[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 84 (Monday, May 19, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S2969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING PREBLE STREET

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Preble 
Street on their 50th anniversary for their outstanding contributions to 
the State of Maine and our Nation. Over the past 50 years, Preble 
Street has provided our most vulnerable Maine community members with 
shelter, food, medical care, casework, and support. Preble Street has 
evolved over the past 50 years, but its commitment to helping the 
people of Maine remains at the heart of its mission. Preble Street 
started with the inspiration and hard work of Joe Kreisler, a social 
work professor at the University of Southern Maine, and his dedicated 
students as a training ground to provide Portland's most vulnerable 
with basic services: clothing, food, and a place to use the bathroom. 
The difference this compassionate group has made is indelible; the 
legacy they have created will continue to change lives well into the 
future.
  The Preble Street team has risen to meet every challenge along the 
way, of which there have been many. Whether assisting neighboring 
shelters at risk of closing to ensuring that Maine's people did not 
lose access to critical services--or contending with the COVID-19 
pandemic--Preble Street took their operation on the road to ensure our 
most vulnerable were safe from both illness and hunger. Preble Street 
is not just a shelter; it is an integral part of our Maine community, 
creating jobs and hope for people from every background. In the last 
year, Preble Street's dedicated staff and volunteers helped hundreds of 
young people find safety, necessary services, and housing. 
Additionally, hundreds more homeless adults have been able to meet 
their basic needs and work toward a better future. Preble Street has 
also provided over 500 veterans and their families with housing 
support, ensuring those who have valiantly served our country have a 
consistent roof over their heads and steady access to healthy foods. It 
is the effective and passionate work of Preble Street that underscores 
the collective impact communities can make when coming together.
  After each interaction with Preble Street--whether through supporting 
Stuff the Bus, a Thanksgiving food drive led by Preble Street, or the 
Food Hub--I and many others leave with a better understanding of what I 
can do to help those who are suffering in our communities. This is one 
of the gifts of Preble Street's outreach: to be the voice of many who 
too often remain voiceless and ``walking the walk'' to the 
organization's core belief that the well-being of our entire community 
depends on identifying the challenging problems that affect us all. 
Equally sincere is Preble Street's mission and desire to be a part of 
those solutions. That is the essence of Preble Street's gospel.
  Joe Kreisler, Mark ``Swannie'' Swann, the staff, and volunteers at 
Preble Street have derived innovative solutions to the challenges faced 
in Maine. Preble Street's site-based Housing First model--one of the 
first in the Nation--led to several locations in Portland that provide 
long-term housing for chronically homeless adults. In addition to 
reducing strain on overnight shelters and addressing homelessness, 
Preble Street has created an extensive system to fight food insecurity, 
including soup kitchens, mobile food pantries to meet people where they 
are, and their Food Security Hub. Altogether, Preble Street provides 
the greater Portland area with over 100,000 meals per month, an amount 
that does not go unnoticed or unappreciated in Maine's biggest city.
  On top of their altruistic mission to provide barrier-free assistance 
to those in Maine, Preble Street also seeks to do so sustainably. 
Preble Street is investing in energy-efficient equipment; they partner 
with local farms; and they source some of their electricity from solar 
energy. Those experiencing homelessness are some of the most vulnerable 
to the consequences of climate change, and Preble Street recognizes 
this challenge. Their commitment to uplifting the people of Maine 
sustainably is a testament to what our communities are capable of when 
people come together with a mission to do genuine good and create 
lasting change.
  From its early beginnings in the basement of a chapel, Preble Street 
has pioneered a way to sustainably provide homes, food, and other 
services to the most vulnerable in Maine. Preble Street's impact can be 
felt across our State and has undoubtedly saved many lives and bettered 
many more. On behalf of the U.S. Senate, I offer my deepest gratitude 
for the work Preble Street has done and will continue to do in our 
State.

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