Just over 100 people were living outside in Maine’s largest city over a two-week period last fall, according to a new survey from the nonprofit social service provider Preble Street.
Previous surveys commissioned annually by the federal government have historically undercounted the unhoused population in the Portland area, Preble Street said.
Last year’s count recorded just 20 people sleeping outside on a single night in Cumberland County.
The Preble Street survey counted 104 people, and service providers spoke with about 82 of them. Andrew Bove, vice president of social work for the nonprofit, said the survey is intended to give a more accurate count of unhoused people in Portland — and explain why people may be living outside.
“People are making decisions about this population all day long, without actually asking these folks what’s important,” he said.
About one-quarter of survey participants reported having some kind of income. Bove said the data raises questions about the remaining 75% of people who don’t but likely are eligible for Social Security benefits. Research shows that about 50% of unhoused people have a disability or other condition that would qualify them for Social Security, Bove added.
About 85% of unhoused people surveyed said they used some kind of substance. Just more than half said they had been to a shelter at some point within the last year, which they described as unsafe, too crowded, or too difficult to access.
Bove said if beds are available, shelters are often not well equipped to handle a person’s chronic illness or substance use.
“The person has too serious mental health issues. They have untreated substance use, untreated mental health,” he said. “They have partners that they don’t want to get separated from. They have belongings that are important for them that they don’t want to get lost or discarded.”
The survey also found that most people lacked access to food, bathrooms and showers.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
