residents can live in privately owned apartments in the city.

The total Westbrook Housing budget coupled with its Westbrook Development Corp. has an annual operational spending of $20 million with $130 million in total assets.

LaRoche described the executive director’s job as rewarding as it is demanding. LaRoche oversaw a staff of 50 employees and he has felt a responsibility to them. “The stress will be off,” he said.

A former Catholic priest, Coast Guard and Navy veteran, LaRoche began his public service at York County Community Action Corp. He left for adventure to hike the 2,182 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Georgia. “Every mile of it,” he said.

He saw numerous rattlesnakes and stopped counting the number of bears after 25. One morning at 5a.m. a bear was right outside his tent, but walked away. “That one got my attention,” he said.

Along the trail, he met a variety of people; he hiked with homeless people as well as a top executive at a large corporation.

A baby boomer, LaRoche grew up in Gardner, Մասաչուսեթս, a community he described as much like Westbrook. He said Westbrook accepted him as one of their own when he succeeded John Gallagher at Westbrook Housing. ‘The people we serve are everyday, regular people who worked hard,” he said.”The need is great … (իսկ) I hope the people of Westbrook feel I have served them as well as John.”

He praises Westbrook for its volunteerism and its community pride. “I have worked all over the state of Maine and there is no community like Westbrook,” he said.

In a ceremony earlier this month, Mayor David Morse presented LaRoche with keys to the city and lauded LaRoche as an “incredible resource” who has worked “tirelessly.”

06/16/2025

It is with great pleasure that I am able to introduce Mr. John Concannon as the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Westbrook. Upon my retirement, effective June 30th, John will be leading the Housing Authority and its Westbrook Development Corporation into the next era to advance the mission to eradicate poverty and increase economic opportunities through quality affordable housing for the community and the region. The Board of Commissioners is to be commended for its vision and commitment to our mission through its selection of John Concannon and his vision and expertise to lead the organization into its future.

As I depart, I wish to acknowledge the highly committed, professional, caring, and skillful colleagues that I have been so fortunate to have by my side. It is with them that we have been able to remain at the pinnacle of performance and expand our programs and production in the past twelve years. I am forever grateful to the staff of Westbrook Housing Authority and Westbrook Development Corporation.

I am forever grateful and honored to have served the supportive and visionary Board of Commissioners of Westbrook Housing and the Board of Directors of Westbrook Development Corporation. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of the City of Westbrook as it has been an honor to serve alongside its dedicated City Administration and elected officials who have diligently been supportive of the Housing Authority and my role to provide quality, safe, affordable housing to the area.

Respectfully,

Christopher LaRoche
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FY2025 Annual Plan

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Westbrook Housing Authority takes pride in celebrating, promoting, and adhering to the Fair Housing of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 as we acknowledge the Fair Housing Act and President Lyndon Johnson’s response to the need of the people of the United States of America. ‘…when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson utilized this national tragedy to urge for the bill’s speedy Congressional approval. Since the 1966 open housing marches in Chicago, Dr. King’s name had been closely associated with the fair housing legislation. President Johnson viewed the Act as a fitting memorial to the man’s life work, and wished to have the Act passed prior to Dr. King’s funeral in Atlanta.’ President Lyndon Johnson signs the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, կրոն, national origin or sex. Intended as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the bill was the subject of a contentious debate in the Senate, but was passed quickly by the House of Representatives in the days after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The Fair Housing Act stands as the final great legislative achievement of the civil rights era. [Աղբյուր: Fair Housing Act 1968, Federal & Definition | HISTORY ]

HISTORY OF FAIR HOUSING
On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, վարձակալում, and financing of housing based on race, կրոն, ազգային ծագումը, սեքս, (and as amended) handicap and family status. Title VIII of the Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act (of 1968).

The enactment of the federal Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968 came only after a long and difficult journey. From 1966-1967, Congress regularly considered the fair housing bill, but failed to garner a strong enough majority for its passage. Սակայն, when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson utilized this national tragedy to urge for the bill’s speedy Congressional approval. Since the 1966 open housing marches in Chicago, Dr. King’s name had been closely associated with the fair housing legislation. President Johnson viewed the Act as a fitting memorial to the man’s life work, and wished to have the Act passed prior to Dr. King’s funeral in Atlanta.

Another significant issue during this time period was the growing casualty list from Vietnam. The deaths in Vietnam fell heaviest upon young, poor African-American and Hispanic infantrymen. Սակայն, on the home front, these men’s families could not purchase or rent homes in certain residential developments on account of their race or national origin. Specialized organizations like the NAACP, the GI Forum, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) and the National Committee Against Discrimination In Housing lobbied hard for the Senate to pass the Fair Housing Act and remedy this inequity. Senators Edward Brooke and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts argued deeply for the passage of this legislation. In particular, Senator Brooke, the first African-American ever to be elected to the Senate by popular vote, spoke personally of his return from World War II and inability to provide a home of his choice for his new family because of his race.

With the cities rioting after Dr. King’s assassination, and destruction mounting in every part of the United States, the words of President Johnson and Congressional leaders rang the Bell of Reason for the House of Representatives, who subsequently passed the Fair Housing Act. Without debate, the Senate followed the House in its passage of the Act, which President Johnson then signed into law.

The power to appoint the first officials administering the Act fell upon President Johnson’s successor, Richard Nixon. President Nixon tapped then Governor of Michigan, George Romney, for the post of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. While serving as Governor, Secretary Romney had successfully campaigned for ratification of a state constitutional provision that prohibited discrimination in housing. President Nixon also appointed Samuel Simmons as the first Assistant Secretary for Equal Housing Opportunity.

When April 1969 arrived, HUD could not wait to celebrate the Act’s 1st Anniversary. Within that inaugural year, HUD completed the Title VIII Field Operations Handbook, and instituted a formalized complaint process. In truly festive fashion, HUD hosted a gala event in the Grand Ballroom of New York’s Plaza Hotel. From across the nation, advocates and politicians shared in this marvelous evening, including one of the organizations that started it all — the National Committee Against Discrimination In Housing.

In subsequent years, the tradition of celebrating Fair Housing Month grew larger and larger. Governors began to issue proclamations that designated April as “Fair Housing Month,” and schools across the country sponsored poster and essay contests that focused upon fair housing issues. Regional winners from these contests often enjoyed trips to Washington, DC for events with HUD and their Congressional representatives.

Under former Secretaries James T. Lynn and Carla Hills, with the cooperation of the National Association of Homebuilders, National Association of Realtors, and the American Advertising Council these groups adopted fair housing as their theme and provided “free” billboard space throughout the nation. These large 20-foot by 14-foot billboards placed the fair housing message in neighborhoods, industrial centers, agrarian regions and urban cores. Every region also had its own celebrations, meetings, dinners, contests and radio-television shows that featured HUD, state and private fair housing experts and officials. These celebrations continue the spirit behind the original passage of the Act, and are remembered fondly by those who were there from the beginning. [Աղբյուր: History of Fair Housing – HUD | HUD.gov / U.S. Բնակարանային շինարարության եւ քաղաքային զարգացման (HUD) ]