LEWISTON – A home for young pregnant women and mothers is closing its doors at the end of October.

The Norwich House in Lewiston has provided a safe place for local mothers and their children for 10 years.

While living at the state-funded, seven-bed facility, the young mothers either work or go to school while receiving training in parenting, household budgeting and other life skills.

Over the past three years, the house has been unable to meet the 85 percent occupancy rate required by the Maine Department of Human Services. As result, it accumulated $182,000 in debt to the state.

Larry Campbell, the president of the house’s board of directors, said he and the other board members asked the state to forgive the debt. But the state denied their request.

The decision to close wasn’t easy, Campbell said.

“We tried our best to prevent it from happening,” he said. “But there was no way we can pay the debt.”

The house serves women between the ages of 15 and 24 who are at risk of being homeless. It currently has five residents and 11 employees.

According to Campbell, the staff has already started helping the residents find other places to go. One option is Mary’s Place, another state-funded facility run by an agency based in Biddeford, he said.

The announcement of the Norwich House’s closing comes several months after a similar program in Farmington shut down.

The Kerr House, which served as home for pregnant and parenting teens in Franklin County, closed last May. Directors of the program cited financial difficulties and fluctuating occupancy as the major reasons behind the decision.