NEWS & UPDATES
Feeding, housing, and sheltering more people than ever before
For 50 years, Preble Street has been here – expanding far beyond a handful of social work interns in Portland to more than 325 full and part-time staff and programs that touch every county in Maine. Preble Street is just one piece of the puzzle to solve hunger, homelessness, and poverty in Maine. To find
Compassion in action: Preble Street at 50
“If you can’t get what you need, we’re here,” was the message Joe Kreisler wanted people experiencing poverty to hear when he founded High Street Resource Center (the organization that evolved into Preble Street) in 1975. For 50 years, Preble Street has been here – expanding far beyond a handful of social work interns in
Portland honors the 50 community members who died in 2024 at Annual Vigil
On Friday, December 20, Portland held a vigil to remember the friends from the Greater Portland homeless community who died in 2024. On one of the longest nights of the year, a candlelit procession marched from the MaineHealth-Preble Street Learning Collaborative to Monument Square. To honor the 50 friends and community members who were lost
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
Preble Street Board Profile – Elaine Rosen Curbside Winter 2024/2025
How did you first get involved with Preble Street? I chaired the Greater Portland United Way Campaign in 1997 and toured every agency. The one that impressed me the most was Preble Street. What do you do when you’re not at Preble Street? I sit on corporate boards and investment committees; I spend time with
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
Letter from Swannie: Winter 2024/2025
Photo: Between 1981-1993, Preble Street operated a day shelter in this Chapel providing breakfast, phones, bathrooms, mail, and links to community services. 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
A look back at 2024
2024 was a year full of many difficult challenges and lessons but also a year full of progress on important issues. After 50 years, Preble Street understands how important it is to recognize the positive while still holding space to learn from the obstacles we’ve faced. As 2024 comes to a close, Preble Street looks
A feeling of home sweet home
[A meal] is so comforting. It’s a feeling of home sweet home. There have been times when I’ve been hungry for so long and struggled for so long that I had a hard time digesting food… I know people that have gone without food so long that having a plate of food in front of
Rapid Re-Housing is expanding services to reach more Mainers
From July to October of this year, the Preble Street Rapid Re-Housing program (RRH) helped to move 18 individuals into permanent housing. This represents ten different households or families, moving from the street or a shelter into a warm, safe, and permanent home. No matter a person’s race, income, or where they’re from, everyone needs a home, and
November is Youth Homelessness Awareness Month
“Preble Street is family to me. I don’t have family, and if I didn’t have them, where would I be?” – Teen Services Youth According to the latest data, over 30% of the people experiencing homelessness in Maine were under the age of 24. Young people in Maine experience homelessness for many different reasons… some are victims
Preble Street to assume operations of Bangor’s Hope House Emergency Shelter in winter 2025
Hope House is Bangor’s largest shelter and Maine’s only low-barrier shelter north of Waterville. Bangor, ME (November 12, 2024) — The Hope House Emergency Shelter is a low-barrier 56-bed emergency shelter in Bangor. Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC) announced in fall 2023 that due to financial considerations it would close Hope House in fall 2024
