Thomas Heights, an 18-unit building of efficiency apartments intended for low-income and homeless veterans, will have a grand opening Wednesday in Portland. The $3.6 million project at 134 Washington Ave. was led by the nonprofit Avesta Housing, the state’s largest developer of affordable housing. Thomas Heights is named after Thomas Ptacek, a local advocate for … Read more
At first glance, statistics on the number of veterans in Maine who are homeless seem to point to a troubling trend. From 2008 to 2015, the number of homeless identified as veterans jumped 70 percent in Maine, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which annually organizes a census of the country’s … Read more
BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Sen. Angus King is speaking out in favor of a bill that would make it easier for homeless college students to find housing. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit gives tax breaks to developers that build affordable housing. The current law does not allow tenants of those properties to be … Read more
On any given night in America, more than 63,000 veterans have nowhere to call home and sleep in shelters, on the streets, in abandoned buildings or in the woods. One of them – a man discharged from the Army in the 1980s – spent much of his adult life homeless, sleeping in his truck, in … Read more
First lady Michelle Obama announced a new commitment to end veteran homelessness. Part of the Joining Forces Initiative, the commitment includes 77 mayors, four governors, and four county officials to end veteran homelessness by 2015. The first lady was introduced by Chris Fuentes, a war veteran who lived in her car briefly after returning from Iraq. Housing … Read more
On Wednesday, Phil Allen, who is the veterans housing service manager for the Portland-based Preble Street Resource Center, discovered a man who had been living in his car for the past four months. The man wasn’t found in Portland. He was found in Oxford Hills as Allen and dozens of other social workers and housing … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – The Preble Street Resource Center will receive almost $1.7 million in federal funding to work with homeless veterans and veterans at risk of becoming homeless, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree announced Thursday. The federal funding award is the largest ever received by the organization, which has been providing services to homeless people and … Read more
This year’s Maine Marathon wasn’t just another race for Rob McKann. Rob raced on Oct. 6 to honor the memory and service of his friend Kyle Coutu, who was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2010. Kyle’s family traveled to Maine to watch and support Rob. On top of completing the 26-mile-long dedication to the … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – Preble Street, the agency that helps the homeless in Portland, has received its largest grant ever. The $1.7 million will go towards expanding its programs that help homeless veterans. It is estimated that there are 1,000 homeless people in Maine who have served in the military. “What we’re going to … Read more
YORK COUNTY – A new method to determine the number of homeless individuals and families in Maine has produced surprisingly good results, according to the local coordinator for the state’s annual point-in-time survey, held Jan. 30. Homeless individuals called in, according to Amy Marcotte, social worker at the Sanford Veterans Center in Springvale. "This is … Read more
