SOUTH PORTLAND — The floor tilts slightly to one side, and folding banquet tables serve as office desks.

There’s a coffee pot, informational pamphlets, photos of children, artwork, crafts and food. A small room at the front of the structure contains a book swap and a children’s clothing exchange.

The old trailer that houses the Neighborhood Resource Hub on Westbrook Street has seen better days. But it is a warm, welcoming place, known by neighbors as simply “The Hub” and to neighborhood children as “Merrie’s House.”

Merrie Allen, community builder with Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, an Opportunity Alliance program, runs The Hub at 586 Westbrook St., between Redbank and Brick Hill.

Allen calls it a safe space, where people are free from judgment. The organization strives to break down barriers and unite members of the community.

“People are thriving. There might be things that are in the way, so they don’t look like they are thriving, but they have the love and capacity to give back,” Allen said.

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