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street roots
April 26, 2013
An open letter from a Street Roots board member
M
Where to turn when the going
gets tough? Locally.
How is itpossible that under the Obama administration
that we’re about to experience a $2 billion cut in housing
and homeless programs from the federal government?
Eighty-five billion-dollars in all will be cut from domestic
programs over 10-years and that will affect workers and
businesses from sea to shining sea;
Many blame Congress, others say that Obama and ftis
team played high stakes poker and lost big. Whatever the
reason, Oregon and the rest of the country are beginning j
to feel the fallout of a federal government whose.
priorities seem to rest more m maintaining a staggering
military budget and giving large corporations subsidies.
that actually taking care of its people.
Nationally its estimated that 140,000 fewer families will
have housing vouchers..
" If the Portland region
Locally, the Feds are '
and the rest of the state
cutting $13 million
hope to compete in a
dollars
through the State
modern age than it w ill
of Oregon and millions
require prioritising the
more through local 2
support of people
experiencing poverty."
jurisdictions, including
more than $1 million
from Portland.
It’s hard’-to know exactly where to turn. We know in*
Portland and Multnomah County that we’re looking for
local governments to prioritize the safety net. In Salem, -
it’s time for the Governor Kitzhaber and this legislature ■
to step up to the plate and fund housing and homeless ,
services, including support for Tèmporary Assistance for
Needy Families. Gutting this program and other,
programs for the Department of Human Services is short-,
sightedand will have devastating effects on our foost
’
vulnerable citizens.
p
Isra el B ay er is the
executive d irector o f
Street Roots. You can
reach h im a t
israel@streetroots.org
o ï fo lio te ’h im on
Tw itter @israelbayer.
ichael Anderson, a Sheet Roots*
board member and longtime
housing advocate<ecently wrote a
piece about how Street Roots makes
Portland. ^ better place
for all. He pinned the
following commentary
D IM C T O IT S
for the organization:
I love Street Roots.
B B SK
S
For foe news that'«
matters most to me,
By Israel Bayer
there is no better medja
outlet'inOregon.,
Whether I am reading a
vendor profile, a music review, an indepth
news article, or foe hilarious April Fools
edition, Street Roots keeps me informed
and entertained.
The quality of reporting'fodthe
commitment to journalism of the éditorial
staff make Street Roots-^hmfoue and
wonderful community^sset. Street Roots
covers stone's that might otherwise go .
unreported, such as tracking foe number of
people who die on the street'feach year or
profiling community heroes like Kathleen
Saadab Nowhere else can you find in depth
reporting on issues related fo poverty in
Oregon.
What makes Street Roots all foe ipore
amazing is that the newspaper is just one
facet of foe orgânization. Or perhaps, more
accurately, the newspaper is a means to an
end. Where it all begins with Street Roots is
with thé vendor and creating an opportunity
to earn a legitimate, consistent income for
people otherwise locked but from foe job
market. Selling Street Roots may not make
a person rich, but for fnany vendors (selling
papers is a'huge part of paying the monthly
bills-and that is a big deal in year five of a
recession. All of us who buy the paper know
at least one vendor. Like the person from
whqm We buy our morning coffee or the
Tri-Met driver that takes ps to work each
day3 vendors áre "part of foe daily routine
that define our experience in Portland and
make us love this city.
In addition tp foe newspaper and foe 1
vendor program, Street Roots provides real
time news coverage through its website and
social media, maintains and distributes foe
Rose City Resource, ancLengages in
advocacy efforts related to homelessness
and housing in Portland, throughout Oregon
and around the United States. For the
second consecutive year, Street Roots is
playing an essential lead role in the We Are
the Safety Net campaign to protect out-most
vulnerable neighbors from being damaged
by upcoming budget cutsjn Portland and
Multnomah County.
I know you love Street Roots as much as
I dp. For Street Roots tofoontinue to grow
its wonderful work, community members
like us need to step up and lend our
financial support Join me in becoming a
supporter pf Street Root?, and a part,of foe
Street Roots community. Supporting Street
Roots makes Portland a better place for us
all! (Find out more on page 16.),,’’V
-
We may not be able to control what happens in
Washington D„C- Locally, we have choices. If the Portland
region and the rest óf thè state hope to compete in a
modern age than it will require prioritizing the support of
people experiencing poverty.
More so, the health care reform that’s taking place g
currently must prioritize housing as a core component of
its upstream approach to curbing health care costs and
caring for citizens. Having housing near the epicenter of !
any statewide approach to health'care reform is
absolutely critical. Without it, we will be doomed to faiE
We know how tp take care of one another. We
understand the best and most cost-effective approaches
to giving hard working people a safe place to call home. -
We’re looking to electived officials from around the
state of Oregon to make the right dhoices. We’re looking
for Portland and Multnomah County stand up and do what
Washington D.C. can not do. Prioritize it’s own citizens
and give people an opportunity to be successful.
Drawing by Helen Hill
Our mission
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
people experiencing homelessness and poverty by
producing a newspaper and other media that are
catalysts for individual and soda! change.
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 tire krtemational
Network of Street Papers.
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland,OR 97209
503 228 5657
Fax:503-227-3117
www.foeetrbots.org
www.newsfoeetroots.org
Board of Directors
Vendors
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Andersonf'/ice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa '
(Secreiary), $ ch Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes,
Street Rootsvendors buy We newspapers for 25 cents
earii and seil the® for $1, keeping We 75 cents in
profit for themselves, in orefer to keep the cost low to
our vendors, wereceiye additional support from
donations and in-kind contributions.
Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander
Volunteers
cole@foeetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Kara Dimitruk, Jesuit
Volunteer AmeriCorps Member
kara@streetroots.org
Grant Writer Sarah Cloud
Development Assistant Cynthia Kiehi
Reporters lake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Robert
Britt, Sue Zalokar
Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Kostina
Wright, Christopher Onstott
Stay connected with us online
through Facebook and Twitter
Mary Paries, Jan Bayer, Ann Ereline, Vinnte Kinsefe,
Sharron Thompson, Ann-Derrick GatHot. A rt Garcia,
Joe Thick, Erin Fenner, Stacey Heath, Taurin Skinner-
Macginnis, Am ber Bieiman, Bethany Hague,
Michelle Holbert, John foifka, Rowen Canoles
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a
> comprehensive booklet of services for peopie
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.
goes direedyto the vendor
who sold you We paper
goestoward
printing costs
Vendor orientations afe at 1 p.m. every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.