BANGOR, Maine — One Bangor organization dedicated to providing safe and affordable living for people seeking sobriety opened its 13th sober house.
Fresh Start Sober Living opened a 12-bedroom home on Highland Avenue to give people a place that can help maintain their sobriety.
"Five months later, my life is a completely different story than what it was," Zach Bednaz, a Fresh Start house manager, said.
Thirty-year-old Bednaz has struggled with addiction since he was 14 years old but has found being in a community of like-minded people has helped his recovery.
"It's allowed me to get the camaraderie and community that it takes to keep the sobriety, not just get it," Bednaz, said. "Getting it is the easy part, it's sustaining it is what's hard."
Fresh Start's 13 homes are located in Bangor and Brewer, offering a total of 102 beds, according to general manager James Rickrode. Rickrode said the average stay is about 110 days.
"When we do see people grow and hit some milestones or have that 'aha' moment or get their driver's license or secure a good job, it's an incredible feeling of accomplishment," Rickrode said.
The organization receives about 6-10 applications per day, Rickrode said.
"It's really changed my life," Kyle Thibodeau, said. Two years ago, Thibodeau moved to Bangor from northern Maine to have access to more opportunities for recovery. He now serves as a house manager.
"If I were to go anywhere else, I don't think I could stay sober without the accountability and camaraderie that we all have here," he said.
President Scott Pardy created this organization after he volunteered at the Penobscot County jail and saw the same people repeatedly cycling through the system.
"We take people with nothing, a lot of times nothing, and, you know, they get out of jail with they came in with clothes and a handful of papers," Pardy said.
Tenants pay $24 dollars per day to live in a home, Pardy said, which is equivalent to about $720 per month. It's planning to open two more houses by the end of the year. Since it's start in 2018, it's opened three houses per year.
Fresh Start has received substantial investments from Penobscot County and Bangor city councilors to continue serving the community.