… It was the mid-1970s when Joe Kreisler, a social work professor at the University of Southern Maine, hatched the idea that his students should have meaningful, hands-on internships working with people struggling with homelessness, hunger and poverty … Read more.
PORTLAND – Karri Gilliam said she makes friends easily. But few friendships she has made are as valued as the one with Shawna Holloway. "We hit it right off. We walked into a room and started talking, and she has been helping me ever since," Gilliam said last week. Homeless and facing a biopsy for … Read more
… Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street in Portland, said that on any given night the state’s 42 shelters are housing roughly 1,000 Mainers. He told lawmakers during the public hearing that shelter operators were desperate for state funding assistance … Read more.
PORTLAND (WGME) — A demonstration took place in Portland on Tuesday and the goal was to bring attention to what organizers said is a serious problem for the city’s homeless. Dozens of people gathered in front of city hall. Some laid on blankets on the ground to prove a point. The city recently cut shelter … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — "What do we want? Shelters. When do we want them? Now," protesters chanted outside Portland City Hall Tuesday, fighting the city’s plan to close the overflow space at the Preble Street Resource Center. "I hope they don’t, but if they close Preble Street, where are we going to go?" Robert … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine -Protesters in Portland were demonstrating Tuesday at City Hall, demanding the city reconsider a plan to cut resources to homeless shelters. Protesters were chanting and sharing their experiences. Beginning July 1, city officials are planning to cut overflow space and stop placing homeless families in area motels when the shelters are full. A … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – A public hearing is underway at City Hall in Portland to discuss plans to cut back shelter services for the homeless. In advance of the hearing, homeless advocates took to the street outside to highlight their opposition to the proposal. Seventy-five thin foam mats were laid on the ground outside city hall … Read more
… "We know that you are not the bad guys here," Mark Swann, the executive director of Preble Street, told the councilors. "But this plan to close the overflow shelter is a really bad idea. As it stands now, as of July 1, there will be no safe place for 100 people, including children, to … Read more
Homeless advocates plan to lay out 75 thin foam mats in City Hall Plaza on Tuesday to call attention to the loss of overflow shelter space. Homeless Voices for Justice, an advocacy group composed of people who have experienced homelessness, is protesting a plan to close one of the city’s emergency shelters on July 1 … Read more
There’s opposition to a plan by Portland city councilors to close the city’s overflow shelter for the homeless. Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, is a leader of the effort. "We think the city has made a bad decision," Swann said, "and they’ve made it prematurely without all the facts and they’ve made it … Read more
