Resources

Public Benefits

Peer Workforce Navigator

Helps people access food stamps, unemployment insurance, etc.
General Assistance

General Assistance helps individuals and families to meet their basic needs. This may include help paying for household or personal supplies (toiletries, cleaning supplies), food, housing (e.g., mortgage, rent, room rent, temporary housing), fuel & utilities, medical, dental, prescriptions, medical supplies/equipment, and burial costs.
211 Maine

Helps individuals find services to assist them with housing, heating, substance use, etc.
Find Help

A  resource to search and find support programs (financial, food, medical, etc).

Child/Family Care

UMaine Childcare Center

They accept childcare subsidies as determined by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ voucher and ASPIRE programs.
Maine Child Care Search

A tool to find registered child care programs.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

TANF provides cash assistance to families while they work towards becoming self-sufficient. Once enrolled in TANF you may also be eligible for help receiving job training and education.

Academic Costs 

Competitive Skills Scholarship Program

The Competitive Skills Scholarship Program (CSSP) provides funding and support services for eligible Maine residents to pursue two and four-year degree programs or employer recognized credentials leading to high-wage, in-demand jobs in Maine.
Eastern Maine Development Corporation

Their team works with individuals to determine skills and interests and develop a plan for the future. The goal is to help individuals find meaningful, self-sustaining employment and make a livable wage in one of Maine’s growing industries, including: construction/boat building, hospitality/tourism, healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing.
Parents as Scholars

Maine’s Parents as Scholars (PaS) program provides a range of services to Maine TANF participants who are pursuing two-year or four-year postsecondary degrees. All parents in Maine who are eligible for TANF can participate in PaS, assuming that they: have enrolled in a two- or four-year degree program; have neither a bachelor’s degree in a field with available jobs nor the ability to make at least 85 percent of Maine’s median income for their family size; will be pursuing degrees that open up new employment opportunities that have the potential to better the financial futures of their families; and have the requisite educational backgrounds to pursue their chosen degrees successfully.
HOPE Scholarship

A program helping Maine families pursue training and education beyond high school and achieve their career plans by addressing barriers to success.
New Ventures Maine

New Ventures Maine creates an empowering environment for Maine people to define and achieve their career, financial, and small business goals.
Destination Occupation

Destination Occupation takes a complex problem (making a career choice) and solves it in a concrete way. They create relevant and relatable videos using “authentic storytelling.”
Give It Get It

A 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization founded in 2002 on a mission to help nonprofits, families, and individuals overcome what hinders access to technology. Individuals can apply to get low cost PCs and support.
University of Maine Honors College Textbook Bookshelf

The Honors College has used textbooks for Honors students in the Honors sequence free to borrow. The bookshelf is located in Estabrooke.

Transportation

Penquis CAP

They provide car rides to a variety of places for free or minimal cost in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.
UMaine Carpooling

A program at UMaine that provides a free parking permit for employees who carpool to the University.
Go Maine

The free statewide travel resource program. They match up carpoolers, help form vanpools,  and they reward members for doing any sort of green commute, like carpooling, vanpooling, walking, biking, taking the bus, or teleworking.

Housing/Utilities

Home Energy Assistance Program

Fuel Assistance (Home Energy Assistance Program, HEAP) assists income-eligible households in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Knox counties with high winter heating costs. Homes may be heated with oil, kerosene, coal, pellets, wood, LP gas, or electricity.
Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. It is a federal internet discount program.
Penobscot Community Health Care

The Hope House Health and Living Center includes three distinct services for homeless and peri-homeless individuals in our community, all under one roof: the Hope House Health Center, the Hope House Shelter, and Hope House Transitional Housing.

Welcome to Housing

Welcome To Housing is a Household Goods Bank that serves people in need in the Bangor region. Their goal is to help individuals, including veterans and families succeed as they transition from area shelters to permanent housing by providing basic household items donated through the local community. They also help people displaced by fire and domestic violence.

Subsidized Housing Communities/Rentals

PDF of affordable housing options in Penobscot County.
Rental Support Housing Options

Provides resources about rental assistance such as subsidized housing and the housing choice voucher program.
Old Town Housing Authority

A part of Housing Choice Voucher Maine program (HCV). The program has an application and waiting list process.
SafeLink

This service helps provide eligible households access to a wireless phone.

Debt/Student Loans

Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) 

Provides resources about student loan and debt repayment options and support programs.
The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA)

The Institute of Student Loan Advisors Corporation (TISLA) was founded to ensure that all student loan borrowers have access to free, neutral and clear student loan advice and dispute resolution assistance.

Medical/Dental

UMA-Bangor Dental Health Clinic 

UMA’s dental hygiene students offer preventative dental services to the general public in the state-of-the-art clinic in Bangor at an affordable rate.
Penobscot Community Health Care for the Homeless

The Hope House Health and Living Center includes three distinct services for homeless and peri-homeless individuals in our community, all under one roof: the Hope House Health Center, the Hope House Shelter, and Hope House Transitional Housing.
CoverME

A tool that helps Mainers find and compare affordable health care coverage.
MaineCare

MaineCare provides free and low-cost health insurance to Mainers who meet certain requirements, based on household composition and income.
Veterans Healthcare Resources

A list of resources for veterans to help obtain healthcare services.
GoodRx

GoodRx is a free prescription price comparison tool.

Clothing

Black Bear Exchange

The University of Maine’s on-campus food pantry and free clothing exchange.
TRIO Student Support Services

TRIO Student Support Services has a Dress for Success Closet in 104 East Annex with professional clothing available for all.
Orono Thrift Shop

Loans gently used medical equipment to the Orono community free of charge and serve as a source of low cost clothing and household goods for the residents of the community.

Food

UMaine Community Fridge

Located in the Memorial Union near the Commuter Lounge, the fridge is stocked with food that people are free to take.
Black Bear Exchange

The University of Maine’s on-campus food pantry and free clothing exchange. They also offer assistance with applying for SNAP benefits.
Caring Community Cupboard

A community food pantry located in Old Town.
Wilson Center weekly dinners

Dinner and Dialogue, Thursdays 6-8 pm.
Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides a monthly benefit to help low-income households purchase nutritious food.
Maine Business School Food Nook/Pantry

Located in the Donald P. Corbett Business Building and operated by MBS Corps, this is a small shelf with some canned goods and to-go quick meals.