Preble Street

Exercising our First Amendment right is our patriotic duty. Thank you for joining us throughout 2025 to speak up and defend our rights. We can't wait to see you in 2026!

Every year near the Winter Solstice - the longest night of homelessness - communities gather to honor the lives of our unhoused neighbors who have passed away. All are welcome to join us at Hope House on Thursday, 12/18, at 4pm for this year's Bangor vigil. #Endhomelessness #wintersolstice #BangorME

When the weather outside is frightful, we're thankful that clients at the Preble Street Elena's Way Wellness Shelter are safe, warm, and able to engage in calming activities. #shelterisahumanright

Maine shelters are desperately in need of permanent state funding to keep their doors open.

Vote for Preble Street! We've been nominated for Best Nonprofit as part of the #Bestofthe207 contest.

Daily voting is live until 5pm on 11/12. Go to bestofthe207.com/vote, choose Services - Nonprofit Organization, and submit your vote for Preble Street! Thank you! #Maine #compassioninaction

Are you ready to #vote? These resources can help!

1. Find election-related info based on your home address: maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/voter_lookup.php

2. Know Your Rights: aclumaine.org/en/know-your-rights/voting-maine

#ElectionDay #MaineVotes #LetMEVote

Contact USDA Secretary Rollins today to insist that the government immediately release the available SNAP funds
Phone: 202-720–3631
Email: Brooke.rollins@usda.gov

Learn other ways to help here: preblestreet.org/2025/10/28/how-you-can-help-during-the-snap-crisis

#SNAP #Hunger #Maine #Halloween

SNAP is the biggest, most efficient tool to fight hunger. For every meal that food banks provide, SNAP supplies 9. We cannot allow 170,000 Mainers to go without SNAP.

More info and how to help: preblestreet.org/2025/10/28/how-you-can-help-during-the-snap-crisis

#SNAP #ProtectSNAP #hunger #Maine

Column | ICE detainees face greater risk from extreme heat than most prisoners A Washington Post analysis found that ICE detention centers experience an average of 29 days of dangerous heat per year.

People in ICE detention face extreme heat risks in conditions with poor ventilation — this will only worsen as the Trump administration works to nearly double its detention capacity.

The hottest 10% of ICE facilities see an average of 93 days of dangerous heat per year. This is unconscionable.

Opinion | We Found a Solution to Homelessness. Now the Trump Administration Wants to Throw It Out.

"The administration’s plan would be a draconian and nonsensical rollback of the very solution that has ended homelessness for people in every state in our country, and would threaten the tenancies of many more." #homelessness #permanentsupportivehousing #HousingIsAHumanRight

Some updates on the federal shutdown impact on state budget:

2,500 state employees are paid fully or partly with federal funds. After the end of October layoffs may have to start.

Food assistance for 169,000 due 11/2 are "on pause"

Transport dept contracts in danger after early Nov #mepolitics

The travel required to obtain a photo ID is an obstacle for people who are #unhoused, older adults, people with #disabilities, people living in #rural areas, and other people without transportation. Every citizen has the right to #vote, not just people with easy access to #transportation. #LetMEVote

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