As we approach this milestone anniversary of 50 years, I’ve been reflecting more and more on Preble Street’s history and its future. When I was hired in 1991, I was one of two employees at Preble Street, alongside Florence Young. We were in a tiny little soup kitchen, making breakfast five days a week and offering a drop-in center. After many, many leaps of faith, lots of hard work, and with 300+ current dedicated and amazing employees, we can say that Preble Street serves vulnerable people in every single part of Maine, 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

Beyond the 50th anniversary of this agency, 2025 brings a few other noteworthy anniversaries – Homeless Voices for Justice celebrates 30 years of advocacy; Logan Place, the first Site-based Housing First program in Maine, has been housing and providing 24/7 supports for chronically homeless Mainers for 20 years; the Florence House Housing First program and women’s shelter marks 15 years; and two programs launched during the pandemic – the Street Outreach Collaborative and Rapid Re-Housing – have been serving Mainers for five years.

Preble Street is no longer a small social work agency working in one small corner of Maine. But the qualities at the organization’s core – the ability to adapt to new challenges and the flexibility to respond to emergency needs – will continue to serve us in coming years.

We don’t know what the future holds, but we will be here to provide a voice for marginalized and underserved populations. To advocate for and invest in solutions. To provide people not only with food, clothing, and shelter, but also with dignity and compassion. To make Maine a just place for every person who lives here. 

This is what compassion in action means to us. Thank you for being here; the past 50 years would not have been possible without the support and love of our community.

Warmly,
Swannie

Mark Swann
Executive Director