1. It’s about relationships, not just services. Caseworkers don’t just help connect people to food and housing. They focus on building true human connections with the individuals they work with. Listening, treating each individual with dignity and respect, and getting to know someone’s story are all important parts of the work. At Preble Street, social workers see … Read more
Maine needs and deserves safe, accessible, professionally run, and sustainable emergency shelters that can meet the needs of the growing number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our state. On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, shelter executive directors and staff from across the state went to Augusta to advocate for a sustainable funding source that … Read more
Trinitie, Cam, and Maz’s Story On a snowy day in December, Trinitie holds 3-week-old Mazarine on the couch while her partner, Cam, prepares a bottle in the kitchen. Their apartment is beautifully furnished and decorated with original art all over the walls, despite the young family having only moved in a few weeks prior. “Most … Read more
Tell your Maine legislators to support LD 2106! Increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as part of the dehumanizingly named ‘Operation Catch of the Day,’ is creating constant fear and anxiety for so many of our neighbors, leaving them scared to leave their homes, go to work, take their children to school, seek … Read more
Hailey Virusso, Director of Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services, spoke with News Center Maine about human trafficking in our state. Watch here. UPDATE MARCH 10, 2026: Please contact Maine’s Appropriations and Public Affairs Committee and tell them to include $317,000 in one-time funding to support human trafficking survivors in Maine! — ACTION ALERT: On Wednesday, February … Read more
Alicia Peters, Ph.D., is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of New England. Her most recent book, “Trafficking Trajectories: Vulnerability, Failed Systems, and the Case for Prevention” focuses on the experiences of trafficking survivors in Maine and New Hampshire. Prevention, survivors’ needs Since your focus most recently has been on Maine and New … Read more
VIGIL LOCATION CHANGE: Tonight’s Annual Homeless Persons’ Vigil has been moved to First Parish Portland Unitarian Universalist at 425 Congress Street, Portland. A candlelight procession will start at the MaineHealth-Preble Street Learning Collaborative, located at 20 Portland Street, at 4:30 pm and proceed to First Parish. Attendees are also welcome to gather inside First Parish beginning … Read more
At 6 am on a frosty morning in early November, the lights and ovens get turned on at the Preble Street Food Security Hub (FSH). By 7am, volunteers and staff begin to fill the kitchen, and by 8:30 am, everything is humming along. The smell of roast chicken fills the air while knives go thunk … Read more
There is a lot to reflect on as we wind down Preble Street’s 50th anniversary year. A lot! In February, Preble Street began operating our first 24/7 program outside of Portland when we stepped in to prevent the closure of Bangor’s Hope House Emergency Shelter. In June, we celebrated our anniversary with more than 800 partners, friends, volunteers, current and former staff, and community members and combined our voices to call for Justice for … Read more
Exciting news: Renovations have begun at the Preble Street Hope House shelter in Bangor! Preble Street assumed operations of Hope House in February, keeping one of Maine’s largest shelters open and ensuring that 56 people continued to have a warm, safe place to sleep and access to meals, clothing, laundry, and support to help them … Read more