Street roots., June 12, 2009, Page 15, Image 15

»
CEX.EBSATING Ä BBÇAPE -
street roots
Education ♦ Dialogue ♦ Independence
o ,
Homeless by
bureaucracy
ake a good look at the faces on page 8. They
reflect the faces of today’s homeless population -
right before they become homeless.
They are not the faces of people who are lazy,
addicted or chose the streets. They are among the tens
of thousands of the people who are working hard, right
now, to get a solid footing during the most difficult
economic conditions of our lifetimes.
They are not about to become homeless because they
failed, but because they system they relied upon, the
one they were directed to, failed them.
By July 1, the funding need to keep the family on
■ '
page 8 in housing, to offset
their disabilities while they
Immediate action by
recover, to keep their
HUD Is required.
children in good schools
Regardless of who is to
and a stable environment,
blame for the mishaps
will disappear, as it will for
bureaucratically, HUD
284 other recipients of
has the ability to right
Section 8 housing
the wrongs in this
assistance in Clatsop,
specific instance.
_
Columbia and Tillamook
counties* The blame
ricochets between the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development HUD and the Northwest Oregon
Housing Authority, which distributes the Section 8
assistance to the poor, disabled and elderly in the
three-county region. But lost in the numbers game both
agencies play, are the families that will pay with their
lives.
For the past four years, HUD, and by proxy Congress,
has directed its attentions, money and public relations
around a cam paign to end chronic h o m elessn ess - a
strict category of people who have been homeless at
length or repeatedly over the Course of several years. It
promoted solutions through a nationwide canopy of
10-year plans to end homelessness, channeling funds
for the homeless and addiction, and on its virtue touted
numbers and platitudes to extole the Bush
administration’s commitment to ending the plight of
the down-and-out. None of which did a thing for the 285
people and their families who received letters in
Northwest Oregon informing them that they won’t get
the assistance they have qualified for, waited years for, ,
and deserve. Despite the demonstrated need, and
unprecedented economic calamities, the federal system
will not continue to pay for the service it exists to
render. That is the machinery of poverty that is still
grinding away behind the Obama administration.
Immediate action by HUD is required. Regardless of
who is to blame for the mishaps bureaucratically, HUD
has the ability to right the wrongs in this specific
instance. Moreso, HUD and the administration need to
finda way to correct the broken system.
For three decades we have been treating poor people
and homelessness as if they were the problem - this
kind of thinking institutionally has to end.
Locally, City Commissioner Nick Fish and other
politicians that champion these issues need to move on
promises to-reform the Section 8 program in Oregon,
where landlords can discriminate against renting to
recipients of such assistance.
For the many families throughout Oregon that will be
kicked to the curb as of July 1, it’s death by a thousand
cuts. The short-sighted approach taken to date leaves
too much room for scapegoating the people caught in
the cracks; people like the ones on page 8, who
deserve to be more than a statistic.
Street Roots takes the next step:
Joining the Portland Business Alliance
or more than 10 years, Street Roots
organizers who have been in the game a lot
has battled with the Portland
longer than we have. In all of our
Business Alliance in a public arena
accomplishments over the past we’ve yet to
and behind the scenes about such issues create
as
a formula that works in the context
the oversight of private security downtown
of how exactly to end the injustices pointed
and the sit-lie law - both of whichwe
at people sleeping in a doorway.
haven’t moved an inch
Street Roots supports tent cities, we have
On.
helped organize rallies and direct actions,
we mobilize people to write letters, and
DIRECTOR'S the«
help attorney’s working on these issues be
DESK
oversight of th e .
in a better position to challenge many of the
private police
laws targeting homeless folks.
By Israel Bayer
downtown, especially
We also have put together an extensive
considering
package (www.rosecityresource.org) of laws
thousands of park
targeting the poor and how to combat those
exclusions are handed laws together in one place for community
out annually. And we still believe the sit-lie
organizers, homeless folks and other
law is inhumane and a gross violation of
activists. And still to this day, offer office
individual’s civil rights.
space and resources (computers, printers,
Still, the work Street Roots represents
coffee) to groups organizing around these
through the vendor program and Rosé City
issues on the ground.
Resource guide spans out beyond these
Saying all that, we feel like its time to
issues alone. More than 80 vendors sell the
engage the community in a new way. Will it
newspaper in front of businesses
lead to all of the answers we have on the
throughout the Portland región - many of
issues of homelessness and poverty? No.
which are downtown. Vendors and Street
But it will allow for us to break out of a
Roots have built relationships with business
stalemate that has led to a breakdown of
owners and their cliental. It makes
trust and communication on the homeless
absolutely no sense that we work with many - front and with the broader community. ?
of the businesses the Alliance represents
Homeless groups can’t flinch or even
that we are not members and to take the
think about working with the Portland
steps to create more formal relationships.
Business Alliance in open for fear of being
By joining the Alliance we will be in a better called sell outs or talked about in the press
position to work with and engage
as being lap dogs for big interest This
businesses downtown.
environment has led to a smoke and
Street Roots will in no way, shape or •
mirrors game of veiled secrecy and mistrust
form be beholden to the Alliance or will it
behind the scenes among many of the
change our editorial and social justice
homelessness groups. This has to change.
presence on important issues effecting
We’re taking the first steps publicly to
people experiencing homelessness and
say it’s OK to be a grassroots homeless
8
S
STREET ROOTS’ EDITORIAL BOARD
The views expressed in the editorials in Street Roots are
ari the
consensus of members of the editorial board and
contributing volunteers.
p o v erty city w id e.
,
Street Roots has never been an
organization that followed trends. Why start
now?
Street Roots has been working on the
front lines of homelessness for 10 years and
have been mentored by some amazing
o rgan ization w ork in g w ith th e P B A and to
move beyond the tired rhetoric. -
Without an open relationship with
everyone touching these issues people
experiencing homelessness lose, period.
And that’s not what Street Roots is about
It’s time to turn over a new leaf.
‘Shock waves' article resonates with reader
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Street Roots
encourages readers
to submit letters
and columns for
publication. Letters
to the editor may
be submitted to the
Street Roots office,
211 NW Davis St.,
Portland, OR 97209,
faxed to 503-227-
3117 or
e-mailed to *
streetroots
©email.com. Please
address your
submissions as
letters to the editor.
work has brought me into the "company of
ay.I.say that the reportage quality
ethical people. To be sure I labored long
and content of Street Roots has
and hard on the road to self respect I
risen to an extraordinary level? I
thank you all for the insight and effort worked to overcome but not forget the pain,
worked to heal the wound but remember
present in each edition.
the scar, worked to recognize the, anger but
I am moved to respond to the May 28
piece “Shockwaves,” describing the state of reject violence to myself or my community.
Know this too. The awareness of what
homelessness evidenced by veterans. I too
war does to us is borne by all. In speaking
am a Viet Nam Ura veteran. I served with
with civilians aiid soldiers here in the US,
the 1st Aviation Brigade supporting Fire -
in Vietnam and Israel I know we feel it. The
Base Bronco near Due Pho, south of Quang
aware acknowledge that feeling, the
Ngai and My Lai.
wounded suffer it and the wise heal in the
What affected me most in the piece by
Mara Grunbaum is the portrait of what is j learning from it. I wish peace and healing to
all of the brothers and sisters who suffer it.
missing. The words of each veteran
Respect them - they áre our teachers.
interviewed or quoted seemed to carry the
” .
JOHN MILLIKEN
pain of self worth laid low by betrayal. Some
Portland
may have suffered the wound of deceit early
in life, some during their tour of duty or>
others after separation from the service.
'Hie fact of the matter is that we, as a
community, tend not to value or respect
those who stumble ànd fall. Each person
who carries the burden of such a wound
s a baseball fan all my life I have to
does not need pity - empathy and respect
agree with yotir position on the
are required - to enable them.to get back
Beavers and Lents (Street Roots,
up. Most of all each veteran needs time,
May 29, editorial). It is sad that it has
space and support to discover their value as turned out that, way. We occasionally get
a member of our community. The prize of
ticked for the guys in our shelter and some
that effort is self, re sp ec t- not an easy gift
of them are avid fans too and really enjoy
to open or embrace. And it may be
the games.
impossible to realize it when it is hidden by
(By the way, Willie McGee was the better
homelessness, denial or addiction.
center fielder.)
RICKSTOLLER
For my part I am fortunate. I have had
Director, Salvation Army
good teachers. I am in the company of solid
. Portland
friends. Iam graced by a fine family. My
■
Baseball fans love the game,
but hate the deal *
■