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 of my job, part of being alive, is making sure other people are, too.” That is a quote from Joe…and we find ourselves returning to it again and again in recent months. For the past 50 years, making sure that people are alive has been what we do. And it’s what we will keep doing.
Preble Street serves thousands of vulnerable people each year in every part of Maine. With social work at our core, Preble Street has grown from just a few employees in a church basement to nearly 350 full and part-time staff and programs that touch every county in Maine. Over the last five years, with Bangor’s Hope House Emergency Shelter merging into Preble Street in February 2025, the agency opened seven new programs.
Preble Street has changed dramatically in its history, the solutions that we are working on have evolved, but the first step in the process has stayed the same: connection.
Basic Needs
“The easiest way to connect to people is by offering them something,” shares Tim Duffy, a frontline staff member on the Preble Street Food Programs and Street Outreach Collaborative teams. “With food and with basic needs items, we’re able to connect people who are ready to different resources. And then for those who may not be ready yet, it’s just a lifeline to keep them going.”
The environment we work in has transformed dramatically. Even before the recent federal policy proposals that threaten the structures and funding that help people access food and housing, the number of people experiencing homelessness, especially unsheltered homelessness, has exploded across Maine. Underfunded shelters across the state are in danger of closing their doors, reducing the already low number of shelter beds available. There is a lack of mental health and substance use resources available to serve those who need them. The number of people experiencing food insecurity has increased and Preble Street is feeding more people than ever before – providing more than one million meals annually since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think people always view it as: oh, I would never be like that, or that would never be me,” adds Duffy. “But it could really be any of us.”
Shelter
Emergency shelters play a critical role in the infrastructure of social services. They are the first landing place for many people who need assistance – from homeless youth seeking safety to people struggling with substance use disorder or behavioral health problems to the growing number of people in their 70s and 80s who can’t make ends meet and end up on the front steps of
a shelter or on the street.
At the Elena’s Way Wellness Shelter, opened in 2022, shelter guests who have struggled to stay in shelter find a safe place to pursue longer term goals. “Moving into the shelter has changed my life,” shares one resilient individual staying at Elena’s Way.
Long-term Solutions
In FY24, Preble Street was able to secure housing for 435 individuals and their families. Preble Street’s Rapid Re-Housing program, launched in Cumberland County during the pandemic, uses evidence-based strategies to move people from homelessness to permanent housing. Even when faced with challenges like the high cost of rent and a freeze on housing vouchers, the team found ways to connect people to housing. In August 2024, the program expanded to Lewiston-Auburn and quickly connected several families to housing.
“I just stumbled upon Preble Street by accident, and it’s an amazing place. Me and my family are still working to get past obstacles after leaving an abusive situation,” shares Sharon, a client recently housed by the program. “I don’t think I’d be dealing with it as well as I am, or my kids would be, if it wasn’t for Preble Street.”
One big cause for optimism is the growth of site-based permanent supportive housing with 24/7 social work services dedicated to solving chronic homelessness. In April 2025, Preble Street was selected as the service provider for two new programs as part of the Home for Good program –
one in Portland and one in Bangor. “Twenty years after the opening of Logan Place, it feels good to see the momentum towards this solution,” shares Mark Swann, Executive Director, Preble Street. “More programs like these will be built over the coming years across Maine, providing a safe home for many people who never had one before.”
Preble Street has been working on solutions to homelessness for 50 years. Informed by best practices and led by our mission, we know that when we see others as human beings and support policies and solutions that ensure that people can meet their needs and find dignity and safety, we can go far beyond just keeping people alive.
“In doing this work, you see the ups and downs, and you see that there is joy, you see that there is community, and you see that people love each other,” adds Duffy.
I am a human being. Part of my job, part of being alive, is making sure other people are, too.
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
Letter from Swannie: Spring/Summer 2025
Relentless. It’s a word that I often use when talking about how Preble Street approaches its work and commitment to the vulnerable people we serve and care about. This year – our 50th year – being relentless is more important than ever. We remain committed to our mission, our values, and to working towards a
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Preble Street! Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Please join us to honor and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Preble Street! GATHER with supporters, former and current staff, volunteers, partner organizations, and community members to CELEBRATE all that we have accomplished in the last 50 years to find solutions for homelessness and hunger in Maine. This event is free to attend. Advance registration is requested. EVERYONE
Compassion in action: Preble Street at 50
“If you can’t get what you need, we’re here,” was the message Joe Kreisler wanted people experiencing poverty to hear when he founded High Street Resource Center (the organization that evolved into Preble Street) in 1975. For 50 years, Preble Street has been here – expanding far beyond a handful of social work interns in
