Annual Report 2025

Strengthen relationships with collaborators. Build trust within our communities to become the primary source for information on the causes and impact of domestic abuse. Help advocates lead survivors toward safety and self-sufficiency.

Represented New Hope at the Lincoln County Brown Bag group Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) group, the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention, the Midcoast Community Collaborative, the Midcoast Recovery Alliance, the RSU 13 After School Alliance, and regional TRIADs to stay informed of current community needs that influence our work.

Hired a Law Enforcement Advocate (LEA) in concert with the Waldo and Knox County Sheriff Departments. This position, made possible through a Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors (STOP) grant from the Office of Violence Against Women, creates safer, rural communities by providing community education and a comprehensive support system for victims.

Awarded an additional STOP grant to renew the current LEA position.

Partnered with sheriffs in our four-county service area as well as the mayor of Rockland to apply for a three-year Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program grant. If awarded, this grant will expand critical LEA services to Sagadahoc and Lincoln Counties.

Highlighted the importance of healthy relationships by participating in Valentine’s Day events like the Women’s Advocacy Club brunch at Camden Hills Regional High School, the Boothbay Harbor Gay Straight Alliance, and a film showing for young adults at the Landing Place. Held a discussion at the Landing Place to explore the explicit and implicit messages about relationships that movies can convey.

Shared information about our services and related resources at Community Action Partners Community Baby Showers in Sagadahoc, Knox, and Waldo counties.

Brought awareness events like Empty Place at the Table (EPATT) to locations in each of our service areas (Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, and Waldo counties) during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM).

Hosted legislators and legislative candidates to discuss statewide legislative priorities for the upcoming session and to educate candidates about the pervasive, ongoing effects of domestic abuse.

Hired a new Domestic Violence Child Protective Services (CPS) Advocate to support domestic abuse victims who are involved with CPS.

Offered ongoing quarterly Midcoast Coordinated Community Response & Sexual Assault Response Team trainings in partnership with Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine (SASSMM) and MaineHealth. More than 40 attorneys, advocates, healthcare providers, and members of law enforcement attended.

Took part in Lincoln County Multidisciplinary Team (MTD) meetings to more comprehensively address forms of oppression in our communities.

Focus on what our team needs to better support victim-survivors.

Onboarded several new staff members and led them through our in-depth Core Comprehensive Advocacy, Intervention, Response and Ethics Training to ensure consistency in how we respond to incidences of domestic abuse.

Increased inclusion of male helpline volunteers, board members, and staff.

Completed and implemented a comprehensive salary and benefits analysis for the 2026 Fiscal Year and informed staff regarding the process and its positive impacts on their earnings.

Obtained board approval for a medical benefits cost-sharing plan to address the dramatic (19%) increase in health insurance costs.

Engaged with the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office to provide our staff with active shooter training.

Restored previously frozen staff development funds to ensure ongoing training that informs our work.

Devised a viable budget for fiscal year 2026 despite year-long federal funding challenges.

Develop unique, dynamic pathways for survivors that build trust and confidence in the process for those on the journey to safety and self-sufficiency.

Began the transition to Little Green Light (LGL), a Customer Relationship Management tool that will streamline our work.

Represented New Hope at weekly meetings with all Regional Domestic Violence Resource Centers in Maine, provided testimony at the State House in Augusta, and remained in close contact with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence to stay abreast of federal funding changes that impact our capacity to provide services.

Developed and maintained strong relationships with area landlords and procured additional funds to overcome federal funding freezes that impact survivors’ ability to transition from our long-term housing program to permanent housing.

Worked with the public health nursing program in Waldo County to visit older community members living in residential care, thereby ensuring that they feel valued and heard.

Completed the closure process for an initial three-year Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) grant to fund safe, transitional housing for victims as they work with our case managers to secure permanent housing.

Obtained a three-year renewal of the aforementioned $550,000 OVW grant, and awarded a $163,200 MaineHousing Long Terms Solutions Grant to provide housing stability for survivors.

Supported 21 individuals and families, including 25 children, with rental assistance and case management using grants from the Continuum of Care (CoC), The Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), and the aforementioned MaineHousing Long-Term Solutions grant.

