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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2011)
Street roots 13 ÎÜJLLilUJÜJD ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ playing in my head and heart Dec. 23,2011 n Dec. 6 ,1 got the call from Emily Hutchinson, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) from the Veterans housing. She asked me, “Any word yet?” I replied, “No.” But they did say it would take two weeks. So, tomorrow I’m going to call Home Forward. Emily Leo Rhodes is a street activist and homeless advocate. He is suggested I call The Morrison to see if they also a vendor with Street Roots and a regular conributer to the newspaper. passed inspection so I could move in. I called The Morrison and Amanda felt like yelling out loud, “Hey everybody! I answered. I told her who 1 was and that I got housing!!! But instead, I started texting. was waiting on word to find out if I could I even texted my friends in Seattle, Wa. move in. She informed me that Dan, the Some of them texted back asking, “Who’s manager, wasn’t in. Then she said, “I’ll call this?” Leo Rhodes, I texted them back. him and ask him.” My texts were coming in as fast as I was My heart sank. I’ve heard this many sending them o u t Great, wonderful and times. It always ends up with, “Sorry we congratulations were some of the replies couldn’t accept you.” But this was an that I got back. Commissioner Nick Fish inspection. Either way, I knew from my was at the forum. I passed him a note. Then experiences that something was going to I sat down to watch his reaction. He almost prevent me from getting into housing. jumped out of his chair. The person next to Amanda asked for my number. “I don’t him must have asked him what was going on know it.” I asked if I could call her back. because they both looked at me and smiled. “Yes, in about an hour,” she said. Commissioner Fish asked, “When is the I thought, good, that will give me some house warming?” I shrugged my shoulders time before the mayoral candidate forum on and replied, “I don’t know.” He replied, “Be housing. About an hour later I called sure you tell me, I’ll be there.” I introduced Amanda back. She told me she called Dan him to Emily Hutchinson, the woman at and that he was waiting for a reply. Aahg! VASH who helped me through the process This is killing me! Wait, wait, wait I gave of securing housing. Later, Emily asked me Amanda my cell number. She said she’d call if I thought he’d actually show up at my me as soon as she got word. place. Yes, I said. I went to the forum. I imagined myself I spent the next two hours thinking about getting the call of acceptance. I imagined what I have been through. I really couldn’t myself yelling, “I got housing!” No, that’s dwell on it too much because I had a not my style. I mingled a little, then sat documentary to finish. It was difficult to down and put my cell ringer on low. Halfway focus on the documentary. Images of the through the forum, I got the call. past and future kept going through my mind. In a low voice I said, “Hello, this is Leo.” Images of the past, where it all started on Amanda kept asking, “Leo Rhodes? Leo my reservation: The Gila River Indian Rhodes?” I went outside. Reservation. There were many deaths that “Hello, this is Leo Rhodes,” I said., came to mind. One in particular was the Amanda told me the inspection passed, so I death of my nephew. He kept asking me, for had housing. Alright. Yes. Cool. She asked help to get out of gang banging and drinking when I wanted to move in. Tomorrow, I said. too much alcohol. Long story short for him. “Tomorrow?” She asked. I said,, “Yep.” He convinced me that he was ready to give Amanda asked, “How does 10:30 sound? up his old lifestyle. I told him I would take Come in and we’ll finish the paperwork.” some time off from work the next day and 10:30 it was. we would start working on it. The next day I was sitting in the forum. There were never came for him. He was shot hours after about 10 of my friends sitting around me. I I told him this. I was next door and camé O back soon after it happened. I patched him up and then waited for the ambulance to come. When the ambulance came, they refused to come in and work on my nephew. Protocol said they needed a cop there to continue. Even though we told them there was no danger, they still refused to come in and help. So, I watched my nephew die twice. My nephew was just starting out on his life. He was 18 years and one month old, smart, and now he is gone. