Help after prison or jail in Maine
We've found 11 places in Maine for people after prison or jail, mostly in Portland, Brewer and Lewiston, and 5 that serve the whole state. Our volunteers haven't confirmed these yet, so a quick call ahead is worth it. Most of them help with shelter & housing (6), food (5) and health & medication (4).
Places in Maine
211 Maine
Free, confidential information and referral line staffed around the clock by Maine-based specialists. Covers addiction treatment, rental and heating assistance, shelter, food, and other local services; also searchable online.
Adult Community Corrections Region 1 – Cumberland Office
Probation and parole office supervising adults released into Cumberland and York counties. People on supervised release report here; the office also connects clients to reentry programming required under their conditions.
Office for Family Independence – SNAP, MaineCare, and TANF
State office that runs SNAP food benefits, MaineCare (Medicaid), TANF, and General Assistance oversight. Apply or renew online at My Maine Connection, by mail, or at a district office; a call center handles eligibility questions.
Preble Street
Portland's largest low-barrier social service agency: food pantry and soup kitchens, street outreach, teen shelter, wellness shelter, veterans housing, and case management for people who are homeless or in poverty. Start by calling or coming to the main office on Portland Street.
Through These Doors
Cumberland County's domestic violence resource center. The free 24-hour helpline is answered by a service that takes a safe callback number; an advocate returns the call within 15 minutes, with an interpreter if you ask. Also runs emergency shelter, court advocacy, and a program for incarcerated women.
Bangor Area Recovery Network (The BARN)
Recovery community center in Brewer serving the greater Bangor area with close to 200 meetings a month, recovery coaching, a recovery justice program for people involved with the courts, and help finding recovery housing. Open seven days a week.
Trinity Jubilee Center
Lewiston day shelter and resource center with a soup kitchen serving 800+ lunches a week, a food pantry, a free medical clinic, showers and laundry, and employment navigation. Guests can use the center's phone, computer, and mailing address.
Bangor Area Homeless Shelter
38-bed year-round emergency shelter for adults in downtown Bangor, with extra winter beds, a daily day room, a community food pantry, and a diversion coordinator who helps people avoid shelter when another option exists. Beds are first-come, first-served and cannot be held by phone.
Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Maine's statewide free civil legal aid program for people with low incomes, covering eviction and housing, public benefits, debt, protection from abuse, and family law. Intake is by phone during set call-in hours or at weekly walk-in sessions in Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, and other offices.
Maine Vital Records
State office that issues certified Maine birth, death, and marriage certificates. A certified birth certificate costs $15 and can also be bought from the town where you were born or where your mother lived; delayed birth registrations cost $60.
Maine State Identification Card
Non-driver photo ID issued at every BMV branch and mobile unit. A standard state ID is $5 and a REAL ID version is $30; the first REAL ID must be done in person. You must show legal presence in the U.S. and a physical Maine address.
National lines that work in Maine
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for any mental health or substance use crisis. Available to anyone in any program.
Lifeline free phone program
Free or discounted phone and service for people on Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or low income. Apply online or through a carrier.