Maine's first sober-living house where women can live with their children is scheduled to open this summer in Machias.
Penny Guisinger is the recovery programs director with Health Acadia, which will run the recovery programs in the house. She says unlike many programs in Maine and elsewhere, this house will allow residents to be on medication-assisted therapy - or MAT - for opioid use.
"MAT is currently considered a medical best practice, and we don't...we want to welcome everybody regardless of what their path to recovery is," Guisinger says.
She says the plans are drawing broad support from the community. "We don't anticipate pushback from the local community. I think people have arrived in a place where they understand that this is a really important thing, and this is real, and that a thing like this can and will save lives."
The house will have space for about eight to 10 women, as well as kids. Guisinger says there's no minimum or maximum stay, and rent and other rules are still being worked out.
The house will be a partnership among several social service organizations, and will also get funding from Maine Housing.
