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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2009)
w c e l e b r a t in g a d ec a d e ’15 Street roots Education * Dialogue * Independence • g B f W ì f l f f O ì i Ä M I Ä f c Tough times demand tougher papers We're losing ground; Time to charge n Portland the housing options for the poorest in our town has declined by 23 percent, while the same options for the more affluent gained nearly 12 percent. Statewide we have the dubious distinction of being, per capita, No. 1 in the nation’for homelessness, No. 2 in unemployment, and No. 3 in hunger1.. As the largest metropolitan area in Oregon, Portland has a responsibility to push beyond and say this is not acceptable. The city and the county have both more or less accepted the stimulus dollars for homelessness and housing as pet projects, like weatherization and building improvements for affordable housitig, without thinking creatively. Street In a rash toward Roots gets the sense that superficial the Portland region took improvements, long term strategic thinking what it could get from the Federal Government, and is being lost - like creating a bond or levy the idea that there was for affordable housing. capacity to build or an alternative strategy for stimulus dollars was never on the table. The decision to merge the Bureau ofTfousing and Community Development and portions of the Portland Development Comtfiission into the Portland Housing Bureau was done in a rush. The merger has taken place m orejir Jess without a housing director after the ' former director resigned-and months lapsed without any real leadership. There’s been very little merger and there’s a growing sense am ong hom eless and housing advocates that, more times than not these days, we find ourselves on the outside looking in when it comes to crafting real strategies to combating homelessness and poverty. In a rush toward superficial improvements, long-term strategic thinking is being lost •- like creating a bond or levy for affordable housing. Last week, Street Roots received a two-page report highlighting the mid-year accomplishments of the 10-year plan to end homelessness. On paper, the report looks great. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an environment where reports dictate reality. What the report, didn’t note is the fact that homelessness is increasing and the inventory of affordable housing units is decreasing rapidly citywide. And the economy kinder which this plan and goals were created has disappeared. We don’t speak these truths without thinking about what we saying. We realize both the city and county have gone to the wall to create smart and effective budgets for 2009-10 thatholds the levies on these issues. We’re just know that the crest in the river is a long way off, and in order to maintain a sustainable revenue stream that thrusts us ahead of the curve it’s going to take more than the status quo. As a city, we’ve become very skilled at our own PR. But just below the surface are some very disturbing re a litie sa n d no, it isn’t that we don’t have a new minor league baseball stadium, or consensus on the new look for the Made in Oregon sign. And it certainly' isn’t that there are young people hanging out downtown. It’s that we seem to be in denial that we can simply ride out the tough times and plan for the good. Efforts to stem this tide years ago, such as the set aside in urban renewal districts, are being squandered. Piecemeal, these efforts will always be vulnerable. It’s time for the city to make a serious commitment to affordable housing. Make the charge, Portland, and invest in this city’s future for all. H I STREET ROOTS’ EDITORIAL BOARD The views expressed in the editorials in Street Roots are the consensus of members of the editorial board and -contributing volunteers. aving a successful street newspaper in streets to better craft their-message and our town is a privilege. Not every city . publish their works. has the ability to reach out and build Street Roots welcomes two new columns relationships with folks on the streets and into the paper this issue. The first of which is become engaged with from vendor and homeless activist Leo issues the public might Rhodes, who sells the newspaper in the g otherwise he aloof too. Hollywood neighborhood, the other from the Next issue I will cover Mental Health Association of Portland. They It why supporting Street bring us a new perspective, and spur dialogue SB K Roóts from the vendor and action. perspective is Much of the newspapers success isdue to important, but this B y Israel Bayer the hard work of Managing Editor Joanne week I want to talk Zuhl, arid a team of hungry and willing about the newspaper. (mostly volunteer) reporters, copyeditors and While many other writers who have set out to prove that a small newspapers in town are surviving on “gotcha” stfeet newspaper in Portland, Oregon, does journalism, publishing the same stories as have a seat at the table and its voice is every th eir Counterparts and reproducing what has bit as valuable as other for-profit newspapers already been reported the night before online in town who shape the way we view politics - Street Roots delivers Portlanders something and culture. tangible and real. Saying all of this, we need your support In the past six months, Street Roots has Stfeet Roots raised nearly 10,000 of its covered the complexities of the affordable 15,000 goal in the first two weeks of our housing business - including indépth annual summer drive. Thank you. But times reporting on how and why Portland and so v are tough andjust getting tougher. Without many other cities find themselves on the your support we will not be able t a maintain short end of the stick when it comes to at the level we have over Jthe past year. We building and maintaining housing for poor aftd