Community Concepts leaders announced Tuesday they opened the state’s first Family Resource Center — in Lewiston’s dense downtown residential area — offering a new, more comprehensive way to help meet the needs of families and individuals in the community.

The goal, according to Community Concepts’ CEO Jim Martin, is to take a different approach to providing assistance to community members while reducing barriers and making it more accessible.

“After reflecting on the work we do and the services we offer, we felt like we had all the pieces and parts to bring it here to Lewiston,” Martin said.

Located at 240 Bates St. in Community Concepts’ existing headquarters, the new Family Resource Center follows a model designed by the National Family Support Network to be a “one-stop shop” for providing supports and services in a welcoming and friendly environment.

The center uses a three-pronged approach, with the main focus on prevention and being family-led, said Ashley Lawrence, family resource center and prevention council manager for Community Concepts.

She said the approach allows staff to work with individuals on a wide range of needs, whether it be food insecurity, diapers, child care, housing, fuel assistance, mental health services, parenting education and more, while building relationships with families and providing critical support for child development and school readiness.

“We want to be that one-stop shop for families to come here, ask for assistance, build a relationship with us and for us to facilitate and meet those various needs,” Martin said.

According to leaders, the center’s approach focuses on what individuals and families are doing well and acknowledges those successes, while providing resources and support where they face challenges. The approach is created to be inclusive and accessible, with programs and services at little or no cost according to need, they said.

“They say it takes a village, and it really does,” Lawrence said. “Everything we do is for the community, by the community.”

“It’s not about opening a new service and expecting families to come through the door,” Martin noted. “Sometimes you have to pause and work with families to understand what they need and use that input and feedback to see what services you can bring to the table.”

There are more than 3,000 Family Resource Centers nationwide, according to the National Family Support Network. However, Martin said, Maine has been slow in adopting the model.

He said the state has always been strongly invested in prevention efforts for child well-being, but that there’s always more work to be done. What Community Concepts is offering, he said, is a low-barrier service for individuals in a way that lets them know it’s OK to ask for help.

Everything the organization offers is supported in multiple languages.

The facility also has an indoor children’s playground and hosts family play groups every Thursday from 10-11:30 a.m.

And what they’re doing seems to be working.

Martin said the Women, Infant and Children program in Auburn has been using Community Concepts one day a week to connect and meet with current and new families.

There’s also been a spike in the number of families who use its large playroom, Lawrence said. In October, she said, they would see eight families that regularly used the space during its playgroups. At one of their recent play groups, she said, that number had jumped substantially.

“You can see the need is there,” Lawrence said. “So many people need access to the services, but may not be able to for certain reasons. Moving here to Bates Street (from a separate location on Canal Street) , having this central location, it’s huge for serving these communities.”

With the new approach, the Lewiston Community Concepts’ facility is being repurposed and undergoing renovations. The organization’s reception area is being expanded, space will soon be available for other groups to use for drop-in hours, and there will be an area for families with older kids and community partners to enjoy family activities, meetings and family programming.

An outdoor space for kids is also in the works, which will be where Community Concepts’ courtyard is. Martin said they’re looking to put up a fence and get some outdoor activities.

The renovations are expected to be complete this fall, when an open house will be held.

Martin said he hopes there will be more Family Resource Centers in Maine. Community Concepts currently offers a variety of support services and programs throughout Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties.

“Every Family Resource Center will look different,” Martin said. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and say what works here in Lewiston will work somewhere else. We want to learn from this experience and figure out what this would look like in South Paris, what this would look like in Rumford. “We’re interested in seeing the success of this and figuring out how it can be replicated.”

Walk-in hours for the Lewiston center are Tuesday from 12:30-2 p.m. and Wednesday from 9:30-11:30 a.m.