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

More than Just Pottery

Art is Healing “Start at the bottom and pinch and turn uncluttered. And slowly work your way up. And you want a pretty thin wall.” It’s a cold Wednesday morning in January, but inside Elena’s Way Wellness Shelter, it’s bright and warm. In the shared area, tables are pulled together, and 10 clients and staff … Read more

Take Action: Keep hotel shelters open this winter!

TONIGHT, February 7, the South Portland City Council will vote whether to allow hotels in their town to continue serving as emergency shelters until April 30. If denied, many of the individuals and families staying at these hotels will be evicted this month and will need to sleep outside or in their vehicles. This extension … Read more

REFLECTION: Preble Street Early Response to COVID-19

By Sam Chamberlain (he/him), Managing Director of Preble Street Quarantine Shelters  Note: With funding from MaineHousing, Preble Street operated a Quarantine & Isolation (Q&I) Shelter in Scarborough from May 2020 through March 31, 2022. Because of decreased need, the state consolidated this service to Lewiston as of April 1, 2022.  As social workers — and … Read more

The Impact of Social Work

“In my time working here, I’ve been able to provide people with many things. I’ve given people vouchers, I’ve helped people move into apartments, I’ve helped somebody repair their vehicle. I’ve provided all of these material things. But time and time again, when people talk to me about what was most important to them, it’s been … Read more

Preble Street lauded for nonprofit works

…Preble Street earned the top rating of the 43 nonprofit groups in Maine rated by Charity Navigator, with a score of 99.17 out of 100. Preble Street operates with a $9 million budget, running homeless shelters and a food pantry in Portland, as well as various programs to help low-income and mentally ill people…   … Read more

Helping homeless seen as boon to commerce

PORTLAND – Last Friday afternoon, Michelle Souliere found a homeless man passed out drunk on the doorstep of her bookstore on Congress Street, the Green Hand. Instead of calling 911, she called the city’s Homeless Outreach & Mobile Engagement Team. A white van pulled up, and out jumped John Dana and Jesse Flynn, outreach workers … Read more