street roots
2
April 27, 2012
From Toronto to Portland, Street Roots is on the move
S
Homeless deaths report a
shot over the budget bow
t’s budget season, and a lot of numbers are bandied
about, nearly all in reference to cuts in funding for
programs. The statistical spaghetti of percentages to be
reduced, of dollars in decline and the speculative banter of
where and what might be salvaged is dizzying to the point of
distraction.
Beyond the halls of government, however, is the real world
where these numbers represent life or death, from its most
literal meaning to the Constitutional fulfillment of having a
productive, engaged and successful role in the community.
This past year, 47 people died homeless — literally — on our
city streets, our parks,
and the dark recesses
In the medical
they were reduced to.
That’s the findings of a
examiner's numbers is
the true measure of our new report on homeless
deaths by Multnomah
care or neglect of the
County, as tallied by the
safety net.
Multnomah County
Medical Examiner’s
office. Street Roots is proud to be partnering with the county
to publish the report, which sadly gives only a glimpse into
the harsh realities of people experiencing homelessness.
The report states, “While this is only a snapshot of the
complete picture, the data provides demographic information
about the people who are dying while homeless in our
community. It tells us that many who died experienced
violent ends and struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.
Finally, the data lays bare the despair among those living on
the streets, as evidenced by suicide.”
The recommendations drawn from this report are not
groundbreaking — a renewed rally for access to housing,
health care, addiction services, information and referral. But
they are nonetheless paramount, because all of these
services are in jeopardy of being further reduced in this
budget cycle. These services, these people, are not
expendable, especially in these difficult economic times.
Local governments also need to lead the charge in
ensuring that socio-economic issues of homelessness,
addiction and mental health concerns are a part of any
reformed health care structure for low-income residents. We
have the opportunity with the restructuring of the Oregon
Health Plan to make sure we don’t lose more people through
the cracks.
There are a lot of cracks, and they’re growing wider.
Just this month, the Portland Children’s Levy eliminated its
funding to support mental health and substance abuse
treatment for the city’s homeless youth. It was part of a
series of major cuts to programs that help low-income,
largely minority youth, succeed. The shortfall creates a
significant gap in health care for young adults at such a
pivotal time of their lives.
We know there’s no magic wand to create money from thin
air, but priorities put people’s lives first. There are 47 lives,
and many more, who are already gone, lost prematurely to
the streets. There are thousands more in various stages
toward that end.
The county’s report on homeless deaths is only in its first
year. Each year, it is our hope the report becomes more
comprehensive, incorporating the many others who die
homeless outside of the medical examiner’s jurisdiction. In
those numbers is the true measure of our care or neglect of
the safety net.
In order to truly understand why people are dying on the
streets, what can be done about it and how we may curb or
target specific solutions, we have to understand the problem
at a deeper level. Street Roots looks forward to partnering
with healthcare providers, non-profits and local government
to achieve just that.
I
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him, a t israel@
streetroots.org
Send letters to the
editor to the Street
Roots office, 211 NW
Davis St., Portland,
OR 97209, or e-mail
to joanne®
streetroots.org.
S taff
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
people experiencing homelessness and poverty by
producing a newspaper and other media that are
catalysts for individual and social change.
Executive Director Israel Bayer
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax: 503-227-3117
www.streetroots.org
www.streetroots.wordpress.com
Street Roots continues to collaborate
with photographer Leah Nash, who spent
an entire year photographing and telling the
stories of people living with Asperger’s
Syndrome. (The five-part photojournalism
series is available on our blog at www.
streetroots.wordpress.com) We believe
humanizing people living with autism is one
step in having a larger conversation about
mental health in our community. On May 4,
in partnership with the I Witness Gallery
(See ad on page 6), the Regional Arts and
Culture Council, and several autism
organizations we will be presenting the
photo series. The event will be held at the I
Witness Gallery, 1028 SE Water Avenue,
Suite 50, at 7 p.m.
Beyond the stories highlighted above,
Street Roots continues to work to present
ongoing coverage on veterans, local political
races, budget forecasts, health care reform,
and the civil rights of those living in
poverty. We’ve also increased our coverage
to highlight musicians that work toward the
greater good.
Plus, when you read Street Roots you’re
getting some of the most gritty poetry and
art in the city along with a broad spectrum
of community voices and organizations.
None of this would be possible without our
hard working staff and volunteers, our
reporters and Managing Editor Joanne
Zuhl. Together, we continue to grow and
learn right alongside readers and vendors
selling the newspaper. Together, we believe
we can change the world, or at least are
little part of it.
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Our mission
Street Roots publishes every two weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our
street vendors or by subscription. We are proud
members of the North American Street
Newspaper Association and the International
Network of Street Papers.
treet Roots works tirelessly to present
Portlanders and all readers with
quality journalism coupled with
advocacy that works toward solutions for
people experiencing
poverty.
This past week,
Street Roots reporter
and advocate Kate
Cox visited Toronto,
Canada to present our
By Israel Bayer
four-part series on
■ b m m m h b h m h
Traumatic Brain
Injury at a Trauma
and Neurosurgery conference. Since the
articles ran last year, they have been viewed
by leading sports injury experts in North
America and are helping contribute to a
larger conversation about homelessness and
brain injury in the medical field.
You’ll also see in this edition of the paper
that Street Roots worked in collaboration
with Multnomah County to produce the
first-ever homeless deaths report. The
report will help guide local nonprofits,
health care professionals and local
governments into a larger conversation on
how to end people’s homelessness. We
would like to send a big shout out to
everyone at the Multnomah County Medical
Examiner’s office, including all of the death
investigators for their hard work. Also
crucial in creating this report were County
Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, the
Portland Housing Bureau, the county health
department and lastly the McKenzie River
Gathering. Again, Street Roots thanks them
for their support in this effort.
israel@streetroots.org
Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl
joanne@streetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Cole Merkel, Jesuit Volunteer
AmeriCorps Member
coie@streetroots.org
Grant Writer Sarah Cloud
Accountant Heather Stadick
Reporters Amanda Waldroupe, Jake Thomas,
Devan Schwartz, Robert Britt, Sue Zalokar
Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Kristina
Wright
Jared Davidson
Board o f Directors
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa
(Secretary), Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes,
Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander
Volunteers
Mary Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan Bayer, Eliese Baker,
Sue Zalokar, Michael Moore, Robert Britt, Cynthia
Kiehl, Hannah Schultz, Eli Richey, Kai Soderberg
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a
comprehensive booklet of services for people
experiencing homelessness and poverty.
To inquire about getting an order of the Rose City
Resource for distribution, please write to
pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com. Resources are also
available online at www.rosecityresource.org.
Vendors
Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers for 25 cents
each and sell them for $1, keeping the 75 cents in
profit for themselves, in order to keep the cost low to
our vendors, we receive additional support from
donations and in-kind contributions.
goes directly to the vendor
who sold you the paper
goes toward
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.