AUGUSTA — Among the many barriers to providing services to needy military veterans — funding, transportation, reaching out to rural communities — the hardest to overcome might seem like the easiest: finding veterans in the first place. Troubling for a panel of experts who convened Tuesday in Augusta to discuss the problem is the fact […]
homeless
Posted inMaine
Collins supports federal bill to help homeless youth
An Auburn woman joined iconic 1980s pop singer Cyndi Lauper, among others, Wednesday to testify before a congressional committee in Washington, D.C., on the issue of youth homelessness in the United States. Brittany Dixon spoke to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee about her experience with homelessness in Maine, urging lawmakers to support […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Portland’s homeless student population declines for 2nd year in a row
PORTLAND — The number of homeless students in the state’s largest school district is down 29 percent this year, according to the Maine Department of Education. But according to Sharon Pray, director of student support services for the Portland Public Schools, those numbers are “outside of (the district’s) control” and highly unpredictable. “I think it’s […]
Posted inMaine
Bill to build cabins for Maine’s homeless vets gets strong support
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee has given unanimous support to a bill that would provide up to $1 million in state funds to help launch a project that would build up to 21 cabins for homeless veterans. The bill, LD 1062, sponsored by state Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, is meant to jump-start the Cabin in […]
Posted inMaine
Bill could launch housing program for homeless vets
AUGUSTA – A Lewiston lawmaker is leading the charge to bring as many as 21 cabins for homeless veterans to the grounds of the Veterans Affairs Administration’s medical campus at Togus. State Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, is asking the Legislature to approve a $1 million appropriation to kick-start a Volunteers of America Cabin in the Woods […]
Posted inMaine
Bill seeks steady funds for Maine’s homeless shelters
AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers are taking a hard look at the way the state helps fund homeless shelters. On Monday, members of the Legislature’s Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee listened to two hours of testimony from witness after witness who said more needs to be done to stabilize funding. State funding for homeless […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Search for homeless goes on despite storm
LEWISTON — Despite a winter storm that buried the city in snow Tuesday, an annual hunt for the homeless in the city and across Maine got underway after sunset Wednesday. Gerry DeWitt, a volunteer and social worker with the Veterans Outreach Program, said the survey goes on regardless of the weather, as part of an […]
Posted inOxford Hills
West Paris family huddles together after fire
WEST PARIS — About a mile from Paris Hill, where historic mansions overlook the train of snow-clad peaks spanning the White Mountains and real estate values command some of the best prices in the county, Donald Hodgkin lights up a cigarette in the small prefabricated home he shares with about a dozen people. Three-year old Kiera […]
Posted inRiver Valley
Rumford American Legion seeking sock donations for homeless veterans
RUMFORD — The Rumford American Legion Post 24 is collecting socks of all sizes until March to aid homeless veterans and their families, Post Commander Tricia Thurston said Monday afternoon. Thurston explained that the idea for collecting socks for homeless veterans is part of the “Warm Feet” campaign that Sanford Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter […]