Community Living Association

Community Living Association 18 Military Street, Houlton, Maine 04730
(207) 532-9446 A BRIEF HISTORY...

CLA has a long history in the Houlton Community.

In 1967 a small group of educators and parents of people with developmental disabilities organized a training program in a church basement, funded with money raised in the community. Initially, this private, non-profit organization was incorporated as the Southern Aroostook Association for Retarded Children (SAARC). In the mid-1970’s the New Horizons Preschool was opened. The group changed its nam

e to the Southern Aroostook Association for Retarded Citizens to reflect the emphasis on services for all people, regardless of age. The Houlton Residential Center (HRC) was established in 1977. This nursing care facility provided a home for 35 individuals with mental retardation. As SAARC entered the 1980’s a nationwide change in philosophy recognized that individuals with disabilities deserve to live in small home-like environments in their local communities, rather than large, isolated institutions. HRC began the process of downsizing. The Park Street and High Street Homes were opened in order to offer people smaller homes. Years of planning led to the closure of HRC in 1991. The HRC residents were moved into two new nursing facilities and another small home on Fifth Street. At this time SAARC changed its name to Community Living Association to express the goal of supporting individuals who live and work in the community. Since 1991 CLA has opened waiver (adult foster care) homes on Bangor Road, Green Street, Ruth Road and 2 on Joseph Street in order to continue working toward the goal of allowing people to live in small, comfortable homes. While the residential services were expanded and changed throughout the years, the day program and work programs were also being transformed. In the 1970’s these programs were housed in the Old Longfellow School building. However, the old building had many problems and in 1989 the new Roger Randall Center for Developmental Services was built alongside the old school building. Today people from CLA’s residences, people from their family homes in the community and people from independently operated adult foster homes meet at Roger Randall Center to receive training and supported employment services. Other work and training programs have evolved in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Since 1967 CLA has grown from a small nonprofit group employing one person to the second largest employer in the town of Houlton. The number of people with developmental disabilities served by the association has also grown. Although CLA’s fundamental mission has always been to provide services to people with developmental disabilities, it’s mission statement today has a special focus on community inclusion.

06/19/2026
More pics of our great staff.
06/19/2026

More pics of our great staff.

Check Day at CLA . Longevity bonus check day is always a favorite day at CLA. It’s like a holiday! We thank all of our g...
06/18/2026

Check Day at CLA . Longevity bonus check day is always a favorite day at CLA. It’s like a holiday! We thank all of our great staff with a little something extra! The longer you’re here, the bigger the check, but we make sure everyone gets one. I love seeing the smiles and having our wonderful staff know how much we appreciate all the good work they do. Bon Jovi ( my fav) sings “ I wish everyday could be like Christmas “, well I wish everyday could be check day! Thank you all for what you do!

Consumers from Guy Street, Pearce Brook, Joseph Street, Forest Springs, and SIL had their celebratory BBQ!! They all wor...
06/18/2026

Consumers from Guy Street, Pearce Brook, Joseph Street, Forest Springs, and SIL had their celebratory BBQ!! They all worked hard on the Month of May walking challenge!!

A few of the great moments from Saturday at the Olympics! A great day for everyone!
06/10/2026

A few of the great moments from Saturday at the Olympics! A great day for everyone!

As we move into Special Olympics Weekend and look forward to many pictures and posts, it's good to remind everyone that ...
06/05/2026

As we move into Special Olympics Weekend and look forward to many pictures and posts, it's good to remind everyone that CLA has multiple openings for Direct Support Professionals, Certified Nursing Assistants, and a Case Manager in Houlton. Visit our website at the link below to see what we have. You can complete an application directly from our page.

Join a team that shows up every day to make a real difference in people's lives. We're more than coworkers, we're family. CLA is the second largest employer in Houlton with 160+ team members.

05/28/2026

Congratulations Chuck on winning the $500 shopping spree!! 🎉🎉

Great people coming together to find ways to do better for the people we serve as well as our staff.
05/21/2026

Great people coming together to find ways to do better for the people we serve as well as our staff.

Please take the time to fill this out.
05/16/2026

Please take the time to fill this out.

Medicaid is a lifeline for people with I/DD. After suffering the largest cut in funding since its creation with the passage of the budget reconciliation law last year, the future of critical home and community-based services (HCBS) continues to be under threat.

05/05/2026

Happy Nurses Week to all of the REMARKABLE Nurses out there-especially the CLA Nurses.

The clients and staff at CLA is truly fortunate to have such a devoted, caring and compassionate clinical team !!!

Address

45 School Street
Houlton, ME
04730

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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