Preble Street will use a $400,000 federal grant to establish services for prostitution victims in Maine. Daniella Cameron, supervisor of Preble Street Teen Services, said sex trafficking – usually involving homeless girls coerced by men into prostitution – isn’t something that the victims will talk about unless asked the right questions in the right way. … Read more
Advocates for homeless teenagers and young people with disabilities in southern Maine say a $400,000 federal grant will help dedicate resources for young people who have been coerced into trading sex for money or a place to sleep. The two-year grant from the Department of Justice to Preble Street allocates funds directly to help victims … Read more
PORTLAND – You don’t need a home to vote. That was the message at a candidates forum held Oct. 11 by Homeless Voices for Justice, the advocacy campaign affiliated with Preble Street Resource Center. Four of the seven candidates for City Council participated to answer questions from about two dozen people, including individuals who described … Read more
CUMBERLAND – In January 2012, the four members of the Sawyer family made a collective New Year’s resolution that was not of the exercise more/eat better/lose weight variety. They decided to do something together on a regular basis as a family, to help others. So they contacted Preble Street in Portland and were soon put … Read more
For the first time ever, every county in Maine has free summer meal sites for kids. It’s a feat that’s taken decades to achieve, since the federal Summer Food Service Program began in the late 60s. But even in 2013, advocates say, lack of awareness is the biggest barrier between hungry kids and free summer … Read more
Donations of non-perilshable food and other items are being accepted all this week at City Hall, Room 312 for Preble Street and other City Shelters. Other donations needed include: clean clothing, backpacks and socks. Donations will be accepted today through Friday, April 5th. This event is the first in a series of activities this week … Read more
Some policymakers act as if they would like to make the poor disappear, as if by magic. Gov. LePage’s budget has many versions of the trick, including a plan to cap state support for General Assistance programs, apparently under the belief that if there were less money to meet people’s needs, there would be fewer … Read more
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Thomas Ptacek never expected to rely on MaineCare or the veterans health services he was entitled to after serving as a psychiatric technician with the Navy during the first Gulf War. But after he became homeless four years ago at the age of 40, Ptacek found himself needing government assistance for … Read more
When Dana Totman was first courted by the board of York-Cumberland Housing in 2000, the then-deputy director of the Maine State Housing Authority saw a struggling, stagnant organization in desperate need of new leadership. "They were not real productive, they were just kind of plodding along," he says. Poor financial health, low workplace morale and … Read more
PORTLAND – In 1913, two peddlers, Jewish immigrants from the same village in Russia, founded a furniture store on Congress Street, near Franklin Street. They gave it a name that put it at the center of their world: Hub Furniture. Among their sale items was a six-piece dining room set priced at $46.50. Today, that … Read more