street roots
2
July 18, 2014
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I T O
Get fired up for Street Roots annual Online Auction!
R S
T«
X
Short-term rental ta x m ust help
offset need fo r housing
r | ’Mie City of Portland is in the process of regulating
short-term rentals. We know that by allowing short-
term rentals to thrive in Portland, many Portlanders
could have access to an additional income. It will also have
a negative impact on the affordable housing market, a
market that’s already short 20,000 units.
Properly taxed, in the same manner as hotels, these
short-term rentals provide a new revenue stream for a city
in need. Housing advocates have asked the city to dedicate
100 percent of the revenue generated from the lodging tax
toward a housing investment fund to maintain and create
affordable housing.
Unfortunately, getting
a commitment from City
Why should poor and
Hall, specifically Mayor
Charlie Hales and
low-income people
Commissioners Amanda
support building a
Fritz and Steve Novick,
more beautiful
Portland when they can has been anything but
encouraging. All three .
barely afford to live
have communicated they
here, and more so will
don’t want to dedicate
most likely be
General Fund money ;
gentrified out of the
from the tax specifically
very neighborhoods
toward affordable
being improved?
housing, citing technical
reasons.
Residents, still feeling
the sting from a hard recession are being asked to swallow
a regressive ■tax for transportation and a parks bond for
beautification and maintenance. Meanwhile, the job market
continues to sputter and the housing market for renters
and low-income families is being turned upside down.
a
Street Roots sixth annual
Online Auction is live and running
for
fc 10 days, now until noon,
Sunday. July 27. Join in at
www.streetrootsuaction.org
We’ve partnered with
n fU V r> P A ll< €
more tiran 100 local
tfU U b V 1 V » »
businesses to bring you
morefood and beer than
ever before. There’s also
By Israel Bayer
rafting, the Timbers, lots of
■■■ h h h
summer events, the chance
for a child to be a
veterinarian for a day and a
home concert with Portland greats
Casey Neill and Jenny Conlee, to name
a few.
Supporting us through thè online
auction is a great way to give to Street
Roots, while getting something great in
return. We’ve worked hard to provide
items that readers will enjoy, in a way
that’s easy and fun to be a part of.
Your support this year will mean
DBSk
X
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him, at
israel@streetroots.org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
___ ‘
kArnnlacGnaoe
experiencing
homelessness and
and n/w/a-ri
poverty
an immediate income to improve their
quality of life. It will mean supporting
the organization to go to a weekly
publication schedule this December.
Your support will mean helping make
Street Roots strong.
We’re proud to work with more than
11,000 readers and dozens of
busihesses in the community every day.
Street Roots vendors help stabilize
Portland’s street corners and
neighborhoods, while offering a safe
place for people from all walks of life to
engage with people experiencing
poverty in a positive atmosphere.
When you support Street Roots,
you’re giving individuals and families a
hand up. Being able to obtain an
alternative income while helping foster
community and giving people self-
confidence and self-worth is invaluable.
It’s your support that makes that dream
Talk about leaving a bad taste in our mouths.
The city-is boised to give developers a break in Old
developers with the hopes of building rental units for
middle class Portlanders. The downside is the developers
only have to keep those apartments affordable for 10 years.
After that, well, we know what’s next: $1,500 rents on
individual units.
We’re not sure what kind of memo we need to send to
the city to let them know that we do believe our city
deserves real infrastructure for things like transportation
and nice parks, but displacement and gentrification for
common Portlanders is real. It’s very real, and it’s
happening at an alarming rate.
Why should poor and low-income people support building
a more beautiful Portland when they can barely afford to
live here, and more so will most likely be gentrified out of
tiie very neighborhoods being improved?
That’s what happens when you don’t require affordable
housing with new transportation projects, with more
development, with a greener and healthier city.
Street Roots believes that it is common sense to allocate
the money generated from short-term rentals for affordable
housing. City Hall should be sending a message to voters
right now that the city’s agenda isn’t just about the future
of Portland, but it’s about what’s happening right now. It’s
about the livability of our city. It’s about actually practicing
what we preach on equity. It’s about prioritizing people
over short-term profits.
Our mission
Staff
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
people experiencing homelessness and poverty by
produdng a newspaper and other media that are
catalysts for individual and social change. -
Street Roots publishes every two weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our
street vendors or by subscription. W e are proud
members of the Internationa! Network of Street
: Papers. H
I I 1 | | | | | B 1 ■ I J, 1 : 1 ! ' !
Street Roots
211 NW Davis $t
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5557
Fax:503-227-3117
streetroots.org
news.streetrOots.org
IN!
a
ferae! Bayer
'
israel@streetroo&org
Managing Editor Joanne Zuh!
joanne@streetroots.org
Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel
- cole@streetroots.org
Operations D irector Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer,
grace@streetroots.org
Development Director Sarah Cloud
Office Assistant Am ber Bielman
Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Nathan
Gilles, Sue Zalokar, Ann-Derrick G aillot
Photographers Kristina Wright, Christopher
On'stott, Adrienne Burkett
THROUGH
Ä 1 T STREETROOTSflUCTION.ORG TO SEE WHAT'S ON THE TBBtE!
3rd and A sh Old Town
b y F a y K a y liu s
A jumper climbs a tree
High on adrenaline and speed
The area blocked off
Police broadcast a plea
From The Jumper’s family
“We love you
And want you to come down
And get some help”
Passersby sick with indifference
Yell: “Jump Jump Jump”
Board of Oirectops
s
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treas.), Eddy Barbosa (Sec.),
Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon,
Darren Alexander, Am ber 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 from
donations and in-kind contributions. -
'
Jan Bayer, Elizabeth Tierney, Rob Shiyock, Ann- 1
Derrick Gaillot, Stacey Heath, Vinnie Kinsella, Michelle
Breslau, Paula Cracas, John Barker, Mary Locke, Lucas
Manfield, Jessie Carver, Cherie Vedal, Sam Bouman,
Isaac Hastings Hauss, Emily Green, Tom Ray, Sarah '
Hansell, Alana Kansaku-Sarmiento, Kyle Craven,
Audrey Benison, Crystal Elinksi
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a
comprehensive-booklet o f services for people
experiencing homelessness and poverty.
To inquire about getting guides, call 503-228-5657.
Resources are online at www.rosedtyresource.org.
75
goes directly to the vendor
who sold you the paper
25<
goes toward
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
W ednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office'.
'