The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it will be cutting four out of the 12 social clubs in the state for adults with mental illness, which means that the Waterville Social Club (or maybe LINC in Augusta) will be closed down within a few months. (Augusta and Waterville are in the same region, and after the cuts, only one center will remain open).
It is impossible for Waterville members to get to the LINC center in Augusta, nor would they want to make the trip. Most people don’t have cars or the means to travel to Augusta. Some live at the homeless shelter.
I have been teaching art at both centers for 35-plus years and know how essential the centers are to the survival of their members. The Waterville Club is like family to those who go there. It is a place to drop in, eat meals, play games, socialize, check email, attend art class and workshops, exercise self-governing, celebrate birthdays and holidays, learn new skills, read the newspaper, make a phone call, and much more.
It is a program that keeps hundreds of people alive, gets them out of bed, nurtures and cares about them, helps to keep them from depression, drugs, alcohol and over-eating, and so much more. Many could not live without it. It is also a very inexpensive program to run, so the cost-savings of closing it is negligible.
Who are you willing to contact to fight to provide funding to maintain these essential services?
Natasha Mayers
Whitefield
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