Spruce Run, the first domestic violence project in Maine, opens in Bangor.

The Maine Coalition for Family Crisis Services, the precursor to the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, holds its first statewide meeting.

Victims of domestic violence start New Hope for Women with ten hotline volunteers. The agency becomes a 501c3 Maine nonprofit on August 18, 1981 and hires a part-time director, Lisa Pohlmann. It becomes one of six domestic violence projects in Maine.

New Hope for Women moves from a part-time, volunteer organization to full-time with a 24/7 hotline.

New Hope for Women joins the statewide Maine Coalition for Family Crisis Services and merges with the Lincoln County Domestic Violence Coalition to more effectively serve victims.

The first annual Walk Against Family Violence raises funds for agency work.

Knox County forms a Sexual Abuse Task Force to enhance response to incidents of domestic abuse through collaboration between law enforcement, medical professionals, and several other disciplines.

Congress passes the Victim of Crimes Act (VOCA) to support victim compensation and assistance programs as they respond to the personal, financial, and emotional needs of crime victims.

New Hope for Women expands to cover Belfast. 

The agency implements individual and group support for children.

The agency hires its first part-time Volunteer Coordinator to support agency services.

The agency includes 4 full-time staff, 50 volunteers, and has served more than 800 people.

New Hope for Women hires a Community Response Coordinator to raise awareness about domestic violence.

The Maine State Housing Authority helps fund shelters for victims of domestic abuse.

Maine establishes its first Commission on Domestic Abuse to advise the state on issues related to domestic abuse and make recommendations on legislative and policy actions.

Senators Joe Biden and William Cohen introduce the federal Violence Against Women Act, a landmark law to combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking through funding for victim services, legal aid, and enhanced law enforcement. It also enables victims of abuse to apply for independent immigration status without relying on their abusers.

Child custody and visitation guidelines, outlined in Maine’s Parental Rights and Responsibilities Statute, now include consideration of a history of domestic violence.

The first guide for abused teens is created and distributed.

New Hope opens transitional housing in Knox and Waldo counties to provide temporary housing with case management support.

The agency partners with PenBay Medical Center to implement a domestic violence policy.

Fundraisers like Women and Friends on the Move help raise money for victim services.

The Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel forms to engage in collaborative, multidisciplinary case reviews that inform recommendations to state and local governments, improving coordinated community responses.

New Hope for Women starts a program for children who have witnessed domestic violence, which later grows into a partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Maine’s Protection from Abuse Order statute now includes limitations on firearms. Federally, the Lautenberg Amendment revises the Gun Control Act of 1968 to prohibit individuals convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence from possessing, shipping, or receiving firearms and ammunition.

Area schools watch the first local performance of Deana’s Educational Theater’s production of The Yellow Dress, a one-woman play about domestic violence.

An Act to Protect Victims of Crimes in the Workplace passes. Maine employers must grant reasonable and necessary leave from work to attend court, receive medical treatment, or obtain other services resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

New Hope for Women starts an Island Outreach Program to improve services for the many island residents in our area.

The Commission to Study Domestic Violence requires victim notification when an abuser is released from jail.

The Maine Legislature leaves empty seats in the legislative hall to recognize the impact of domestic violence homicide. Governor King calls domestic violence “Maine’s public enemy number one.”

Now in its 20th year, New Hope for Women has served over 7,000 clients.

New Hope for Women establishes Empty Place at the Table, a memorial of domestic violence homicides that continues to be displayed today.

The agency merges with the Midcoast Coalition to Prevent Domestic Violence and begins to offer Time for Change, a batterer intervention program.

In partnership with C+C Realty Management, the agency opens transitional, supportive housing units in Lincoln County.

State agencies partner with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault to develop, implement, and address domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking workplace policies.

New Hope for Women hires its first attorney and continues to provide court and legal advocacy.

Maine enacts protections for companion animals and livestock of victim-survivors who request Protection from Abuse orders.

A new collaboration with Pine Tree Legal Assistance connects survivors with legal representation during Protection from Abuse and family matters cases (i.e., Divorce and Parental Rights and Responsibilities).

The organization develops educational displays for local libraries and delivers new training for police.

