Figaro’s: A Portland Resource Guide
The project was started a few years ago and continues to be distributed in the designers’ hometown of Portland, Maine, both as a hard copy and an online publication under the name Figaro’s Portland Resource Guide. The mission of the publication is to make low-income and no-income residents of the city aware of the wide range of resources available to them, and to provide the information they need to access those resources. The guide includes about twenty different categories, covering everything from where to get free food and medical care to how to obtain a library card and borrow books and videos.
For the past couple of years the designer has printed hard copies on the guide off their personal computer and distributed them to the homeless people that they encounter on the street or at their campsites, along with distributing them at soup kitchens and food pantries. Along with distributing the hard copy version, the designer has also promoted the online version on the bulletin boards of soup kitchens and food pantries around the city, so some have accessed the guide that way.
Designer: Cliff Gallant