18-year-old Austin currently spends his nights at the Preble Street Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter or outside on the streets. “I was emancipated at 16 to get away from my family. I lived with friends for about a year and a half. When I turned 18, their parents were like ‘Ok, time to be an adult, … Read more
November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. Educate yourself and your community about the issue of youth homelessness and what we can do to end it in Maine! In 2023, at least 1,500 youth and young adults experienced the tragedy of homelessness; in fact, more than 30% of Maine’s homeless population is under the age of … Read more
We meet incredible young people through our programs — youth who, against all odds, overcome barriers and circumstances most of us could not imagine and work to reclaim their lives. Clients are the experts of their own experiences and caseworkers support them in setting and achieving their goals of independence, stability, and safety. Each of … Read more
Since last month’s highlight on youth homelessness in Maine, the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter has reached maximum capacity several days in a row for the first time in over three years. Preble Street will never turn a minor youth away, and while at maximum capacity, staff are working with community partners and youth 18 and … Read more
Imagine that you are just 17, 18, or 19 years old. You’ve had to leave home as your parents are struggling with their own mental health issues and it is not safe for you to stay there. You have no other support system and have just lost any sense of stability and safety you once … Read more
PORTLAND – Social service provider Preble Street is conducting a first-ever count of homeless and runaway youth in Maine. The count, which began May 18 and will last a week, was funded by a $35,000 grant from the Butler Family Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation that focuses on inequalities of homelessness and the criminal justice … Read more
PORTLAND – Preble Street, a service and advocacy organization, has organized agencies in seven counties across Maine to conduct a first-ever runaway and homeless youth count during the week of May 18. "This will be one of the most comprehensive counts of homeless and runaway youth undertaken anywhere in the nation, and perhaps the first … Read more
