NEWS & UPDATES
Responding to Winter Weather
Update 2/2/2023: Warming shelters will be available in the Portland area from Friday February 3 to Sunday February 5. The City of Portland, along with community partners and volunteers, will staff a temporary overnight shelter at the Salvation Army’s gymnasium at 297 Cumberland Avenue. The overnight warming shelter will be available from 3pm on Friday,
Legislative priorities – let’s take action!
Read Preble Street’s Legislative Priorities for the regular session of the 132nd Maine Legislature here. Hunger and homelessness have been on the rise in Maine post-pandemic, leaving thousands of fellow Mainers without enough food and without shelter or housing. Lack of available housing and shelter options leaves many experiencing homelessness with no choice other than
COVID Mitigation and Public Health
The pandemic showed how emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness are an important part of the public health infrastructure. These shelters, which are communal (congregate) spaces, remained open during the pandemic. Shelter staff and our partners in the healthcare industry expanded our work and services to keep our communities safe. Three years after the first
Victims of human trafficking going undetected in healthcare settings
By: Daniella Cameron (she/her), MSW, Deputy Director at Preble Street and Hanni Stoklosa (she/her), MD, MPH, Co-Founder of HEAL Trafficking and an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Human trafficking is happening in every state in New England. From the most rural towns of Maine and Vermont to the center of Boston, children and adults of all genders
Preble Street expands services for victims/survivors of labor trafficking and exploitation across Maine
Throughout Maine, children and adults of all genders, ages, and races are forced to perform many different types of work, including farm labor, domestic service, commercial sex work, and restaurant and hospitality service, through threats, physical and sexual violence, and psychological coercion. Since 2013, working with survivors across the state, Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services (ATS)
Letter from Swannie: Curbside Winter 2022/23
For anyone paying attention over these last few years, it’s become abundantly clear that emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness are an important part of the public health infrastructure. Shelters didn’t close during the pandemic. Shelter staff and our partners in the healthcare industry did not work remotely. We stayed open, and, in many cases,
Getting Food to People Who Need it Most
Food insecurity and hunger continue to grow in Maine; the pandemic and rising food costs are driving more people to their local food bank or pantry. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Preble Street has produced and distributed more food than ever before – over one million meals a year – and increased output by
Teen Housing and Outreach: Curbside
18-year-old Austin currently spends his nights at the Preble Street Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter or outside on the streets. “I was emancipated at 16 to get away from my family. I lived with friends for about a year and a half. When I turned 18, their parents were like ‘Ok, time to be an adult,
Housing First: A Solution to Homelessness
Steve “Boomer” Littlefield is 67 years old. For 45 of those years, he experienced chronic homelessness and alcohol use disorder, sleeping mostly outside after some bad experiences in shelters. He survived the frigid Maine winters and nights thanks to his resourcefulness and a sleeping bag that protected him down to -65 degrees. He and hisfriends
Board Profile: Terry Sutton, Board President
How did you get involved with Preble Street? I had Preble Street on my radar as one of the non-profits that I was most impressed with, and I wanted to be more involved in my community… but with small children and a demanding full-time job, I couldn’t see a way to get involved. Luckily, I
Preble Street receives $1 million to focus on food insecurity in Maine
Hunger in Maine has grown substantially since the pandemic began and Preble Street is on track to provide over 1 million hot and pantry meals for the third year in a row. Because of this drastic increase in demand for food, Preble Street launched its new Food Security Hub in South Portland, a sustainable, comprehensive,
Volunteer reflections
An incredible 1,108 volunteers donated over 13,500 hours of their time to Preble Street this year to help support Mainers experiencing hunger and homelessness! It takes many, many hands to accomplish all we do — including providing over 1 million meals each year and ensuring people living outside have the clothing and gear they need
