About this Sober House
Nova House is a women's sober living residence on Stevens Avenue in Portland, Maine, in Cumberland County. It appears in Maine's recovery housing record as Nova House for Women, a Portland residence serving women in recovery from substance use disorder.
Who Nova House Serves
The house is for women. Single-gender recovery housing exists because a mixed household does not work for everyone: women coming out of treatment, out of custody or out of a shelter frequently arrive with histories of abuse or coercion, or with family court and child protection matters running alongside their recovery, and a women-only house is often the condition that makes a placement possible rather than a preference.
Recovery housing itself is not treatment. A residence of this kind provides a substance-free home shared with other women doing the same work, with the expectation of abstinence as the basis of living there. Counseling, medical care and medication are arranged with providers in the community, and in Portland those providers are close at hand.
Nova House in Maine's Recovery Housing Record
The statewide recovery residence directory published in July 2020 listed Nova House for Women as a Portland residence serving women, and recorded it as certified at that time. The same directory withheld the street address, publishing the entry with the address marked as not published a step taken for a number of women's residences in the state.
Maine's certification scheme is run by the Maine Association of Recovery Residences and is voluntary. Its published directory names certified houses and the organizations behind them, without street addresses, so it functions as a check on standing rather than a map.
Sober Living in Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and the seat of Cumberland County, and it carries the state's densest supply of recovery meetings, outpatient providers, peer support centers and entry-level work. Stevens Avenue runs through the city's residential north side, which puts a resident in a neighborhood setting with the city's services on the bus network rather than in the middle of the downtown.
For women choosing between recovery housing in Portland and options further out, the argument for the city is usually access: meetings at many hours, several women's meetings a week, and the ability to hold a job or keep clinical appointments without a car. The argument against it is competition, since demand for women's beds in Cumberland County consistently runs ahead of supply. Approaching several houses at once, and asking a treatment provider or peer recovery worker to make the introduction, is the sensible way to go about it.
What to Ask Before Moving Into This Portland Sober House
The most recent statewide listing for the house dates from July 2020, so the first step is confirming its current standing with the operator and checking the certification directory as it stands today. After that, the questions are the ones that decide whether a house fits. What the weekly fee covers and what it does not. Whether a deposit is held, and what comes back if a resident leaves early. Whether a house manager lives on site, how bedrooms are assigned, and what the curfew and meeting expectations are. What happens after a relapse, and whether a woman is helped toward another placement or simply asked to leave. And whether medication for opioid use disorder is accepted, which for someone stabilized on buprenorphine or methadone settles the matter before any of the other answers count. A certified recovery residence has to put those terms in writing before anyone signs, and any house can be asked for them.
About our Sober liivng home for women in Portland, Maine
Sober living homes are group residences for people who are recovering from addiction. In most instances, people who live in sober homes have to follow certain house rules and contribute to the home by doing chores. Most importantly, residents must stay sober throughout their stay in the home
Residents are not allowed to tan, excessively shop or get any form of tattoo until 3 financial amends have been made and verified. Vehicles are permitted on a case by case basis and the approved resident will be notified upon move in, if they're able to have their vehicles. A women's meeting is required out of 5 weekly meetings, once the 4th step is complete residents are able 4 meetings and are required to obtain a home group. Laundry is free and onsite, residents are required to purchase their own detergent and required to do laundry only on designated day. ( chosen upon move in ). Residents are to wake up at 9:00am daily. Chores are assigned upon move in and changed every house meeting on Sunday's, chores are weekly and are to be completed thoroughly by 9:30am daily, a signature is required upon completion. A deep clean is taken place on Sundays by 5:30pm of their weekly assigned chore and their bedrooms. Water is only allowed in rooms.
NO CONTACT WITH PERSONS OF SEXUAL OR ROMANTIC INTEREST UNTIL 4th STEP HAS BEEN COMPLETED. RELATIONSHIPS ARE PROHIBITED UNTILL THE RESIDENT IS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN AMENDS, 10 STEP AND HAS BECOME A VERIFIED SPONSOR IN THE COMMUNITY. Smoking is only allowed outside on top of driveway, there is a red receptacle provided for residents to dispose of their cigarettes.
All residents are randomly drug tested during their stay at the Nova House and must pass a drug test upon move in. Relapsing will constitute in immediate phone call to emergency contact on file. Immediate eviction is implemented, the owners will give residents resources upon eviction.
