When You Don’t Know Where You’ll Sleep Tonight
Every day, people arrive at our doors facing impossible choices. Some are families navigating sudden housing loss. Some are individuals working through health challenges or job disruption. Some have been turned away elsewhere because they didn’t meet certain requirements.
At Homeless Services of Aroostook, we provide a secure place to sleep, warm meals, showers, laundry access, and compassionate staff support. More importantly, we provide stability in the moment it’s needed most. A safe night’s rest is often the first step toward rebuilding a life.
One Shelter. Providing Hope & Encouragement
We operate from a single building in Presque Isle — yet our reach spans the entire county.
From Caribou to Houlton, Fort Kent to Madawaska, and communities throughout Aroostook County, we serve neighbors who often travel long distances for help. In rural Maine, resources are limited and transportation is not always simple. That reality makes local homeless assistance in Maine even more critical.
We are not one of many options. We are the only shelter in Aroostook County.
More Than Emergency Shelter — A Path Forward
Emergency shelter is where the work begins, not where it ends.
Through the Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter program, families receive structured support as they work toward housing stability. Through the Aroostook Bridge program, individuals who might be denied elsewhere can still access safety and services.
During the harshest months, our Overnight Winter Warming Shelter ensures no one is left outside in dangerous conditions. Year-round, outreach and in-reach day services provide meals, clothing, showers, case management, and connection to critical care — including mental health services, substance use treatment, primary care, employment assistance, document recovery, and housing navigation. Because rebuilding a life requires more than a bed. It requires support, coordination, and belief.
Real Numbers. Real Change
In 2025 alone, community support helped provide more than 13,000 bed-nights of our programs and over 20,000 meals to neighbors in crisis. Volunteers gave nearly 1,000 hours of service. In a single week, eight individuals secured permanent housing through our programs.
At the state level, advocacy efforts contributed to securing $5 million in funding to strengthen shelter services across Maine, including rural regions like ours. This is a measurable, local impact.
Financial summaries and governing information are available for review, and required HMIS Data Share, privacy, and non-discrimination policies are publicly posted to ensure compliance and transparency.
A Community That Shows Up
The work of homelessness support in Presque Isle does not happen in isolation. It happens because neighbors show up.
Local donors provide financial gifts that keep the lights on and meals served. Community members organize meal trains. Volunteers walk through our doors asking how they can help. Board members have stepped forward with renewed energy.
Events like our annual Mother’s Day Tea and Basket Raffle bring the community together in support of local families. The raffle is open to all; the tea is a ticketed gathering that celebrates mothers while strengthening our mission. As we grow, these events — along with updated online giving and ticketing — make it easier than ever to participate.
You do not have to feel powerless in the face of homelessness. Change happens here, at home, through steady and practical support.
