NEWS & UPDATES
Portland honors lost members of homeless community
Friday night, people in Portland remembered members of the city’s homeless community who have since passed away. The event included live music, a candle light vigil, speeches from community leaders and Preble Street organizers. See more…
Farm Bill maintains SNAP, contains provisions for maple, honey, and organics
Preble Street and other poverty relief organizations in Maine are relieved that the 2018 US Farm Bill has passed with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, intact. The $867-billion dollar omnibus bill passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers, but not before a tense year of negotiations, including a House version of the bill that would have cut SNAP and imposed work requirements,
Home is a place to say hello and goodbye
“Watching my father’s struggles was a painfully long goodbye. Fortunately, Logan Place gave a father and his children the chance to once again say hello.” Amanda A. Meader shares a beautiful story of how the Preble Street Housing First program touched her family. Read more…
A strong safety net is one way we can honor our veterans’ sacrifices
“Yes, thoughts and prayers are appreciated, but to truly honor our veterans, we need to move beyond platitudes. Our nation must commit to providing reliable safety net programs for the many veterans who struggle with poverty and hunger when they return home.” – Tim Keefe, advocate and veteran Read more…
Maine politicians take questions from homeless in series of forums
Preble Street Homeless Voices for Justice is hosting candidates in a series of forums. On Friday, Independent Sen. Angus King, Republican state Sen. Eric Brakey, and Democrat Zak Ringelstein met with dozens of people who are currently or recently homeless. See more…
Affordable housing saves lives and saves the community money
Increased homelessness and its root causes are not unique to Portland. Despite what we hear about a strengthening economy, homelessness and hunger have exploded and many thousands of hungry, cold and ill Americans are living on streets in cities and towns across the country. And, across the country, municipalities and service providers struggle daily with
Group of veterans leave letters asking that Congressman Poliquin not support the Farm Bill
A group of veterans gathered outside of Congressman Bruce Poliquin’s office Wednesday morning urging him not to support the Farm Bill. They say this bill that includes legislation from the Congressman’s Food Stamp Integrity Act, proposes significant cuts and harsher time limits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP. See more…
Commentary: A broken mental health system
Behind the struggles with drugs, crime and extreme poverty in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood – described in a lengthy article in the May 6 Maine Sunday Telegram – is a fundamentally broken mental health system and inadequate treatment for those suffering with substance use disorder. It’s really that simple. Read more…
Maine faith leaders host drug overdose death vigil at State House
Faith leaders gathered in Augusta on Wednesday to host a vigil for the hundreds of people in Maine lost last year to drug overdoses. They’re calling on lawmakers to fully fund a number of bills aimed at addressing the opioid crisis in the state. “418 people died last year from overdoses – that’s more than
Maine groups team up to combat child hunger
With Maine listed as having the third-highest rate of food insecurity in the country, Maine Medical Center’s pediatrics unit is teaming up with the Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative to help reduce that number. The Hunger Vital Sign program connects patients with food options that they may not have otherwise, the hospital said. “It’s really
Fighting Human Trafficking
It is happening here in Maine and many people are not aware of it. We are talking about human trafficking, and it comes in many forms. Fiona Mason and Donna Yellen from Preble Street’s Anti-trafficking Coalition join us to talk about this problem in our state. Feel free to ask questions and we will try
Maine Homeless Veterans Committee Delivers Annual Update on Vet Homelessness
The Maine Homeless Veterans Action Committee delivered its annual update on the state of veteran homelessness Wednesday. An estimated 278 veterans became homeless last year in Maine. 192 of them were housed by local organizations. Data was collected from emergency shelters and community volunteers to create a better understanding of who the homeless are as
