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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2011)
6 street roots * V/ Seattle earmarks ftinds for camping pilot program BY A M Y ROE C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R he Seattle City Council’s proposed 2012 budget contains some good news for those living in their cars. The budget package includes $20,000 to fund case management services for a Safe Parking Pilot program at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church in Ballard. The money will pay for an outreach worker to help car campers get connected to resources, including permanent housing. The church has agreed to provide parking spaces and washroom facilities, but funding for outreach was the missing piece. City Councilmember Mike O’Brien sought the money for outreach for the pilot program from the city's human services budget. He said the pilot, modeled after a program in Eugene, Ore., is a stopgap. A similar idea has been brought up in discussions around homeless options in Portland as well. However, no formal proposal has been brought forward. O’Brien said the city of Seattle is committed to transitioning people out of homelessness, but there’s not enough housing to meet the current need. Not everyone embraced the idea. At a recent budget hearing, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen said car camping is dangerous and complicated, and the city should focus on other methods to help the homeless. “I have tried camping in a car and it is not comfortable,” Rasmussen said. “Most cars are not suited for sleeping or living, unless you’re in a really large car.” Advocates for the homeless have sought support for car campers for years. Ballard a Homes For All started in 24)07-after state Rep. .Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle) called community members together to address Ballard’s -growing homeless population. Dickerson secured $10,000 for a ear camping pilot program but that money must be used by Spring 2012. Reprinted from Street Roots sister paper, Real Change News, Seattle, Wash. Nov. 25, 2011 A hard worker with a native tenacity BY COLE MERKEL STAFF W R IT E R Portlander in every sense of the word, Frank Hodges has never lived outside the Portland Metro area. He grew up in Southeast and now resides in Southwest His lifetime spent in the same city has given Frank a window to Portland’s growth as well as a strong sense of pride that can only be possessed by a native Oregonian. “I’ve seen Portland double in size,” says Frank. “It’s a great place to live but it’s cursed. Oregon and Washington always have the highest unemployment rates, they’re the last ones to recover and of the 50 biggest cities in America, Portland always has the hardest time coming back from the slump and I don’t know why. It’s a great place to live but it’s a struggle to find financial security.” Frank has worked hard his entire life. He spent 25 years as a mover until 2009 when B Frank Hodges P H O T O BY COLE M ER K EL he could no longer do it. He also worked as a janitor for a few years in the 1970s. After he got out of the moving business, Frank’s plan had been to return to janitorial work, but he found a different reality from the career he left. “All the janitorial contractors are non- tell them it’s going for rent, not drugs or alcohol.” “The most important thing in my life is the well-being of my soul,” says Frank. “The second is my body and the third is to make a living and being loved and loving as many benefits, wîrcanTgerâSyTiQiïc^jp^"™ you’re minimum wage, you’ve got to work three different buildings to get enough hours... In other words, to make a long \ story short, that doomed my plan.” Street Roots, Frank says, is the best job he has ever had. “I like the freedom this give? me. I’ve always been a bit of an introvert but this has brought me out a lot more. I like meeting nice people. I’ve got some nice regulars. They encourage your faith in the human race.” To be a good vendor, Frank says patience is his virtue. He stands with his papers six hours a day, seven days a week in order to x pay his rent. “I appreciate their . consideration. I always thank people,” Frank says of his customers. “I’m very specific, I Hodges has never been homeless and never wants to be. “It scares me,” he says. “I don’t need a Beverly Hills mansion but I’ve got to have a place to bathe, a place to sleep at night, I’ve get to have a change of clothes, use deodorant. I’ve got to b e , human.” That is why he dedicates so much of his time to selling Street Roots. " “I’m a businessman,” he says. “This is my living. To me it’s abusiness, that’s why I’m clean-shaven. I try to be a gentleman out here. I’m representing the company and a product. Whether you sell Rolls Royces, real, estate or a one dollar paper, you’re still dealing with the public.” On his turf, Nordstrom at Southwest Broadway and Yamhill, Frank has had difficulty with panhandlers infringing upon his business. “You pay your dues out here to hang oh to a spot,” says Frank, whose sales philosophy is to quietly present up his papers with a smile, sometimes greeting his customers with a hello. People downtown, h e . s ta y s - ¡ a p p ^ p a f ^ donate if they feel moyed to. Frank neyer plans on moving away from Oregon. “I love the beauty of thè planet Earth and I think the Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I think it’s prettier than the Grand Canyon.” . There are three factors that make him love the Northwest so much: its scenic . beauty, the friendly people — especially for a big city — and the cleanliness of Portland. “We have some of the best drinking water, sortie of the most breathable air. We have every climate in Oregon except tropical. It’s one of the most beautiful piaces te live in the world,” Frank says. “I consider myself blessed to be here.” I www.streetroots.wordpress.com Answers to puzzles on page 15 VENDOR WORK ADS Tibor S.: Available for any labor w o rk, around a house. 1-201-539-1888. Cassidy Mojse: Looking for work. W ilf do most anything, light and heavy. $10 an hour, foik-h ou r minimum. References supplied. Please call 503-224-5398 or Street Roots at 503-228-5657 Vendor Wish List Donations keep Street Roots and bur vendors working by keeping our operating costs low. ■ Socks 1 ■ Lil H otties ■ 'P a p e r cups ■ H ygiene fe rn s ■ T riM e t bus tickets/passes ■ Printer paper ■ T o ile t paper, ■ Tow els j ■ First-aid supplies Laura Owens: Available fo r domestic-type work, cleaning, dog w alking, etc. Please call L Z L 8 6 9 8 P 8 9 8 8 Z P L 6 9 Ì 9 P 6 9 8 L 8 L Z L 8 P 6 9 Z 8 8 L 8 9 Z L 1 8 9 6 P 6 9 L P 9 8 L Z 8 P L 9 8 Z 6 L 8 9 8 6 9 L L P Z 9 8 Z L 8 9 8 9 P V 6 Steet Roots, 503-228-5657 and leave a message for Laura regarding w ork ad. COBRECTIOMS Street Roots strives for accuracy, but we're human. So we also strive to correct errors in our paper whenever possible. Please report any errors to our managing editor, Joanne Zuhl, at 503-228-5657, or write to joanne@streetroots.org CENTRAL CITY Changing Lives Building Communities Seeing new faces selling Street Roots? Each week, more people sign up to become a Street Roots vendor and It's great to support new salesmen. Please make sure you buy from a badged vendor, confirming that they have "attended the vendor orientation and are authorized to sell the newspaper. Your vendor will thank you! Creating Opportunities www.centicâcityconœm.org 503-294-1681
