Lauren Dembski
I am beyond excited to have come aboard as the Social Services Navigator with Scarborough Police Department.
My family and I moved to the Scarborough area in 2015, and immediately were in awe with the beauty of the beaches and the central location this town provides. I am fortunate to be raising three children with my husband, one of them being a fourth-grader locally here at Wentworth Elementary. Our family has a passion for football and much of our fall Sundays have been spent cheering on our son’s flag football team. Other family adventures include spending time at Ferry Beach, biking the local trails, kayaking the marsh and of course joining in on Taco Tuesday at El Rayo’s.
I am energized to begin this new adventure as it perfectly merges together both of my backgrounds. I received my bachelor’s degree in Administration of Criminal Justice from UMA in 2006. After working as both a case manager and then at the local sexual assault center for several years, I decided to pursue my master’s degree and graduated from the University of New England in 2016.
Over the course of the last couple of years, I have worked as a clinical coordinator with the Opportunity Alliance in two of their residential facilities, helping to navigate and coordinate the system of care for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse diagnoses. Prior to this, I was working in several capacities at Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services in Oxford County helping to provide prevention and support services for survivors with a passion for making the lives and communities of individuals safer.
This Social Services Navigator position will provide both Scarborough Police Department and citizens added intervention in crisis situations, on-going education, networking and the building of partnerships to better enhance the Scarborough community as a whole. I am eager to come aboard with a compassionate, non-judgmental approach. Additionally, I am hopeful this position will allow for the increased stabilization of care versus a band aid being placed on situations and individuals until the “next time,” due to officers needing to respond to other imminent circumstances. I get to blend together both my passion of criminal justice and social work while directly working with the community at the grassroots level, how amazing is that?
If you have questions about this new social services navigator position you may contact me through the police department at ldembski@scarboroughmaine.org or 883-6361.
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