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Recovery housing · Maine

Sober Living in South Portland, ME

Sober living in South Portland, Maine includes VSL Chartered sober housing, listed below with who each home serves and what it costs. Our intake team can also point you to VSL Chartered housing across the harbor in Portland. South Portland shares Greater Portland METRO buses with Portland and has its own community health center, and Portland's free recovery community center is a short ride over the bridge.

Apply Now Call (844) 762-3747

We list two sober living homes in South Portland, ME, for men: two VSL Chartered homes (Kismet Sober House and Tony’s Recovery Home). Sober living rent in the area typically runs $195 to $200 a week; our two VSL Chartered homes here are $200 a week, all-inclusive. You can apply to a VSL Chartered home online in about 10 minutes, and intake will help you find the home that fits.

Living in Recovery in South Portland

Meetings and peer support

The AA Central Service Office in Portland lists meetings for Maine and staffs a hotline around the clock, and NA in Maine publishes NA meetings across the state. SMART Recovery runs online and in-person meetings for people who want another approach, and Maine Al-Anon Family Groups lists meetings for family members in Portland. Over the bridge, the Portland Recovery Community Center on Bishop Street offers recovery coaching, telephone recovery support and weekly meetings at no cost.

Treatment and health care

In South Portland, Greater Portland Health‘s Brickhill health center offers primary care, behavioral health and care coordination, takes MaineCare and has a sliding fee scale. In Portland, MaineHealth Comprehensive Addiction Medicine on Saint John Street offers counseling and medications for substance use disorders, and Bayside Comprehensive Treatment Center on Preble Street offers methadone and Suboxone with walk-ins. Maine Medical Center is across the bridge for hospital and emergency care, and the Maine Crisis Line answers at any hour.

Getting around without a car

South Portland and Portland share one bus system: Greater Portland METRO took over the routes South Portland used to run in December 2024. Route 25, which started in October 2026, travels Main Street on its way between Portland and Scarborough and crosses into Portland on the Veterans Bridge, and Route 24A runs along Broadway to the Mill Creek hub. That puts jobs, outpatient care and appointments on both sides of the harbor within reach.

Work and school

Southern Maine Community College has a campus in South Portland, and the Greater Portland CareerCenter on Jetport Boulevard helps job seekers at no charge. The South Portland Public Library lends ebooks, museum passes and even power tools. For a civil legal problem, Pine Tree Legal Assistance has a Portland office on Federal Street and helps people who qualify for free.

Sober Living Homes in South Portland, ME

VSL Chartered Homes in South Portland

Kismet Sober House is on Main Street in the Sunset Park area, on METRO Route 25, with Sawyer Park about a 10-minute walk and the library's Memorial Branch just under a mile. Tony's Recovery Home is on Broadway in the Pleasantdale neighborhood, where METRO Route 24A passes the door; Yerxa Park is about a 6-minute walk and Shaw's on Waterman Drive is about 0.9 miles away.

VSL Chartered Homes Near South Portland

How to Apply for Sober Living in South Portland

Sober homes in South Portland each set their own application process, so check with any home before you apply. For our South Portland homes and every other VSL Chartered home, one Vanderburgh Sober Living application is enough. Intake will ask what you need and steer you to the right fit, which could be Kismet Sober House or Tony's Recovery Home here, or Tranquility Sober House near Woodfords Corner in Portland.

Applying to a VSL Chartered home

  1. Apply online or by phone. The online application takes about 10 minutes. By phone at (844) 762-3747 it takes about 5, and the screening can often happen on the same call.
  2. Phone screen. An intake coordinator calls you, usually within a few hours, to talk through your recovery, your move-in date and how you will pay.
  3. Decision. Approvals are same-day on weekdays. You hear which home has a bed for you and what you need to bring.
  4. Move in. Many residents move in within 24 hours of approval. You pay the first week and the deposit at move-in.

Start Your Application

Who qualifies for a VSL Chartered home

  • 18 or older and in recovery from addiction
  • At least 14 days since last use
  • Medically, physically and mentally stable
  • Able to pay rent
  • No arson or sexual offense convictions

For Referral Sources

For case managers, treatment and detox teams, hospitals, courts, probation and parole officers referring someone to sober living in South Portland.

How to refer

Call intake at (844) 762-3747, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, with your client, or have your client apply online. A printable application can be faxed to (508) 901-4615.

What we need

Your client’s name and phone number, date of last use, the move-in date you are aiming for, how the first week and deposit will be paid, and your name and number so intake can reach you.

How fast we respond

A phone screen usually within a few hours, a same-day decision on weekdays, and a move-in often within 24 hours.

Kismet Sober House is on Main Street, which METRO Route 25 travels on its way between Portland and Scarborough. Greater Portland Health's Brickhill health center, with behavioral health and care coordination, is about 2.1 miles away, and Maine Medical Center is across the bridge in Portland. For clients on probation or parole, mention it on the first call so South Portland intake can plan around reporting requirements.

