BRIDGTON, Maine — Bridgton's first sober home for women is set to open its doors next week—the last missing piece in the western Maine community that has other key rehab services in place.
Tucker's House is scheduled to open on February 1.
Matthew Guillaume and Jason Rogers, volunteers from nearby Bridgton Academy are clearing the snow outside, and inside beds are being made for women who be calling this 1870s farmhouse home. Each bed has a welcome basket donated by community members.
"We want it to feel like home," Kirsten Wears said. Wears is the driving force behind Tucker's House.
The historic home which also features a library and a workout conference room will house 10 women trying to break the grip of substance use. Wears, a longtime advocate for people struggling with addiction, will serve as the house manager.
Wears said that in order to enter the program, clients must provide paperwork from a doctor showing that they have completed a residential detox program. They also have to pass a drug test.
The women must spend 90 days in the program but can stay up to 2 years. Getting a part-time job and attending house meetings are also required.
"Community service is a requirement as well, the women collectively will participate in that they have to have a sponsor or a recovery coach," Wears explained.
Residents will buy food, prepare meals, and manage their bills.
Tracey Martin is the Executive Director of the Lakes Region Recovery Center and a board member of the nonprofit.
"We have recovery coaches at the center that can work one-on-one with them," Martin added.
Wears and other recovery homes are up in arms about a proposed bill, LD 109. The bill would repeal a law that allows sober homes to be treated as family residences, exempting them from having sprinkler systems. She said installation and maintenance fees, which run in the tens of thousands of dollars, could force many recovery homes to close.
"We already have a shortage of beds in the recovery community, it will be horrible," Wears explained.
Tucker's House meanwhile is set to open next Wednesday, with the hope that residents will learn to take accountability for their addiction and live on their own again.
Recovery housing advocates and residents are expected to testify at a public hearing on LD 109. The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on January 30 before the legislature's Criminal Justice Committee.