Advocates for homeless teenagers and young people with disabilities in southern Maine say a $400,000 federal grant will help dedicate resources for young people who have been coerced into trading sex for money or a place to sleep. The two-year grant from the Department of Justice to Preble Street allocates funds directly to help victims … Read more
As a girl and a survivor of sex trafficking, dee Clarke didn’t have the words to explain what had happened to her. All she knew was “prostitute.” But that wasn’t right. It was years before she said: kidnapped, raped, tortured, trafficked. Now 55 and living in Portland, she has found the language to explain the … Read more
Preble Street is excited to announce a new partnership with Maine Needs that will support both organizations’ goal to meet the basic needs of Mainers experiencing homelessness or who have recently moved out of homelessness. As of April 18, 2025, Preble Street will no longer accept individual in-kind, non-food donations. All clothing, hygiene, and household … Read more
Join us as a sponsor for the 50th Anniversary Event! Over its history, Preble Street has impacted tens of thousands of people in Maine and led with solutions on some of the biggest issues facing our communities, including hunger, homelessness, human trafficking, equity, and poverty. This event will reflect on 50 years of service and look to the … Read more
Since its start as a small social work agency in Portland, Maine, Preble Street has been guided by its commitment to mission and empowering vulnerable Mainers. Earlier this year, this commitment led Preble Street to assume operations of Hope House, a 56-bed emergency low-barrier shelter in Bangor, after Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) announced the shelter … Read more
Preble Street Hope House is one of only five privately operated adult low-barrier shelters in Maine and the only one north of Waterville. Hope House, located in Bangor, Maine, is the first 24/7, 365 day a year Preble Street program outside of Portland and joins Preble Street’s Veterans Housing and Anti-Trafficking Services in providing services … Read more
“If you can’t get what you need, we’re here,” was the message Joe Kreisler wanted people experiencing poverty to hear when he founded High Street Resource Center (the organization that evolved into Preble Street) in 1975. For 50 years, Preble Street has been here – expanding far beyond a handful of social work interns in … Read more
50 years of helping others! In 2025, Preble Street celebrates 50 years of Compassion in Action; providing a voice for marginalized and underserved populations, advocating for and investing in solutions, and providing people not only with food, clothing, and shelter, but also with dignity. For 50 years, our work has been about making Maine a … Read more
A sad reality of emergency shelters is that they are always at risk of closing their doors. Over the past fifteen years, at least nine shelters in Maine have closed due to funding issues. Site-based Housing First is the long-term permanent housing solution for many of the people in Maine experiencing chronic homelessness, but until the … Read more
2024 was a year full of many difficult challenges and lessons but also a year full of progress on important issues. After 50 years, Preble Street understands how important it is to recognize the positive while still holding space to learn from the obstacles we’ve faced. As 2024 comes to a close, Preble Street looks … Read more
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The mission of Preble Street is to provide accessible barrier-free services to empower people experiencing problems with homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty, and to advocate for solutions to these problems.
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