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How Can the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter Help you?
Emergency Housing: For a bed, please call the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter at (207) 947-0092 to complete an intake with our staff. Beds are not reserved over the phone, and we act on a first come first served basis. We can only accept people 18 years of age or older. Guests at BAHS must be clean and sober from drugs, medical marijuana, and alcohol for at least 24 hours. BAHS has 38 beds year-round, and in the winter, we will open “overflow” beds. Each length of stay is different. Individuals are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Our Diversion Program: In special cases, our Diversion Coordinator works with a person experiencing homelessness or in immediate danger of becoming homeless to find a solution that will allow them to stay in their home, become rapidly re-housed, or relocate to a place where they have housing options to avoid becoming homeless or avoid having to enter an emergency shelter. Call (207) 947-0092 and ask for the Diversion Coordinator.
Day Program: Our doors are open to any sober adults to come into our day room every day from 8 am to 4 pm. Guests are welcome to use our phone, bathroom, get information about other resources in the Bangor Area, ask for any clothing or personal items they need, get warm or cool off, and meet with different organizations that work with the shelter.
Free Lunch Every Day: Please arrive at 11:45 AM. Adults who are not living at our shelter are welcome to come eat a hot lunch at noon every day.
Food Pantry: Anyone in need of food is welcome. Open Sunday and Tuesday from 1pm to 4pm. Individuals are allowed access to our pantry once a month.
Cedar Street Apartments: Are efficiency apartments in the top floor of our building. We like to use them for more vulnerable guests who experience barriers in getting housing. Whether it be mental health or past criminal history.
Partnership with Fresh Start Sober Living: In 2023, we partnered with Fresh Start Sober Living to bring an additional recovery house to the community. We purchased a home in Bangor and lease it to Fresh Start. It houses 10 to 12 men who were previously experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness to provide them a safe, stable environment to call home and maintain their sobriety.
Our emergency shelter regulations:
We do business in accordance with the federal law of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities. It is federally illegal to discriminate against any person seeking housing assistance based on their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status , or disability. The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter does not discrimination based on race, color, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity, national origin, disability, or mental health diagnosis. Anyone who feels they have been discriminated against may file a complaint of housing discrimination 1-800-669-9777
The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter collects personal information directly from people entering our shelter t that may be required by law or by organizations that provide funding for our operations and services. The Maine Sate Housing Authority requires our shelter to share people’s personal information in the Maine Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Other information that we collect is important to run our program, meet the needs of our guests, to improve our services for homeless persons, and to better understand the needs of homeless persons. We collect only information that is required for these purposes. People using our emergency shelter program have the right to access your personal information by request of the Program Manager.
Our Mission: The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter is a dry shelter whose mission is to support and strengthen the community by providing emergency shelter and supportive services to people who are homeless or at risk and to advocate for collaborative, locally driven solutions to end homelessness.
Our Vision: To have achieved our goal where all guests at the Shelter are transitioned into suitable, stable, housing in 30 days or less.