LEWISTON — A substance abuse recovery center in Lewiston is at risk of closing due to a lack of funds.

The Joshua Stevens Recovery Community Center may close as soon as September, according to an announcement from An Angel’s Wing, the nonprofit that operates the center.

The center provides local resources to those struggling with substance abuse. It is the only recovery community center in the Lewiston-Auburn area, according to Executive Director Debra York.  

The center had a $37,500 annual budget last year, according to York. 

Funding sources have included “small fundraising efforts” and a thrift store, York said.

The center was established in 2024 after securing $10,000 from the city’s opioid settlement fund through the Lewiston Area Public Health Committee.

In March, An Angel’s Wing applied for more funding for the center through the city. The health committee did not take up their proposal because the committee “decided to go in a different direction and fund different organizations this year,” said city spokesperson Angelynne Amores. 

The 2024 contract for settlement funds was “only meant for a year,” Amores said, and was never an award or commitment to fund the center in perpetuity.

An Angel’s Wing is looking to raise roughly $25,000, York said. 

The recovery center has helped around 200 members of the Lewiston-Auburn community since opening last year, according to York. 

“The full continuum of care is what’s going to solve the problem,” said York. “It’s a piece of the puzzle and when you take away the only recovery community center in Lewiston-Auburn, you’re taking away a big piece of that puzzle.”

Donations can be made at An Angel’s Wing’s website.

This story was updated at 5 p.m. on July 24, 2025, to clarify the city of Lewiston’s role in funding the center.