BANGOR, Maine — The first recovery home for indigenous women in the state of Maine will soon be up and running in Bangor.
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, a nonprofit serving indigenous people in Maine, worked in collaboration with the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township to make this program possible.
The six-bedroom home near Bangor's downtown will be a safe, substance-free environment providing addiction recovery and cultural healing services for up to 12 indigenous women from the Wabanaki communities throughout the state. Some of those services include relationship building, recovery programs, peer support, indigenous nutrition and wellness education and counseling, among other services.
Lisa Sockabasin, co-CEO of Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, said this home will have on-site staff and cultural services available to support these women.
"We have managers, we have a medical director, we have many people that have walked the recovery journey that are right there alongside these women, and it truly is run like a family home... a home filled with love, in our home filled with culture, and connection to the things that you need to heal," Sockabasin said.
The recovery house is set to open in a couple weeks once renovations are complete. Organizers are currently accepting applications for residency.
Last May, a similar recovery home for indigenous men opened in Bangor.