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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2013)
street roots 2 Jan . 4, 2013 Together, we’ll brighten the season T Good news abounds, (despite what you’ve heard) eard any bad news lately? Seems like that’s all there is these days. From the abhorrently tragic to the flat-out infuriating, 2012’s wrap up was a challenge to our spirits. Indeed, positive milestones seldom grab the headlines like the negative, and it’s easy to lose sight of what we have gained, which is the first mistake toward losing it all. But here are just a few things to keep in mind: In the big picture, the national initiative to house homeless veterans is working, getting tens of thousands of veterans off the streets in the past three years. Fresh approaches have resulted in rapid rehousing programs that intervene with families in crisis We've celebrated with before homelessness sets people marking a month, a in. We’re now seeing year or more of sobriety. more preventative This year many more of us will do the same, standing programs like these take shoulder to shoulder with hold, breaking the cycle our friends and neighbors: of homelessness and the Families have reunited, aggravating factors of classes have resumed, and substance abuse, mental independence has been health crises and so restored. much more. Locally we start the year with a fresh mayor and a reinvigorated City Council that has proven itself committed to keeping people from falling through the cracks. It has also pledged to work more in tandem with county leaders to plug the holes between individual and family support services. Let’s hope that message resonates in Washington, where so much remains in the balance, not just for people experiencing homelessness, but also for families that have a disabled member, or have been out of work, or care for an elderly parent. And quietly, the city has worked to preserve the H ____ (IRECTOR’S Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots. org money made selling the paper is going to any number of things that help support their quality of life. Some of our vendors are using money to tend to their health care and to pay for medications for themselves or a loved one. Some use the money to pay their rent and utility bills, while others use it to buy quality and healthy food. Your support and compassion is appreciated. Street Roots works hard to present a newspaper that people not only want to purchase from vendors, but one that they also want to read. Creating an environment where people are able to build genuine relationships while giving someone a hand up is something we all take pride in. Educating people through the newspaper is icing on the cake. In the coming year, you’ll see more of the same from Street Roots: quality journalism mixed with arts and culture from people experiencing poverty. Check out our year in review on page 4 and find out more about what Street Roots has done in 2012. We’re looking forward to spending the next year with new and old readers alike. Cheers! Still only $1, newspaper gives meaning to life affordability of a p a rtm e n t buildings, long a fte r th e ir fed eral contract expired. As a result, hundreds of low-income residents - nearly all elderly or disabled - are able to stay in their homes. Far less noticed in our city are the thousands of workers who actually make up the safety net. They include the men and women who are out in the dark of night visiting camps, and making sure people remain connected - and alive. They are the people going the extra mile to ensure someone gets their disability insurance, or that a family can navigate state and national services toward stability. This past year hundreds of individuals and families had their lives restored with stable housing. This coming year, hundreds more will get off the streets. We’ve celebrated with people marking a month, a year or more of sobriety. This year many more of us will do the same, standing shoulder to shoulder with our friends and neighbors: Families have reunited, classes have resumed, and independence has been restored. Looking ahead to this year, we must keep our eyes on the success stories and the positive movements happening on many fronts. Because it is a mistake to think that poverty and homelessness are the end game: we do so at a high cost to all that is gained on a daily basis. To be sure, there is always room for criticism - and we embrace the discussion. But let’s also give pause for the people who live the lesson that together we have, can and will continue to make a difference. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St. . Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax: 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org he winter is settling in. It’s rainy and cold and life on the streets is a stick in the mud. From now until early summer, people sleeping outdoors are faced with miserable conditions. Many of the vendors and people outdoors will develop, if they haven’t already, By Israel Bayer walking pneumonia, or any number of ailments that can become matters of life or death on the streets. Before the holidays, the city is swept with an overwhelming feeling of giving and compassion. After the holidays, there’s a tendency for many people to settle into the Portland winter and get grumpier and grumpier as the months go by. The months of January and February tend to be the slowest months for vendors. For many of the vendors sleeping outside, the sales of the paper on any given day may mean the difference between getting indoors at night or not. For the vendors who have housing, the isfaei@streetroots.orq Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel cole@streetroots.org Operations Director Sara Beecroft Program Assistant Kara Dimitruk, Jesuit Volunteer AmeriCorps Member kara@streetroots.org Grant Writer Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Cynthia Kiehl Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Robert Britt, Sue Zalokar Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Kristina Wright, Christopher Onstott Stay connected with us online through Facebook and Twitter just wanted to congratulate you on your publication, Street Roots. The paper and the street vendor provide a bridge for me to the people who live on the streets, who are my brothers and sisters. Because street people sometimes have mental health problems, sometimes we recoil from them in fear; it is always disturbing to encounter them — especially when we have empathy. I feel a deep sorrow when I see people living in the streets, cold and uncomfortable and dirty, but my money alone cannot solve the problem, it is enough to provide for myself. I usually buy a newspaper from a street vendor. It always seems like such a bargain. What can you buy for $1 these days? I feel so proud of the street vendor, because I know that he or she has overcome many obstacles just to be standing there. This year I read almost every word of your publication. I am so moved by the courage and resilience of the people who contribute to the paper, and to those who live in the streets. The articles are well written and intelligent and remind me that people who live in the streets are just like me in so many ways. Especially, it shows me how people just like me can end up in the I WHAT DO YOU THINK? streets. It also shows me how people who have gone through hardship in their lives can end up conquering the overwhelming circumstances that brought them here. We are all so vulnerable; it could happen to almost any of us at different vulnerable points in our lives. I was especially absorbed in the articles on sexual assaults in sanctuaries, “Stupid Money,” the book review of “Twilight of the Elites,” “Incarceration is not health care;” the health care debate isn’t over (excellent), “Dear City Council,” “Harm reduction for the 21st century,” the fiscal cliff debate, “Room with a view: One year in housing” (an excellent first-person story of survival, empathy and resilience). And I was impressed by the story about Olympian John Carlos, and especially “Remembering Ted Jack.” The cover story was excellent, too. I am a writer and I love how the paper gives space for the creativity of its contributors. Writing gives meaning to my life. Your paper has given meaning to my life as well. Keep up the good work! CAITLIN HICKS Roberts Creek, B.C., Canada Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209, or e-mail to joanne@streetroots.org. T » K ( XSTKft » R tV 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. Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.