Community members join Volleys Against Violence, the agency’s first fundraising tennis tournament.

New Hope for Women purchases the property that would later become the agency’s headquarters, the Edward Anson Butler House on Beech Street in Rockland.

The agency holds its first annual clothing sale, now called Shop for Hope.

Now in its 30th year, the agency has served more than 15,000 clients.

New Hope for Women establishes its first High Risk Response Team in Waldo County to serve victim-survivors who are at great risk of re-assault and/or lethal assault.

Advocates at New Hope for Women consistently support over 1,000 survivors annually.

New Hope for Women starts a High Risk Response Team in Lincoln County. Shop for Hope expands to include donations from local individuals and businesses.

LD1171, An Act To Prevent Sexual and Domestic Violence and To Support Survivors, passes, enhancing victim safety and increasing perpetrator accountability. Kathleen Morgan retires after serving as executive director for 26 years. New Hope for Women hires Rebekah Paredes as its next executive director.

Kathleen Morgan retires after serving as executive director for 26 years. New Hope for Women hires Rebekah Paredes as its next executive director.

The COVID pandemic requires changes in services to better protect victims, including a new e-messaging service for victims to communicate with advocates during the stay-at-home mandate.

The agency regularly provides 2,000+ emergency shelter nights for victims and their families and surpasses 3,000 in 2020 alone.

New Hope for Women begins to deliver required training for Clinical Professional Counselors, who must receive 12 hours of domestic violence coursework to gain or renew licensure.

Now in its 40th year, the agency changes its name to New Hope Midcoast to better reflect the diversity of people it serves.

Since it began in 1981, the agency has supported 26,000+ clients and provided victims with nearly 8,000 nights of shelter.

New Hope Midcoast opens additional transitional housing units, including its first in Sagadahoc County.

Advocates begin to host annual roundtable events throughout the agency’s four-county service area to encourage discussion about local domestic abuse concerns.

President Biden signs the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization to improve and expand victim access to services and the criminal justice response to domestic abuse. The Act also addresses victim economic needs, the civil legal response, access to safe housing, prevention and education, and culturally-specific programs.

New Hope Midcoast hosts its first Speaker Series to bring timely domestic abuse-related topics to local communities.

Regional working groups consolidate to form the Midcoast Coordinated Community Response/Sexual Assault Response Team led by New Hope Midcoast and Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine.

New Hope Midcoast begins collaborating with local news outlets to publish Community of Hope articles that raise awareness about the intersection of domestic abuse with other social justice concerns.

With a focus on community collaboration, New Hope Midcoast launches its first strategic planning effort.

Governor Mills includes $6 million in her supplemental budget to address a federal funding shortfall in services for victims of crime.

New Hope Midcoast produces its first film featuring the stories of two survivors that premieres at The StrandTheatre in Rockland. A panel discussion focusing on the intersection of domestic abuse, homelessness, and food insecurity follows.

Grant awards fund temporary housing and support for survivors and their families, long-term solutions to the homelessness that frequently follows separating from an abuser, and a Law Enforcement Advocate to work closely with Waldo and Knox County sheriffs.

The agency joins the Maine Homeless Public Policy Committee to better address the well-documented intersection of domestic abuse and homelessness.

New Hope Midcoast delivers a new healthcare provider-focused training, developed by the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, to its regional healthcare partners.

New Hope Midcoast produces its first annual report highlighting impact data and progress toward strategic priorities.

The agency’s 14th annual Shop for Hope raises a record $77,000+ to support victims.

MaineHealth Waldo Hospital recognizes New Hope Midcoast with the 2026 Maine Health Care Partner Award in honor of the agency’s strong commitment to fostering collaboration and engagement with the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes the agency’s dedication to the Hospital’s shared vision of making Belfast one of the healthiest communities in America.

New Hope Midcoast celebrates its 45th anniversary as a dynamic, community-based organization that actively embraces a multi-prong, comprehensive approach to addressing and preventing domestic abuse so that Midcoast Maine residents can live free from violence and oppression.

The agency has provided over 18,300 shelter nights and served 32,000+ clients since its inception.

The agency hires highly accomplished leader and strategic innovator, Peg Drisko, PhD, to lead New Hope Midcoast.