As a midcoast Maine homeless shelter closes, another one further south prepares to open its doors. Next month the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter opens in Portland. The 24-bed shelter, run by the Preble Street Resource Center, is the culmination of a $4.5 million fundraising campaign. The Kreisler shelter replaces the existing Lighthouse Teen Shelter, which … Read more
PORTLAND – Crystal Swain immediately noticed the new mattresses at Preble Street Resource Center’s Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter. “These beds are so much better,” the 19-year-old exclaimed as she sat down for an interview Monday. The $3 million shelter at 38 Preble St. – with its 24 new beds – is set to open in … Read more
When she was 19, Peggy Lynch embarked on her first social service role, staffing the crisis hotline for what was then Ingraham Volunteers. Now, Lynch has been an outreach worker with Preble Street, an agency that offers services for the homeless, for 12 years and she has no qualms about hiking out to an encampment … Read more
TOGUS — A few years ago, Mark Seger was living what he describes as an upper-middle-class lifestyle. He had a family, a job and even a little money in the bank. That all changed in 2010, when Seger’s marriage ended in divorce, the company where he worked was sold and closed, and the trailer he … Read more
PORTLAND – A task force has unveiled a sweeping plan for reducing homelessness in the city. The plan, still in its draft form, calls for creating a centralized process for assessing homeless people; building three, 35-unit housing facilities, and expanding case management services to better match the needs of clients. Nearly 100 people filled City … Read more
PORTLAND – Steven Huston, a longtime advocate for Preble Street Homeless Voices for Justice, fought tirelessly for people struggling with homelessness, poverty and addiction. Huston, like those for whom he battled, struggled with alcoholism and chronic homelessness. He died unexpectedly Thursday in his recliner at his apartment on Wilmot Street in Portland. He was 53. … Read more
There are important steps communities and the state and federal government can take to help prevent Mainers from having to live in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, on sidewalks and in emergency shelters. They include developing enough supportive housing, providing clear access to available services, following up with people over time and expanding prevention efforts. Homelessness … Read more
DOVER —On a recent cloudy afternoon, a man dressed in jean shorts and a blue graphic tee carried a cardboard sign. He was walking back and forth across Route 108 near Chili’s at Weeks Crossing, then toward the intersection which heads to Route 16. He said he is homeless in Rochester, and identified himself only … Read more
PORTLAND – About a year ago, Rob Parritt began keeping a three-ring binder in his office at the Oxford Street Shelter to hold the growing stack of doctors’ notes asking the homeless shelter to provide special accommodations for clients with medical issues. The binder covers now strain to contain the 3 inches of papers that … Read more
PORTLAND – More than 400 people on average sought overnight shelter in the city last month – the highest number since the city began keeping records in 1987. Last year, the city started using the Preble Street Resource Center as an emergency overflow location for an additional 75 people. But now the numbers are overwhelming … Read more