Preble Street

Yesterday, 100+ DOJ grants for victim services expired—with no new funding announced. Thousands of #humantrafficking survivors are losing access to lifesaving support. Every day counts. Demand DOJ release the funds now: www.freedomunited.org/advocate/rel...
#RestoretheServices #ReleasetheFunds

Anti-Trafficking Services at risk without federal funds - Preble Street As of October 1, Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services (ATS) and many other anti-trafficking program providers across the country will be left without a large part of their funding.

This team has helped hundreds of #humantrafficking survivors in Maine. But a change in federal grants has left Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services and many providers across the country without a large part of their funding.

Read more and take action: www.preblestreet.org/2025/09/29/a...

Municipalities often respond to places where unsheltered people are by seizing & destroying their property. This increases the likelihood of IDs, birth certificates, and other documents being lost or tossed out. You don’t need a home to vote & you shouldn’t need a photo ID to vote. #LetMEVote #Maine

Nonprofits on the frontlines of anti-trafficking brace for impact as federal funding hangs in the balance. “We’re planning for the worst case scenario,” says Hailey Virusso of Preble Street, a Maine-based org fighting forced labor and exploitation. #HumanTrafficking @preblestreet.bsky.social

Leading anti-trafficking experts are sounding the alarm: The Trump administration is backpedaling on critical efforts to fight human trafficking.

Decades of progress are at risk. Experts warn the rollback of protections will leave vulnerable survivors at even greater risk.

"Two months after passing the largest food stamp cuts in history, the Trump administration has canceled the government’s annual report measuring household #foodinsecurity." nytimes.com/2025/09/20/us/politics/trump-hunger-report-data.html?unlocked_article_code=1.n08.XxcH.kdMo8lBGnzFE&smid=url-share

Preble Street's Anti-Trafficking program has been responding to increased referrals of survivors, with several cases being youth under 18. Yet funding may not continue beyond 9/30.

theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/trump-human-trafficking-programs-cut #HumanTrafficking

Voter ID laws suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters — especially people experiencing homelessness, members of the BIPOC community, people with disabilities, and older voters, all of whom are less likely to have a driver's license. Vote No on Question 1! #LetMEVote

Congrats to Preble Street Person of the Month, Anne, caseworker at Permanent Supportive Housing program, Huston Commons.

Her unwavering commitment to knocking down barriers and empowering the people she works with make her a perfect example of the agency's mission in action. #compassioninaction

Opinion | America Is Pushing Its Workers Into Homelessness

A Labor Day reminder: today there isn't a single city, metro area, or state in the U.S. where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment.

Millions of people with jobs—even multiple jobs—aren't safe from homelessness in this country.

Rapid Re-Housing: A proven solution to homelessness - Preble Street As this story from a client of the Preble Street Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) program shows, RRH works by alleviating the burden of a household’s immediate crisis and focuses specifically on removing…

"Preble Street stepped in when I had nothing left to pull from. That support didn’t just help me move. It helped me survive. Molly and the team didn’t just hear me, they acted. And I will never forget that.”

Black and white image of Martin Luther King, Jr. wearing a suit and waving to a crowd. On top of the image there is a quote reading "We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic I Have A Dream speech at the March on Washington 62 years ago today.

Today and every day, we honor him and all those who demanded an end to racial segregation when they marched all those years ago. Our fight is far from over and we're not slowing down.

Send some love to any homeless services workers and advocates you know in DC right now. They are all working so hard to prevent the forced displacement, arrest, or civil commitment of hundreds of people with very little time and too few resources to do it. #dc #homelessness #housing #streetoutreach

‘It’s not illegal to be homeless’: unhoused Washingtonians evicted from encampments as part of Trump’s crime crackdown

More than 5,000 people in the city face uncertainty about where to find shelter.

Advocacy Newsletter Sign Up - Preble Street Too many people are losing access to their basic human rights. We need all Mainers to put their Compassion in Action and advocate for the solutions we know work! Sign up to receive our monthly…

Sign up for Preble Street's new Advocating for Solutions newsletter: preblestreet.org/advocacy-alerts-sign-up

Too many people are losing access to their basic human rights. We need all Mainers to put their #CompassionInAction and advocate for the solutions we know work!

49,000 Mainers will lose health coverage and become uninsured thanks to the Harmful Budget Megabill that Congress passed this summer. This is just one example of the systemic issues that push people into homelessness and keep them there. #MaineCare #Medicaid #HealthcareIsAHumanRight

Funding cuts endanger unsheltered youth - Preble Street Much like the Street Outreach Collaborative but with a focus on youth, Preble Street’s Teen Outreach Specialists provide resources and basic needs to young people living outside.

