Despite discouraging news headlines about homelessness, some innovative Maine organizations have had meaningful success in reducing homelessness and improving the lives of the homeless population. We’ll learn about these solutions and what it would take to expand them. Guests: Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street in Portland Stephanie Primm, executive director of Hospitality House … Read more
Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, a nonprofit that runs a soup kitchen and resource center, said a lack of services and limited hours at Portland Community Health are causing more people to go to local hospitals or the India Street clinic, or go untreated. “There’s some really strong staff at PCHC we work … Read more
Koral Mitchell has relied on a city-run clinic on India Street for a variety of health care needs for nearly a decade … So Mitchell is worried about what will happen if the City Council approves City Manager Jon Jennings’ proposal to close the India Street Public Health Center as part of next year’s budget … Read more
Concerns over the possible closure of a Portland health clinic are intensifying. A proposed city budget would close the India Street Public Health Center and transfer patients to the federally qualified Portland Community Health Center. City officials say the switch would be more cost-effective while still providing the same quality of care. But some in … Read more
… Other advocates for the bill said greater access to the drug will save lives. Bill Burns, testifying on behalf of Preble Street, told the Health and Human Services Committee how the Portland homeless shelter has been forced to alter its practices because of the high risk of overdoses … Read more.
… This innovative model will provide access to treatment of a variety of addiction disorders in an outpatient setting, safe and sober housing, recovery support and access to primary care and mental health services … … partners are Amistad, Maine Medical Center, the city of Portland, the Portland Police Department, the Opportunity Alliance, Preble Street … Read more
… Mike Smith, a representative from the grassroots group Homeless Voices for Justice based at Portland’s Preble Street center, said programs such as LEAD have worked well in other states. A recovering alcoholic, Smith said he was able to turn his life around and avoid jail by accessing treatment when he needed it. But he … Read more
In August, she drove two miles, past a large hospital, to get her boyfriend to our soup kitchen, but not for the food. She knew someone here would have Narcan, a life-saving overdose-reversing drug that, until recently, was unavailable here in Maine to people at risk of overdosing. Her boyfriend was bluish and slumped over … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Even with the milder winter we’ve had so far, the weather this time of year is dangerous for homeless people. In Portland, volunteers hit the streets for the annual Point-in-Time homeless survey. They found two people. Only people who can be identified count toward the official total. For example, volunteers … Read more
… William Burney, director of the HUD field office in Maine, and Jon Bradley, associate director of Preble Street, an agency that serves homeless people, participated in Wednesday night’s survey. Despite an overall decline in homelessness, Portland officials have noted an increase in homeless people sleeping outside, even as encampments and overgrown areas around the … Read more
