street roots
2
S e p t 12, 2014
Talking about the vision of Street Roots
B
What we already know about
domestic and sexual violence
f it didn’t involve famed NFL player Ray Rice, and if
it wasn’t under the unblinking eye of today’s
omnipresent elevator cameras, the incident of a
man beating his fiancé to the point of unconsciousness
would be just another case of horrific abuse.
Just another case — like the tens of thousands
reported each year in Oregon alone. By one national
survey, one in three Oregonian women reported having
experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by
an intimate partner. In Multnomah County, county
records indicate that one out of every seven women
aged 18-64 is physically abused by an intimate partner
in the course of a year. That’s 28,000 women in
Multnomah County in
one year.
We can ask why — why
Unfortunately it
people do what they do in often takes a novelty
these situations — or we
angle- like a celebrity
can listen to what we
player or an
already know. Housing
unexpected college
and safe shelter is an
setting — to elevate
integral part of survival.
the issue of sexual and
domestic violence to
the public conscience. *
But so be it. We’re talking about it.
Beyond the sensationalist coverage is the ongoing
reality th at women and men of all backgrounds,
education and class can and do become victims of
domestic and sexual violence. And it is well established
that homelessness and poverty will aggravate the
chances for survival, as it does with virtually every
issue.
every street newspaperare the
vendors selling the newspaper. Providing
people the opportunity to earn a dignified
income is at the heart
; of everything we do.
™™—™1
People from all
M F F W W t
walks of life and
C IF
backgrounds come to
O taB ISs,
street Roots in search
I
By Israel Bayer
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him a t
israel@streetroots.org
o r fo llow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
Access to shelter is param ount for escaping a
domestic and sexual violence. According to information
compiled by the Oregon Alliance to End Violence
Against Women, access to shelter services leads to a 60
to 70 percent reduction in incidence and severity of
re-assault during the 3-month to 12-month follow-up
period compared to women who did not access shelter.
Safe shelter is proven more successful in preventing
severe repeat assaults than court-ordered or law
enforcement protections.
In 2011, more than 20,000 requests for emergency
shelter in Oregon could not be met. That same year,
the vast majority of unmet requests for domestic
violence services in Oregon were requests for housing.
The cycle works in both directions, with a large
percentage of women who turn to welfare services for
housing reporting domestic violence as a factor in their
need for assistance. And surveys also show that the
lack of shelter is cause fdr some women to even stay ih
an abusive relationship to avoid becoming homeless.
It’s a vicious cycle, as they say.
So let’s’ talk about domestic and sexual violence, but
let’s talk about what it takes to really create a survival
network for people trying to escape i t We can ask why
J-r why people do what they do in these situations — or
we can listen to what we already know. Housing and
safe shelter is an integral part of survival. It doesn’t
grab headlines, but it should.
Our mission
x Street Roots creates income opportunities for •
people expert endng homelessness and poverty by
producing a newspaper and other media that a re .
catalysts for individual « id social change. •
Street Roots publishes every' tw o weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through, our
street vendors or by subscription. We are proud
■ members o f the International Network of Street
Papers,
of a new day. The
concept is simple.
■■ individuals work with
Street Rbots and local
businesses to sell the newspaper. Street
Roots uses an old Catholic Worker
philosophy developed by Dorothy Day that
prescribes to the idea of meeting people
where they are. We start from a place of
trust and work from there.
Street Roots works with some of the
hardest brothers and sisters on the block —
offering individuals the opportunity to earn
an income and embrace community is what
we do.
We live by some pretty simple rules when
it comes to training people to sell the
newspaper and to be a part of the Street
Roots community. Vendors go through a
45-minute vendor oriehtation, including a
video created by vendors themselves to give
people tips for how to be successful. We
then go over the rules and regulation of
public sidewalks and work with individuals
to find a sales location.
After that, it’s all about embracing love.
Sound cheesy? It’s n o t Poverty is traumatic.
The world is violent Homelessness is cruel.
The only way to combat these realities is
with unconditional love.
