Over the past 25 years, Home To Home has helped protect thousands of children and their families from experiencing domestic abuse through the supervised exchanges of children between parents and, starting in 2012, through supervised visitations.

In 1994, after a panel discussion on the Midcoast region’s critical issue of domestic violence and in partnership with Maine Sixth District Court in West Bath, the Bath Brunswick Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) accepted the challenge develop an agency that works with the courts to make it possible for children to safely visit and connect with their non-custodial parents. “We can do this,” was the response of members of the AAUW, and Home to Home is the result.

Active Retired Judge Joseph H. Field of Maine District Court, who proposed the idea for the exchange program, said, “I know that the court, law enforcement and business communities are grateful to AAUW for starting this valuable service.” Twenty-five years ago, Judge Field expressed that the court’s most critical need was an exchange program. As years passed, domestic abuse rates continued to remain high across the state, so Judge Field advocated for Home to Home to consider a new goal: and launch a supervised visitation program. The board of directors agreed.

Judge Field described the issue: “Discord at the exchange of children for visitation has been an age-old problem for both the court and law enforcement communities. This is especially true if the exchange is unwitnessed. Under the best of circumstances, it can be hostile, seen as a good chance to ‘take a verbal shot’ at the ex-partner. In cases where there has been a history of violence or domestic abuse, there can only be the expectation of violence. The effect of this is not just felt by the non-offending parents and authorities, but has a catastrophic effect on the children. …

“Many efforts were made to address the critical issue of domestic abuse in the mid coast region—many couples chose to make the exchange at the local police departments…these departments were completely ill-equipped to deal with this extra, specialized workload. Local fast-food restaurants were also tried, and several of them suffered forcible redecoration as a result. Other families tried to solve the problem by just leaving the child at some seemingly safe spot, to be picked up later by the receiving parent. There were numerous incidents of children staying at that spot for the better part of a day before the delivering parent could be contacted and told that the receiving parent never arrived.”

Judge Field has expressed that Home To Home’s use in the community is still very strong as Home To Home continues to give the community, courts, and law enforcement much-needed relief.

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Today, Home To Home’s supervised visitations enable non-custodial parents to spend quality time with their children. These visitations take place at Mid Coast Hospital in private conference rooms where security is always present on campus. Parents are kept separate from each other during the transfer of children, and when weather permits, children and their visiting parents may visit and play in the healing garden. Visitations are supervised at all times by specially trained staff and volunteers who work to ensure the safety and comfort of the children enrolled in Home To Home’s program.

Volunteers and staff express how rewarding it is to see children happily skipping down the long hall into the waiting arms of their visiting parents and to hear them say, “I love you!”

At the start of COVID-19, Zoom visitations and phone calls were substituted while Mid Coast Hospital was closed to the public. In August of 2021, at the urging of MCH CEO and President Lois Skillings, MCH collaborated with Home To Home to safely allow in person visits to resume at the hospital while adhering to current safety protocols.

Home To Home is the only program of its kind in Maine, providing supervised visitation scholarships that allow for a low-cost base rate with an additional reduction in cost to families when needed. Recently, in response to a need expressed by several families, Home To Home developed a transportation scholarship for qualified parents that helps offset the cost of transportation to supervised visits transportation is a barrier. All of Home To Home’s scholarship programs have been made possible through funding from United Way of Mid Coast Maine, Maine State Judicial Branch Access and Visitation Grant, various local and national grants, and donations from individuals.

More good news for families across the state: The Maine State Judicial Branch approached Home To Home in early 2021 to expand access to low-cost supervised visitations throughout the state using Home to Home as the model. Fundraising and grant writing to fund this expansion is already underway.

Home To Home is a 501{c}3 agency and all donations are tax deductible. Donations to scholarships may be mailed to HomeTo Home, PO Box 263, Brunswick, ME 04011.

To volunteer, please contact the program coordinator at (207) 837-4894.

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