The 132nd session of the Maine legislature begins on January 5, 2025. Preble Street will provide a detailed outline of our priorities for the next session of legislature in the next few weeks. Follow this link for a detailed description of Preble Street legislative priorities for the last session of the Maine Legislature.
Hunger and homelessness have been on the rise in Maine post-pandemic, leaving thousands of fellow Mainers without enough food and without shelter or housing. Lack of available housing and shelter options leaves many experiencing homelessness with no choice other than to shelter outside, which leads to increased interactions with law enforcement and a lack of ongoing connection to resources. Issues of housing and food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty disproportionately impact Mainers of color. A 2020 calculation of people accessing services in ten Preble Street programs showed that 22% are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) – more than three times the percentage of BIPOC individuals in Maine.
YOU and your network of family and friends can help us create real change this year. Thanks to House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, and other advocates who serve in the Maine legislature, there are several proposed bills this session offering unique opportunities to address many of these issues and create a better future for everyone who lives here. Preble Street and our partners are advocating for additional resources, support for the people who need it most, and the creation of better systems that will help end hunger, homelessness, and racial inequities.
During the spring of 2024, Preble Street was successful in securing three years of $2.5 million in funding for low-barrier shelters in Maine. This will help staff and keep open the five critically important privately operated, low-barrier shelters in our state, which our most vulnerable neighbors and community members.
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Letter from Swannie: Curbside Winter 2022/23
For anyone paying attention over these last few years, it’s become abundantly clear that emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness are an important part of the public health infrastructure. Shelters didn’t close during the pandemic. Shelter staff and our partners in the healthcare industry did not work remotely. We stayed open, and, in many cases,
Preble Street receives $1 million to focus on food insecurity in Maine
Hunger in Maine has grown substantially since the pandemic began and Preble Street is on track to provide over 1 million hot and pantry meals for the third year in a row. Because of this drastic increase in demand for food, Preble Street launched its new Food Security Hub in South Portland, a sustainable, comprehensive,
Portland gathers for Annual Homeless Vigil in honor of the 51 people who have died in 2022
A vigil to remember friends from the Greater Portland homeless community who have died will take place December 21 at 4:30pm. A crowd will gather in front of the MMC-Preble Street Learning Collaborative at 20 Portland Street and proceed by candlelight to Monument Square. Every year on the Winter Solstice — the longest night of homelessness
