LEWISTON — Avangrid Foundation has gifted $10,000 in grant funding to New Beginnings Inc., a Lewiston-based nonprofit serving homeless and at-risk youth.
Avangrid Foundation funding will help New Beginnings continue to promote the safety, connections and growth that runaway and homeless youth need to thrive in 2021, especially in the face of challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Beginnings operates Marian’s Place — the only youth shelter in Maine licensed for 24-hour care — along with a full spectrum of supportive housing, counseling, educational support, prevention and outreach services for teens and young adults in Androscoggin, Franklin and Kennebec counties.
New Beginnings’ workers reach out to youth on the streets and at schools, libraries, corner stores and parks to offer emergency supplies, a listening ear and information about how to get food and shelter. Staff welcome and build trust with youth, encouraging them to engage in services when they are ready. Family mediation helps youth return home or reunify with relatives; when that isn’t possible, New Beginnings provides transitional living apartments where older youth can learn the skills they need to live independently.
Youth and young adults up to age 21 go to New Beginnings’ Youth Outreach Drop-in Center for help finding housing, emergency food and supplies or a safe place to get warm off the streets and eat a meal. All of New Beginnings’ residential and outreach programs offer case management to help young people pursue their goals and access and maintain stable housing.
For more information, visit newbeginmaine.org or call 207-795-4077 or, for 24-hour help for youth shelter and referrals, call the helpline at 207-795-4070.
Avangrid Foundation has identified youth homelessness as a top priority for its philanthropy and is partnering with multiple organizations working to end youth homelessness in Maine.
For more information, visit avangridfoundation.org.
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