Street roots., April 13, 2012, Page 6, Image 6

6
street roots
April 13, 2012
New center downtown
will serve homeless
and at-risk veterans
STAFF REPORTS
A new facility for veterans will open its
ZA doors April 16 in hopes of reaching
‘Never give
up on hope'
A hom eless and those at risk of
becoming homeless.
The new Community Referral and
Resource Center, or CRRC, will open in
the heart of Portland’s downtown, on the
Red and Blue Max Line, at the corner of
First Avenue and Oak Street. Portland was
one of 15 cities across the country to be
selected for a CRRC, a pilot project of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The VA can be a complex and
overwhelming system for people,” says
Program Director Cathy Spofford. “The
goal was one-stop shopping in an area that
was accessible to people.”
Spofford said the CRRC will be a place
where veterans can connect with services
for housing, employment, physical and
mental health care. There will be four
social workers on sight, peer support
specialists, and channels to housing
through the VA’s shelter bed support and
the federal Veterans Affairs Supportive
Housing program.
“We’re moving a lot of services into one
spot downtown where people who are
homeless or at risk of being homeless can
access it,” Spofford says it the new facility
will bring services that might otherwise
have to travel to the VA Medical Center on
“the hill” at OHSU. “It might be easier
than going to Vancouver or up to the hill.”
Eventually, Spofford says, the site will
have a computer bank for employment and
housing searches and a clothing closet.
“We don l want to To o e a l a ny ser vic es that
are out there, but we’re trying to fill the
gaps that veterans might have,” Spofford
says.
JL
BY COLE MERKEL
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
illie Bradford has strong, defined
features: large hands, broad
shoulders, a tall body, a deep voice
and a big smile. When Bradford speaks, his
words trail out softly. He smiles a lot and
laughs often, alluding to a calm, collected
sense of spirit that he has found over the
course of 56 years of life.
W
t
IO IO
IO W W IO
Willie Bradford
“It feels good when you’ve peace in your
life,” Bradford says. “We all have problems
but I never give up on hope. That’s one of
my things: never give up on hope for
nothing.”
Three elements that truly drive
Bradford’s existence are spirituality, sports
and community, which tend to overlap.
He finds community through his
customers and sometimes exchanges
spiritual literature for the newspaper with
his more religious customers. “That’s a fun
thing because I like to read,” says Bradford.
Mostly, though, Bradford’s approach to
community involves getting the message of
as many Street Roots into the community as
possible.
“The vendors get the newspaper, we give
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it helps a lot of homeless people have hope
— the ones that really want to do something
for themselves as a way out. Street Roots
will help you if you want to help yourself.
It’s a very good paper.”
After growing up in Chicago, Bradford
moved to the Pacific Northwest to play a
few seasons of basketball at Washington
State University. He has umpired baseball,
works out often, and likes to bowl. He says
he keeps his mind sharp by playing a lot of
chess. Bradford, married with three grown
sons, says he would like to coach basketball
some day and has a dream of going back to
school to become a physical education
teacher. Until then, he is considering taking
a few classes to improve his computer skills.
Thanks in part to Northwest Pilot
Project, and “by the grace of God,”
Bradford is back in housing after a period of
homelessness. The newspaper helps him
supplement his rent payments. “I really
wanted to sell the newspaper because I
really like to work. I like relating to people.
It’s really a good thing for me.”
Bradford can be found most days selling
near Voodoo Donuts on Southwest Second
Avenue. Stop by and say hello.
P H O T O BY COLE
MERKEL
Donations keep Street Roots and our vendors
working by keeping our operating costs low.
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Paper cups
Hygiene items
Towels
First-aid supplies
■ TriMet bus
tickets/passes
■ Printer paper
Answers to puzzles on page 15
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Metro Candidates Housing Forum
Candidates fo r Metro addressed an audience a t the First Unitarian Church on A bril Q m t„ib „ h » ,, i,
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sponsored by Oregon Opportunity Network, JOIN, 211Info and Street Roots. Left to right are D i ^ r t h^ Usm^ s\ ues: The discussion was
Bob Stacey; District 5 candidates Terry Parker, Helen Ying, Michael Durrow and
candidates Jonathan P. Levine anc
The candidates were each asked the same questions on issues o f a f f o r d a b l e ^
3 candidate Craig Dirksen.
transportation and other com m unity development opportunities with housing equity
zo n in g gentrification a n d blending