NEWS & UPDATES
Portland Housing Committee ready to plot priorities
PORTLAND — After four months of listening, the City Council Housing Committee is headed toward some starting points for policies. The committee will first cull and review data gathered at its May 25 meeting at the University of Southern Maine. The committee chairwoman, Councilor Jill Duson, said the results from queries about 135 possible areas of
Maine Voices: Urgent action needed to address the affordable housing crisis in Portland
It is clear that Portland is in the midst of a housing crisis … Over 100 no-cause evictions have occurred in just the past six months. People who thought they had left homelessness behind have been thrown out once again to desperately seek housing and return to the shelters … In response to this emergency
Portland residents work to prioritize city’s housing needs
… No-cause evictions, which have been happening with increasing frequency in Portland as buildings sell and landlords renovate, was a common concern … “Whether you’re a good or bad tenant, it makes no difference,” said Jim Devine, who lives on Congress Street and is an advocate for Homeless Voices for Justice. He said rent control
Invisible homelessness: Maine teens on the streets
(NEWS CENTER) — Maine is at the heart of a national study that many will find hard to believe. More than 2,000 young people in Maine have no home and find themselves scrambling for shelter, food and respect. Even during the harshest of Maine’s winter months, there are thousands who live outside—under bridges, in the
Earlier consolidation of health care services could indicate challenges of closing India Street clinic
Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, a nonprofit that runs a soup kitchen and resource center, said a lack of services and limited hours at Portland Community Health are causing more people to go to local hospitals or the India Street clinic, or go untreated. “There’s some really strong staff at PCHC we work
Portland’s plan to shut India Street health clinic alarms patients, advocates
Koral Mitchell has relied on a city-run clinic on India Street for a variety of health care needs for nearly a decade … So Mitchell is worried about what will happen if the City Council approves City Manager Jon Jennings’ proposal to close the India Street Public Health Center as part of next year’s budget
Concerns Growing Over India Street Clinic’s Possible Closure
Concerns over the possible closure of a Portland health clinic are intensifying. A proposed city budget would close the India Street Public Health Center and transfer patients to the federally qualified Portland Community Health Center. City officials say the switch would be more cost-effective while still providing the same quality of care. But some in
New housing coalition calls for halt to no-cause evictions in Portland
… “Our concern is that these evictions are targeting the city’s most vulnerable and its poorest tenants,” said Jan Bindas-Tenney, advocacy coordinator for Preble Street and a member of the coalition. The organization, which includes Preble Street, Homeless Voices for Justice, the Opportunity Alliance, the Portland Tenants Union, Shalom House and Catholic Charities, says recent
Lawmakers’ votes favor more access to lifesaving antidote for opiate overdoses
… Other advocates for the bill said greater access to the drug will save lives. Bill Burns, testifying on behalf of Preble Street, told the Health and Human Services Committee how the Portland homeless shelter has been forced to alter its practices because of the high risk of overdoses … Read more.
Maine Voices: Coalition led by Mercy Hospital will tackle opiate addiction crisis head-on
… This innovative model will provide access to treatment of a variety of addiction disorders in an outpatient setting, safe and sober housing, recovery support and access to primary care and mental health services … … partners are Amistad, Maine Medical Center, the city of Portland, the Portland Police Department, the Opportunity Alliance, Preble Street
Share The Love event earns $87,000 for Preble Street
SACO — Patriot Subaru of Saco presented on March 28 a check for $45,000 to Preble Street, a Portland-based social service as part of Share the Love, an annual charitable benefit sponsored by Subaru of America. This is the second consecutive year that Patriot Subaru has designated Preble Street as its local recipient, bringing the
The City Council reallocates $40,000 of the federal funds for programs that serve the homeless.
The Portland City Council voted 6-2 Monday not to set aside $90,000 in federal grant money to help low-income families get child care so parents can find work or access counseling to become self-sufficient … Ultimately, the council voted to reallocate $40,000 of the funding to Milestone’s Home Outreach Mobile Engagement team and Preble Street’s
