NEWS & UPDATES
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
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
