NEWS & UPDATES
The People Left Behind When Only the ‘Deserving’ Poor Get Help
ORLAND, Maine—In the eyes of the state of Maine, Laurie Kane is an able-bodied adult without dependents, and thus ineligible for most forms of government support. In her own eyes, it is hard to see how she is going to find housing, work, and stability without help. Kane is struggling to put her life back
Cutting aid to poor people doesn’t magically make them less poor
Reducing assistance for poor people in the U.S. is a centerpiece of the budget the Trump administration unveiled Tuesday. It calls for huge cuts to Medicaid, Social Security disability payments, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, food assistance and other anti-poverty programs. It also would pass more responsibility for many of these programs to states and
MaineCare recipients tell DHHS at hearing that payment, work requirements could harm them
Judy Bullard says MaineCare is keeping her alive, and she would be in dire straits if she lost her health insurance and could no longer afford her epilepsy medication. “If I don’t have health care, I will die,” Bullard said. “I need medication not just to live a happy and healthy life, but to stay
More homeless escape streets as Portland opens 30 new apartments
In Joe Meyers’ new apartment, he has a potted succulent on the windowsill. He has a bed with a blue bedspread. He has shelves stocked with oatmeal and canned vegetables. But his favorite part is the door. “I can close the door and be left alone,” Meyers said. “This is a life-changing type of thing.
Maine's homeless brave harsh outdoor conditions
Portland (WGME) – Thousands of Mainers don’t have a place to call home at night. In the winter months many of them turn to emergency shelters, but some of them don’t. It’s hard to imagine but some people are braving the harshest elements Mother Nature has to offer and are sleeping outside. “We find evidence
Maine homeless shelters require significant costs
PORTLAND (WGME) – It’s a place no one wants or expects to end up – an emergency shelter. Thousands of Mainers are using them and there’s a cost – the human toll and the monetary expense. A night in the shelter is far from comfortable. Clients sleep on mats just inches apart. It can be
Homelessness in Maine down, shelters still full
PORTLAND (WGME) – According to Maine State Housing authority 6,304 individuals were homeless statewide at some point last year. That’s the lowest that number has been since 2010. But the city of Portland’s Oxford Street Shelter, which is designed to sleep 154 people sees on average 220 people every night. “We don’t require people to
Maine Restaurant Week's Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Maine Restaurant Week doesn’t officially kick off until Wednesday, but it got started Tuesday morning with the eighth annual Incredible Breakfast Cook-off at the Sea Dog Brewing Company in South Portland. Ten Maine restaurants competed to earn the winning prize–bragging rights! Chefs cooked up signature breakfast dishes and twists
The homeless seem to feel more at home at new Portland clinic
… The MMC-Preble Street Learning Collaborative offers no-barrier medical, counseling and case management services to high-risk people experiencing homelessness, while giving medical residents a unique opportunity to gain experience working with an underserved population … Read more.
MMC joins with Preble Street to provide health care for homeless
Maine Medical Center and Preble Street have joined forces to ensure the most vulnerable underserved people in Portland have access to quality, barrier-free health care. The MMC-Preble Street Learning Collaborative seeks to help fill the void left by the closing of the City of Portland Healthcare for the Homeless Clinic in 2014, provide no-barrier access
Crowd at Portland vigil mourns loss of homeless residents
A crowd estimated at 200 people gathered in Monument Square on Wednesday evening to light candles and read the names of homeless residents who died this year. The event, held each year on the evening of the winter solstice, started in the courtyard of the Preble Street social service agency before the procession marched up
A simple change could give Maine's hungry rural people more food
… Over the past year, Good Shepherd Food Bank and Preble Street have undertaken the first research effort of its kind to better understand trends of hunger and food pantry usage in Maine. The results from more than 2,000 surveys completed in 244 towns in every county show how much Mainers are depending on local
