How did you first get involved with Preble Street?
I chaired the Greater Portland United Way Campaign in 1997 and toured every agency. The one that impressed me the most was Preble Street.
What do you do when you’re not at Preble Street?
I sit on corporate boards and investment committees; I spend time with friends and family and love to go to the beach!
There are a lot of nonprofit organizations in southern Maine. Why do you think Preble Street stands out in the crowd? What is it that Preble Street does better than anyone else?
Preble Street has a sterling reputation for exemplary leadership – nobody can talk about Preble Street the way that Mark Swann can – combining passion and bringing a business sense to solving these tough social challenges. And throughout the years that I’ve been involved with the agency, I’ve seen time and again that Preble Street is not afraid to address big problems.
What are the biggest challenges Preble Street faces looking to the future? Or what are the specific projects/aspects of Preble Street that you are committed to? The biggest challenges facing Preble Street is the broken mental health system; the stigma faced by unsheltered people; and funding. We once hoped there would be no need for shelters. But, the environment has not been conducive to that.
Being a nonprofit board member can be very demanding and time-consuming. What makes it all worthwhile?
Knowing the work is measured in human lives. As good as Preble Street is at its work, my wish is that Preble Street didn’t have to exist. I wish that people were not seriously ill and unhoused. I wish no one went hungry.
But since that is not the case, Preble Street is there to give people hope and to often save their lives.
Board Profile – John Roberts
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,
Celebrating 15 Years of Florence House
Since April 2010, Florence House has been a solution to homelessness. Florence House combines emergency shelter and permanent housing with 24/7 social work support for chronically homeless women. In the past 15 years, nearly 2,500 women experiencing homelessness have found a safe bed and a warm meal in the low-barrier shelter. And nearly 70 women
Basic Needs −> Shelter −> Long-term Solutions
50 years ago, Joe Kreisler founded Preble Street as a real-world training ground for his students at the University of Southern Maine and a place for Portland’s most vulnerable residents to receive basic services—meals, clothing, bathrooms, etc.—and to connect to resources for healthcare, mental health treatment, employment, and more. “I am a human being. Part
