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Last updated on September 29, 2008

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.

Description:
Preble Street is a grassroots community agency in Portland. Through collaborative efforts, use of social work student interns, the hard work of the staff and Board, and generous help from committed volunteers, we have developed a comprehensive model to help homeless and low-income individuals and families improve their lives. Our services include:

• Breakfast Program, providing a free nutritious breakfast to 200-350 people 365 days a year.
• Food Pantry, collecting donated food and distributing emergency grocery meals to 400-500 people every week.
• Adult & Family Day Shelter, offering a safe, welcoming environment with essential services like telephones, mail, storage space, showers, laundry, and clothing.
• Teen Center, a drop-in center open 365 days to homeless and runaway youth to provide meals, showers, telephones, laundry facilities, and direct access to healthcare, mental health, substance abuse, and educational and vocational services.
• Lighthouse Shelter, providing overnight emergency shelter 365 days year to homeless and runaway youth 15-19 years old.
• Logan Place, 30 permanent efficiency apartments with support services to assist tenants in the transition from chronic homelessness to permanent housing.

• Women's Shelter, providing safe overnight emergency shelter and basic services for homeless women, 365 days from 7pm-7:30am.

• Casework Services, working with youth and adults to identify problems, develop goals, and access services they need to move beyond homelessness, e.g. housing, healthcare, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, legal assistance, and education.
• Employment Services, working with youth and adults to develop job skills, identify job opportunities, access employment, and provide employment support.
• Homeless Voices for Justice, a consumer advocacy program, working to find solutions to the problems of homelessness, housing, hunger and poverty on an individual and systems’ basis.

History:
Preble Street was established in 1975 as a training site for social work students. In 1985, Preble Street incorporated as a nonprofit agency with a small staff of social work professionals to assure that people who are homeless have nutritious food, assistance obtaining affordable and safe housing, clothing, telephone access for local and long distance calls, laundry, showers, recreation and enrichment activities, and a safe mailing address. Today, Preble Street is a service that offers a variety of programs to assist Portland's low-income and homeless residents.

Contact people:

Elena Schmidt, Director Of Development, (phone), (email) Joe Conroy, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (207) 842-3614

Address:

P.O. Box 1459 Portland, ME 04104

Web Site: http://www.preblestreet.org

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