Consumer Council System of Maine

12/25/2025

✨Holiday Office Closure Notice 🎄

We are closed today, but will reopen tomorrow.

If this season feels heavy, please remember: giving can include giving to yourself, too. Pause, breathe, hydrate, eat something delicious, and take a moment that feels safe 💚🎁

12/24/2025

Some good news from the Maine AG’s office! We need to stay vigilant on this one, but the courts blocked significant changes around housing vouchers. Stay tuned to see if it sticks! Office of the Maine Attorney General, thank you!

Augusta, MAINE – A federal judge today ordered the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to preliminarily halt changes to its Continuum of Care grant program — the largest resource for federal homelessness assistance funding — after a coalition of states argued in court that ....

12/22/2025

📣 Call for Presenters: The 2026 Annual HOPE Conference! 📣
Do you have a story, a skill, or a strategy for recovery that could help others? We want to hear from you!
This year’s theme is "Celebrating The Journey," and we are looking for individuals in recovery to lead workshops.
We are looking for presentations in three tracks:
Personal Wellness/Recovery: Share what supports your journey (nature, art, yoga, etc.).
Connections with Community: How do you build relationships and stay connected?
Impacting Systems: Skills to make mental health or justice systems more helpful and less oppressive.
Event Date: May 13, 2026
Location: Augusta Civic Center,
Proposal Deadline: January 30, 2026
How to Apply: Email your proposal to Simonne Maline at smaline@maineccsm.org or mail it to CCSM in Augusta. Check out the images below for the full checklist of what to include in your proposal!

12/16/2025

Feeling overwhelmed, in crisis, or just need a supportive, confidential ear? Help is always available.

📞 Call or Text 988

Connect with Maine-based, compassionate crisis specialists 24/7. It's free, confidential, and available to anyone in Maine.

12/12/2025

Thanks to Maine Public for reporting on the expansion in crisis receiving centers! This is exciting news support for those in the Greater Lewiston area, spring can’t come soon enough!

The center will offer short term intervention for teens and adults who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

12/12/2025

Thank you to NASW Maine Chapter for the collaboration on advocacy and the power of storytelling! We look forward to supporting any and all partners in sharing with our peers about getting involved! Big shout out to our policy advocate Kerri for her hard work on the project😀

This week's Sharing Your Story Workshop was such a meaningful session!
A huge thank you to Kerri from the Consumer Council System of Maine Consumer Council System of Maine for sharing your expertise and knowledge with us. We're so grateful for this collaboration with our Policy Committee and for the powerful tools you've given our community to use storytelling as advocacy.

Want to get more involved in advocacy work? Join our 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞! We meet from 12:00-1:00 PM on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Learn more and connect with us using the link in comments!

Our storytelling series continues! Mark your calendars for our next workshop on 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑 𝐚𝐭 𝟔:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌. More information coming soon. While we are not our stories, our stories can help create change—for good. ✨

12/10/2025

🎨🗓️ Our Peer Artwork Calendars are HERE! 🗓️🎨

We’re so excited to share that our brand-new Peer Artwork Wall Calendar is now on sale ~ in two sizes! This calendar features powerful art created by peers in mental health, all centered around the theme of “Using Your Voice.”

💚 Why it matters:
Every calendar sold helps fund our work to amplify the peer voice and advocate for better mental health services across Maine. This is our big fundraiser of the year ~ your purchase truly makes a difference.

🛒 And that’s not all…!
Our online store is now stocked with several new items, including our popular:

🦆 “Naturally Non-Compliant” Duck design ~now available on:

Shirts, Phone cases, and more fun merch to come!

👉 Support peers. Celebrate art. Fuel our advocacy.
Grab your calendar (standard or large size) and check out all the new items here:
https://the-ccsm-shop.printify.me/

12/10/2025

Thank you MaineHousing for the updated heat information! We know how critical this is for our peeps in Maine!

https://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/energy/energydetails/home-energy-assistance-program-online-application-resources

12/08/2025

Were you ever hospitalized for mental health treatment in Maine ~ or did you work in one of these institutions?

We’re creating a podcast series about the history and impact of institutionalization and are looking for both former patients/clients and staff/providers who are willing to share their experiences.

Interested in learning more about being a guest?

📧 Email podcast@maineccsm.org
or send us a message.
Your story and your voice matter 🗣️

Please Share!

Were you ever hospitalized for mental health treatment in Maine ~ or did you work in one of these institutions?

We’re creating a podcast series about the history and impact of institutionalization and are looking for both former patients/clients and staff/providers who are willing to share their experiences, anonymously.

Interested in learning more about being a guest?

📧 Email podcast@maineccsm.org
or send us a message.
Your story and your voice matter 🗣️

Please Share!

12/04/2025

New Hopeful Horizons release🏛️ The Promise and Failure of State Care (1820-1890)

The Consumer Council System of Maine presents Part 1 of a new history series on our Hopeful Horizons blog. We are taking a deep dive into the early days of psychiatric care in Maine.

From the cruelty of "pauper auctions" to the rise and fall of the Moral Treatment era at the Maine Insane Hospital, discover the tragic history that set the stage for decades of institutional trauma.

👇 Click to read Part 1:
www.maineccsm.org/hopefulhorizons

12/02/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday! A day to support the causes that matter most 💚

At the CCSM, we work to ensure people who use mental health services have a real voice in how those services and systems are shaped.

You can support CCSM today in two simple ways:

1️⃣ Make a donation: one-time or monthly to fuel our peer-led forums, councils, and advocacy
2️⃣ Visit our shop/donate page and purchase items that help fund our mission (with more items coming soon!)

👉 Donate or visit our shop: https://maineccsm.org/support-us/

If you can’t give right now, sharing this post also makes a difference.
Thank you for helping keep peer voices at the table 💚