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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2014)
14. Soul Succor by J. McCurdy And it came to her one day Almost without thinking . As natural as breathing She just knows What knowing Knows That she didn’t need him Or the safety that the pain of his memories bring Anymore To keep , Her safe Anymore From her next mistake And because of that She now Floats freely In the current Anticipating The what conies now Instead of Dreading And embracing The What Weres Street roots M A i . y . L ''. ’ Feb. 28, 2014 Finding my voice delivering others to Salem TT n some circles, lobbyist is a dirty word. I We don’t elect lobbyists. We don’t A know exactly what they do. Yet, \ was sit there ahd listen while others told their stories. These were stories of hardship, but also of success. The current funding for housing and homelessness lobbyists are an integral part of our prevention successfully kept more people democracy. And anyone can do it. off the streets than would have been Lobbying can be; as simple as picking up possible if it didn’t exist. In my role as an the phone or Writing an e-mail or letter to your legislator. You- advocate and representative of Street Roots, I am tasked as a keeper of stories lobby when you like these. I feel it is myresponsibility to vote — and when share the stories with others, letting they yOu don’t I never thought I make an impact more than mere statistics can. What makes a good lobbyist - a good would call myself a lobbyist, and maybe advocate — is passion. Passion armed with I still can’t, but facte makes an even better one. The best after two lobby days advocate has passion, facts and the ability in Salem I’m to; communicate. I’m on my way there: starting to get the Eventually, I hit my stride. I was buoyed hang of it. Both of by the stories I’ve heard over the past six my experiences months and beyond. The need for GraceBadik is the have been with the affordable housing runs deep in Portland, Jesuit Volunteer for Housing Alliance, a and the rest of the country, and each Street Roots, serving coalition of housing rainy, windy or cold day is a harsh the homeless advocates from reminder of that need. I may have a roof community through across the state. her work with oyer my head, but too many don’t Too vendors. These are eight- many sleep outside because they don't hour days, running have a choice. Too many use the sidewalk to meeting after meeting, filled with lots ' as their bed. Too many have no place to of handshaking and storytelling. Nod and ; call home. At any given moment more smile. Take some pictures. Make an than 2,800 people experience impression. Push legislators this way or homelessness in Multnomah County, that on .affordable housing policy. among them more than 400 families with My first lobby day was slightly children. . overwhelming and definitely intimidating. I lobby because I believe that housing During my first legislative visit, I said is a basic human right, a basic human nothing outside of my name. All I could do need. When did it become OK for people to not have all their basic human needs met? When did it become an accepted part of society for kids to live without a roof over theirheads? Housing is very much connected to the success arid well being of a person. It provides stability and security. It has health and economic impacts^ We need policy that reflects these realities. We need legislators to be champions for people experiencing homelessness and we need everyone to hold legislators accountable. This is a team effort. Before the meetings began on my first lobby day, before the running around from the Senate side to the House side, I was preparing myself for the long day ahead. Snow was falling outside, making our number^ small and causing us to rearrange and reschedule. I stoqd in the hall, outside the Senate chambers, trying to lake everything in. My four years of college education, my numerous service and immersion trips, my six months at Street Roots prepared me for this: to be an advocate. Someone I have come to know oyer my short time in Portland came up and asked how I was doing; I responded honestly:Tm nervous. I’ve never really done this before;” She smiled and said, “Grace, all you need to do is speak from the heart. Tell some stories, share your experiences. But you already know that.” Yes, yes, I did know. Speaking from the heart 'BRIAN LINDSTROM'S AUEN BOY PACKS A HORRIFYING PUNCH: INTIMATE, TERRIBLE, & TRUE." __________ -SHAW N LEV Y, THE OREGONIAN “ALIEN BOY IS A TRIUMPH - AND AN EMOTIONAL BULLDOZER.” - JOHN CHANDLER, PORTLAND MONTHLY http://www.alienboy.org/ Vendors are regular contributors to Street Roots’ content, as columnists, poets a n d artists. Look fo r yo u r favorite vendor’s writings in each edition o f the paper.
