Our Mission
Mission
To build better lives and stronger communities across Maine, The Opportunity Alliance supports people with the programs and resources they need to improve their health, safety, and stability.
Vision
The Opportunity Alliance envisions a community in which all people in Maine have access to high-quality childcare and early childhood education programs, safe and stable housing, effective and compassionate mental health and substance use treatment, and basic needs supports.
Values
Respect and Trust – We uphold respect and trust as essential to all good interaction and all healthy relationships.
Diversity – We value diversity, individuality, and the unique contribution of each person.
Integrity – We believe integrity is exemplified in sound ethical organizational practices and service delivery.
Collaboration and Community – We value the power of strong relationships deemed vital to working with children, youth, adults, families, community partners, and funding sources.
Empathy and Compassion – We believe that empathy and compassion are the cornerstones of a humane and civil society and of greater community interconnection.
Empowerment – We value a process that fosters self-determination in individuals and communities, thereby emboldening people to act on and implement solutions to issues which they define as important.
Advocacy – We believe that all people have the right to advocate for and influence their own well-being, and that of their families and communities.
Agency Overview
The Opportunity Alliance (TOA) is a dynamic, results-focused Community Action Agency providing integrated community-based and clinical programs serving more than 24,000 people annually throughout the state of Maine. With 60 years of experience, TOA draws from a comprehensive set of programs which address issues such as mental health, substance use, homelessness, lack of basic needs, and access to community supports. Through an extensive array of services, TOA provides opportunities for individuals to stabilize fragile situations and then works with them to achieve self-sufficiency. TOA is client-focused with extensive experience working with diverse client populations. TOA programming includes four pillars of service:
Behavioral Health & Wellness
Community Well-Being
Childcare & Early Childhood Education
Poverty & Economic Mobility
TOA works in partnership with organizations and community members to identify and address barriers for individuals and families to thrive and create a strong community fabric. As an integral part of this work, TOA is committed to helping individuals and their families advocate for the resources and support they need to achieve positive outcomes. TOA has at its foundation three organizations with long histories of serving communities throughout Maine: Ingraham, Peoples Regional Opportunity Program (PROP), and Youth Alternatives. The three organizations merged in 2011 to form The Opportunity Alliance.
TOA is a clinically effective organization, and we make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of individuals each year addressing the root causes of poverty, working with people to overcome mental illness, and strengthening families and communities. TOA is committed to being a data-informed and data-driven organization that takes a multi-factored approach with roots in the Results-Based Accountability framework. First, each program contract is reviewed for expected service deliverables and associated performance measurement reporting. Then, staff seek to answer the central question, “Is anyone better off?” as program performance measures are considered from the perspective of impacts on desired client and community outcomes. Finally, TOA seeks guidance from external stakeholders to understand the current service landscape and align with existing service initiatives, evaluation efforts, and sector best practices.
TOA tackles some of our community’s most pressing problems: poverty, homelessness, mental illness, substance use, and domestic violence. One of the most challenging health problems facing our community is the rampant misuse of opioids, which has reached epidemic levels. Many of the individuals we serve have serious mental illness that is often complicated by chronic health conditions and substance use disorders.
We work diligently to keep families intact, in stable homes, and integrated into a neighborhood community where all members can thrive and pursue their aspirations. We believe that the pathway to healthier individuals and families is created through an integrated continuum of formal and informal supports that addresses the fundamental factors that place communities at risk, such as poverty, mental illness, high rates of substance abuse, and child neglect and abuse. That's why, as much as possible, we work in partnership with residents to identify and address barriers to community success and place a particularly high value on services that empower families and individuals to connect with natural supports and local resources. To that end, we have developed working partnerships with a broad range of individuals, organizations, and community institutions including schools, faith communities, law enforcement, businesses, social services agencies, and other non-profits.
We are the state’s designated crisis services provider for Cumberland County. We provide mental health services through our crisis response programs, our residential mental health treatment facilities, and case management programs for children, youth, and adults. The Maine Crisis Line and 2-1-1 information line provide 24/7 statewide support for callers seeking critical resources in their communities. We are a co-occurring competent agency offering programs for individuals attempting to recover from substance use and mental health co-occurring disorders, and we are a leader in peer-to-peer and parent-to-parent partnering supports and services. We also collaborate closely with Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Department of Corrections (DOC), community organizations, and cities and towns throughout the state.
TOA is a trauma informed organization and we utilize protocols from SAMHSA’s TIP 57: Trauma Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services in training staff and designing all service provisions. We know that trauma informed care is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. Trauma informed care also emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both clients and providers, and helps survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.
TOA is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and by the American Association of Suicidology. TOA has recently been re-accredited by the COA through a process involving a detailed review and analysis of our organization’s administration, management, and service delivery functions against international standards of best practice. The standards driving accreditation ensure that services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes-oriented, and provided by a skilled and supported workforce. Additionally, TOA holds both Mental Health Agency and Substance Abuse Agency licenses from DHHS.
Learn about our Direct Client Support Grants here.
To make a donation to The Opportunity Alliance please contact Lily Lynch, VP of Development & Communication.