A new effort is underway to move migrant families out of local hotels and into transitional housing units. The Safe in Maine Fund, announced Thursday by the Greater Portland Council of Governments, will fund transitional housing for asylum seekers while they settle into the community. In recent years, asylum seekers arriving in Maine have largely been housed in local hotels, a program that can cost as much as $7,000 each month for a single family, according to the GPCG. It can take months for asylum seekers to qualify to work. Belinda Ray, said the 200 units of transitional housing will be a "safe and stable landing place."The organization plans to partner with housing developers in Maine to build the project, and is considering a range of options including modular homes. Ray said the units could be used by other unhoused of displaced people. The city of Westbrook joined the fundraising launch with a $5,000 donation from its contingency fund. Mufala Chitam, executive director of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, said the transitional housing will offer more independence for asylum seekers, especially by offering more basic amenities such as kitchens, which most hotels do not have. "Creating the transition housing creates sufficiency," Chitam said, "We want to see people be able to be independent and fend for themselves."The GPCG is looking for public and private contributions to the fund. Organizers hope to have the units built within two years.