A drop-in recovery center in Bangor will reopen on Monday, Sept. 21, after it was closed for nearly two months due to a funding shortage.
The Together Place Peer Run Recovery Center will open its doors Monday at 8 a.m. for recovery groups, drop-in and one-on-one peer support, public restrooms, and connections to resources, according to board president Shea Mullaney.
More than $200,000 in funds raised by the organization will allow it to restore a longtime service for community members struggling with mental illness and addiction, as well as a space where homeless people can go inside and rest during the day.
The center’s leaders plan to also reopen the diner within their Second Street building once they receive the final $14,000 they need to fully restore services, Mullaney said. The Penobscot County Commissioners and the Bangor City Council each plan to contribute $7,000 in opioid settlement funds, but those funds won’t be awarded until the council takes an official vote on Sept. 28.
“We look forward to being able to restore our low-cost and no-cost meals once that funding is secured,” Mullaney added.
People who visit the center have described it as “more like a family,” and it’s not uncommon for members to visit every day for peer support groups and other resources.
The city council’s government operations committee recommended giving the funding to the Together Place last week, and it appears the measure has the support needed to pass a full council vote. The county commissioners’ award is contingent on a match from the city.
The Together Place initially asked the city for a much larger sum but ended up raising most of that balance through private donations, including a $50,000 gift from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
“We are tremendously grateful to the individual and organizational donors who have stepped up, and with their support we will reopen what we can now, while we eagerly await the results of that vote to fully resume operations,” Mullaney said.