NEWS & UPDATES
A home for good
“Before I moved to Huston Commons, I moved at least once a year. I’ve never lived anywhere for five years before. It’s great! This is my home.” — Dawn, one of the first Huston Commons tenants Huston Commons, the third Preble Street Housing First program to open, turned five this month! That’s five years of
National Day of Action: April 26!
On Tuesday, April 26, homelessness and housing advocates are preparing an unprecedented Congressional advocacy push around the federal budget. Please call your Representative and both Senators on that day to request increased funding for homelessness and housing! More specifically, you can ask them to join the “Dear Colleague” letter supporting $3.6 billion for homeless assistance
REFLECTION: Preble Street Early Response to COVID-19
By Sam Chamberlain (he/him), Managing Director of Preble Street Quarantine Shelters Note: With funding from MaineHousing, Preble Street operated a Quarantine & Isolation (Q&I) Shelter in Scarborough from May 2020 through March 31, 2022. Because of decreased need, the state consolidated this service to Lewiston as of April 1, 2022. As social workers — and
Volunteer Appreciation is in the air!
Preble Street has top-tier volunteers, and this Volunteer Appreciation Week, we cannot thank them enough for their time, dedication, and love! In the last year, over 1,000 individuals have volunteered with Preble Street, making a difference in the lives and hearts of staff and clients. We could not do the work we do without them!
Pay hike recognizes unprecedented effort to aid Maine’s most vulnerable
BY MARK SWANN SPECIAL TO THE PRESS HERALD Doing anti-poverty work is tough and has become even more challenging as the pandemic has led to unprecedented economic instability, social isolation and increased polarization in society. The mission of Preble Street has always been to care for people who have nowhere else to turn and to
Nourishing, healthy meals for all
Maine has the highest rate of food insecurity in New England and is one of the most food insecure states in the country. One in five Maine children do not get enough food to eat, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are disproportionately affected by this rise in hunger. To combat this, Preble
Building toward a better future
Twice a day — every morning and afternoon — staff from the Street Outreach Collaborative (SOC) complete van runs, driving to various stops in Portland to provide food, clothing, and other basic needs to people living outside. These stops are also a chance for caseworkers to check in with unsheltered clients to see what other
The Impact of Social Work
“In my time working here, I’ve been able to provide people with many things. I’ve given people vouchers, I’ve helped people move into apartments, I’ve helped somebody repair their vehicle. I’ve provided all of these material things. But time and time again, when people talk to me about what was most important to them, it’s been
Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year: Mark Swann leads Preble Street on a statewide mission of fighting poverty
We are thrilled to share that Preble Street Executive Director, Mark Swann, has been named a Nonprofit Business Leader of the year by MaineBiz! In his 30 years as our leader, he has helped the agency grow from two employees working in Portland to nearly 300 employees and 1000 volunteers working all over the state
Preble Street statement on Ukraine
Preble Street stands in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes in Ukraine. This global crisis stands in direct opposition to the work that Preble Street does to eradicate homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty, in Portland, Maine. War of any kind destroys housing and leads to food insecurity and hunger,
Overcoming the odds together
Women experiencing homelessness face many obstacles on their path to stability and security. Like homeless youth, they are especially vulnerable to violence while trying to survive on the streets. Some have untreated mental illness and/or substance use disorders, are transitioning from incarceration, or have serious medical needs — especially as the population of people experiencing
The solution to homelessness is housing
Everyone deserves a safe place to live, and “Housing First” is the philosophy at the center of Preble Street’s housing work: housing must be the first step in addressing homelessness. When people have a safe, stable place to call home the results are profound and far-reaching. Once out of the chaos of homelessness, where every
