New Preble Street Board: Ready for the road ahead

Preble Street is excited to share its new elected officers for its Board of Directors for 2026-2028 (fiscal year beginning on July 1, not calendar year). The new officers are:  Chip Leighton, President  Yemaya St. Clair, Vice President  Joann Bautista, Secretary  Justin Rosner, Treasurer “Preble Street has really smart and committed people serving on our … Read more

Statement on White House Executive Order on Homelessness

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

Seeing the possibilities

Mark Swann’s remarks from the Preble Street 50th Anniversary Celebration  Thank you to every single person who is here tonight. I am so blown away by seeing how many of you came out tonight to help us celebrate 50 years.    I am really proud of all of the work that we’ve done at Preble Street. … Read more

Board Profile – John Roberts

John Roberts Preble Street kitchen

How did you first get involved with Preble Street? I had heard great things about Preble Street, the critical nature of the work, and admired the mission. My former boss Elaine Rosen was on the board, and I knew a few others and wanted to see if I could help out. In my first assignment, … Read more

History

The mission of Preble Street is to provide accessible barrier-free services to empower people experiencing problems with homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty, and to advocate for solutions to these problems. In 1975, Preble Street was founded as a neighborhood center to involve and empower homeless and low-income residents in Portland. Today, Preble Street is a … Read more

Compassion in Action Resources

How will you put Compassion in Action in 2025? Many of us want to put compassion in action in our communities, but it’s hard to know what to do sometimes. We hope that you explore the resources on this page for ideas inspired by the April 9 event Compassion Starts Here: An Event to Inspire … Read more

“Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness” Comes to Maine

When people have access to safe and stable housing, it benefits everyone. To help build public and political will to ensure homelessness a rare, brief, and never-again experience, a partnership of leading organizations is inviting community members to join a national conversation at the first screening in the region of a new documentary “Beyond the … 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

Portland honors the 50 community members who died in 2024 at Annual Vigil

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