Shalom House, Inc.

The mission of Shalom House is to offer hope for adults living with severe mental illness by providing an array of community based mental health services and a choice of quality housing that help people lead stable and fulfilling lives in the community.

Since 1972 Shalom House has been on the cutting edge of providing mental health support and affordable housing for people with psychiatric disabilities. Under the leadership of Mary Haynes-Rodgers, LCSW, Shalom House provides comprehensive services reaching over 1,000 people annually in Cumberland and York Counties. The agency?s supportive mental health services are based on a recovery model in which people are treated with dignity and respect. Services are flexible, making it possible for people to receive only the level of support that they need and achieve their optimal level of independence and mental health. Community Integration, Peer Services are and an Art Program are important elements of the mental health services offered at Shalom House. Shalom House owns and operates 26 buildings, including group homes, rooming houses and apartment buildings. Many people use Shalom House services to transition from psychiatric hospitals, homeless shelters or group homes to their own apartments, where they can live independently. Shalom House actively works to break down the stereotypes that surround mental illness by giving powerful presentations to hundreds of people each year in schools, businesses and civic groups. The Art Program is in its tenth year of providing art classes in a therapeutic environment to people with psychiatric disorders. Participants consistently report increased levels of confidence, concentration and clarity as a result of creating art. The City of Portland and the State of Maine contracts with Shalom House to administer two crucial housing subsidy programs that make it possible for 300 people with low-incomes and psychiatric disabilities to have safe, affordable homes.