LEWISTON, Maine — The harm reduction organization Church of Safe Injection (COSI) opened Maine's first peer-led recovery center using harm reduction strategies.
The Sanctuary will serve as a community hub with peer navigators on staff, helping people recover through incremental change, the organization said.
"People come in as they are and they'll be met where they're at. As harm reductionists, we are firm in our beliefs that people are not disposable and we are here to meet them on whatever phase of their journey they're in," Rosie Boyce, the nonprofit's lead peer navigator and community engagement and outreach coordinator, said.
The center will offer harm reduction services and focus on community engagement. It will have a free naloxone vending box outside so people can have access to the overdose reversal drug any time of day or night. It will also offer overall wellness services like free meals, clothing, access to a washer and dryer, and more.
"We're different in that we are not just catering to people that are in sometimes the early stages of recovery, which is other recovery centers around the state have that as their primary focus. As harm reductionists, we recognize that there are a lot of steps that take place prior to someone being ready to enter into any phase of recovery," Boyce explained. "Harm reduction is a pathway to recovery and it's something that is not recognized or talked about enough, and so we're here to hopefully bridge that gap."
Eighty percent of the people the organization serves are unhoused, according to co-director Zoe Brokos. She said COSI needed more space to connect people in the community with a harm-reduction approach to recovery.
"Throughout the years, we've all sat in plenty of meetings and attended lots of conferences, and I think what we've learned through all of this is that community is what saves lives," Brokos said.
