After working with the Department of Human Services for several years managing group homes and doing treatment foster care in their home, as a couple, Linda and Melvin Guiggey decided they wanted to try to do more for children who required out of home placement.
Melvin and Linda were then informed by the state that there was no upfront funding for opening a residential facility. They talked with state licensing for residential facilities and acquired a copy of the Maine state regulations, then they set out to write policies and procedures for a six bed residential facility for teen girls.
Eight months later, after rewrites and communication with licensing, they were issued a license to operate a six bed facility in the home that they raised their own children in, located in Mars Hill. Due to the fact that there was no funding for startup costs, they moved into another home that they owned and started their residential facility with five of those beds full, and in the following four weeks the sixth bed was occupied.
In 2001, The Northern Lighthouse, Inc. employed three people in the residential facility to start the program.
We currently have over 100 employees and offer the following services to assist families and children that have varying disabilities. HCT, Case Management, Residential Treatment, Outpatient Therapy, and Section 28 Services.
Mission Statement
The Northern Lighthouse, Inc. staff will provide respect, understanding, and strength based service to our families. We acknowledge that families undergo a growth process including a grieving process, when their children are in need of services. We will be respectful of where each family member is at in this process. Our staff will provide quality supportive services to children and parents involved in our programs. We will provide educational support to all family members involved with the child as needed. Our staff will focus on a trauma informed, consumer guided, and family driven approach to treatment. All staff will have an understanding of co-occurring disorders. Our staff will also focus on a strength based approach to working with families, recognizing strengths within the family structure.
Our staff will provide services to support families, build self-confidence, self-esteem, personal responsibility, as well as skill development. Our staff will encourage families to make informed choices regarding their children, by providing education geared towards the specific challenges that they face. The Northern Lighthouse, Inc. team will be nondiscriminatory and respectful of culture, social, and religious differences.