AUGUST 2026 newsletter

An open letter from courtney to maine's recovery & harm reduction community

To everyone in recovery, everyone who uses harm reduction services, everyone who has lost someone they love, everyone working in prevention, treatment, recovery support, harm reduction, and everyone who believes people deserve hope:

 

Summer is more than a season. It is a time to listen, organize, and prepare.

 

Over the next few months, candidates for Governor and the Legislature will be asking for our votes. Before we give them our support, we should be asking them questions.

 

What will they do to protect recovery services?

Will they support evidence-based harm reduction?

How will they strengthen prevention efforts and expand access to treatment?

Will they continue investing in recovery communities across Maine, or will they allow the progress we've made to slip away?

 

The decisions made in the next election will shape the future of recovery policy in Maine for years to come. The Governor who moves into the Blaine House and the legislators elected to serve alongside them will determine how we respond to the overdose crisis, how opioid settlement funds are invested, and whether people struggling with substance use are met with compassion, evidence, and opportunity or with stigma and political rhetoric.

 

We cannot afford to sit this one out. Now is the time to register to vote if you haven't already. Now is the time to research candidates and learn where they stand. Now is the time to ask tough questions and expect real answers. Now is the time to organize our communities so that, when Election Day arrives, every person in recovery, every family member, every ally, and every advocate knows what's at stake.

 

At ME-RAP, we'll be spending the coming months listening. We'll be hosting community listening sessions across the state to hear directly from people with lived and living experience about the issues that matter most. Those conversations will help shape our advocacy during the upcoming legislative session and ensure that the voices of our communities are heard where decisions are made.

 

If you need help registering to vote, reach out. We'll help. If you've never been involved in advocacy but want to make a difference, attend one of our listening sessions. Your experience matters, and your voice belongs in this conversation. If you're ready to organize your community, volunteer, or help educate voters, we'd love to have you join us at an one of our upcoming onboarding session (#1, #2, #3).

 

Together, we have fought for expanded access to naloxone, recovery community centers, peer support, treatment, housing, and harm reduction. We've made real progress because people with lived experience stood up, spoke out, and demanded better. But progress is never guaranteed.

 

We cannot go backward.


This election isn't just about politics. It's about whether Maine continues to move toward a future where every person has the opportunity to survive, recover, and thrive.

 

Let's spend this summer listening. Let's spend this summer organizing. 

 

Let's spend this summer preparing to Vote Recovery.

 

In solidarity,


Opioid Settlement Funds

NAtional opioid Settlement Fund Conference

We attended the National Opioid Settlement Fund Conference in Denver, Colorado, where we were joined by colleagues from the Maine Recovery Council and the Maine Opioid Settlement Support Center (MOSS).


Leaders from across the country explored best practices around transparency, accountability, meaningful engagement of people with lived experience, and tracking spending and outcomes. We had a blast listening, learning, and sharing ideas!

Governor MillS' 8th Annual Opioid Response Summit

Earlier this month, the ME-RAP team attended Governor Mills' 8th Annual Opioid Response Summit.


We co-lead a breakout session, Transparency to Transformation: Navigating the Maine Opioid Settlement Fund, alongside representatives from the Maine Opioid Settlement Support (MOSS) Center, the City of Biddeford, the Rockland Ad Hoc Opioid Settlement Participatory Budget Committee, and the Penobscot County Advisory Opioid Committee.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to learn more about Maine's opioid settlement funds, explore the different approaches cities and counties are taking to manage and allocate these funds in their communities, and discuss how we can all advocate for transparency, accountability, and meaningful community engagement.


Be sure to checkout our Protect the Opioid Settlement Funds: An Organizing Toolkit to start or build upon local organizing efforts in your community!