Everything we do works toward the idea
of treating people with kindness. No racism,
sexism, classism, no violence, including
verbal violence. We are a community
without judgment, no matter how hard the
Executive Director Israel Bayer
joannetstreetroots.org
J
Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel
Volunteers
coleOstreetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Grace Sadik, Jesuit Volunteer,
' grace^streetroofeorg
Development Director Sarah Cloud
Jan Bayer, Elizabeth Tierney, Rob Shryock, Ann- - <
Derrick Gaillot, Stacey Heath, Vinnie Kinsella, Michelle
Breslau, Paula Cracas, John Barker, Mary tocke, t o
Manfield; Jessie Carver, Cherie. Vedai, Sam Bouman,
Isaac Hastings Hauss, Emily Green, Tom Ray, Sarah.
Hansell, Afana Kansaku-Sarmiento, Kyle Craven,
Audrey Benison, Crystal Eflnksi
Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Nathan
Gilles, Sue Zaiokar, Ann-Derrick Gaillot
Photographers Kristina W right, Christopher
Onstott, Adrienne Burkett
thank you!
What can a bird teach of hope?
What can a sunflower teach of being?
Where does the heartbeat of the world reside?
Can children teach us to love without hate or rage?
Can falling leaves teach us of the passing of time?
Where do the lessons of the world hide?
Each season has its lessons
Each seed a hidden story
Dirt can be more than just the stuff of the ground
And the wind more than just a bowing thing
Open eyes or shut make a difference on this earth
Ancient wisdom, tribal songs, stories beyond stories
I stand at the edge eager to learn
“Tell me your stories. Teach me your ways.”
The eagle flies by with the free standing straight
The wind gently blows while the world awaits
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treas:), Eddy Barbosa (Sec.),
Rich Rodgers, Brad;Taylor, te d Rhodes, Nora too n, t 5
Darren Alexander, Amber Bielman
'
israelOstreetroots.org
th e way people th in k about and engage w ith
poverty. W e are changing p eo p le’s lives. We
by G. B.
Board of Directors
Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl
road ahead might be. Enduring poverty on
one hand and embracing love on the other
is very hard work. It’s the work we do each
day, collectively, at Street Roots. It’s the
reason I believe we have a collective spirit at
Street Roots among the vendors and staff
and volunteers. It’s why we walk the long
road.
Delivering a quality newspaper is
something we don’t take lightly. We
understand from experience that people, for
better or worse, expect less from a street
newspaper. When we are able to deliver
more, it not only serves as a tool for vendors
to be more successful, it also serves the
larger community to take on social justice
issues facing our community.
We work hard to deliver Portlanders and
the region a newspaper that looks at the
issues of homelessness and poverty along
with a range of different issues in a way that
everyone is engaged. From the reader, to
vendors experiencing poverty, to the
systems approach to tackling the problem —
we believe everyone should be on the bus.
Do we always get it right? Of course we
don’t, we’re human. There will always be
Stories of failure peppered between the
stories of triumph. It’s what makes us grow
and learn and become better at the work we
do. For every person we see overcome the
harsh realities of poverty, there’s another
that walks through pur door struggling to
survive.
So what is the vision of Street Roots?
Beyond going to a weekly publicatioh, or
improving systems, or developing new ways
of supporting people it’s you, it’s me, it’s
all of us working toward ending people’s
suffering. With that comes a great
responsibility. With each new relationship
built and each newspaper sold we changing
Lessons
S ta ff
Office Assistant Amber Bielman
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax: 503-227-3117
streetroots.org
news.streetroots.org
hat is the vision of Street Roots?
At the heart of Street Roots and
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.rosecityresource.org.
Vendors
-Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers fo r 25 cents -
'each and seB them f a l l , keeping the 75 cents in . '
pro fitfo r themselves, in order to keep,the cost low to.
o u fw d ^w e T e c s C v e a d d ib ^ia U u p p o rtfrtm i - '
donations and rn-kind contributions.^
goes directly to the vendor
w ho sold you the paper
goes toward
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.