simply can’t do it without you. While your working class families. support of your neighborhood vendor means' We’ve reported and helped create a that you give af least $26 a year to Street campaign to save 300 families in Northwest Roots, th e organization itself needs your help Oregon that morphed into a nationwide effort as well. It takes money to produce a / to save thousands of Section 8 housing units newspaper and to maintain an office - 365 iñ five states. (See “Feds extend $30 million” days out of the year for vendors to have on page 3) access and a place to take a load off. We’ve worked hard to engage readers on We aren’t asking you to throw money a t ari th e growing immigrant and refugee organization that is in décliné. We aré asking community, or as our friend Polo at the Asian you to give money to nn organization that Reporter puts it, the new Portland. Feature < operates on a small budget and offers a multi stories on new Portlanders - including the faceted (Rose City Resource Guide, Cambodian, Mexican, Indonesian and multi1 newspaper, vendor program, drop-in center) national African communities, including tb e :: approach to solving homelessness and feature story in this issue, have been at the poverty. We are asking you to give to an heart of Street Roots editorial coverage this organization that will put your money to work past year. We won’t stop there. Street Roots - - for you, the reader and for the hundreds of will continue torc<)Ver the many different people who rely on us day iri and day out for a cultufai ¿oriitnUnities that make up our hand up, and not a hand out. We’re looking to interesting and unique city. you to help us continue on. We also won’t shy away from reporting the Your donation this summer will help Street facts even when it may be uncomfortable for a Roots to: small non-profit that is. trying to survive in a ■ Get the news out to 10,000 readers every other week - covering the issues that world where everyone knows someone and teUing the truth sometimes means putting affect real people every day journalism before profit margins. From the ■ Provide an income for 80 men and women experiencing homelessness and coverage on the sit-lie and anti-camping / poverty in Portland ordinances to imdepth looks at addiction, sex workers and how our local government is - ■ Lead strategic campaigns that improve dealing with the current recession, we refuse the quality of life for residents with thé fewest to shy away from reporting the truth - even if resources ■/Connect thousands of low-income. i it means we won’t become a fan favorite in residents with vital services through the Rose many circles. City Resource ; , We also publish the voice of the people on Street Roots always relies on community the ground. From the controversial Addict’s Almanac about life on the streets as a heroin support This summer it’s more important addict, to the popular and heart wrenching > than ever. Thanks for giving what you can. Urban Gypsy column, written by a women You can make a check or money order out to Street Roots, 211 NW Davis, Portland, who recently became homeless, there’s a Oregon 97209 or donate online at www. story behind every story and we’re working streetroots.org. with artists, poets and writers on Portland’s WHAT DO YOU THINK? Street Roots encourages readers to submit letters and columns for publication. Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NW Davis St., Portland,. e-mailed to streetroots ©emaikcom. LETTERS An open letter to vendor John Alden scary, under harsh fluorescent lights, with strange beeping and clicking rioises in hospital corridors, and your only friends are the polite staff whose John Alden), I’m grateful one of your kind but distant demeanor are as patrons had the time and kindness to look at your finger and help you get - sterile and clinical as the needles they’re holding. treatment. . I don’t know you and I jdon’t know The reason I’m writing to you is your whole story, but I feel ÿôur pain. because I relate. From a distant end My story is completely different. I am of the spectrum of our small city, I 23 years old and I still havé family and understand what it feels liketo be friends who call. But on the day I alone in a hospital, and it is a soul learned I had blood clots I was alone. sucking experience. I was alone for eight hours in a Last year I developed blood clots in hospital, waiting, rushed in from a my leg after I broke it in three places doctor’s office who told me I might a few months before. I hadn’t been to die that day. I will never forget that a hospital since the day I was born, feelirig. I was angry, very angry, for a and in a year’s time, I’ve been to eight I’m sine you’re no stranger t o . long time because it doesn’t seem fair the healthcare system, as you struggle that these things happen to us. Maybe you should be able to get a • with vein issues of your own. Illness job that won’t hurt qr kill you after and pain are manageable, but it’s that your years of experience as a chef, o r feeling of being utterly alone that’s I read Elizabeth Schwartz’s depiction of your hospital story in Street Roots (July 10, Vendor Profile: as a culinary student in New York. Maybe I should be able to get a job as a young, motivated recent college graduate. Maybe you shouldn’t have to bé alone when you’re hurt or sick because your life has taken an unexpected turn. I don’t doubt if you had co-workers or neighbors, they would have been right by your side. Maybe my young body shouldn’t have the ailments of a sickly 80-year-old. All the shoulds and should nots take me right back to the ER and that’s a place I don’t want to be anymore. I’pa sorry you were lonely that day, but I hope you how realize you aren’t alone. Elizabeth Schwartz wrote your story for the world to see, and I listened. And I wrote .back. z GENEVIEVE KRAUSE Portland
