BIDDEFORD, Maine — As the high cost of living continues to strain budgets across the country, youth homelessness is seemingly a symptom as organizations look to combat a rise in need in Maine.

According to data from the Maine Department of Education, enrolled students facing homelessness increased by 10 percent in the 2024-25 school year—the highest it's been in at least a decade.

Hannah Ulcickas is the teen housing assistant director at Preble Street.

"It's not easy," Ulcickas said. "We see youth from every different pathway—some leaving incarceration, some aging out of the foster care system, some just need support."

For the past year, leaders of Preble Street have been running a new model of their Transitional Living Program out of Biddeford. A handful of apartments, all under one

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