Carey Nason, director of Saint Andre Home, spoke to the club on June 10 about "Courage Lives," Saint Andre's program to help survivors of human trafficking and exploitation in Maine.

 

Saint Andre Home is incorporated in Biddeford, has corporate offices in Bangor, and provides residential treatment services for up to five women at a time at a home in central Maine.  Saint Andre also provides non-resident support services for more than 100 survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault annually.

 

Saint Andre Home is a private, non-profit organization founded by the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec. It has a history of providing services to vulnerable women and children for the past 81 years.

 

In Maine, a domestic violence assault is reported to law enforcement every 2 hours and 5 minutes. A report by the Maine Domestic Violence Abuse Homicide Review Panel found that 43% of homicides ion Maine were at the hands of a family member or intimate partner.

 

Outpatient and residential services help survivors 

•  heal and move beyond the cycle of violence

•  recover and receive treatment, and

•  gain economic independence with a whole-person approach to care

 

Saint Andre Home provides survivors with:

•  individual and group counseling sessions

•  life skills groups

•  case management, and

•  integrated substance use and disorder mental health counseling