Instead of providing solutions to hunger, homelessness, and poverty, an onslaught of recent federal actions and policies are attacking the people suffering from these challenges. The massive cuts to food assistance (SNAP), Medicaid, and homeless prevention and housing programs are harming thousands of Mainers, including older adults, people with disabilities, Veterans, families, homeless youth and … Read more
If ensuring the basic human rights of people who are vulnerable and struggling in our community is important to you, right now is a critical time to speak up and out. In the last few weeks, the White House has issued a directive to forcibly remove people experiencing homelessness from Washington, D.C., and an executive … Read more
We are angry today. Angry and pissed off at this awful executive order from the White House that will criminalize homelessness and incentivize communities, states, and agencies to stop doing the things that we are doing and have already proven to work to end homelessness. Housing First with 24-hour supportive services works. Harm reduction approaches … Read more
Maine’s emergency shelter providers applaud the passage of LD 698, An Act to Sustain Emergency Homeless Shelters in Maine. Relying on a mix of private philanthropy and government funding, emergency shelters have faced rising costs, weathered the pandemic and inflation, and continued to meet the changing and complex needs of individuals and families who need … Read more
In honor of National Nutrition Month, we take a look at the emergency food system in Maine. Food pantries and anti-hunger non-profits like Preble Street play an important role in ensuring people experiencing food insecurity have consistent access to healthy and nutritious food. Since opening in 1975, Preble Street has worked to ensure that everyone … Read more
On Friday, December 20, Portland held a vigil 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 MaineHealth-Preble Street Learning Collaborative to Monument Square. To honor the 50 friends and community members who were lost … 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
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
Although we don’t have a vaccine for mental health or substance use disorders, we do have practical and effective solutions. They are the effective and evidence-based practices we know work — access to treatment, harm reduction services, mental health support, peer support groups, and perhaps most importantly, educating our community to reduce stigma and promote … Read more
What does a low-barrier shelter look like? At a time when unsheltered homelessness is increasing exponentially in our community and the shortage of low-barrier shelter beds has created a state-wide homelessness crisis, Elena’s Way and Florence House are a model for how we can take care of the most vulnerable people in our community. The … Read more