NEWS & UPDATES
Maine Voices: We must not allow Portland’s budget cuts to put more people on the streets
Last Tuesday, more than 200 people showed up in front of Portland City Hall to demonstrate their opposition to disturbing policy changes embedded in the draft municipal budget. These policy changes abandon the city of Portland’s 28-year commitment to provide emergency shelter for anyone who needs it. If this budget passes, there will be no
Our View: Portland should not cut homeless shelter funding
It’s not the city of Portland’s fault that more homeless people line up outside the Oxford Street Shelter than the building can hold. It’s not Portland’s fault that the family shelter also faces more demand than it can accommodate. It’s not Portland’s fault that the governor of Maine has decided to make the city the
Preble Street to count homeless youth
PORTLAND – Preble Street, a service and advocacy organization, has organized agencies in seven counties across Maine to conduct a first-ever runaway and homeless youth count during the week of May 18. "This will be one of the most comprehensive counts of homeless and runaway youth undertaken anywhere in the nation, and perhaps the first
‘Eight Great Plates’ at Allagash raises funds for Preble Street
On Saturday, May 23 from 6 to 8 p.m., Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland hosts a fundraiser for Preble Street, a Portland non-profit whose mission is to find solutions to homelessness, hunger and poverty. Your $55 ticket gets you small plates from the food truck PB & Me, Portland restaurants Slab, The King’s Head, and
Maine homeless advocates protest emergency shelter closure
PORTLAND (WGME) — A demonstration took place in Portland on Tuesday and the goal was to bring attention to what organizers said is a serious problem for the city’s homeless. Dozens of people gathered in front of city hall. Some laid on blankets on the ground to prove a point. The city recently cut shelter
Protesters fight cuts to Portland shelters
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — "What do we want? Shelters. When do we want them? Now," protesters chanted outside Portland City Hall Tuesday, fighting the city’s plan to close the overflow space at the Preble Street Resource Center. "I hope they don’t, but if they close Preble Street, where are we going to go?" Robert
People protest against Portland’s planned cuts to homeless shelters
PORTLAND, Maine -Protesters in Portland were demonstrating Tuesday at City Hall, demanding the city reconsider a plan to cut resources to homeless shelters. Protesters were chanting and sharing their experiences. Beginning July 1, city officials are planning to cut overflow space and stop placing homeless families in area motels when the shelters are full. A
Portland Homeless Advocates Protest Cuts in Shelter Services
PORTLAND, Maine – A public hearing is underway at City Hall in Portland to discuss plans to cut back shelter services for the homeless. In advance of the hearing, homeless advocates took to the street outside to highlight their opposition to the proposal. Seventy-five thin foam mats were laid on the ground outside city hall
Dozens call for Portland to keep city shelter open
… "We know that you are not the bad guys here," Mark Swann, the executive director of Preble Street, told the councilors. "But this plan to close the overflow shelter is a really bad idea. As it stands now, as of July 1, there will be no safe place for 100 people, including children, to
Advocates for homeless to protest Portland shelter’s closure
Homeless advocates plan to lay out 75 thin foam mats in City Hall Plaza on Tuesday to call attention to the loss of overflow shelter space. Homeless Voices for Justice, an advocacy group composed of people who have experienced homelessness, is protesting a plan to close one of the city’s emergency shelters on July 1
Opponents to Rally Against Plan to Close Portland's Overflow Shelter
There’s opposition to a plan by Portland city councilors to close the city’s overflow shelter for the homeless. Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, is a leader of the effort. "We think the city has made a bad decision," Swann said, "and they’ve made it prematurely without all the facts and they’ve made it
Homeless advocacy group plans protest at Portland City Hall
In response to the City of Portland’s decision to trim shelter services for the homeless, the advocacy group, Homeless Voices for Justice (HVJ), is inviting members of the community to join them in protest on the steps of Portland City Hall. The demonstration will begin at 4:30 pm on Tuesday afternoon, prior to the 5:30
