A not so…

Brief introduction to Welcome to Housing

A little about Welcome To Housing

Welcome To Housing is a Household Goods Bank and serves people in need in the Bangor region.   Our 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. We Also help people displaced by fire and domestic violence.

The easiest way to understand Welcome To Housing is with this simple analogy:

“Do you remember the first place you had on your own? Whether it was a dorm or an apartment, you get settled in, only to discover there’s something your need. You may have a pantry full of canned goods…and no can opener. You might have pillows but no pillowcases.”

Many of the people Welcome To Housing serves don’t have someone like parents or family that can “come to the rescue” and provide things that many of us take for granted.

The people WTH serve are also used to being told “NO” on a regular basis, so when they come to visit our warehouse, the reaction of being told “YES” is something to behold.

WTH History

Welcome To Housing was originally a program of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter (BAHS) funded by a two-year grant. The current incarnation of Welcome To Housing (WTH) as a Volunteer Community Effort came about in the fall of 2011 when the grant ran out and volunteers stepped forward to maintain and build the program that helped people moving from BAHS to permanent housing.

When the effort became volunteer driven, there was a hope that the scope of those served could be expanded to other agencies and homeless programs. Thanks to the overwhelmingly strong support from the community, WTH expanded to serve any and all Bangor region shelter programs in May of 2012.

Welcome To Housing is a free standing 501(c)(3) with the IRS, incorporated in Maine.

To date, Welcome To Housing has helped individuals and families coming through:

  • Acadia Healthcare

  • Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine

  • Allies

  • Bangor Area Homeless Shelter

  • Bangor Housing Authority

  • Bangor Public Health Nursing

  • Care & Comfort

  • Catholic Charities of Maine, St. Michael’s Center

  • Charlotte White Center

  • ·Choices

  • Community Health & Counseling Services

  • Dirigo Counseling Clinic

  • First Congregational Church

  • Hammond Street Congregational Church

  • Higher Ground Services

  • Hope House

  • Kidspeace

  • Maine Department of Health and Human Services

  • Maine Families

  • Maine Pretrial Services-Family Treatment

  • Manna Inc.

  • Mansion Ministries

  • N.F.I. North Inc.

  • New Hope Shelter

  • Northeast Occupational Exchange

  • OHI

  • Orono United Methodist Church

  • Oxford House

  • Penobscot Community Health Care

  • Penquis

  • Safe Families for Children

  • Partners for Peace

  • Stepping Stones

  • Summer Street Clinic

  • The Salvation Army

  • Veterans Administration

  • Wabanaki Mental Health Association

  • Wellspring

  • Wings

  • Wings For Children and Families