" #Youth #StreetOutreach Specialists also offer opportunities for young people to 'just be a kid'. Whether that’s buying & playing with a squishmallow dubbed Charles Pickle while stocking up at Walmart, or skateboarding together while chatting. These chances for joy and comfort make a difference."

This chart shows how unaffordable Maine homes have become Since 2020, prices have quickly risen beyond the reach of many homebuyers, even in the state’s more rural areas.

One of the many systemic issues forcing people into #homelessness and makes it incredibly difficult to get out is the lack of affordable housing. The median price of housing in #Maine has increased more than 152% since 2010, making home ownership out of reach even in the state’s more rural areas.

We are housing unsheltered #Veterans across #Maine this week! We offer many benefits to landlords interested in partnering with us. Please contact Preble Street Veterans Housing Services at nohomelessveterans@preblestreet.org or visit nohomelessveterans.org for more information. #NoHomelessVeterans

Tight rental market keeps Maine domestic violence survivors in shelters longer Advocates said they could meet only a fraction of the demand for emergency housing, with only 14% of eligible clients receiving shelter statewide.

Maine's lack of shelter beds and affordable housing is leaving too many people unsafe - from people having to stay with their abusers to Veterans living outside to older adults priced out of their homes. We must do better to ensure that people's basic needs are met. #ShelterIsAHumanRight #Maine

5 years of “social work without walls” - Preble Street When someone is focused on day-to-day survival, there is little time to attend to long-term goals. Accessing the limited available resources requires sorting through a convoluted web of systems and…

Often, society sees someone living on the street and makes snap judgments as to how they got there and how they should get out. Preble Street caseworkers know better. #Homelessness is caused by failed systems, not personal failure.

Read more below #CompassionInAction #portlandmaine #streetoutreach

Maine social services groups question new Trump order on homelessness, calling it 'cruel' The executive order calls on states to move some unhoused people into treatment, including through involuntary commitment if necessary. It also encourages states and municipalities to eliminate homele...

"It doesn't help anybody find housing. It doesn't help anybody get a job or reunite with family," said Mark Swann, Preble Street Executive Director. "It certainly doesn't magically solve untreated mental illness or deeply entrenched addictions." #Maine #Homelessness #ExecutiveOrder

Death by deadline: Trump’s HHS is making it impossible to protect homeless youth Across the country, community-based organizations protecting youths experiencing homelessness are reeling.

"Providers have been given just 14 days instead of the standard 60 to apply. That’s a 77% reduction in time for one of the most complex & essential federal grant programs serving young people."

The Dept of HHS has made it nearly impossible for agencies to sustain funding for #homelessyouth services

Shame on us for passing the ‘big, beautiful bill’ | Letter It prioritizes everything but the well-being of America's citizens.

"This bill prioritizes everything but the well-being of our citizens."

Massive cuts to #SNAP and #Medicaid will increase homelessness and poverty in Maine in the coming years. The wealthiest 1% of Americans will receive large tax breaks, while the rest of us will receive pennies or less.

Opinion: Cutting Medicaid will harm Maine’s most vulnerable “Reduced funding will have a direct impact on workers’ wages and the basic care people receive.”

“Reduced funding will have a direct impact on workers’ wages and the basic care people receive.”

Senate Bill Would Make Deep Cuts to Medicaid, Setting Up Fight With House

Instead of listening to their constituents who are resoundingly opposed to slashing Medicaid, members of the Senate are moving forward with deep cuts that will leave millions without access to health coverage.

We have to stop this bill in its tracks.

Considering how harmful the policy changes would be to all but the richest Americans, this shouldn't be surprising!

THIS Saturday, June 21, join the Penobscot Nation and many partner organizations in The Walk to Honor Wabanaki Veterans, as we make our way on a 6-mile walk from Orono to Indian Island!

You can learn more about the day's events and register to participate here:
www.walkwhere.org/orono

We cannot wait to see you at our (free!) 50th Anniversary Celebration at Brick South this evening. Drop in anytime between 5-8pm, and please register ahead of time here: eventbrite.com/e/preble-street-50th-anniversary-celebration-registration-1329265241119

#CompassionInAction #preblestreet50

Angus King, Susan Collins ask Trump administration to reverse ‘illegal’ Job Corps cuts in Maine They are among 40 senators asking the U.S. Department of Labor to immediately reverse a decision to indefinitely pause operations at Job Corps sites across the country.

Thank you, Senator Susan Collins and Senator Angus King, for standing up for Maine youth! The closing of Job Corps would immediately leave dozens of Maine youth homeless. www.pressherald.com/2025/06/09/k...