Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2014)
Street roots Ja n 17, 2014 EDITORIAL City has to back up good intentions with leadership ayor Charlie Hales didn’t become mayor with the hopes of having to solve homelessness, especially in a growing city like Portland. But the crisis of thousands of people sleeping outside, as it relates to mental health, public safety, neighborhood livability and the lack of housing is exactly what Hales has inherited. Hales isn’t alone. The same debate about what to do about homelessness and the housing shortage is happening all across the United States. We commend the mayor for making homelessness a budget priority in the upcoming 2014-15 budget. It’s not an easy task. Everyone has an opinion The complexities of on how to spend what the homelessness and little we have to solve housing crisis in our the massive problem of city and around the homelessness. It takes nation are many. The- more than good federal governments intentions and idealism lack of support for to manage the problem. local communities on | the issue has been an ongoing crisis. In 1978, the federal government budgeted $83 billion through the Bureau of Housing and Urban Development toward housing for low- income Americans. In 2012, that number was closer to $41 billion. Currently, Congress is looking at ‘Y cutting $9 billion in food stamp assistance over the next 10 years. That’s not to mention the jack of vision on supporting people without employment. In many ways, Portland has a mayor and four city M commissioners who are not only sympathetic to the cause, but also understand its many complexities. You can’t solve homelessness with one central , theme or strategy, and you can’t simply make the' problem go away. How a city responds to its own residents, and people struggling without a home, is a direct representation of the values of tliat community. In Portland, it’s clear we need ongoing support to help individuals and families have the opportunity to be successful. It starts with giving people a safe place to call home. It’s not an easy task for government to solve the issue. Everyone has an opinion on how to spend what little we have to solve the massive problem of homelessness. It takes more than good intentions and idealism to manage the problem. It’s one thing to care about the issue, it’s another all together to dig in and work towards solving it. J Creating a more coordinated effort with the community and mental health outreach workers, housing women and children experiencing7 homelessness, and finding a permanent location for Right 2 Dream Too are all in the best interest of the city. And that makes us all stakeholders. And fortunately, many hands make light work. » - , We have the energy to power solutions reality is that while many institutions are hat happens when a group of tired of seeing homeless people downtown people experiencing homelessness and throughout the community, people and poverty decide to take matters experiencing homelessness and advocates into their own hands and organize to improve their quality of trying to fihd solutions are pretty darned tired too, life? Unfortunately, While it may be hard to believe, we are they often are looked actually making headway. The latest $1.7. j DIRECTOR'S upon as a nuisance in million bump from the city to support the community. DESK targeted outreach for homeless women and It’s common By Israel Bayer people experiencing crisis is one example of knowledge that many people on the streets taking the bull by the horns and working Isra el B ayer is the are demonized as lazy surgically to deliver outcomes. It’s clear that executive director o f and not doing for moving forward we can’t be thinking in Street R oots. You can themselves. We also know that the Portland term« of us-versus-them, but instead work reach h im a t Business Alliance and The Oregonian israel@streetroots.org together to deliver real housing options for or follow him. on editorial board advocate for stricter sidewalk people on the streets. We have some real Twitter @israelbayen laws, and that law enforcement is forced to opportunities in the next city and county act, Sweeping camps when they are deemed budget cycles. unruly or where there is open drug use and/ Right 2 Dream Too is a no-brainer. The or violence.. city m ust work together with Right 2 Dream That’s why I can’t understand why Right 2 T90 and the business community to find a; | Dream Too and other homeless-advocates location for the organization. The group are discredited when they work to reverse offers real solutions to the illogical reality of the very trends considered to be at the root homelessness. I don’t personally know of the problem. where the group should end up . What makes one homeless organization a permanently, but 1 4 o know that they are success and a group like Right 2 Dream Too not going away and deserve a sáfe place to a nuisance in the community? call home. Send letters to the i For more than two years, Right 2 Dream When it comes to The Oregonian editorial editor to the Street Too has worked to give more than 100 board, I personally have no qualms with any Roots office, 2U < > individuals and families a safe place to bed newspaper determining an editorial stance down at night. The organization has rules NW Davis St., prohibiting any drug use or violence. They , based upon in-depth reporting and taking Portland, OR 97209, everyone’s account into consideration. We worked with local social-service or e-mail to joanne® have just ask that they also take into agencies and government to get people off consideration the complexities and harsh streetroots.org the streets and into perm anent housing. realities of homelessness, and the fact that They have participated, like other there is a reason groups like Right 2 Dream organizations^ in public process, and are Too exist. It’s not because nearly one million respectful to institutions even in the face of people woke up this morning in America those groups trying to discredit and destroy wanting to be homeless. their existence. There’s no singlestrategy or theme to fc In many ways Right 2 Dream Too is-not" ' tackle the problem of homelessness. It only a response to homelessness itself, it’s a response to the very critics like the Portland requires a coordinated effort. We will have to continue to work together across political, Business Alliance and The Oregonian economical and ideological philosophies. editorial board that have consistently Being able to offer housing to people advocated for safer behaviors downtown. suffering from mental health and addiction Unfortunately, these critics have repeatedly means worlting with a broad coalition of chosen to throw groups like Right 2 Dream individuals and organizations. We can’t do Too and many others under the bus due to this in a vacuum. No one organization or short-sighted policy strategies that entity can solve this problem alone. repeatedly fail to come to fruition. The ■ WHAT DO YOU THINK? n behalf of myself and many others, I would like to thank you, and the many other sponsors and others who helped bring love, peace and joy to the many homeless and below-poverty line individuals during the 2013 Christmas holiday Season. Your gifts and theirs .. allowed many families and individuals to experience a safe and happy holiday! B DAVID L. MAY Portland ... 0ur mission Staff Street Roctsaeates income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty by producing a newspaper and other media that are catalysts for individuai and sodai change. Executive Birector Israel Bayer Street Roots publishes every two weeks, launching on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our street vendors or t y subscription. We are proud members of the North American Street Newspaper Association and the international Network of Street Papers. Street Roots 211 NW Davis S t Portland, OR 972Ö9 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 streetroots.org news.streetroots.org LETTER israel@streetroots.org / , Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel cde@streetro0ts.0rg Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Radik, Jesuit Volunteer,. grace@streetroots.org Development Director Sarah Cloud Office Assistant Amber Bielman Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Nathan Gilles, Sue Zalokar, Ann-Derrick Gaillot Photographers Kristina Wright, Christopher Onstott Board of Directors • Brace Anderson {Sairm ari, Michael Anderson (Vke* - chairman), Heather Stadick {freas^ Eddy Barbosa (Sec.), " Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, A Darren Alexander, Amber Bielman " Volunteers 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 fro m . donations and in-kind contributions. ' ; • Jan Bayer, lisa Waldo, Elizabeth Tierney, Rob Shyrock, Ann-Derrick Gailfoty Stacey Heath, Vinnje Kinsella, Michelle Breslau, Paula Cracas,. Sharron Thompson, John Barker, Mary Locke; Lucas Manfield, Jessie Carver, Cherie Vedal, Sam Bouman, Alana Kansaku-Sarmiento Street Roots Rosa City Resource Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a comprehensive booklet of services for people' experiencing homelessness and poverty. To inquire about getting guides^ call 503-228-5657, Resources are also available online at www.rasedtyresource.org. MMÄ 75 goes directly to the vendor who sold you the paper , 25c goes toward printing costs Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.