Partnered with Community Housing of Maine and the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) to safely house 16 families including 41 children.

Sheltered (emergency, short term) 93 victims of domestic abuse including 32 children.

Supplied 2,176 bed nights for victims and their families including 32 children.

Facilitated trauma-informed support groups to increase victim connections and resourcefulness.

Collaborated with PenBay Community Health Partners to develop a community resource brochure featuring local supports.

Strengthened our partnership with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence as they influence state and federal policy that protect victims while holding abusers accountable.

Build a strong fundraising program through investment in technology and staff, and by increasing our fundraising footprint and board engagement.

Diversified our funding sources by launching a Major Donor Program.

Organized the 14^th annual Shop for Hope, an annual clothing and accessory sale and raised $77K+ to fund comprehensive services for survivors.

Published the agency’s first Annual Report showcasing important service highlights and progress toward Strategic Plan goals.

Enhanced agency transparency through multiple media interviews.

Build and deliver a robust, comprehensive outreach and prevention program.

Engaged in media interviews to better inform the public about the challenges Maine Regional Domestic Violence Resource Centers experience in the face of federal funding changes.  A 30-minute Lincoln County Television interview featured our executive director.

Our executive director served as guest lecturer at the University of Maine to educate graduate students enrolled in Public Policy and Advocacy.

Debuted our new film with accompanying panel discussion at Creating Communities of Compassion events held at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta, and in Knox and Waldo counties through community Round Table Discussions.

Hosted our second and third annual speaker series, “Transgressed: The State of Transgender Intimate Partner Violence in the US” and “The Evolution of the Federal Response to Domestic Violence” in Rockland and Boothbay to inform our communities about current challenges faced by segments of our communities and to provide timely information before the November Maine red flag referendum.

Collaborated with community partners to provide education and training opportunities on effective responses to non-fatal strangulation in domestic abuse. Team trainers included members of law enforcement, forensic nurses, and prosecutors. Forty-five law enforcement, dispatch, and emergency medical services professionals attended.

Supplied training on strangulation prevention and the dynamics of domestic violence for health care providers, and members of the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Support Enforcement, the Office of Child and Family Services, and the Maine Judicial Branch Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Trained Regional Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) nurses covering Waldo General, PenBay, and Lincoln County hospitals in safety planning and other New Hope Midcoast services to improve their understanding of – and response to – domestic abuse.

In partnership with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, expanded our quarterly Domestic Violence Mental Health Trainings to include 50+ attendees per session and total of 204 attendees for the year.

Demonstrated our support for victims by attending the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Alliance Hall of Flags Day and Domestic Violence Day at the State House in Augusta.

Advocated for survivors as both staff and clients provided oral and/or written testimony to the Joint Standing Committee on Health & Human Services.

Attended ongoing statewide meetings to coordinate our response to the multiple executive orders set forth in the past months.

Continued our partnerships with local elementary, middle, and high schools to provide in-school presentations on healthy relationships and other important topics.

Attended the Maine Family Planning Conference, the Maine Youth Action Network Conference, the National Sex Education Conference, and the Tech Safety Summit to stay up-to-date on current best practices, which help our advocates to better assist local youth .

Assembled a catalogue of existing strengths, resources, and grant-funded connections with the Midcoast Community Collaborative from the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Program (OJJDP) to consolidate youth-focused services that will better inform our future work.

Took part in Rockland Sunday Strolls to connect with the community about our services.

Attended Pride events in Bath and Rockland.

Helped facilitate Camden Rockport Middle School students’ Modern Civic Rights Project as students created solutions to current civil rights issues.

Offered trainings throughout our service area, including four sessions of licensure-required mental health trainings for 200+ providers from across the state, Domestic Violence and Healthcare trainings for Public Health Nurses held in collaboration with MCEDV, and staff trainings at Midcoast Maine Community Action to increase their knowledge of the barriers victims face.

Prepared and presented a training on elder abuse, domestic abuse, and healthcare with SAFE Nurse, Julie Leblanc, at this year’s Elder Abuse Summit, and co-facilitated a subsequent panel discussion entitled “Domestic Abuse in Later Life: Perspectives From the Field” featuring experts from varied disciplines.