Last night, a vigil was held to remember the friends from the Greater Portland homeless community who died in 2024. On one of the longest nights of the year, a candlelit procession marched from the Maine-Health Preble Street Learning Collaborative to Monument Square. Matt Brown from Hope Squad Maine and Billie-Jo Burgess, a person with … Read more
“If you can’t get what you need, we’re here,” was the message Joe Kreisler wanted people experiencing poverty to hear when he founded High Street Resource Center (the organization that evolved into Preble Street) in 1975. The grand opening ofFlorence House Sign for the original High Street Resource Center Mark Swann, Bruce Logan, and Joe Kreisler … Read more
On Monday, November 25, 2024, local radio stations Coast 93.1, 98.9 WCLZ and 101.9 WPOR joined forces for the 19th annual Neighbors in Need Donation Drive for Preble Street Food Programs. More than 300 people and local organizations donated, beating the $20,000 goal and raising more than $24,000 and counting! All proceeds benefit Preble Street Food Programs, which provides nearly 1,000,000 meals each … Read more
[A meal] is so comforting. It’s a feeling of home sweet home. There have been times when I’ve been hungry for so long and struggled for so long that I had a hard time digesting food… I know people that have gone without food so long that having a plate of food in front of … Read more
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
Hope House is Bangor’s largest shelter and Maine’s only low-barrier shelter north of Waterville. Bangor, ME (November 12, 2024) — The Hope House Emergency Shelter is a low-barrier 56-bed emergency shelter in Bangor. Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC) announced in fall 2023 that due to financial considerations it would close Hope House in fall 2024 … Read more
“By being present here today, as well as by paying attention every day, by thoughtfully connecting the dots between the tragedy of homelessness and the racial inequities, social determinants of health, gentrification pressures, and widening economic inequities that cause homelessness, you are the group of people I am most optimistic about creating the change that … Read more
October 2024 marks two years of service to vulnerable community members experiencing unsheltered homelessness at the Elena’s Way Wellness Shelter. Since opening its doors, Elena’s Way has provided over 18,000 bed nights to individuals experiencing homelessness. That represents more than 18,000 times that a person has been able to sleep inside a warm, safe, and dignified shelter environment instead of … Read more
Caption: Staff attending a recent Racial Health Equity training, led by Dr. Michelle Durham, an addiction medicine specialist and psychiatrist. Preble Street is on an ongoing journey to become an anti-racist organization. We do this critical work informed by — and in partnership with — the people we serve. Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been … Read more
During the school year, more than 20 million children in the U.S. rely on school lunches for daily meals. School breakfast and lunch programs are an important tool to address food insecurity among school age children in the U.S. However, when school is out of session, children can no longer access these daily meals, leading … Read more
