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
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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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129
Ashley
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MM: Adults get themselves into treatment
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MM: It was difficult, but the immediate
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~J
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