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Education ^Dialogue * Independence
DIRECTOR'S
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By Israel Bayer
T ’ve been an avid baseball fan all my
I life. Growing up in industrial Illinois,;
JL right across the river from S t Louis,
baseball was introduced to me at a very
young age.
Day after day, and night after night my
friends and I would play for hours on
end, sandlot baseball games in the
neighborhood. Eventually, I would go on
to play the sport until a rotator cuff ,
injury and eventually surgery ended the
dream of playing baseball under the
nighttime lights. More than any other
game in my mind, baseball mimics life.
I grew up watching and listening to
the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas
City Royals in the summertime, and had
the pleasure as a kid of watching both of
those great teains win a World Series m
the 1980s. My friends and I would stay
up late at night and argue who was the
better center fielder, Willie Wilson or
Willie McGee.
I still love the game,. I check box
scores daily and regardless of What has
been going on in my life, for better or
worse, baseball has remained a constant.
I still to this day listen to both the
Cardinals and Royals games online and
travel to Seattle at least once a year to
catch a series.
> I’ve lived in Portland on and off for
the last 10-years. I try to catch the
Memphis Redbirds when they come to
town, and that has nothing to do with
the Beavers and more to do with my
_
hometown team. The Redbirds, were in
town this week for a four-game series, I
was to busy to catch a game. I suppose
I’ll, have to wait until'next year. Point
being, minor league baseball - not a
priority. x
Many of our vendors are also avid
sports fans, including baseball. We took a
straw poll in the office’and ask if vendors
ever went to the games and if Portland
should save the Beavers. Several
vendors said they stand outside the left
field wall at- different times during the
summer and watch the games •for free,
but they on very rare occasions have the
time or money to go see a game.
Out o flb vendors Street Roots I
talked to none of them felt one way or
the other about the Beavers staying in
Portland. After telling them it may cost
the city $42 million dollars to keep the
team and it may affect affordable housing
in the Lents neighborhood - every single
one of them said, “$42 million dollars?”
.Yes, $42 million dollars. “No way!” I
couldn’t agree more.
AT ISSUE: AFFORDABLE HOUSING
ACT
NOW
Steps you can take to make a difference
Action needed to preserve the 30 percent TIF set-aside for
affordable housing in the Urban Renewal Areas
The City Council is currently considering relaxing the set aside for the Lents Urban Renewal
District in order to fund a $42 million minor league baseball stadium. This stadium proposal is
.the first big test for the set aside. Please take action by contacting all five members of Portland
City Council-
What you can do:
Please email Portland City Council Members
, Commissioner Randy Leonard rleonard@ci.portland.otus
Commissioner Dan Saltzman dan@ci.portland.or.us
Commissioner Amanda Fritz amanda@ci.portland.or.us
Please tell them:
> There are many competing needs that the citizens of the City of Portland have-during these tough times. There are transportation needs,
employment needs and economic development needs. .
• In this time, we must secure affordable housing for seniors, people with disabilities and hardworking families. If we don't preserve the TIF
30 percent set-aside in all URA districts these vulnerable people will be forced out of neighborhoods by rising property values.
* < If the Portland City Council is serious about making Portland family-friendly; creating affordable housing for families is a must.
The Rose City Resource goes online
If you've ever found yourself in need of social services, you know how confusing it all can be. Long I t e , limited
hours, seemingly arbitrary eligibility criteria, going from place to place to connect the dots in hopes of getting the
: help you need.
.
' . -
. The Rose City Resource makes it all just a little bit easier.-The - *
1 OO-page booklet records the hours and locations of basic services
including shelters, meals, and health clinics, as well as advocacy and
. long-term solutions such as recovery programs, legal aid, and
transitional housing. The guide includes more than 350-fistings in
Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties and is now
available in both English and Spanish. Every year, the pocket-size
guide, helps thousands of individuals and families independently
access the services they need.
Row, the Rose City Resource is available online with, an expanded
"Know Your Rights" section and an extensive "Policy" page.to share
the facts about Homelessness and poverty. Read more about it on,
page 3 of this edition of the paper, or check it out for yourself at www.rosecityresource.org. .
The Rose City Resource is partially funded through partnerships with the City of Portland and 21T Info. But to keep
updating and publishing this all-in-one resource, Street Roots needs community support. The guides are more
important than ever. While programs are Shifting and shrinking, many people are finding themselves in need of
services for the first time. Your support will keep the Rose City Resource in the hands of The people who need them.
Donations of any size are welcome! We are also looking for Rose City Sponsorships of
$1,000 - $5,000. For more information, call Israel Bayer ai-503-228-5657.
Street Roots
211 NW Davis S t
Portland, OR 97209
Return service requested.
Commissioner Nick Fish nick@ci.poftland.or.us
Mayor Sam Adams http://www.portiandonline..com/mayor/index.
cf m?action=Updateltem&category_id=1022&c=49271
| I
SUPPORT STREET ROOTS
AND THE ROSE CITY RESOURCE GUIDE
With a contribution of:
$35 $50 $100 $250 $500
$
Send your check to:
Street Roots, 211 NW Davis, Portland, OR, 97209
Street Roots is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. Your donation may be tax deductible.
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Or donate securely online at www.streetroots.org