Preble Street in Bangor

Since its start as a small social work agency in Portland, Maine, Preble Street has been guided by its commitment to mission and empowering vulnerable Mainers. Earlier this year, this commitment led Preble Street to assume operations of Hope House, a 56-bed emergency low-barrier shelter in Bangor, after Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) announced the shelter … Read more

We all need a safe place to call home

No one should have to live outside. Everyone regardless of who they are or where they come from needs a safe place to call home.  There are hundreds of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Maine this winter, living outside in the cold… in parks, under bridges, beneath overpasses, and in many other places not meant … Read more

A look back at 2024

2024 was a year full of many difficult challenges and lessons but also a year full of progress on important issues. After 50 years, Preble Street understands how important it is to recognize the positive while still holding space to learn from the obstacles we’ve faced.  As 2024 comes to a close, Preble Street looks … Read more

Rapid Re-Housing is expanding services to reach more Mainers

From July to October of this year, the Preble Street Rapid Re-Housing program (RRH) helped to move 18 individuals into permanent housing. This represents ten different households or families, moving from the street or a shelter into a warm, safe, and permanent home. No matter a person’s race, income, or where they’re from, everyone needs a home, and … Read more

The importance of vouchers to secure housing

For countless Mainers, housing vouchers have been a crucial steppingstone to stability. In the last decade, especially the past few years, as rents went up and the number of available apartments or houses to rent has dwindled, waiting lists for vouchers have grown and it’s become more difficult for voucher-holders to secure housing.   This … Read more

Rapid Re-Housing opens in Lewiston-Auburn

Photo caption: Leanne Pomeroy, Director of Rapid Re-Housing, Preble Street; Zakk Maher, Deputy Director of Business & Community Development, City of Auburn, Maine; Mayor Jeff Harmon, City of Auburn, Maine; and Erin Kelly, Senior Director of Social Work, Preble Street gather to launch Rapid Rehousing in Lewiston-Auburn. On Monday, August 12, 2024, Preble Street officially … Read more

Landlords are a part of the solution

To address homelessness and housing insecurity in Maine, the help and support of landlords is critical. Preble Street works closely with landlords to identify and maintain stable housing for clients. Their partnership is crucial to successfully housing people, who are transitioning from shelter or the street. Veteran’s Housing Services (VHS), in particular, frequently works alongside landlords … Read more

Teen Services opens Transitional Living Program in Biddeford

The sun is peaking through the clouds on an overcast March day, and boots can be heard squishing and squealing in the muddy ground. The Preble Street Teen Services team move furniture into the building that will become Preble Street’s new site-based Transitional Living Program (TLP) for youth in Biddeford. The staff smiles and laughs, as … Read more

Housing People Takes Investment, Not Magic

We have said before that the reasons why people experience homelessness are complex, but the solutions are not. Ensuring that people can access stable and safe housing and maintain that housing is the solution to homelessness. Preble Street created its Rapid Re-Housing program (RRH) in 2020 to move more people from homelessness to permanent housing. … Read more