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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … 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 … Read more