OSF Organizing Toolkit

LOcal & Statewide OSF Updates

  • Aroostook County: For several months, community organizers in Aroostook County have been pushing back against the County Commissioners decision to use $209,198 OSF to hire a sheriff's deputy officer for a one-year pilot program to have a student resource officer in six schools. The Aroostook Opioid Task Force has proposed new bylaws in response to this controversial allocation.
  • City of Augusta: At the July 23rd Augusta City Council informational meeting, the Augusta Opioid Settlement Fund Task Force shared an update on its recent work scoring the 8 applications that were submitted to the OSF RFP. To view the overview of the applications and rubric, summary of applications, and summary of recommendations, click here.
  • City of Portland: At its last meeting on July 14, the Portland City Council HHS & PS Committee gave the green light for City staff to draft an ordinance to establish a dedicated Opioid Settlement Fund that would create a more permanent policy framework for managing OSF. Read more here.
  • Hancock County: The Hancock County OSF Advisory Committee made great progress at its latest meeting, completing a full review of the RFP application and scoring rubric while identifying a final round of edits to address before the next meeting on August 13. At that meeting, the committee plans to review the revisions and determine the timeline for opening applications to the public.
  • Maine Recovery Council: Now Open: Funding Opportunity for Maine Coalitions Strengthening Community Conditions - The Maine Recovery announced a new multi-year funding opportunity to strengthen community-led prevention efforts statewide. This initiative will invest $1.95 million over three years in community coalitions in Maine working to prevent opioid and substance use disorders by addressing the conditions that shape health and well-being. They are seeking community-driven approaches that are youth-informed, culturally relevant, and rooted in strong local partnerships. This is an opportunity to advance sustainable solutions led by the communities most impacted—and to drive meaningful, lasting change. Funding Available: Up to $125,000 per year for up to three years Application Deadline: Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at 3:00 pm (ET). The full Request for Proposals (RFP), application materials and additional details are available on the RFP website at https://hria.org/grants/maine-recovery-council.
  • Washington County: Washington County Commissioners recently authorized the creation of an OSF Committee. The jail administrator was tasked with developing the policy and recruiting 5 committee members, including two county staff and three community members. Although the committee has had its first meeting, clear processes and guidelines have yet to be develped.

Calling all braver angels!

We were honored to join Maine Public Health Association (MPHA) at this year’s Braver Angels 2026 National Convention, where people from across the political spectrum come together for honest, respectful dialogue, shared learning, and bridge-building. We joined MPHA and fellow panelists in exploring how we can bridge partisan and cultural divides in public health policy.


It was especially meaningful to share how our organizations have partnered to advance policies that support Mainers impacted by our addiction crisis, even after disagreeing on other policy issues. That’s the spirit of Braver Angels: we won’t always agree, but when common ground exists, we’ll work together to make an impact for Maine people.

Summer Listening Sessions!

Our 2026 Summer Listening Sessions have started! So far, we’ve held eight sessions across Maine with plenty more to go!


We’ve had the privilege to connect with our peers and communities across the state and listen to them share their experiences, challenges, and the changes they'd like to see in their communities.

While every community faces its own unique challenges, there has been plenty of overlap in what listening session participants would like to see change. Some examples:

  • Increased access to basic needs like affordable housing, healthcare, food, child care, and transportation
  • A focus on a person-centered approach in treatment with priority on building trust and human connection
  • Reducing stigma and increasing public awareness
  • Expanding treatment options and resources across Maine

These listening sessions help shape ME-RAP’s policy priorities and give us a chance to connect with our community. Your voice matters, and we’d love to hear from you at our upcoming sessions!

Meet our New Advocacy Coordinator!

We are so excited to announce that Meghan Del Nero Moore has joined us as our Advocacy Coordinator!

 

Having spent the last three years working in basic needs security, Meghan brings a comprehensive knowledge of the barriers that thousands of Mainers face in accessing crucial services. Her previous work includes building statewide and regional workgroups aimed at strengthening basic needs security across Maine and the Southeast and increasing SNAP access for Mainers across the state. 


Dedicated to addressing the root causes of poverty to dismantle broken systems and building more accessible, sustainable, and empowered communities, she is excited to work for a community-centered organization.

Meghan is most looking forward to connecting with Maine communities, amplifying the voices of lived experience, and creating meaningful, lasting change through policy.

 

A self-proclaimed amateur naturalist, outside of work you can find Meghan hiking, kayaking, IDing moths, or working in her garden. 

Join the ME-RAP Organizing Team!

Interested in joining our organizing team? Register to attend an onboarding session to the ME-RAP Organizing Team to review the work that we do as a team, your responsibilities as a volunteer organizer, and next steps. Attendance at one onboarding session is required to join the team. Register for an upcoming session today!