Penquis

Penquis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Maine people be safe, healthy, connected, and financially secure. Penquis is a community of people who have joined together in common mission to assist others in preventing, reducing or eliminating poverty in their lives. Our individual contributions are enhanced by our collective efforts.

Penquis is a community action agency, a licensed mental health agency, a community development corporation, and a community housing development organization. Its subsidiaries include a community development financial institution, a sexual assault services agency, and housing development organizations. Programs and services work together to enable individuals and families to achieve economic security, reliable transportation, school readiness, and healthy lives.

Penquis primarily serves individuals and families in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Knox counties. It has an even broader impact through its programs, subsidiaries, and community partnerships. Penquis touches the lives of approximately 5,000 people each day and more than 30,000 each year.

Penquis is a chartered member of NeighborWorks® America and a member of the Housing Partnership Network. Penquis has consistently earned an “exemplary” rating from NeighborWorks America for attaining the highest level of performance and impact.

Penquis focuses its efforts in four strategic areas: Economic Security, Reliable Transportation, School Readiness, and Healthy Lives. Services offered within each area are as follows.

Economic Security: Programs supporting economic security create financial stability and increase assets through education and access to capital and affordable housing. They include financial coaching and matched savings programs; homebuyer education and housing counseling; small business advising and entrepreneurship classes; home and business lending; heating and utilities assistance; home improvement programs, including repair, replacement, and testing; affordable housing options, including rental housing, mortgage assistance, and rent-to-own properties; and weatherization, including above ground tank replacement, heating system repair, heat pumps, and weatherization services.

Reliable Transportation: Penquis transportation programs support health, independence, and access to resources through safe, reliable transportation options. These include the arrangement of non-emergency transportation for MaineCare-covered appointments, general public transportation to meet everyday needs, and transportation reimbursement options.

School Readiness: Services and supports help children enter kindergarten ready to be successful in school and later in life. Children receive high-quality early childhood education and child care services, healthy nutrition, and benefit from home visiting, which supports families in providing nurturing care that promotes healthy development.

Healthy Lives: Programs in this area help individuals achieve optimal health and development in safe, nurturing environments. They include individual and family support services such as assisted living, case management, parenting education, supervised visitation, whole family services, and behavioral health and disability supports, including residential, day, in-home, and community support services, clinical counseling, and behavioral health navigation; victim services, including services for sexual assault survivors and child victims of sexual abuse, housing navigation for victims of human trafficking, and education for male perpetrators of domestic violence; volunteering for older adults; and youth programs, including youth engagement, restorative justice, housing and supportive services for youth experiencing homelessness, programming for youth affected by others’ substance use, and services to support employment success and financial security.