A new peer-led addiction recovery center is opening in Lewiston today. It's being characterized as the first of it's kind in the state, for emphasizing harm reduction practices such as wound care and instructions on safe injection.
The center — called The Sanctuary — will be run by the Lewiston-based Church of Safe Injection. It's located at 199 Main St. in Lewiston.
Rosie Boyce, the group's lead peer navigator, said it aims to fill a gap for people grappling with addiction but who are not yet ready or able to stop using.
"There needs to be a middle ground for people that are still in the throes of active addiction, but know that they're ready to to make that that jump," she said.
Leslie Clark, executive of Portland's recovery community center, said the Lewiston facility's focus on harm reduction will fill a critical gap in the state's existing recovery services.
"They're really there for the people who, as I said, are not ready, or they're not interested, to quit using," Clark said. "So how do we keep them safe?"
Boyce said the new center will offer recovery groups, cooking classes, and employment assistance.
The center will also install a vending box outside stocked with naloxone, the overdose reversal nasal spray drug.
