A simple change could give Maine's hungry rural people more food

… Over the past year, Good Shepherd Food Bank and Preble Street have undertaken the first research effort of its kind to better understand trends of hunger and food pantry usage in Maine. The results from more than 2,000 surveys completed in 244 towns in every county show how much Mainers are depending on local … Read more

It looks like there are more homeless veterans in Maine. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story

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

‘Hunger is all around us’

Holidays in America are centered around food. While many dream for weeks of sugarplums, ham and the perfect table settings, approximately 48 million more are thinking of food in a different light: Will there be enough to go around? Of those people, 208,000 live here in Maine, which ranks 12th in the nation and first … Read more

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WERU Special: Solving Chronic Homelessness

In Portland, Maine, Preble Street marks the 10th year of its housing-first project, which aims to solve, not simply address, the problem of chronic homelessness. Two staff members at Logan Place help define the housing-first model and explore its effectiveness as a therapeutic intervention, which transforms lives. Logan Place, Preble Street’s first residential housing project, … Read more

Survey hopes to quantify Maine's homeless youth

PORTLAND – Social service provider Preble Street is conducting a first-ever count of homeless and runaway youth in Maine. The count, which began May 18 and will last a week, was funded by a $35,000 grant from the Butler Family Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation that focuses on inequalities of homelessness and the criminal justice … Read more

Task Force to Propose Changes for Portland Homeless Shelter

PORTLAND (WGME) — Portland’s City Council voted unanimously Monday to create a task force that will assess Portland’s Oxford Street Homeless Shelter. “I don’t think any of us would build a system the way our current system is set up today,” City Councilor Ed Suslovic said Tuesday. “It’s a chance to step back and say … Read more

Portland City Council approves homeless shelter task force

PORTLAND – The future of city homeless shelters will be examined and evaluated by a new task force created by a unanimous vote of city councilors Monday. Councilors also approved easements to allow installation of natural gas lines to the Portland Technology Park off Rand Road near the Maine Turnpike, but postponed signing a two-part … Read more

Years in a Homeless Shelter, Despite Thousands in the Bank: One Man's Story

PORTLAND, Maine – A recent audit of Portland’s homeless shelters has highlighted what some state officials say is mismanagement of General Assistance funds. At issue is a city policy that allows some long-term shelter residents with substantial savings in the bank to access services. Homeless advocates and city representatives say the state is oversimplifying a … Read more

Portland leaders fire back at LePage claims of aid mismanagement

PORTLAND, Maine – Portland Democrats and social services leaders came out swinging Friday morning, saying a recent state audit claiming the city mismanages its General Assistance program is part of a "coordinated attack" on the liberal city by Maine’s conservative governor and his administration. State Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, led a news conference outside the … Read more