Carrying forward a legacy of social work

It is surprising to learn that early social workers helped secure many of the civil liberties and personal freedoms that we enjoy today. Indeed, professional social work has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of the modern the United States, with many early social workers becoming advocates for social justice and change. Social … Read more

Housing People Takes Investment, Not Magic

We have said before that the reasons why people experience homelessness are complex, but the solutions are not. Ensuring that people can access stable and safe housing and maintain that housing is the solution to homelessness.  Preble Street created its Rapid Re-Housing program (RRH) in 2020 to move more people from homelessness to permanent housing. … Read more

77 chronically homeless placed in permanent housing

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Homelessness is an issue that continues to plague the streets of Portland, but a national campaign is helping put an end to it. In November, Portland joined 56 other communities from across the country, housing an average of 2.5% of the chronically homeless each month. But in Portland, just over … Read more

Budget cuts in mental health care cost more over time

PORTLAND – Over the past year, we’ve seen and heard more and more media reports about police interactions with people who are mentally ill. Portland’s new police chief has publicly stated that his department’s No. 1 problem is not ethnic gangs or Old Port bar fights, but crisis calls dealing with the mentally ill. Law … Read more

Mark Swann ’84 Champions the Fight Against Homelessness in Down East

“Housing first,” a revolutionary concept for ending homelessness, offers safe, permanent housing to the chronically homeless as a first resort rather than a last-ditch effort, and then provides the services they need to treat mental illness, addictions and physical ailments. Logan Place, a collaboration between Avesta Housing and the social service agency Preble Street, is … Read more