People experiencing homelessness face devastating physical and mental health consequences. They have higher rates of chronic illness and a life expectancy that is an average of 28 years shorter than people who are housed. These individuals also face high barriers to accessing critical healthcare and often delay seeking treatment. A recent study by Preble Street found … Read more
Detailed description of Preble Street legislative priorities for the short session of the 131st session of the Maine Legislature. Hunger and homelessness are on the rise in our state, leaving thousands of fellow Mainers without enough food and without shelter or housing. Lack of available housing and shelter opportunities leaves many experiencing homelessness with no … Read more
The pandemic showed how emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness are an important part of the public health infrastructure. These shelters, which are communal (congregate) spaces, remained open during the pandemic. Shelter staff and our partners in the healthcare industry expanded our work and services to keep our communities safe. Three years after the first … Read more
Today, the Biden-Harris administration released a federal plan for ending homelessness in America that includes an ambitious goal of reducing homelessness 25% by 2025. All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness outlines new strategies to prevent homelessness and increase the supply of housing with supportive services. “We have a homelessness crisis … Read more
Last year, 631 Mainers died of overdoses, and according to the Maine Overdose Report, the number of fatal overdoses so far this year are 9.7% higher. We know that people experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to substance use disorder. We know that leaving them to struggle with this disease on their own is a death … Read more
Behind the struggles faced by many of the people Preble Street serves are fundamentally broken mental health and shelter systems. Living in high-stress situations on the streets or in crowded shelters with limited access to treatment makes people experiencing homelessness particularly vulnerable to chronic mental health issues and co-occurring substance use disorders. Earlier this month, … Read more
People experiencing homelessness face devastating physical and mental health consequences and higher rates of chronic illness than their peers who are housed. Yet, they also face higher barriers to accessing critical healthcare and treatment. To address these issues in Portland, Preble Street, Maine Medical Center (MMC), and community partners opened the MMC-Preble Street Learning Collaborative … Read more
As our neighbors experiencing homelessness struggle to survive and meet their basic needs each day, finding time to get a COVID-19 vaccination often falls to the wayside. While these individuals care deeply about their health, there are often just too many barriers in place for them to get even the most basic medical care. “It’s … Read more
From Bangor Daily News: Health care and social service providers have teamed up to vaccinate “close to 200” clients against the virus. Many of them have experienced homelessness during the pandemic and weathered outbreaks within the city’s emergency shelter system. The ongoing vaccination effort has been led by Preble Street, Greater Portland Health and Homeless … Read more
Dr. Ann Marie Lemire, medical director of the Cumberland County Jail, could have given lawmakers a raft of statistics. Instead, she told them a story. About five weeks ago, a man near the end of his sentence was desperately afraid of what his release would mean. He was homeless and was worried that once he was … Read more
