Anna Brewer, Organizer of the Vigil and Ben Martineau, a Volunteer at Monument Square Today.

Shannon Papalia, at the Greater Portland Health Table Today.  She Has a BS in Public Health.

Jiffy Kelley-Young, a Substance Use Prevention Counselor, at Monument Square Vigil Today.

The annual Vigil for the homeless to mark the longest day of the year moved this year to Monument Square from the Old Port according to Ben  Martineau, a Homeless Voices for Justice advocate.  Ben, who has been homeless in the past, said that most remember the homeless during the brutal Maine winters, but forget the homeless in the summer.

For the past fourteen or fifteen years, the vigil has been held at Tommy’s Park in the Old Port. This year it was held in Monument Square in downtown Portland. This move gave the Vigil more visibility as well as much more space to expand than previously.  In fact, more city services and others gained exposure to inform and educate the public about the issues and solutions. The two hour vigil was cut short because of an expected storm hitting downtown Portland.

Jiffy Kelley-Young, is a substance use prevention counselor, who joined the city last month.  She educates people about what substance abuse can do and how to say no.  It’s not just about saying no – it’s about HOW to say no she said.  Jiffy a licensed drug and alcohol counselor.

Shannon Papalia, is a community health worker with Greater Portland Health.  This agency provides high quality care that is accessible, affordable and culturally sensitive to those in need of a variety of health care fields for patients without health insurance since it is federally funded. The agency has about 150 employees to staff its venues across the city.   A new health center is going to be located at Sagamore Village on June 30th.

The pandemic has caused serious turmoil in the health care field according to Shannon.  Her agency is currently looking to hire  about 40 people.  People across the board in a variety of positions are needed; nurses, and patient support representatives included.  If this is of interest to you, please email:  spesa@greaterportlandhealth.org

Earlier in the Vigil Portland city councilors Andrew Zoro and April Fournier addressed the Vigil.