LEWISTON — On the lower level of Lewiston High School is The Store Next Door, a food pantry/supply closet/kitchen table for students without homes. There’s heartache and tears — but also joy and laughter. On a recent Friday as the 1:59 p.m. bell rang, ending another week, students broke into smiles as they danced during […]
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Collins: Lewiston shelter helps homeless teens succeed
LEWISTON — A Lewiston-based program that helps homeless young people get off the street, stay in school and reconnect with their families was in the spotlight Friday, thanks to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Collins, along with a top official in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, toured two of […]
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Lewiston facility gives homeless veterans a ‘hand up’
LEWISTON — Kristopher Boyle had served his country well in Iraq, spending four years in the U.S. Army. Three years later, the 29-year-old veteran had no job, no transportation and had seen his children one time for just a few minutes. He ended up homeless, became an addict and lost his will to live. “I […]
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Aid workers struggle to find Maine homeless vets
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 […]
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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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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]