NEWS & UPDATES
Maine social service agencies plead for blankets, clothing
PORTLAND – The weather turned dangerously cold Thursday, so cold that the Salvation Army opened a shelter, the governor declared a limited emergency to allow heating oil companies to make more deliveries, and Portland officials asked the public to donate blankets and clothing for the homeless. The city hit a low of 4 degrees below
Causes unite longtime OOB band
ORCHARD BEACH – An Old Orchard Beach-based band is celebrating its 20th anniversary together by raising money for a good cause. Members of Beyond Reason will perform at One Longfellow Square on Saturday, Jan. 19 in Portland, with proceeds being donated to the Preble Street Resource Center. This is far from the first time the
Bowdoin Alumni Help Create New Homeless Shelter for Teens
In the tradition of the common good so important to Bowdoin College, alumni from six decades gathered to celebrate the opening of the new Preble Street Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter on December 11, 2012. Preble Street is a nonprofit in Portland that offers services to the homeless, including drop-in centers, soup kitchens, a food pantry,
Baby boomers with no place to call home
Charles Jones sleeps every night in the Oxford Street Shelter’s "medical dorm," so called because the room is reserved for up to 16 men in poor health. He’s 55 years old, the average age of the men in the room. They’re allowed inside the shelter a half-hour early, so they can avoid the long lines
89-year-old appreciates shelter, but longs for own home
Viola Silver, who turns 90 in May, spent two weeks in December at Maine Medical Center being treated for pneumonia and a lung infection. When the hospital discharged her, she says, it paid a cab to take her home – to the Oxford Street Shelter. "You have to thank God you have a place to
Annual vigil marks heartbreaking year for Portland's homeless
PORTLAND – Friends and supporters of the city’s homeless population gathered on the longest night of the year last Friday to read, one by one, the first names and last initials of the 30 Portland-area homeless people who died this year. This was one of the hardest years on record for these people, according to
Is Portland ‘too attractive’ to homeless people?
PORTLAND, Maine – The homeless population in Portland is swelling, with nearly 25 percent more people seeking shelter this fall than even the historically high numbers seen a year ago. That increase and the expectation by Portland Department of Health and Human Services leaders that the numbers will continue to climb well into 2013 are
Homeless for the holidays
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — With record numbers of people seeking assistance from the food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Maine, advocates for the homeless set out to dispel myths and misconceptions people have about homelessness. “One of the big ones, you know really is that people are choosing to be homeless,” explained Tom
Homeless advocates unveil giant Advent calendar of ‘truths’
PORTLAND, Maine – Members of a Portland homeless advocacy group turned to a familiar holiday prop Monday in an effort to dispel what they said are common misconceptions about people living in shelters or on the streets. Representatives of Homeless Voices for Justice unveiled an eight-foot-tall house-shaped Advent calendar, in which 10 doors and windows
MaineCare Cuts Once Again Called Into Question
Augusta – Recipients of MaineCare coverage for childless adults say Governor LePage’s proposal to eliminate the benefit would force many people with chronic medical conditions to go without treatment. Advocates for low-income Mainers and recipients of MaineCare coverage for childless adults held a news conference Monday in the State House to talk about the impacts
New teen shelter to bring more kids in from the cold
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Young people in Portland with no place to stay have a new shelter to turn to. The Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter has twenty-four beds, eight more than the current Lighthouse Shelter. It was also designed to be a shelter, so the teens will have more personal space, with areas to
Portland to Open New Shelter for Homeless Teens
As a midcoast Maine homeless shelter closes, another one further south prepares to open its doors. Next month the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter opens in Portland. The 24-bed shelter, run by the Preble Street Resource Center, is the culmination of a $4.5 million fundraising campaign. The Kreisler shelter replaces the existing Lighthouse Teen Shelter, which
