“For me, eventually, is a key word. It’s my first apartment in 14 years,” shares Kabir. Kabir is the newest resident of Logan Place, Maine’s first Site-based Housing First building, which opened 19 years ago this month. Logan Place has 30 efficiency apartments, with 24-hour on-site support for adults who have experienced chronic homelessness.
Kabir was housed at Logan Place at the start of March 2024, marking the end of a 14-year long journey. “In that first 10 years that I moved here, I was homeless… straight on through without a break at the Y, without a shelter,” said Kabir.
Logan Place provides a safe and welcoming environment for adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, introducing the needed stability then to address other concerns, when necessary, like substance use or behavioral and mental health disorders. The on-site social work staff partner with people to reach their goals, whether that be reconnecting with family, finding permanent housing, or seeking treatment for a substance use disorder.
“There’s game night. I was surprised to see a TV… Logan Place is so special because we sit down and have conversations.”
The specialness of Logan Place is born out in the statistics too, as Logan Place, and other Site-based Housing First programs, create documented economic savings. When chronically homeless individuals have their own home, the number of police calls, emergency room visits, medical transports, and jail stays plummet.
Avesta Housing and Preble Street collaborated on the first three Site-based Housing First properties in the state of Maine — Logan Place, which opened in 2005; Florence House (2010); and Huston Commons (2017). Avesta owns and operates the properties, and Preble Street provides 24/7 onsite support services, harm reduction, and crisis intervention to maximize housing stability and prevent returns to homelessness. In November 2023, Avesta and Preble Street announced plans to provide Site-based Housing First permanent housing, with on-site support services to chronically homeless people on the site of the former Oxford Street homeless shelter in Portland.
Steven pictured at Logan Place, with his favorite Dunkin Iced Coffee in hand.
For Steven Littlefield, who has been a resident of Logan Place for five years, what makes Logan Place home are the visits from family and the connections he has made with fellow residents and neighbors. “It would be the visits… I have people all up and down the street that care about me.” He shares that Logan Place provides the necessary stability for people to address ongoing issues, but still allows for the freedom to feel like your own person. “You have your own bedroom… You have freedom to come and go.” He treasures the time he spends with his grandchildren and the visits with family.
Logan Place is based on simple principles — that everybody deserves housing and the support necessary to maintain it — and the results are profound and far-reaching. It is named after Bruce Logan, pictured left, a former Preble Street staff and board member who was instrumental in developing innovative programs, like Logan Place and other Site-based Housing First initiatives, for addressing homelessness and poverty.
Sunday, March 24, 2024, was the 19th anniversary of Logan Place. To the delight of many residents, staff and residents continued their annual tradition of celebrating the anniversary together with a communal BBQ.
Celebrating advocacy wins
Low-barrier shelters receive funding for the next three years… On April 22, 2024, Governor Janet Mills signed the supplemental budget into law, which includes three years of $2.5M in annual funding — a total of $7.5M — to directly support emergency low-barrier shelters. This funding will be incredibly impactful for Maine’s five privately operated, low-barrier
19 years of Site-based Housing First at Logan Place
“For me, eventually, is a key word. It’s my first apartment in 14 years,” shares Kabir. Kabir is the newest resident of Logan Place, Maine’s first Site-based Housing First building, which opened 19 years ago this month. Logan Place has 30 efficiency apartments, with 24-hour on-site support for adults who have experienced chronic homelessness. Kabir
The Importance of Low-Barrier Shelters in Our Community
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 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 staff
