Caring Unlimited strives to build community; through awareness-raising events, educational offerings, support groups, and within our residential programs.

Individuals experiencing domestic abuse and violence are frequently isolated, and made to feel alone.  Building and maintaining isolation is a tactic frequently utilized by an abusive person, and for survivors a strong and supportive community may feel like a distant, different, and impossible reality. 

Community-building at Caring Unlimited happens in many ways, both large and small.  The shared spaces of the Emergency Shelter physically create a community as soon as residents move in, and advocates offer supportive programs to build an emotional sense of community as well.  Residents in our Transitional Housing Program live in their own apartments for up to two years, sharing a hallway, laundry facilities, and, normally, programs like community dinners, monthly “house meetings,” and family bonding activities throughout the year.   

Community; what it means to us and what it looks like, has changed unexpectedly and rapidly as we all continue to adjust our lives in order to comply with Stay At Home orders and slow the spread of COVID-19, but at Caring Unlimited, building community remains a priority. 

For families living in our Transitional Housing Program, meetings and in-person supports may look different right now, but advocates continue to provide support in new and different ways: a weekly newsletter including updates about COVID-19 as well as local resources, a supply station in the hallway providing essential items and household supplies, a homemade “Door Drop Dinner” in place of the monthly community dinner, and more.

Our Caring Unlimited community, and our communities throughout Maine and beyond, look a lot different right now, but here at Caring Unlimited we remain committed to listening to survivors, helping them meet their needs, and standing together, even as we stay apart.

Pictured Above (L-R): Caring Unlimited’s Transitional Housing ‘Supply Station’ designed to provide essential items for residents, homemade Shepherd’s Pies in the making, reusable totes filled and ready to deliver ‘Door Drop Dinners’ (cupcakes included!), a beautiful homemade thank you from residents.