street roots
STREET ROOTS
Jan. 23, 2009
2008
ANNUAL REPORT
NETWORK
Affiliations
Street Roots is part of an international
movement of Street Papers. We are active
members of both the North American Street
Newspaper Association and the International
Network of Street Papers.
The North American Street Newspaper
Association exists to support and build
effective, self-sustaining street newspapers
that promote power and opportunity for
people living in
poverty. NASNA
j
offers technical
assistance to new
and growing street
newspapers, content sharing with the Street
News Service, and an annual conference
featuring skills-building workshops and other
topics of common interest. Learn more about
NASNA at www.nasna.org
And new
friends
relcome to the 2008 Street Roots annual report The past
year has been an exciting year full of growth at Street Roots. The
organization has reached out to more individuals experiencing homelessness
and poverty than ever before. The publication’s readership has increased significantly and the
organization is working on building the groundwork for expansion and continuing to fulfill our mission.
In 2008, Street Roots increased the circulation of the Rose City Resource guide from 40,000 to 80,000 annually, while
introducing the first Spanish resource guide to the region. We now work with more than 150 nonprofits, private companies
and government institutions to deliver more resource guides to those in need in Multnomah,Washington and Clackamas
counties.
.
Street Roots was given three awards in 2008. The Portland Trail Blazers and Hands on Great Portland gave the
organization a “Volunteer Innovation Award,” for the work done with dozens of volunteers throughout the community. The
Oregon Coalition of Housing and Homelessness gave Street Roots an award for its work on the homeless front statewide.
Lastly, the city of Portland awarded Street Roots the “Spirit of Portland” award for nonprofits for the work we do m the
community.
t
j
One of Street Roots’ more popular vendors, Roger Gates, died of natural causes this year. Roger is missed.
More than two dozen individuals experiencing homelessness became housed while with Street Roots in2008.
The organization endured six months of construction while the Musolf Manor was being rehabilitated. Thanks to
Innovative Homing, Street Roots now has a brand-new storefront and interior lighting along with a brand new counter top and
interior flooring. During that time, Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl and the entire editorial team were relocated to an
alternative office provided by the Julia West House. Thank you.
t
.
Street Roots revisited its three-year strategic plan and is in the process of developing a business plan that will take us into
2012
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Some highlights for the new year include opening a satellite office for vendors in outer Northeast Portland. The new office
is scheduled to open this summer and will be a centralized location for individuals experiencing homelessness and Poverty in
East Portland The new office will also open up a series of new sales locations from Northeast and Southeast Portland from
the Willamette to 1-205, SE Powell to NE Broadway. A new vendor coordinator will be hired to oversee the new office.
Street Roots has also hired a part-time reporter, Mara Grunbaum, to support the newspaper, and brought on a
development director, Kate Cox. All of this will ensure that Street Roots is able continue to fulfill its mission to create income
opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty by publishing a newspaper that is a catalyst for individual
and social change.
We thank you all for your support throughout 2008, and look forward to spending 2009 with you.
Sincerely,
Street Roots
Executive Director
Rose City Resource provides independence, answers
he Rose City Resource is a
publication of Street Roots and
is Portland’s most
comprehensive, updated list of
services for people experiencing
homelessness and poverty. The
104-page booklet serves people who
may not otherwise have access to a
computer or social-service agency,
and allows individuals the opportunity
to be independent in their search for
services that fit specific needs. The
resource is free to individuals and
organizations working with people
T
experiencing poverty. The Rose City
Resource Guide is also available in
Spanish.
The pocket-size resource is made
possible in cooperation with the City
of Portland, United Way of Colombia-
Willamette, 211 Info and Street Roots.
The guide is published quarterly and
is also available online at
www.streetroots.org.
For more information on the
resources, call Eddy Barbosa at 503-
228-5657.
The International Network of Street Papers is
a global organization set up to promote the
concept of the street paper as a means to
address homelessness, social exclusion and
poverty in our society.
INSP is a network of 80
.
street paper members
situated across 27
/ I
countries. INSP's head
office is in Glasgow,
Scotland. INSP offers
support and developmental opportunities to
its members and provides advice to
individuals or projects seeking to develop
street papers. Learn more about the INSP at
www.street-papers.org
The Western Regional Advocacy Project
(WRAP). The organization is made up of
organizations up and down the West Coast.
WRAP exists to expose and eliminate the
root causes of civil-and human-rights abuses
of people experiencing poverty and
homelessness in our communities. WRAP was
founded with the belief that social change
comes through building power, and that
poor and homeless people are part of the
solution. We are dedicated to exposing the
roots of the housing crisis, building pressure
for more just federal priorities, and
defending the human and civil rights of
low-income people.
The Oregon Opportunity Network. The
network is made up of more than 90
organizations and
members in Oregon
Oregon
dedicated to
creating and
preserving low-income housing throughout
Oregon.
OW&r*
"We love the Rose City
Resource guide and our
clients find them to be very
helpful and always ask for
them. Many of our clients
are losing their jobs right
now in this economy and
are not aware of what kind
of resources there are out
there.”
— SUE GANO,
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA