NEWS & UPDATES
Student breakfast program a success
SOUTH PORTLAND — Schools nationwide have long touted the importance of a good breakfast in giving students a positive start to their day. South Portland High School is no different, but officials have found that it’s not always enough to simply offer a healthy morning meal, even at free or reduced prices. “Even though the
Portland council OKs zoning to promote shelters
PORTLAND — Emergency homeless shelters are now allowed in business and industrial zones throughout the city, following a unanimous City Council vote Monday night. Shelters are allowed as a conditional use and seen as a step forward in improving how the city helps the homeless population. “I think this opens the door to other opportunities.
Maine would be among first states to impose work requirements, premiums on Medicaid recipients
Maine and Wisconsin would be the first states in the nation to charge monthly Medicaid premiums to people living in extreme poverty and bar them from re-enrolling in the program before they catch up on late premiums, if requests by the two states are approved by the Trump administration. In addition, Maine and Wisconsin would
‘I Felt Like A Caveman’ — How Work Requirements For State Benefits Hurt One Maine Man
There was a time when Tim Keefe was so hungry he ate a squirrel. “I felt like a primitive human being. I felt like a caveman, I really did. And that’s not the first time in this whole thing I felt like a caveman,” he says. Keefe was homeless at the time. He lost his
The People Left Behind When Only the ‘Deserving’ Poor Get Help
ORLAND, Maine—In the eyes of the state of Maine, Laurie Kane is an able-bodied adult without dependents, and thus ineligible for most forms of government support. In her own eyes, it is hard to see how she is going to find housing, work, and stability without help. Kane is struggling to put her life back
Cutting aid to poor people doesn’t magically make them less poor
Reducing assistance for poor people in the U.S. is a centerpiece of the budget the Trump administration unveiled Tuesday. It calls for huge cuts to Medicaid, Social Security disability payments, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, food assistance and other anti-poverty programs. It also would pass more responsibility for many of these programs to states and
MaineCare recipients tell DHHS at hearing that payment, work requirements could harm them
Judy Bullard says MaineCare is keeping her alive, and she would be in dire straits if she lost her health insurance and could no longer afford her epilepsy medication. “If I don’t have health care, I will die,” Bullard said. “I need medication not just to live a happy and healthy life, but to stay
More homeless escape streets as Portland opens 30 new apartments
In Joe Meyers’ new apartment, he has a potted succulent on the windowsill. He has a bed with a blue bedspread. He has shelves stocked with oatmeal and canned vegetables. But his favorite part is the door. “I can close the door and be left alone,” Meyers said. “This is a life-changing type of thing.
Maine's homeless brave harsh outdoor conditions
Portland (WGME) – Thousands of Mainers don’t have a place to call home at night. In the winter months many of them turn to emergency shelters, but some of them don’t. It’s hard to imagine but some people are braving the harshest elements Mother Nature has to offer and are sleeping outside. “We find evidence
Maine homeless shelters require significant costs
PORTLAND (WGME) – It’s a place no one wants or expects to end up – an emergency shelter. Thousands of Mainers are using them and there’s a cost – the human toll and the monetary expense. A night in the shelter is far from comfortable. Clients sleep on mats just inches apart. It can be
Homelessness in Maine down, shelters still full
PORTLAND (WGME) – According to Maine State Housing authority 6,304 individuals were homeless statewide at some point last year. That’s the lowest that number has been since 2010. But the city of Portland’s Oxford Street Shelter, which is designed to sleep 154 people sees on average 220 people every night. “We don’t require people to
Maine Restaurant Week's Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Maine Restaurant Week doesn’t officially kick off until Wednesday, but it got started Tuesday morning with the eighth annual Incredible Breakfast Cook-off at the Sea Dog Brewing Company in South Portland. Ten Maine restaurants competed to earn the winning prize–bragging rights! Chefs cooked up signature breakfast dishes and twists
