Kevin Gardella for Portland City Council District 5

Last evening I sat in on a meeting about the Portland Family Shelter on Chestnut Street. It has been the subject of concern and the council convened to answer some questions: * Is the shelter being used properly for the right families and are state and federal funds for this being collected? *Should the service of providing Family Shelter be discontinued? *If yes, how can we accomplish this? *If no what would the impact be? *What data needs to be collected and presented to make an informed decision about this? My five favorite options were existing real-estate that would make sense economically, logistically, and would meet the Family's needs. I sent them over to to the council for review. I favor these options because they are in existing building that are for sale or are unused and are perfect choices given the needs of the families who will use them.

Thank you all who donated to my clean elections fund. Your five dollar donations have made becoming your next coucilor city candidates less beholden to big donors! Next on our way to fixing is PACs! We have seen far too many both nationally and locally imposing their opinions with large dollar donations. If you want to donate another clean election 5$ and you live in district 5 Portland, Maine please click on the link and follow the prompts. https://me.accessgov.com/portland/Forms/Page/portlandcecontributions/portland-clean-elections/1

Please donate to my clean elections fund if you live inside District 5, it would be greatly appreciated. It is the path to getting money out of politics! Just click below and follow the prompts! https://me.accessgov.com/portland/Forms/Edit/portlandcecontributions/f6acfebc-65d8-4504-8207-3c51c926aa24/1

The stories I have heard describing paths into homelessness remind me of the kids I worked with at Youth Alternatives. Many had experienced neglect or abuse, sometimes by the people responsible for their care. When they reached adulthood, some suddenly lost access to housing, healthcare, counseling, and emotional support. For many, other young people in the system were the closest thing they had to a community. National research shows that roughly 22% to 30% of young people who age out of foster care experience homelessness during early adulthood. Foster care is primarily a state responsibility, but cities can still help. Portland can seek state and federal funding, coordinate housing and support services, and connect these young adults with employment, training, mentors, and a stable community before they end up alone on the streets.