On Monday, March 16th, 2026, Community Concepts held an open house at Sophia’s House in Lewiston, celebrating the official return of the Women’s Day Center. A dedicated space for women facing isolation, trauma, addiction, or any of life’s greatest challenges, The Day Center is here to support women in the Lewiston-Auburn region.
A Safe Space to Breathe and Think
Spectrum News Maine reporter Susan Cover captured the spirit of the open house through the eyes of Sarah Verrill, a 45-year-old resident who spent eight months living in her car before finding a home at Sophia’s House. To read her coverage, click here.
A Day Center Built on Compassion
The Lewiston Sun Journal’s Kendra Caruso provided an in-depth look at the Women’s Day Center, which reopened in December after Community Concepts took over stewardship of Sophia’s House last summer following the closure of The Center For Wisdom’s Women. The Sun Journal coverage is available here.
We just are there to be present to the women. Any woman is able to come in, very low barrier. We're set in a neighborhood that has some unhoused women and they're always welcome to come in and sit down and have a cup of coffee and be with other people or be in a quiet place by themselves. -Cathy Carey, Volunteer Companion
Fighting Isolation, Building Community
“The goal is really to entice women to see what we’re all about. It’s free, they can come in for free. They can check it out, they can ask questions, they can sit and watch, listen or join us, participate. So the goal is to increase our numbers and reach more women in the community,” Program Manager Sonia Turgeon told the Sun-Journal.
A lot of services in our community and the social services field require some type of diagnosis, they require some type of insurance, there's a waitlist, there are high barriers to accessing services. The day center program here is extremely low barrier, the doors are open, it's free, there are no questions about 'what's your diagnosis? How do you qualify?' It's meant to be a place of safety and connection and support for vulnerable women. - Jim Martin, Community Concepts CEO
Want to support the work at Sophia’s House and The Women’s Day Center?