Legacy of Love: A Walk Through the History Youth and Family Outreach

Youth and Family Outreach is embarking on a bold new vision to meet the needs of the children and families in Greater Portland, by doubling capacity, increasing accessibility to early care and education, and building 60 units of affordable housing to address current needs. To move forward, and due to its current condition, we must say goodbye to our current beloved home, Preble Chapel, located at 331 Cumberland Avenue. We invite you to join us on a walk through history and say goodbye.

Youth and Family Outreach (YFO) has a rich, unwavering history of meeting the needs of Portland’s children and families. Since its origins in 1844 as a community outreach mission of the Portland Ministries at Large, the agency has focused its efforts on serving the community with compassion. Starting in 1849 with the establishment of Maine’s first adult education school, to the Pride Training School for intellectually disabled children, to a credit union for the local poor, to the Beacon Teen Center for homeless youth, the agency has risen to meet critical community needs of the time.

This next iteration began out of the need to increase the number of children and families served in our early care and education program, established in 1986. In 2018, the neighboring property, Maria’s Restaurant, was posted for sale. As the only possibility for expansion, the Board of Trustees explored the possibility of purchasing the property to expand programming. Through an in depth community assessment, it was collectively agreed to seize this opportunity to also address the growing need for affordable housing in downtown Portland. While considerable efforts were made to reutilize the current chapel, it became infeasible to the project. With renewed partnerships and approval from the City of Portland, YFO board and staff have embarked on this bold journey.

Join us to hear of the history and legacy of Youth and Family Outreach, and our plans to build a brighter future in Bayside.