Healthy Acadia has received an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to launch the Maine RecoveryCorps Program. The Program will focus on expanding Recovery Coaching to strengthen recovery support services in our communities and to improve recovery success among individuals facing opioid use disorders.
This grant will support 30 AmeriCorps members who will serve throughout Northeastern Maine, including Aroostook, Hancock, Knox, Penobscot, Waldo and Washington counties. RecoveryCorps members will help tackle the critical challenges of a devastating opioid epidemic, which results in high morbidity and mortality throughout the region. Many individuals are struggling with opioid use disorders and significant gaps exist in services, including lack of access to support services for people throughout the recovery process. This grant will support Recovery Coaching, which is an innovative form of peer-to-peer recovery support. RecoveryCorps coaches will serve as personal guides and mentors for the people seeking recovery, helping them remove barriers and navigate systems to meet their treatment, wellness and recovery support goals. RecoveryCorps coaches have typically experienced substance use disorder and recovery either directly themselves or through someone close to them.
“The RecoveryCorps Program represents a significant expansion of recovery coaching services across a broad region,” said Elsie Flemings, Executive Director of Healthy Acadia. "We're thrilled that the Corporation for National and Community Service has recognized the need to expand services to support individuals seeking recovery from opioid use disorders, and that they saw the value that AmeriCorps members can bring in the form of recovery coaching. These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs as they develop civic and leadership skills that will last a lifetime.”
"AmeriCorps members are improving the lives of millions of citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our communities,” said Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “While they serve others, AmeriCorps members also expand opportunity for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. We congratulate Healthy Acadia for their strong application, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their dedication to service.”
In addition to the grant funding, CNCS will make available $121,595 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of $5,920 that they can use to pay for college or to pay down student loans.
The current year’s AmeriCorps grant cycle was highly competitive, due to the strong demand by organizations seeking AmeriCorps resources. The 2018 competition prioritized investments in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, disaster services, and opioid misuse issues and recovery. In total 367 AmeriCorps positions are funded to serve communities in all of Maine’s 16 counties, representing an increase in both positions and federal funding over the previous year.
RecoveryCorps AmeriCorps members will serve at organizations throughout the six-county region of Aroostook, Hancock, Knox, Penobscot, Waldo and Washington. For information on how to apply for a RecoveryCorps position in any of these counties, or if your organization is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps RecoveryCorps service member, please contact Sandie Dubay at 667-7171 or sandie@healthyacadia.org.
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.
