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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2015)
Street Roots • January 30-February 5, 2015 Editorial Paid sick leave common sense, sm art business espite the 24-hour nonstop work ethic of this Policy Research, which has dominated studies in this digital age, employees aren’t machines. They field, a staggering 71 percent of low-wage Oregonians have families, children, unexpected life events (outside of Eugene and Portland) don’t earn paid sick and sometimes they get sick. Unfortunately, too many time on the job. But no doubt they do live in fear of in our workforce are unable to take a day or two away losing income or the job altogether, and they work from work — without being financially burdened by a when they are sick, jeopardizing their own health and loss in wages or worse | | to get well. the health of those around them. It’s an obstacle to real health The movement across this nation and here in Oregon care, the kind of care that rewards to require paid sick leave is welcome and justified immediate, preventative actions progress toward reforming our health care system. that can deter the spread of __________ Portland began a paid sick leave illnesses; the kind requirement in 2014. It has not been that ensures a healthier and more The administrative without its detractors, of course, and they productive workforce for the long-term. process should be have their points that should be The kind that is humane. considered in crafting a statewide law. manageable and President Obama called it out in his The administrative process should be small businesses recent State of the Union address — the manageable and small businesses should United States is the only developed should have some have some flexibility in how the sick days nation on the planet that doesn’t require flexibility In how are applied. paid sick leave. Current labor law does the sick days are The common complaint is that the not even protect all workers from being statewide approach must not be a one- fired when they miss work due to illness. applied. size-fits-all law. And we agree. Good It’s a nationwide call to get up to speed. " BIB^™11™" paying jobs, a vibrant workforce and a strong economy Unlike decades ago, when labor laws around sick require both healthy workers and healthy businesses. leave were written, we now live in a world where many It’s important that Oregonian’s don’t have to choose households are managed by either single parents or dual-working parents. A sick child means the wage between one and the other. Done right, paid sick leave earner has to lose a day of work. And a week from the is the healthy thing to do for businesses, workers and job can put a huge strain on the fragile budgets of the the whole community, and it’s the right example to set working poor. According to the Institute for Women’s for the rest of the nation. H EDITORI Ending homelessness starts with human rights common misnomer in many communities, Portland, is that when you offer A ; including ervices to people experiencing homelessness ,4,,. Israel Bayer is the executive director o f , Street Roots. You can reach him at isrdel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. and poverty, you attract more people experiencing homelessness. We call it the magnet myth. The reality is this kind of thinking doesn’t translate to the realities local communities face throughout the country. More times than not, it leads to elected officials and communities working to manage B ISECTO R'S the problem of homelessness instead of trying to build the DESK political means to actually tackle By Israel Bayer the problem. In Seattle, for example, homelessness increased by 21 percent, according to their 2015 count. In Los Angeles, more than 50,000 are people sleeping outdoors. In San Francisco, 7,000 people live without a home. The list goes on and on. Homelessness and the lack of affordable housing is a national crisis. In places like Portland, where we see rents skyrocketing and no clear path to solving the problem, this issue becomes even more exacerbated. This often leads to short-term strategies and knee-jerk responses instead of actually prioritizing the issue. We know that the criminalization of the homeless has had a devastating effect on both our criminal justice system and people sleeping outdoors. Understanding that thousands of lives are affected by not having a safe place to call home on one hand and making it illegal to find a safe place to rest in on the other - we’ve more or less institutionalized people to the streets. In a place like Portland, where public space becomes less and less accessible because of urban growth, people on the streets end up paying the price. Ten years ago, places such as Old Town, the Pearl, areas of Northwest Portland and inner Southeast Portland were considered low-barrier areas where people on the streets could bed down without fear of being uprooted and ticketed for sleeping. Today, those areas are mostly off limits. The result is new challenges for people on the streets who are left to sleeping in more public parks and wooded areas. Portland needs more creative solutions and services for people on the streets, not fewer. Do we need more affordable housing and rent assistance to offer people in poverty a chance to be successful? Yes, please. Do we need more shelter space for our most vulnerable citizens? Of course we do. Do we need more projects like Right 2 Dream Too, Dignity Village and Tiny Houses? Absolutely. What we also need are more compassionate and smart strategies to deal with people on the streets other than criminalization. This includes being able to rest or sleep when individuals and families have literally no place left to go. People experiencing homelessness should be able to access public places, like parks and sidewalks, without being targeted. The Western Regional Advocacy Project, Right 2 Dream Too, Sisters Of The Road and Street Roots are pushing for legislation in Oregon that would give people experiencing homelessness these very rights — the right to rest and to move freely, the right to sleep in public places without discrimination. A Homeless Bill of Rights and corresponding legislation is being introduced in Oregon, Washington, California and Colorado. To get involved and to add your voice to more than 135 organizations, visit the Western Regional Advocacy Project at www.wraphome.org. Lastly, the next time someone says to you, “Yeah, we have too many services ih Portland for poor people,” tell them that actually, We don’t have enough, and if we Wantto solve the problem of homelessness, it’s going to take giving people access to housing and opportunity. It’s going to mean giving people the human rights they deserve. Rage 3 Write in If you would like to have something that you’ve written incur like to get involved as a member of our reporting staff, |gj| contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-223-5657, joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available.' - ■' • " • •. Street Roots 211 NW Davis S t '' Portland, OR 97209. 503-228-5657 . Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org . www.news.sireetroots.org Hours; 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 pin., Sat, and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhi joanne@streetroots.org Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel H fl coiedstreetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer' grace@streetroots.org ' Development Director Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Galliot Sil Reporters Emily Green, Sue Zalokar, Christen McCurdy, Sarah Hansell, Sam ■ I Bouman, Jacques Von Lunen Photographers Diego Diaz, Kristina Wright Canvassar Desmon Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Anderson Vice-Chairman Michael Anderson Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Eddie Barbosa, Rachel.Langfbrd Volunteers Jan Bayer, Rob Shyrock, Stacey Heath, John Barker, Sarah Hansell, Jade Maniscalo, Sam Bouman, Eliese Baker, Tom Ray, Lee Ko, Aaron Von Reyn, Cherie Vedal, Jessie Carver, James Yu, Melissa Kahn, Lisa Waldo, Susannah Kamala, Monica Kwasnik If you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application atstreetroots.org/volunteer. Or call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik for more information at 503-228-5657.
