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… Mike Smith, a representative from the grassroots group Homeless Voices for Justice based at Portland’s Preble Street center, said programs such as LEAD have worked well in other states. A recovering alcoholic, Smith said he was able to turn his life around and avoid jail by accessing treatment when he needed it. But he

In August, she drove two miles, past a large hospital, to get her boyfriend to our soup kitchen, but not for the food. She knew someone here would have Narcan, a life-saving overdose-reversing drug that, until recently, was unavailable here in Maine to people at risk of overdosing. Her boyfriend was bluish and slumped over

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Even with the milder winter we’ve had so far, the weather this time of year is dangerous for homeless people. In Portland, volunteers hit the streets for the annual Point-in-Time homeless survey. They found two people. Only people who can be identified count toward the official total. For example, volunteers

… William Burney, director of the HUD field office in Maine, and Jon Bradley, associate director of Preble Street, an agency that serves homeless people, participated in Wednesday night’s survey. Despite an overall decline in homelessness, Portland officials have noted an increase in homeless people sleeping outside, even as encampments and overgrown areas around the

PORTLAND (WGME) — After noticing an alarming amount of people sleeping on the streets, officials with Preble Street say they jumped into action. Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann says in October they noticed more people spending the night outside, so they decided to sit down and do a count. He says a handful of

As the temperature falls, the concern is growing for the homeless population in Portland, Maine. Mark Swann, Director of the Preble Street shelter, worries the number of people sleeping outside in the cold is growing. In October, Preble Street staff counted 88 people sleeping in camps or on the streets in Portland. Swann said that