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about this. I’ve seen and heard the cruelty of humanity when I, and others, wanted to start a tent city in the suburbs of Seattle. Non-homeless people, homeless people, church leaders, elected officials, and business people —everybody told me I was crazy. It will never happen. Same thing with indoor and outdoor shelters. The stereotypes always come into the conversation. I’ve heard and seen many men and women crying out of frustration. My homeless friends ask me why people would say such cruel things about them. They would always end with, “They don’t even know us.” If there was no tent City, I would try an indoor shelter — which were usually full. Others had some restrictions which I didn’t m eet Being on the street was even rougher. You’re constantly looking for a safe, dry place to sleep. It could be two, three, or four o’clock in the morning. This is also the time that the rent-a-cops usually hit me. In the summertime, the heat was really bad. I used to throw a blanket over me. If I didn’t, the bugs would crawl all over me. I also felt safer for some reason. The summertime, I felt, was a lot more dangerous. There were more people out and youthwere out and about. By the youth, I mean the non-homeless youth. Most of them have no respect for the homeless. I was talking to a youth counselor the other day. He told me he couldn’t understand why the youth had this bad way of thinking toward homeless people. I told him it’s the media. Look at how they portray us — dirty, grungy, uneducated, low-lifes. We’re not all Fallen Off the Edge Willamette Week’s » give .' guidez O i l Street Roots is proud to be a part of the Willamette Week GivelGuide this year. From Nov. 9 to Dec. 31, you can give a donation to Street Roots through the GivelGuide and get some great gifts in return! M ission: Street Roots creates income opportunities fo r people experiencing homelessness a n d poverty by producing a newspaper and other m edia that are catalysts fo r individu alan d social change. Canning jars & equipment, cookware, kitchen tools & appliances M irador . A new book by A rt Garcia "Fallen Off the Edge" is a chronicle of one man's experiences after returning from the Vietnam War. Told through the eyes of Street Roots columnist Art Garcia, this book celebrates the major victories born from a series of questionable choices. Art's jocular storytelling takes the reader along with him in and out of the California prison system over the course of 10 years until he found the strength and courage to pull himself up from the fall. The book is available online at www. blurb.com under searchword Art Garcia. like th at It has been proven recently, with Right 2 Dream Too. All of the negative stuff, I got from decision makers, the weather, the struggles of homelessness. The big one — sleep, a safe, secure place to go — got to me. Wade Varner, for a long time was telling me, if I needed a place to sleep, he had a couch for me. About a year ago, I took him up on the offer. I’ve been writing for Street Roots and also learned how to make documentaries. Wade would remind me of my health an<j that I needed to take care of myself. Then there’s Wilbur Melton, an Alaskan Native, my Native brother that I used to drink with on the streets of Portland. He’s clean and sober now and helping other Natives and homeless people. On Dec. 7 .1 went to finalize my paperwork to get my own apartment. I haven’t had my own place since 2001. Dan, the manager, asked if I had the money or a check for the place. “I don’t,” was my reply. “Emily is on the way, she’ll know about that,” I told him. I knew there was something to prevent me from going inside. I stood there, my backpack and coats still on, ready to leave. Emily came in and reassured the manager that he would be paid. We started the paperwork. I still didn’t believe I was going to get the apartment I took some pictures. I still have my coats on. I was ready for someone to say, “I’m sorry, we can’t do this.” For about 10 years, I’ve signed affidavits for the homeless. The first six contracts were for Tent City 4 .1 was the treasurer for SHARE/WHEEL in Seattle, so I signed for items for the jwo tent cities there, 15 indoor shelters, housing for work programs and other programs as needed. Now I was signing for me and only me. It feels weird. Transition isn’t easy. But during the signing, a song kept going through my mind. The song is, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” The next part is my own home. Happy Holidays! COMMUNITY y h & Organic cotton sheets, towels, & blankets N atural Kitchen & Home Food dryers 2106 SE Division Books on meat-free cooking, gardening & sustainability 503»231*5175 niiradorconm iunitystore.com M on-Sat 10-6 • Sun 11-5 Juicers I www.wweek.com/giveguide I coffee bean IN T E R N A T IO N A L ’ community. The paper gives m e some- & L * ¿S MB & has also helped me make ‘ > important connections to better my We tip our mugs to Coffee Bean International for donating coffee to Street Roots and keeping our vendors warm in the morning! Thank you! coffee bean IN T E R N A T IO N A L *
