NEWS

Preble Street Teen Services Named Beach to Beacon Beneficiary

In February 2024, TD Bank made the exciting announcement that Preble Street Teen Services will be the beneficiary of the 26th running of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This year’s race will take place on Saturday, August 3, 2024. 

“Preble Street Teen Services provides critical support to teens in need in our community.”

“Preble Street Teen Services provides critical support to teens in need in our community,” said Sheryl McQuade, Regional President, New England Metro at TD Bank. “Their unique, collaborative approach continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many and we are honored to name them as our 2024 race beneficiary.” 

As the beneficiary, Preble Street Teen Services will receive $30,000 from TD Bank and further benefit from fundraising activities, including the race’s charity bib program, as well as increased awareness and the opportunity to engage more people in our work to break the cycle of homelessness and support young people as they learn the skills needed to have a different path for themselves moving forward. 

TD Bank's Contribution
$ 0

Charity Bib Program $$

Fundraising Activities $$

YOU CAN BE A PART OF THE PREBLE STREET BEACH TO BEACON TEAM!

We would love to have your support for the 2024 Beach to Beacon! We are looking for people to run the race as part of the Preble Street team, volunteer with us to support runners, and more!  

Registration opened for the Preble Street Beach to Beacon team on March 18 at 7:00am! Click the button below to explore how you can get involved!

To break the cycle of homelessness, youth and young adults need an integrated system of care and safety. Preble Street Teen Services provides low-barrier access to shelter, food, basic needs, casework, mental health supports, education and employment services, and a variety of housing options for youth experiencing homelessness. Our team is proud to work alongside young people who are the experts of their own experiences and to support them toward their goals of independence, stability, and safety.  

More than 350 young people across Maine receive support from Preble Street Teen Services each year through several different resources: 

  • The Preble Street Teen Center is the hub of services for homeless and runaway youth ages 12 through 20. This low-barrier drop-in center, located in Portland, ME, helps to meet immediate needs — providing warmth and safety, case management and counseling services, nutritious meals from the on-site soup kitchen, laundry and clothing, crisis intervention, and education and employment services. Staff work closely with young people to build positive relationships, enhancing their self-esteem, and offering them the opportunity to develop life skills that promote stability and independence.  
  • Maine’s largest youth shelter at 28 beds, the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter offers a safe place for homeless and runaway youth ages 12 through 20. The Shelter offers a full range of services to assist young people in making plans to stay off the street, and coordinates supports with the Preble Street Teen Center, located right across the street.  
  • Serving eleven out of sixteen Maine counties, Preble Street Teen Outreach caseworkers provide intensive, short-term services to rapidly resolve periods of homelessness in the community that a youth would want to stay in. Preble Street has traditional Street Outreach for youth in York and Cumberland counties, including walking routes through urban hubs. We also work in close partnership with local schools to ensure connections and support for students experiencing homelessness. 
  • Preble Street Teen Housing programs provide youth and young adults experiencing homelessness with supportive services and a safe place to live as they work toward the skills needed to independently sustain housing. We offer multiple pathways to housing, including Transitional Living Programs, Transitional Housing, Rapid Re-Housing, and housing vouchers with supportive services. This flexibility allows us to work with youth with varying needs for support. 

A Vision for Joe's Place

In 2024, Preble Street will begin construction on Joe’s Place, a state-of-the-art facility in Portland, ME, that will provide 24/7 support to homeless and runaway youth. Currently, youth must move each morning and evening between the Preble Street Teen Center and the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter, two buildings directly across the street from each other. By bringing the Teen Shelter and Teen Center together under one roof, with Joe’s Place, youth will finally have the daily stability they deserve.

Through Preble Street’s 50-year history of working with people experiencing poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness, we know that by helping young people today, we can make a long-term impact in addressing homelessness in Maine. 

Thank you for your support of Preble Street and our work to end youth homelessness! 

Thank you, volunteers!

The dedication, compassion, and hard work of Preble Street volunteers make a profound impact on the lives of those we serve. This year, we’ve had over 1,300 individual volunteers contributing nearly 20,000 volunteer hours.   Our volunteers make time in their busy schedules and come out in all kinds of challenging Maine weather to make a positive

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The first 24/7 Preble Street program in Bangor

A sad reality of emergency shelters is that they are always at risk of closing their doors. Over the past fifteen years, at least nine shelters in Maine have closed due to funding issues.  Site-based Housing First is the long-term permanent housing solution for many of the people in Maine experiencing chronic homelessness, but until the

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