What Sober Living Costs in South Portland and How to Pay

Sober living rent in and around South Portland typically runs $195 to $200 a week. Our two VSL Chartered homes here are $200 a week, all-inclusive: utilities, WiFi, laundry and drug screening are part of the rent. To move in at a VSL Chartered home you pay the first week plus a deposit.

Published rates for sober homes around South Portland and Portland fall at about $195 to $200 a week, which sets that range. Few homes in South Portland publish rates, so call and ask. In South Portland, a private room, utilities in the rent or staff living on site push a home toward the top.

If you are 18 or older, have a substance use disorder and cannot pay the first month's rent and admission fees, MARR's Bed Sponsorship Fund may help. The application goes in after a participating MARR-certified home accepts you, and an approved award arrives as a voucher good for 14 days. Money is limited, and the fund pauses once a month's awards are used up. Some certified homes also offer up to 60 days of support through MARR's Housing Subsidy Services Program; ask intake which programs each home takes.

Sober living rent is not covered by health insurance. Most residents pay from work, and families often cover the first few weeks while someone gets back on their feet.

Certification in Maine

Recovery residences in Maine are certified by the Maine Association of Recovery Residences (MARR), the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).

One of our two homes in South Portland is certified. Ask any other home whether it is certified before you move in.

Since July 1, 2022, a recovery residence in South Portland or anywhere in Maine must be certified to receive state contracts or state, MaineHousing or municipal housing vouchers for its residents. Check a South Portland home in MARR's directory of certified recovery residences, which sorts by city and county.

Recovery Resources in and Around South Portland

Meetings, treatment and practical help for people in recovery in South Portland, whichever home you live in.

Meetings

Family support

Treatment

Hospitals and crisis

Recovery community

Work and legal help

Getting around

Help and benefits

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.

Sober Living Near South Portland

Sober Living in South Portland: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does sober living cost in South Portland, ME?

Sober living rent in and around South Portland typically runs $195 to $200 a week, depending on the home and the room. Rent at Kismet Sober House starts at $200 a week or $867 a month and covers utilities, WiFi, laundry and urine screening. To move in you need $400: the first week plus the $200 deposit. Rent at Tony’s Recovery Home starts at $200 a week or $867 a month and covers utilities, WiFi, laundry and urine screening. To move in you need $400: the first week plus the $200 deposit. Sober living rent is not covered by health insurance; most residents pay from work, with family help or with a state or local program.

How many sober living homes are in South Portland, ME?

We list two sober living homes in South Portland: Kismet Sober House (men) and Tony’s Recovery Home (men), which are VSL Chartered. There is one more VSL Chartered home within 40 miles.

How do I apply for sober living in South Portland?

Each sober home sets its own application process, so for an independently operated home, contact the home directly. To apply to a VSL Chartered home, apply online (about 10 minutes) or call (844) 762-3747. Intake usually calls for a phone screen within a few hours, approvals are same-day on weekdays, and many residents move in within 24 hours. If the home you want is full, intake will tell you which VSL Chartered home nearby has a bed.

Who qualifies for a VSL Chartered sober home?

Adults 18 and over in recovery from addiction, at least 14 days since last use, medically, physically and mentally stable, and able to pay rent. People with arson or sexual offense convictions cannot be placed.

Are sober living homes in South Portland certified?

In Maine, recovery residences are certified by the Maine Association of Recovery Residences (MARR), the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). One of our two homes in South Portland is certified. Ask any other home whether it is certified before you move in.

Does Vanderburgh Sober Living have homes in South Portland?

Yes. Our VSL Chartered homes in South Portland are listed above with who each one serves and what it costs, and one Vanderburgh Sober Living application covers them and our home in Portland. Apply online or call (844) 762-3747.

Is there a sober house for women in South Portland?

Not a VSL Chartered one yet. The closest VSL Chartered homes for women are in Massachusetts, and intake can tell you which one has a bed when you call or apply.

Is there help paying for sober living in South Portland?

Sometimes. MARR's Bed Sponsorship Fund helps adults with a substance use disorder who cannot afford the first month's rent and admission fees at a participating MARR-certified home, while each month's funds last. You apply after a home has accepted you, so mention it on your application.

Can I take the bus from South Portland to Portland?

Yes. South Portland and Portland share Greater Portland METRO, which took over South Portland's bus routes in December 2024. METRO Route 25, which began in October 2026, runs along Main Street in South Portland and crosses the Veterans Bridge into Portland, and Route 24A runs along Broadway to the Mill Creek hub.

Is there a recovery community center near South Portland?

Yes. The Portland Recovery Community Center at 102 Bishop Street in Portland offers free recovery coaching, telephone recovery support and weekly meetings for several pathways of recovery, from AA to SMART Recovery.

Ready to Apply for Sober Living in South Portland?

Apply in about 10 minutes. Intake usually calls within a few hours.

Apply Now Call (844) 762-3747