NEWS & UPDATES
Preble Street head decries chamber remarks on homelessness
PORTLAND – The head of the Preble Street shelter is calling on supporters to back a task force report calling for new housing for the homeless in the city. An e-mail sent out by Mark Swann, the executive director of the shelter, said supporters are needed at Monday night’s Portland City Council meeting to counteract
Our View: Services aren't what adds to homelessness
Portland business leaders should be less worried about what would happen if the city did step up its response to homelessness than what would happen if it didn’t. Portland already attracts people from around the state and from other states who need housing and other services. As the homeless population expands, the city has more
Letter: Portland has not ignored homelessness
I think it is critical to challenge several comments made by my colleague David Wagner about the Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness. Although homelessness in Portland reflects the record numbers seen in urban centers across the country, it is not indicative of a lack of response in Cumberland County. In fact, in addition
Investigation continues into death of woman found in Saco motel
SACO, Maine – (NEWS CENTER) — Maine State Police detectives continue to investigate what happened to a homeless woman who was discovered severely beaten in a motel room. Elizabeth Williams was found by the cleaning staff at the Sunrise Motel on Route One late Saturday morning and rushed to Maine Medical Center. She died at
50 Reasons We Love Portland
Mark Swann understands the realities of city living. "Being a great city entails a lot more than just having a vibrant arts community," he says. "It’s also about caring for your poorest. Half the state’s homeless population is in Portland, and we focus on the lives and experience of these people." This past year Swann
John Heald– 2012 "2 Those Who Care" Award Winner
John Heald of Southport has been volunteering with United Cerebral Palsy of Maine (UCP of ME) since 2006. He has served as UCP of ME Board President, as well as on board subcommittees including Executive, Strategic Planning, Governance, Development, Marketing and Merger. John was selected as a Trustee on the National UCP Board. This was
In the debate about same-sex marriage, civil unions fall short
A lot has changed in the three years since I became the first governor in the country to sign legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry. One thing, however, is as true today as it was then: Civil unions and domestic partnerships are not the same as marriage. Opponents of allowing same-sex couples to marry say
Maine House candidates address concerns of homeless
PORTLAND – Affordable housing, emergency shelters, supported living and police profiling were among the issues tackled by six City Council candidates during a forum Thursday at the Preble Street social service agency. They weren’t abstract concepts to those who attended. All were homeless, had struggled with homelessness or worked in the shelter. The "You Don’t
Stand down helps many veterans stand up
TOGUS — A few years ago, Mark Seger was living what he describes as an upper-middle-class lifestyle. He had a family, a job and even a little money in the bank. That all changed in 2010, when Seger’s marriage ended in divorce, the company where he worked was sold and closed, and the trailer he
Baldacci to ladle up sauce again in support of same-sex marriage
Former Gov. John Baldacci will be ladling out the sauce again next week in Bangor and Portland at events sponsored by Catholics for Marriage Equality and the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination. The money raised at the events will be donated to organizations that support the homeless in Bangor and Portland rather than to Mainers United
Portland panel urges regional solution to homelessness
PORTLAND – The mayor and city manager must work with surrounding communities to solve the city’s homelessness problem, a leader of the city’s Task Force on Homelessness said Monday. The City Council received a brief presentation about the task force’s report during a workshop session Monday at City Hall. A public hearing and council action
Surviving sex trafficking as a child, finding a voice
As a girl and a survivor of sex trafficking, dee Clarke didn’t have the words to explain what had happened to her. All she knew was “prostitute.” But that wasn’t right. It was years before she said: kidnapped, raped, tortured, trafficked. Now 55 and living in Portland, she has found the language to explain the
