After a year of construction, the Parkside Neighborhood Center and Affordable Housing Complex opened on Saturday, June 4. PROP News and Events
PROP Adds Community Mediation Center to Programming
As of July 1, we have added the Community Mediation Center (CMC) to our slate of programs for residents of southern Maine. In making the decision, our Board of Trustees cited the strong philosophical fit between PROP and CMC and the opportunity to serve more clients’ needs with the addition of mediation.
“We are delighted to have the Community Mediation Center join our umbrella of community services as we continue to work to improve the lives of people living in southern Maine,” notes Grant Lee, executive director of PROP. “By joining our many programs, the Community Mediation Center is enhancing PROP’s many offerings to the community – ranging from affordable housing to childcare. We believe services such as landlord/tenant issues and victim/offender conferencing fit right in with our mission of creatively, collaboratively, and holistically finding ways to build a stronger community.”
Larry Anton, president of PROP’s board of trustees, adds, “In addition to serving more of our clients’ needs, this consolidation under one administrative structure means more funds will go directly to services. This savings is an important factor in these times of scarce public and private dollars for support of those in need.”
“We are excited to be part of PROP,” notes Richard Farnsworth, president of the Community Mediation Center board of trustees. “We’re looking forward to working closely with the other PROP programs to ensure that, together, we can meet nearly all of the needs of those affected by poverty, discrimination, and other social problems.”
Kaki Dimock, PROP’s Youth Resiliency Program Director has added the Community Mediation Center to the programs under her direction. John McKenna is the CMC program coordinator.
The Community Mediation Center, located at 222 St. John Street in Portland, offers services for the public including landlord/tenant issues, neighbor disputes, victim/offender conferencing, facilitation services and a variety of training services. The Center is designed to ensure that people of all income levels are able to access their service.
Parkside Neighborhood Center and Affordable Housing Opens
After a year of construction, the Parkside Neighborhood Center and Affordable Housing Complex opened on Saturday, June 4.
This exciting new complex located in Portland on the corner of Grant and Mellen Streets features 16 units of affordable housing as well as a Neighborhood Center.
The Center will host a variety of programs for residents of the neighborhood, including after-school youth programs, adult education classes, PROP's Head Start, and community meetings and special events.
The Center will house several important community partners - including Parkside Community Policing; Portland Adult Education; USM's Schools of Social Work, Nursing, and Education; and PROP's Neighborhoods for Youth and Head Start. In addition, several other community organizations will also be involved with programming at the Center, including SPIRAL Arts, and Parkside Neighborhood Association. For more information about the Center or to find out how you can help, contact Zoe Miller, director of the Parkside Neighborhood Center at 874-1023.
Help Us Close the Gap on the New Parkside Neighborhood Center
While construction on the new Parkside Neighborhood Center and Affordable Housing is complete, we are working to raise the final $137,500 for the Center to be debt-free. This will allow us to spend more time and money on the actual programs at the Center rather than paying off the loan.
If you have any questions about contributions to the campaign, please contact Debra Tenenbaum at 874-1140 ext. 299. To learn more about how you can help support PROP's programs, go here.
PROP Child & Family Services Featured in Two National Publications
Our Child & Family Services Program is featured in a recent National Head Start Bulletin. This is a professional journal that is distributed to Head Start programs and universities across the country. The author is our own Kathleen Sullivan. Nice work Kathleen!
You may view the Bulletin at www.headstartinfo.org/pdf/Bulletin78.pdf
PROP's Child & Family Services (CFS) mental health component has also been has been named one of seven exemplary Head Start Mental Health systems in New England. These high-quality systems set the standard of promoting the social-emotional health health of children, families and staff. The program was recently profiled in the publication, "Exemplary Head Start Mental Health Systems," by the Center for Children and Families Education Development Center, Inc.
PROP Home Offers Refrigerator Replacements
Save money on your electric bill with a new energy-efficient refrigerator ... at no cost to you!
If your refrigerator was manufactured before 1995, PROP may be able to help you get rid of your
energy hog and replace it with a new model at no cost!
Contact Deborah Meehan at 842-2988 ext 22
You may also leave a message, toll-free at 1-800-698-4959; TTY 874-1013
Please Note:
Your old refrigerator will be removed and disposed of properly; you cannot keep it.
Replacements are white or almond with a top freezer appropriately sized for family need.
Applicants must be income eligible and have a valid application for fuel assistance.
This program is funded by Maine's Public Utilities Commission.
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