NEWS & UPDATES
Hunger on the Rise in Maine as Congress Considers Food Program Cuts
Hunger is on the rise in Maine. Over 200,000 Mainers are unsure where their next meal is coming from–the sixth-highest hunger rate in the nation, federal statistics indicate. In Portland today, USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon, Mayor Michael Brennan, and hunger advocates held a press conference to draw attention to the problem–and to the concern
USDA under secretary touts food programs in Portland, asks Congress to resist cuts
PORTLAND, Maine – A top U.S. Department of Agriculture official on Wednesday morning touted local summer lunch programs for schoolchildren and urged Congress to resist proposed cuts to federal food subsidy programs. Kevin Concannon – former commissioner of the Maine Department of Human Services and current USDA under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services
As temperatures rise, food pantry supplies shrink in Falmouth, Portland and elsewhere
FALMOUTH, Maine — It’s summertime, but the living sure isn’t easy for many people in Falmouth and nearby communities. More than 260 area families — about 800 individuals — currently rely on donated food and household supplies available for free from the Falmouth Food Pantry. But summer means fewer donations as donors go on vacation
Portland's homeless front: More people than ever seek shelter
PORTLAND – More than 400 people on average sought overnight shelter in the city last month – the highest number since the city began keeping records in 1987. Last year, the city started using the Preble Street Resource Center as an emergency overflow location for an additional 75 people. But now the numbers are overwhelming
Preble Street getting large federal grant
A Portland shelter is getting a very big grant from the federal government to help homeless vets. U.S. representative Chellie Pingree says the Preble Street Resource Center is getting $750,000 from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The grant is designed to help homeless vets.
VA awards $750,000 grant for Preble Street aid to homeless vets
For the second year in a row, Preble Street Resource Center in Portland will receive a $750,000 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to shield veterans from homelessness. Judging by the first year, the money is making a difference, officials reported. "We’re seeing a decrease in the number of homeless veteran families that are
Senators Snowe, Collins Announce $750,000 VA Grant for Preble Street
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has renewed a grant to Preble Street in Portland for homeless prevention programs. Preble Street was awarded $749,777 and plans to serve approximately 337 households in the Portland region with these funds, provided through
Panhandling restrictions fail to get Portland City Council support
PORTLAND – An ordinance that would have corralled panhandling, but billed as a public safety measure, spurred a debate about poverty and homelessness before being defeated Monday night by the City Council. "Simply put this is a pedestrian safety ordinance brought by request of the police," Councilor Ed Suslovic, chairman of the Public Safety, Health,
Portland rejects plan to limit panhandling
PORTLAND, Maine – The City Council voted 6-3 against an ordinance banning people from standing on median strips except as necessary to cross the street, a ban that homeless advocates say unfairly targeted homeless people who panhandle on median strips throughout Portland. City Councilor Ed Suslovic said the ordinance was first and foremost one concerned
Portland council rejects limit on panhandling
PORTLAND – The City Council voted Monday night to reject a proposed ordinance that would have prevented panhandlers from standing on city streets’ median strips. The proposal failed 6-3, with support only from Mayor Michael Brennan and Councilors Ed Suslovic and John Coyne. The council’s Public Safety, Health and Human Services Committee unanimously endorsed the
Ordinance would forbid median-strip panhandling
PORTLAND – Homeless advocates are opposing a proposed ordinance that would prevent panhandlers from standing on median strips in the city. The proposal — scheduled to go before the City Council today — would make homeless people less visible but won’t address the issues that cause them to live on the street, said Betsy Whitman,
Eastland's actions hurt housing efforts
Here in Portland, housing in general can be difficult to find. Securing affordable housing is practically impossible. Homeless Voices for Justice, a grass-roots group I work with, has continually advocated for affordable and accessible housing — fair housing. I have personally heard Portland referred to as a "no-housing city." This already dire situation has been
