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November 20, 2025

Site that will offer shelter and transitional housing breaks ground in Bangor

People pose in a line with shovels. Photo / Courtesy Penobscot Community Health and Counseling A low-barrier shelter and an attached transitional housing unit in Bangor will gain more than 7,000 square feet thanks to expansion projects.
By Laurie Schreiber

A low-barrier shelter and an attached transitional housing unit in Bangor will gain 7,000 square feet thanks to expansion projects that recently broke ground.

The expansions at the Hope House Health and Living Center and the Penobscot Community Health Center are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

“The need for more shelter beds and the expansion of the transitional housing unit has only increased in recent years,” said Lori Dwyer, president and CEO of Penobscot Community Health Center. “This project will address that need and support the members of our community who are living with the challenges of homelessness and mental health struggles.”

A person is outside talking
Photo / Courtesy Penobscot Community Health and Counseling
Lori Dwyer

Current specs

The shelter and the transitional housing unit occupy the same building at 179 Corporate Drive.

Penobscot Community Health Center owns and operates the 14-unit, 9,772-square-foot transitional housing program and health clinic.

This past February, Preble Street took over ownership and operation of the 54-bed, 9,187-square-foot Hope House emergency shelter from Penobscot Community Health Center. Preble Street is a social service nonprofit headquartered in Portland that assists Mainers statewide.

The low-barrier shelter is the only one in Greater Bangor for people experiencing homelessness and who also have a substance use disorder or complex mental health challenge.

In 2023, Hope House served more than 300 people, with over one-third entering the shelter from places not meant for human habitation.

Expansions

The projects will add 3,900 square feet to the shelter and increase its beds from 54 to 70.

The transitional housing space will be increased by 2,400 square feet and will add four units, for a total of 18. The units will provide temporary housing for up to two years to members as they acquire the skills and mental health care needed to maintain a job and live independently.

The kitchen and dining areas will be increased and more restrooms and showers will be added. Renovated staff spaces will include increased space for the housing team, peer support navigators, a wellness navigator and a triage and diversion staff.

The total project cost for both expansions is $4.9 million, funded by grants through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Maine State Housing Authority. 

Nickerson & O’Day Inc. in Bangor is the general contractor. 

Hope House is one of only five privately operated adult low-barrier shelters in Maine and the only one north of Waterville that offers health services and low-income housing programs for individuals experiencing homelessness, struggling with substance use disorder and mental health, according to a news release. It’s the first 24/7 program outside of Portland.

Penobscot Community Health Care is a nonprofit, federally qualified health center founded in 1997 to ensure access to comprehensive, integrated primary health care services for all. Sixteen practices and program service sites in the Bangor area, and in Belfast and Jackman, offer services including family medicine, dental, pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health and substance use, specialty services, pharmacy and health care for the homeless. 

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