“Preble Street’s Rapid Re-Housing team made it possible for me to move with my two young children. I had already secured housing and made the decision to leave a long history of abuse behind — but I had no car, no support, and no way to get our U-Box shipped. That final step was out of reach.
Molly (Preble Street caseworker) was the one who listened and moved quickly to make it happen. I’m raising a newborn and a five-year-old with extremely high needs. I was doing everything I could to start over somewhere safer, where I could access better services and give my kids a real shot, but the logistics nearly broke me.
Preble Street stepped in when I had nothing left to pull from. That support didn’t just help me move. It helped me survive. Molly and the team didn’t just hear me, they acted. And I will never forget that.”
As this story from a client of the Preble Street Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) program shows, RRH works by alleviating the burden of a household’s immediate crisis and focuses specifically on removing barriers. The goal is to help people return to housing as quickly as possible.
While Preble Street commemorates it’s 50th anniversary this year, our Rapid Re-Housing Program is celebrating 5 years of connecting Mainers to housing! Beginning in Cumberland County in 2020 and expanding to Androscoggin County in 2024, this program has housed 206 individuals and saved Maine’s emergency services system millions of dollars. Combined with the Housing Stability Services, they have provided support to 428 people.
The problem
Most individuals and families that enter homelessness do so because of a financial or other crisis. The median price of housing in Maine has increased more than 152% since 2010, making home ownership out of reach for many people, even in the state’s more rural areas. With the cuts to SNAP and Medicaid passed in the Harmful Budget Bill, over the next several years many more of our neighbors will be just one emergency or paycheck away from becoming unhoused.
Meanwhile, increased rental rates, the housing voucher freeze, complicated barriers to obtaining essential documents, and critical resource gaps mean that once people are homeless, it takes longer and longer to get them into housing.
An evidence-based solution
Rapid Re-Housing is a proven pathway out of homelessness. This short-term, intensive, housing-focused intervention has three components:
- housing identification
- move-in support
- and rent assistance
Through casework and financial assistance, Preble Street caseworkers can help individuals and families experiencing homelessness return to housing quickly and not become homeless again.
One big roadblock is the amount of available housing and the stigma that some people have about renting to people who have been homeless. Landlords are a key part of this solution.
“Preble Street provides case management for the tenant and offers financial incentives and support for landlords,” says Preble Street Director of Rapid Re-Housing Leanne Pomeroy. “We have developed great relationships with landlords and Property Management companies over the last five years because we strive for ongoing collaboration. We are looking forward to building further partnerships so we can move more people from homelessness into housing.”
Landlords interested in learning more about the program can contact RRHhousingsurge@preblestreet.org.
Saving the community money
Along with helping households get their lives back on track, Rapid Re-Housing programs save the community money. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a person experiencing chronic homelessness costs taxpayers an average of $35,578 per year. In its first two years, the Preble Street RRH program had already saved the emergency services system in Maine over $1,000,000. Based on the cost of the program and the number of chronically homeless individuals served, it has saved at least twice that today.
Staff highlight: Richard Kepler — “Having the goal and willingness to love people”
Preble Street staff are #CompassionInAction, and we want you to get to know them! This month we’re introducing you to Richard Kepler, Housing Support Staff at Florence House Name, title, and program: Richard Kepler, Housing Support Staff (overnight shift), Florence House How long have you worked at Preble Street? It will be nine years at the end
No Homeless Veterans
Preble Street Veterans Housing Services (VHS), in partnership with other Veterans services agencies* across the state have come together to dramatically reduce Veteran homelessness in Maine. Earlier this month, VHS and partners launched a housing surge to get as many homeless Veterans as possible into housing in the 100 days leading up to Veterans’ Day.
5 things to know…about recent federal efforts to criminalize homelessness
If ensuring the basic human rights of people who are vulnerable and struggling in our community is important to you, right now is a critical time to speak up and out. In the last few weeks, the White House has issued a directive to forcibly remove people experiencing homelessness from Washington, D.C., and an executive
