NEWS & UPDATES
New 18-unit building in Portland designed to house low-income veterans
Thomas Heights, an 18-unit building of efficiency apartments intended for low-income and homeless veterans, will have a grand opening Wednesday in Portland. The $3.6 million project at 134 Washington Ave. was led by the nonprofit Avesta Housing, the state’s largest developer of affordable housing. Thomas Heights is named after Thomas Ptacek, a local advocate for
9th Annual Homelessness Summer Solstice Vigil takes place on Tuesday
Every so often I receive press releases from various groups in my email inbox. I’m not always sure how or why I’m included in most of the email lists, and I almost always ignore them. However, this evening I received a release from a an advocacy group that’s near and dear to my heart, The
Homeless advocates hold 'sit out' to raise awareness in Portland
PORTLAND (WGME) — Homeless advocates held a “sit out” to raise awareness in Portland. Many people supporting the effort at Tommy’s Park Tuesday morning are experiencing homelessness themselves. For the last nine years, advocates with the group Homeless Voices for Justice have come together around the longest day of the year to let people know
Shedding light on homelessness on one of the longest days of the year
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — There’s a stigma that comes with the term “homeless;” a misunderstanding for most about what it actually means. Advocates for the homeless spent time in the Old Port on one of the longest days of the year to help shed more light on the daily struggles of living on the
Advocates for the Homeless Raise Awareness for the Growing Problem in Portland
Homeless people and advocates will are sitting out all day today to raise awareness of homelessness — and make the point that even in the warmer months, it’s tough. Judy Newell is an advocate with Homeless Voices for Justice; she says homelessness is a growing problem in Portland — mostly thanks to the property boom
Portland Housing Committee ready to plot priorities
PORTLAND — After four months of listening, the City Council Housing Committee is headed toward some starting points for policies. The committee will first cull and review data gathered at its May 25 meeting at the University of Southern Maine. The committee chairwoman, Councilor Jill Duson, said the results from queries about 135 possible areas of
Maine Voices: Urgent action needed to address the affordable housing crisis in Portland
It is clear that Portland is in the midst of a housing crisis … Over 100 no-cause evictions have occurred in just the past six months. People who thought they had left homelessness behind have been thrown out once again to desperately seek housing and return to the shelters … In response to this emergency
Portland residents work to prioritize city’s housing needs
… No-cause evictions, which have been happening with increasing frequency in Portland as buildings sell and landlords renovate, was a common concern … “Whether you’re a good or bad tenant, it makes no difference,” said Jim Devine, who lives on Congress Street and is an advocate for Homeless Voices for Justice. He said rent control
Invisible homelessness: Maine teens on the streets
(NEWS CENTER) — Maine is at the heart of a national study that many will find hard to believe. More than 2,000 young people in Maine have no home and find themselves scrambling for shelter, food and respect. Even during the harshest of Maine’s winter months, there are thousands who live outside—under bridges, in the
Earlier consolidation of health care services could indicate challenges of closing India Street clinic
Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, a nonprofit that runs a soup kitchen and resource center, said a lack of services and limited hours at Portland Community Health are causing more people to go to local hospitals or the India Street clinic, or go untreated. “There’s some really strong staff at PCHC we work
Portland’s plan to shut India Street health clinic alarms patients, advocates
Koral Mitchell has relied on a city-run clinic on India Street for a variety of health care needs for nearly a decade … So Mitchell is worried about what will happen if the City Council approves City Manager Jon Jennings’ proposal to close the India Street Public Health Center as part of next year’s budget
Concerns Growing Over India Street Clinic’s Possible Closure
Concerns over the possible closure of a Portland health clinic are intensifying. A proposed city budget would close the India Street Public Health Center and transfer patients to the federally qualified Portland Community Health Center. City officials say the switch would be more cost-effective while still providing the same quality of care. But some in
