NEWS & UPDATES
Preble Street sees major advocacy wins
Low-barrier shelters receive annual funding On April 22, 2024, Governor Janet Mills signed the supplemental budget into law, which includes three years of $2.5M in annual funding — a total of $7.5M — to directly support emergency and low-barrier shelters. This funding will be incredibly impactful for the operations of Maine’s five privately funded, low-barrier
Teen Services opens Transitional Living Program in Biddeford
The sun is peaking through the clouds on an overcast March day, and boots can be heard squishing and squealing in the muddy ground. The Preble Street Teen Services Team move furniture into the building that will become Preble Street’s new site-based Transitional Living Program (TLP) for youth in Biddeford. The team smiles and laughs, as they
Care Starts in the Outreach Room at the Learning Collaborative
“Just having a safe space for somebody to enter into and have a conversation as well as get their basic needs met is so essential for relationship building.” Andrew Volkers (he/they), Vaccination Shelter Outreach Caseworker Andrew Volkers works at the Maine Medical Center-Preble Street Learning Collaborative, the Learning Collaborative for short, which provides low-barrier healthcare,
URGENT – We need ongoing funding for low-barrier shelters!
Maine is experiencing a homelessness crisis, and our critical low-barrier shelters may close without sustainable and ongoing funding. The Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs just approved one-time funding for low-barrier shelters. We thank the AFA Committee for their support; however, emergency and low-barrier shelters need ongoing, annual funding to remain open and operational. We need
Community solutions for community problems
March is National Social Work month, and we are sharing some of the experiences of Andrew Bove (he/him), VP of Social Work at Preble Street. Below Andrew reckons with the challenges posed by the opioid epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing crisis, and how these things have stressed an already disjointed and dysfunctional health system.
19 years of Site-based Housing First at Logan Place
“For me, eventually, is a key word. It’s my first apartment in 14 years,” shares Kabir. Kabir is the newest resident of Logan Place, Maine’s first Site-based Housing First building, which opened 19 years ago this month. Logan Place has 30 efficiency apartments, with 24-hour on-site support for adults who have experienced chronic homelessness. Kabir
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
What is McKinney-Vento? Ensuring students experiencing homelessness have access to supports through school
According to the Maine Housing Authority, on a given night in Maine, roughly ~4,250 people are experiencing homelessness. Of those people, 55% are part of households with at least one child. While not always as visible, clearly homelessness and housing instability is a problem experienced by youth, teens, and children. It should not be a
A Busy 131 Legislative Session for Preble Street
Advocacy has been embedded into the Preble Street mission since our founding in 1975. In tandem with our Site-based Housing First programs, the Food Security Hub, Rapid Re-Housing and many other programs, Preble Street conducts advocacy and policy work through multiple channels to address homelessness, hunger, and poverty. Our advocacy includes community organizing, with events
Preble Street Welcomes Three New Members to Board of Directors
Preble Street, a social work agency empowering people experiencing homelessness, hunger, or poverty and advocating for solutions to these problems, has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors. Justin Rosner, Principal, Battery Ventures; Chris Ellingwood, Principal, BerryDunn’s Commercial Practice Group; and Joe Ingream, Senior Vice President and Head of Employee Benefits, OneAmerica Financial,
The Importance of Low-Barrier Shelters in Our Community
What does a low-barrier shelter look like? At a time when unsheltered homelessness is increasing exponentially in our community and the shortage of low-barrier shelter beds has created a state-wide crisis, Elena’s Way and Florence House are a model for how we can take care of the most vulnerable people in our community. The staff
Get to Know Elisa Fleig, Preble Street’s Volunteer Program Manager
Elisa Fleig, Volunteer Program Manager at Preble Street, is passionate about locally sourced, sustainable food. She feels lucky to have her desk located in the Food Security Hub – Preble Street’s production kitchen and meal distribution center. In fact, Preble Street’s commitment to serving nutritious, and culturally relevant meals to people experiencing food insecurity is what
