Graduation Year
2016
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology and Criminology
Program or Major
Sociology
Faculty Advisor
Richard Gendron
Keywords
Homelessness, Low-income housing, Social case work, Portland, Maine
Abstract
This thesis focuses on the Housing First model of addressing chronic homelessness in the state of Maine, primarily in the city of Portland. Preble Street, an organization based in Portland, operates a Housing First program called Logan Place, which houses 30 chronically homeless adults. I interviewed eight members of the staff at Preble Street using a semi-structured interview style: three caseworkers, three administrators, and two administrators with casework responsibilities. The major themes that were revealed from the interviews are the successes of the program, the ongoing challenges of securing funding to continue the program's successes, the role of public perception of the homeless, and how the political climate in Maine affects the ability of Preble Street to fulfill its mission.
Recommended Citation
Kneeland, Eric, "Gimme Shelter: Homeless Services Providers' Assessments of the Effectiveness of Housing First Programs in Portland, Maine" (2016). Honors Theses. 6.
https://digitalcommons.assumption.edu/honorstheses/6