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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2009)
OREGON S GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE JRC: How did Cascadia’s financial insta bility affect your job? MARCH b 2009 positive and healthy. I’ve been really impressed by homeless youth support was given through our supervisors services in Portland. There’s a homeless youth and colleagues. You focus on the work and continuum that’s separate from adult services. the clients, and you roll with the punches. Oftentimes there’s been a gap for young adults I’ve worked at four or five nonprofits. Every transitioning from adolescent services that Deborah Betron, CRB, GRI single one has gone through changes, dis Portland has been really good about filling. ruptions and financial crisis. There were Back in Massachusetts, young adults would always periods of what felt like impending come out of the foster care system at 18 and P ABA Co-founcier Dcborah@BridgetownRealty.com 503.239.6446 503.287.9370 doom around financial instability. That’s they couldn’t receive adult services until 21. and people who are addicted. JRC: How did Outside In earn its queer MM: Our estimate is that over 45 percent JRC: Portland and Multnomah County amount of people that are homeless because instituted a 10-year plan to end homeless they were asked to leave as a direct result of be ness by 2015. Can we do it? ing queer. We have Queer Zone, an arm of our munity outings with [the Sexual Minority Youth talked about a 10-year plan, about funding Resource Center] and QCenter and sexual and strategies to end homelessness. Now we’re identity groups to support each other. As young in this other 10-year plan, so to speak. I don’t adults struggle though their sexuality and iden know if Portland is any further along or any tity issues, they have people role-modeling dif different than other places. ferent types of communities. It’s about setting Portland’s culture is really respectful and up a culture where people can be who they are, hypervigilant to our clients’ needs, but outside whoever that is, particularly for people who were of this culture, there’s still the stigma and dis kicked out of their environment for being who crimination towards our people, my people, they are. If I grew up with queer role models, my this population. process might have been a little easier years ago. I’m more focused on immediate stuff, my job at hand. Street Rise is in its third month of a five- JRC: Do you and your wife, Kendall year grant that provides permanent housing for Clawson, regret losing your legal marriage homeless youth. Our first year’s goal is to get 30 license in Massachusetts since moving to people into permanent housing. That goes up to Oregon, where same-sex marriage is banned? note toward this overall plan. Portland's Largest Gay Owned Real Estate Company Since 1979 f^qatu LOOK MM: We’ve been together 19 years. It was very exciting being married for about a year be fore we moved. Of course [losing married status] JRC: How does working with homeless was disappointing, but that was no reason to not youth compare to working with older, chron move. I have high hopes that one day we ll be le ically homeless populations? gally married here. We’ve had some gxxl karma BONDED LEATHER A lot of style at half the price. We have hundreds of items at program that offers straight allies groups, com ence in Boston to reduce homelessness. We 75 people in five years. That’s certainly a positive ScottW@BridgetownRealty.com 971.322.9399 503.287.9370 www.ScottWernerRealtor.com friendly reputation? of homeless kids are queer. That’s a phenomenal MM: In 1997 I attended my first confer BRIDGETOWN r REALTY 1 Scott Werner, GRI indicative of what people’s priorities are. for poor people, those who are mentally ill Söfcl x Mirrored Back I f • Solids & veneers •Brass «cent hardware J1299 Ashley ■ | Pub Style Spc Dining Set 1 FURNITURE WAREHOUSE 823 S.E. 3rd Avenue fasf End Of The Morrison Bridge ôt. James es from substance abuse and legal complica a house and feel settled here in a short time. The The Dandy Porter Trio March 15th al 5pm tions. Young people don’t have those years of queer county has embraced us. It was really a gixxl consequences, so there has to be other ways move for us. 1315 (SW Park Ave. Portland, OP 97201 people’s strengths is one way to do that. The program at Outside In, visit www.outsidein.org. 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Greeley Portland, OR 97217 NE 21st Ave, Portland, www.centralportland.org Mission of the Atonement Lutheran/Catholic Blake Ellis, Broker Beaverton, www.motaspirit.org Mt Carmel Lutheran 503-289-4500 SW Portland, www.mtcarmellutheran.com DHARMA RAIN ZEN CENTER • reliabletax.com Find your next home @ www.elhsnw.com blake@ellisnw.com 503 473 5097 Cl' l«//MN( 2539 Southeast Madison. Portland. OR 97214 503 2 39 4846 www dharma-rain org Redeemer Lutheran NE 20th Ave, Portland, www.redeemerlutheranpdx.org St. James Lutheran Park Blocks, Downtown Portland, www.stjamespdx.org
