News

NEWS & UPDATES

Portland program steers homeless patients to primary care

PORTLAND – Karri Gilliam said she makes friends easily. But few friendships she has made are as valued as the one with Shawna Holloway. "We hit it right off. We walked into a room and started talking, and she has been helping me ever since," Gilliam said last week. Homeless and facing a biopsy for

Read More »

Survey indicates many teens are homeless

PORTLAND, Maine -A 6-page, 45-question survey is being conducted in local communities to find new ways to help vulnerable young adults. Preble Street Resource Center is conducting the study in seven counties. Preliminary results show that many young adults are homeless. Teens that couch surf, camp out or find other ways to survive are being

Read More »

More homeless shelter funds get first OK from Maine lawmakers

… Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street in Portland, said that on any given night the state’s 42 shelters are housing roughly 1,000 Mainers. He told lawmakers during the public hearing that shelter operators were desperate for state funding assistance …  Read more.

Read More »

Survey hopes to quantify Maine's homeless youth

PORTLAND – Social service provider Preble Street is conducting a first-ever count of homeless and runaway youth in Maine. The count, which began May 18 and will last a week, was funded by a $35,000 grant from the Butler Family Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation that focuses on inequalities of homelessness and the criminal justice

Read More »

Our View: Portland should not cut homeless shelter funding

It’s not the city of Portland’s fault that more homeless people line up outside the Oxford Street Shelter than the building can hold. It’s not Portland’s fault that the family shelter also faces more demand than it can accommodate. It’s not Portland’s fault that the governor of Maine has decided to make the city the

Read More »

Preble Street to count homeless youth

PORTLAND – Preble Street, a service and advocacy organization, has organized agencies in seven counties across Maine to conduct a first-ever runaway and homeless youth count during the week of May 18. "This will be one of the most comprehensive counts of homeless and runaway youth undertaken anywhere in the nation, and perhaps the first

Read More »

‘Eight Great Plates’ at Allagash raises funds for Preble Street

On Saturday, May 23 from 6 to 8 p.m., Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland hosts a fundraiser for Preble Street, a Portland non-profit whose mission is to find solutions to homelessness, hunger and poverty. Your $55 ticket gets you small plates from the food truck PB & Me, Portland restaurants Slab, The King’s Head, and

Read More »

Maine homeless advocates protest emergency shelter closure

PORTLAND (WGME) — A demonstration took place in Portland on Tuesday and the goal was to bring attention to what organizers said is a serious problem for the city’s homeless. Dozens of people gathered in front of city hall. Some laid on blankets on the ground to prove a point. The city recently cut shelter

Read More »

Protesters fight cuts to Portland shelters

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — "What do we want? Shelters. When do we want them? Now," protesters chanted outside Portland City Hall Tuesday, fighting the city’s plan to close the overflow space at the Preble Street Resource Center. "I hope they don’t, but if they close Preble Street, where are we going to go?" Robert

Read More »

People protest against Portland’s planned cuts to homeless shelters

PORTLAND, Maine -Protesters in Portland were demonstrating Tuesday at City Hall, demanding the city reconsider a plan to cut resources to homeless shelters. Protesters were chanting and sharing their experiences. Beginning July 1, city officials are planning to cut overflow space and stop placing homeless families in area motels when the shelters are full. A

Read More »