PORTLAND, Maine – The homeless population in Portland is swelling, with nearly 25 percent more people seeking shelter this fall than even the historically high numbers seen a year ago. That increase and the expectation by Portland Department of Health and Human Services leaders that the numbers will continue to climb well into 2013 are … Read more
We continue our "What Does It Mean" series with a look at What Does It Mean To Be Poor? Host Keith Shortall was joined by: Bill Burns, Adult Day Shelter Services Coordinator – Preble Street Dee Clarke, Advocate with Homeless Voices for Justice – Preble Street
Holiday parties are all about food, music and gifts, and for many of us who are guilty of taking our good fortune for granted, not always in that order. They’re about getting together with like-minded people and celebrating in style. They’re about appreciating what we’ve been able to give, and about what’s being given to … Read more
When she was 19, Peggy Lynch embarked on her first social service role, staffing the crisis hotline for what was then Ingraham Volunteers. Now, Lynch has been an outreach worker with Preble Street, an agency that offers services for the homeless, for 12 years and she has no qualms about hiking out to an encampment … Read more
Portland business leaders should be less worried about what would happen if the city did step up its response to homelessness than what would happen if it didn’t. Portland already attracts people from around the state and from other states who need housing and other services. As the homeless population expands, the city has more … Read more
I think it is critical to challenge several comments made by my colleague David Wagner about the Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness. Although homelessness in Portland reflects the record numbers seen in urban centers across the country, it is not indicative of a lack of response in Cumberland County. In fact, in addition … Read more
When did we stop caring about Toina Hanson? It had to have been long before Aug. 4, when her skeleton was found by a berry picker in the woods by the Stroudwater neighborhood. We say she was 31 but she probably died before her last birthday, since police say her body may have been lying … Read more
PORTLAND – More than 50 people turned out Thursday night for a public hearing on homelessness as a city task force works toward a strategic plan that reflects “the heart of the community.” The hearing in the Portland Public Library’s Rines Auditorium was the first held by the city’s Task Force on Homelessness, which was … Read more