Free Peer Recovery Support Centers — Aroostook & Washington, ME | AMHC
Aroostook Mental Health Services (AMHC) operates four peer recovery support centers across Aroostook and Washington counties, including the Aroostook Recovery Center of Hope in Houlton. These centers serve two of Maine’s most rural and most opioid-affected regions, where distance alone can put treatment and community out of reach. Free services and support are available for any individual, family, or business impacted by substance use.
What to Expect
Centers are staffed by individuals who are in long-term recovery themselves and now assist others facing similar circumstances. Recovery meetings are held throughout the month at each location. Beyond group meetings, centers offer recovery coach matching, help developing recovery action goals and plans, and support finding prevention, treatment, and recovery resources. Practical assistance is part of the model: help accessing housing, food, and clothing; guidance on employment preparation; and hands-on help filling out applications for jobs and MaineCare. Naloxone training and kits are provided free to anyone in the community, in person or virtually, covering overdose signs, how naloxone works, and how to use it.
Who This Group Is For
Centers are open to everyone — people in recovery, people currently struggling with substance, alcohol, or opioid use disorder, affected family members, allies, and community members. There is no requirement to be abstinent, enrolled in treatment, or referred by anyone. All pathways to recovery are supported, and the centers operate on harm reduction principles: meeting people where they are, reducing risk, advocating for therapeutic rather than punitive drug policy, recognizing human rights, involving people who use substances in decisions that affect their lives, and addressing stigma directly.
Why Peer Support Works
Peer staff help individuals become and stay engaged in the recovery process — reducing the likelihood of a return to use through mutual understanding, respect, and empowerment. One Houlton member put it this way: knowing that there is a group of volunteers and staff willing to help anyone who shows up has been pivotal to his own sense of safety and well-being, and the center is an anchor point where others are also finding experience, strength, and hope. In rural counties where isolation and stigma are compounding, having a physical door to walk through matters enormously.
How to Join
All services are completely free and no appointment is needed. Locations: Aroostook Recovery Center of Hope, 106 Main Street, Houlton, ME 04730, (207) 254-2213; 1 Water Street, Caribou, ME 04736, (207) 493-1278; 11 Free Street, Machias, ME, (207) 259-6238; and 311 Main Street, Calais, ME, (207) 952-9279. Meeting schedules are posted on each center’s Facebook page. Learn more at amhc.org.