NEWS & UPDATES
Proposed Portland ordinance would make panhandling in median strips illegal
PORTLAND, Maine – The city is weighing an ordinance change that would prevent panhandlers – and everyone else – from standing in the median strips. Panhandlers and advocates for the homeless say they’re unsure about the measure at this point. In a late addition to the City Council agenda Monday, councilors gave a first reading
Homeless advocates object to proposed panhandling ordinance
PORTLAND – Homeless advocates plan to oppose a proposed ordinance that would prevent panhandlers from standing in median strips in Portland. Members of Homeless Voices For Justice and staffers from the Preble Street Resource Center plan to speak against the ordinance when it comes before the Portland City Council on Monday, said Betsy Whitman, community
Freedom of speech: Emma Pope-Welch
It’s still one of the worst things anyone has ever said to her. Emma Pope-Welch was a 12-year-old middle school student in New Hampshire when classmates started bullying her. She had defended another kid who was being taunted with anti-gay slurs. Her goodwill prompted similar attacks on her awkward, unformed sexuality. By the end of
Portland City Council considers removing panhandlers from medians
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — The Portland City Council is considering an ordinance that would make it illegal for panhandlers to stand in medians. There are several intersections in Portland where people typically stand with signs asking passing drivers for money. City councilor Ed Suslovic proposed an ordinance that would keep those people off of
Bowdoin student spends summer fighting hunger in Maine
PORTLAND – According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with just over 15 percent of Maine households considered food insecure, Maine is the 13th hungriest state in the nation and hungriest in the region. Bowdoin College student Emma Johnson, 20, is trying to change that by educating people in greater Portland about resources available to
Local man’s tunes bear up in movie
Director Seth MacFarlane was looking for songs to use in his new comedy film, “Ted,” that would match the film’s “energy.” That wasn’t an easy task, given that the R-rated film is about a grown man (Mark Wahlberg) whose closest friend is his childhood teddy bear come to life. And that teddy bear just happens
Lunch break for kids
WINDHAM – Laura Smith knows how hard it can be to stretch a fixed budget during the summer. Mason Stoddard, 11, and Nickolas Keene, 3, picnic outside Little Falls Landing senior housing in Windham on Friday. This is the first summer that free lunches have been provided every weekday at the Windham site for children
Emma Johnson ’14, a Bowdoin College ‘Community Matters in Maine’ Fellow Helps the Hungry
This summer, Emma Johnson ’14 received a Community Matters in Maine Summer Fellowship from Bowdoin to work for Preble Street, a Portland-based organization fighting hunger and homelessness. Executive Director Mark Swann, class of 1984, helped found Preble Street in the early 1990s, and this year was nominated for a Congressional Medal of Honor for his
Roving team assisting Portland's young homeless
PORTLAND – In response to a surge in the number of young homeless people in the city, the Preble Street Resource Center has an outreach team roaming streets and parks, connecting homeless youths to social services. The four-member team visits popular hangouts, such as Tommy’s Park and the camp sites in the woods along West
Ask NCFY: Getting staff used to the 'low-barrier’ approach at a youth shelter
Q: I run a shelter for homeless teens. I’m thinking about moving to a “low-barrier” approach to working with youth, meaning that we won’t turn young people away because they’ve been drinking or using drugs. How can I get staff to buy into this change? A: Ingrained in every good youth worker is the idea
Child hunger in Maine and the summer food program
Panelists discuss the crucial role federal nutrition assistance plays in stemming child hunger in Maine. In half of the state’s schools, 50% or more of students are eligible for subsidized lunches. In one in seven Maine schools, 70% or more of students qualify for the National School Lunch Program. Host: Garrett Martin, MECEP Executive Director
Aging out of foster care
Dianna Walters with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, Martin Zanghi with USM and Therese Cahill-Low with the DHHS Office of Child and Family Services will join in a discussion about young adults who “age out” of Foster Care. What becomes of young people with no permanent family connections? What needs to happen to give
