NEWS & UPDATES
The hunger season
STATE – For many, summer means good eating – gardens and farmers markets overflow with fresh produce and the aroma of backyard grilling fills the air. It’s hard to believe that people are going hungry. But advocates say that for many food insecure families, particularly those with school-age children, summer is a lean time. According
Words to live by: Protect the vote
Talk about timing. The Republican-inspired Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine last week held the first of eight public hearings aimed at ferreting out fraud in Maine’s election system. At the same time, Maine’s GOP continued waging war with itself over charges of fraud in the election of the state’s delegates to
Death of homeless woman poses hard questions
When did we stop caring about Toina Hanson? It had to have been long before Aug. 4, when her skeleton was found by a berry picker in the woods by the Stroudwater neighborhood. We say she was 31 but she probably died before her last birthday, since police say her body may have been lying
Homeless students getting younger
BRUNSWICK – The numbers of youth taking advantage of the Merrymeeting Project have remained stable over the past several years, but the age of homeless students taking advantage has dropped in recent years. “For my project, we serve school-age students, predominantly high school students that are couch surfing,” said Donna Verhoeven, director of the Merrymeeting
Can Maine end homelessness?
There are important steps communities and the state and federal government can take to help prevent Mainers from having to live in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, on sidewalks and in emergency shelters. They include developing enough supportive housing, providing clear access to available services, following up with people over time and expanding prevention efforts. Homelessness
Panhandling, a way of life for some, but not a concern for local law enforcement
DOVER —On a recent cloudy afternoon, a man dressed in jean shorts and a blue graphic tee carried a cardboard sign. He was walking back and forth across Route 108 near Chili’s at Weeks Crossing, then toward the intersection which heads to Route 16. He said he is homeless in Rochester, and identified himself only
Clients' medical needs challenge Portland homeless shelters
PORTLAND – About a year ago, Rob Parritt began keeping a three-ring binder in his office at the Oxford Street Shelter to hold the growing stack of doctors’ notes asking the homeless shelter to provide special accommodations for clients with medical issues. The binder covers now strain to contain the 3 inches of papers that
Maine homeless shelters stretched to the max
PORTLAND, Maine – The mayor of the city of Portland said the city’s homeless shelters are over capacity on a nightly basis. Mayor Michael Brennan said the problem is so bad people are sleeping in chairs or are being turned away from shelters. "We even have an overflow shelter for our overflow shelter, and we’re
Portland seeing unprecedented numbers of homeless seeking shelter
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – Officials in Portland say they are seeing some troubling numbers when it comes to homelessness in the city. At Oxford Street shelter the beds are empty during the day. But several hours before it opens for the night, people will begin lining up in hopes of getting one of the
Feds: Maine Owes $13 Million for Medicaid and Food Program Mistakes
It’s a double-whammy for Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services. The department overpaid food stamp benefits to about 58,000 households for four months last year. The department also incorrectly calculated Medicaid claims, according to the federal government, and both of those mistakes add up to a tab of mroe than $13 million owed to
Our View: Homelessness not just problem for Portland
It would be a mistake to view Portland’s shortage of homeless shelter beds as just a shortage of beds — or just a problem for Portland. The city is dealing with failure to address serious underlying problems in our economy and social service safety net that won’t be solved with more capacity at the homeless
Federal dollars flow into Maine to fight hunger
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Maine’s Androscoggin County has received a federal grant of $10,000 to combat hunger and homelessness and to help families in economic crisis. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says this is on top of previously announced dollars. One county soup kitchen says lunch counts increased from 1,500 in September 2011 to 2,500 in
