Courage House

About The Courage Network

The Courage Network runs housing programs in Gorham, Maine, for people who want sober living alongside outpatient treatment. Its base is in Cumberland County, where its Intensive Outpatient Program operates from Main Street in Gorham, and its houses exist to support participation in that program.

How the Courage Network Works

The organization describes its houses in Gorham and Westbrook as temporary lodging for people participating in its IOP, which makes the housing and the clinical program two halves of one arrangement rather than separate services. Its published program requirements set the terms of entry: applicants must have active MaineCare and must commit to full participation in all housing and clinical expectations for the program they are in. The organization was formerly known by the Courage House name, and its older web address now redirects to the Courage Network site.

Where the Courage Network Operates

The network now runs seven housing programs across southern Maine: two men's IOP lodges in Gorham, a women's IOP lodge in Westbrook, step-down apartments for men, a house in Biddeford and two houses in Sanford. That spread covers Cumberland and York counties. The Gorham flagship, Courage House on School Street, has its own listing in this directory with the detail specific to that building and its history.

Who the Courage Network Suits

Because entry runs through the outpatient program, this is an option for people who want treatment and housing arranged together rather than separately. A step-down structure sits behind it, with lodging attached to the program first and apartments for men afterwards, so there is somewhere to move on to rather than a single stay that simply ends.

Admission to Courage Network Recovery Housing

The requirements are published for the whole network, and they function as gates. An applicant has to be eighteen or older and not on the sex offender registry, has to hold active MaineCare, with the organization stating that it is working to expand coverage, has to consent to random drug screening, and has to commit to full participation in the housing and clinical expectations of the program. Active substance use at the point of application does not disqualify someone, and detox is arranged first. Applications run through an online form on the organization's own site, so a referring clinician and a self-referring applicant follow the same route.

Standards Across Courage Network Sober Houses

The organization states that its recovery residences adhere to the full set of ethics and standards put forth by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences. Those standards are the framework behind certification in every state: a published code of ethics, written disclosure of fees and rules before move-in, a written relapse and discharge policy, and a complaint process that reaches past the household. In Maine they are administered by the Maine Association of Recovery Residences, which certifies residence by residence. Anyone comparing options in Cumberland or York County should therefore ask about the specific house and the specific program attached to it, because a network-wide commitment and a certified address are two different things to verify.