NEWS & UPDATES
Portland 'Sit In' Aims to Shed Light on Plight of Homeless
PORTLAND, Maine – Homeless advocates from around the state are today holding their annual “sit out” in downtown Portland. The event known as the “Longest Day Vigil” takes place from sunrise until sunset and is intended to draw attention to the realities of being homeless. Among those taking part is 22-year-old Tim Katruch, originally from
Society Notebook: 40 years of people empowerment in Portland
… It was the mid-1970s when Joe Kreisler, a social work professor at the University of Southern Maine, hatched the idea that his students should have meaningful, hands-on internships working with people struggling with homelessness, hunger and poverty … Read more.
Portland program steers homeless patients to primary care
PORTLAND – Karri Gilliam said she makes friends easily. But few friendships she has made are as valued as the one with Shawna Holloway. "We hit it right off. We walked into a room and started talking, and she has been helping me ever since," Gilliam said last week. Homeless and facing a biopsy for
Survey indicates many teens are homeless
PORTLAND, Maine -A 6-page, 45-question survey is being conducted in local communities to find new ways to help vulnerable young adults. Preble Street Resource Center is conducting the study in seven counties. Preliminary results show that many young adults are homeless. Teens that couch surf, camp out or find other ways to survive are being
More homeless shelter funds get first OK from Maine lawmakers
… Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street in Portland, said that on any given night the state’s 42 shelters are housing roughly 1,000 Mainers. He told lawmakers during the public hearing that shelter operators were desperate for state funding assistance … Read more.
Survey hopes to quantify Maine's homeless youth
PORTLAND – Social service provider Preble Street is conducting a first-ever count of homeless and runaway youth in Maine. The count, which began May 18 and will last a week, was funded by a $35,000 grant from the Butler Family Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation that focuses on inequalities of homelessness and the criminal justice
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
