PLEASANT STREET
Waterville, Maine
Pleasant Street is a 5-bed permanent housing program located on Pleasant Street in Waterville, Maine, serving homeless Veterans in recovery from substance abuse. Referrals to the program come directly from the VA's Homeless Coordinator and may come from various providers of services to homeless persons. Prior to being eligible to be considered for the project, potential candidates must have taken some steps in demonstrating recovery, such as having been at the Togus VA Medical Center (VAMC) where they have completed a substance abuse recovery program. Once a referral has been screened and found to be a potential candidate for the housing, that candidate visits the home and meets the other residents. There is a strict policy of no substance use at the home. House members, all having achieved sobriety themselves, provide encouragement and support to one another on their road to recovery. Veterans in this program are assessed for all VA benefits. In addition, residents are offered employment services through a collaborative effort between the VA and the local Career Center, a state level agency administered by the Maine Department of Labor.