PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — With a new central office location at 5 Erskine Street in Presque Isle, officials from the Hope and Justice Project aim to help individuals in a more private setting and offer greater outreach services for community partners.
Over the years the organization has grown both in terms of the number of people it serves and the victim advocates it employs, according to Associate Director Desiree Chasse. Hope and Justice currently has 18 advocates working in locations throughout Aroostook County. One of the challenges of the former location on State Street was ensuring that there was adequate space for advocates to meet with individuals and families.
“We now have two primary meeting rooms that are separated by one of our staff offices, which helps people feel more comfortable sharing what services they need without worrying about if other people can hear them,” Chasse said.
Although being located further from the center of town was a concern, Chasse noted that Hope and Justice will work to provide transportation for those who do not have a way to drive to the central office on their own. The Erskine Street office is also a one-level building, which makes the space more handicapped accessible and positions meeting rooms and staff offices in the same area.
“In our former location, many advocates had to share office space, which made things harder when someone had to meet with individuals,” Chasse said. “With the space we have now, we can meet with people without feeling rushed or displacing our co-workers.”
The new office includes a large conference room, something that was absent at the State Street location, which will allow Hope and Justice to host staff, community and state-based groups and hotline volunteers for trainings and meetings. Expanding educational services to the community continues to be a goal for the organization, which serves an average of 1,100 in Aroostook County per year. Last year the organization received 7,100 calls through its free, confidential hotline.
“We’ve had a lot of community support around this move and we’re glad to have a better place to serve people in our community,” said Rebekah Shaw, prevention educator and community awareness advocate.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call the Hope and Justice Project’s free, confidential hotline at 1-800-439-2323.
