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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2015)
Street Roots • February 6-12, 2015 E d it o r ia l Housing initiatives a step toward ‘righting the ship’ T n his State of the City address, delivered last week I before City Club of Portland, Mayor Charlie Hales JL talked about spending the past two years “righting EDIT basic and affordable apartments that give people who are working their way off the streets a place to move into. The tiny house movement also offers a viable the ship.” housing option for families with children on smaller Financially, the city is stronger than it has been for budgets. several years, with commissioners and bureau chiefs This week, the Portland Housing Bureau — in the now licking their chops over the budget surplus request process - boldly asked for $7. 2 city’s budget surplus. million — half the total surplus. The other half has I . But righting the ship means already been dedicated to infrastructure maintenance. ffeS different things to different groups The bulk of that request - $5 million - would be of people, and for many dedicated to the Housing Investment Fund Portlanders, it to preserve affordable housing in areas at means correcting the inflated rental Portland's risk of being gentrified. These are the and housing market that has left many affordable housing neighborhoods where jobs are created, residents underwater or simply adrift deficit for our where public transportation is accessible, without a home. poorest residents, where the good schools are located. We This is a familiar issue for readers according to federal should be preserving these neighborhoods of Street Roots, who have no doubt read this in our pages in the past. But housing and census for all. Let the market take care of it, some reports, is more the crisis of housing continues to might say. But in reality, the housing market build, and an increasing number of 2 than 2 0 ,0 0 0 units. hasn’t taken care of itself without middle-income families are feeling the government manipulation and subsidies for pinch. It is a very real crisis that is decades. Tax credits, increment financing and similar harder to reverse with each passing year. incentives benefit developers and homeowners. So we’re optimistic with the announcement of some Taxpayers help people get into very nice homes, even positive plans in the works. None of them are panaceas second homes, every year. to the problem, but they show a refreshing effort to get Meanwhile, the demand for housing assistance serious about our widening housing deficit continues to increase. Portland’s affordable housing We applaud the City Council for investing $20 million deficit for our poorest residents, according to federal in housing in North and Northeast Portland to build, repair and preserve much-needed affordable housing for housing and census reports, is more than 20,000 units. Today we have a very popular city that each year Portland families. By the Portland Housing Bureau’s becomes increasingly unaffordable for a growing own assessment, it is nowhere near enough to correct number of residents. To put our resources and energy the displacement, past and present in the into preserving and creating affordability is the right neighbQrfoQod. But if is a s ta rt to leverage even greater financial investment in the area. thing to do if we want to still recognize our neighbors 10 years from now. Let’s right this ship. Other projects are being explored to build small, Vendors, readers inspired by weekly paper members of our community. They’re helping people get off the street and turn their lives around. Buy it. EVERY WEEK. Go Street Roots!” Yes! For readers who aren’t aware, vendors Newspaper sales have increased overnight by nearly purchase the newspaper for 25 cents and then sell it for 40 percent over a two-week span. a suggested $1 in the community. When we launched “It’s been going great,” says Daniel, who sells in weekly at the beginning of January, we set the price of Northeast Portland. “My sales have literally doubled' at the paper for vendors at 35 cents location. instead of 25 cents miy in order to It’s allowed me to really plan out my days and meet my basic needs, while being able to save some offset some of the increase in money to get into housing.” printing costs. The first couple of Then there’s the reporting. Wow. The editorial team editions sold like hotcakes, but it led by managing editor Joanne Zuhl and reporter Emily By Israel Bayer was clear that additional 10 Cents Green have been knocking it out of the park. And Street was eating into the vendors’ income. Roots continues to be a platform for people After talking with vendors and experiencing poverty and for social justice organizations the larger community, we made the around Oregon. Together we are stronger. decision to come back down to 25.cents. After all," why We are proud of the work that we are doing and hope should vendors have to pay the price? Wasn’t the entire you are enjoying the weekly edition of Street Roots as idea of going weekly suppose to mean a boost for much as we are. The work Continues. It always does. vendors’ income? Exactly. It was the right thing to do. Watching the vendors overcome unimaginable So how’s it going? circumstances of poverty and then to deliver the Customers .have responded overwhelmingly. People newspaper each and every day to readers throughout have communicated to vendors and staff and through Portland — it’s truly inspiring. Readers offering their social media that the move to weekly was right on time. support by giving people a hand up is what makes it all Small business owner Chloe. Eudaly, who runs come together. It’s a true testament to the strength of Reading Frenzy on Mississippi Avenue wrote, “You the human spirit. It gives us hope, both, individually and know that little paper that’s sold all over town by collectively. Go team. homeless and formerly homeless people for a buck? IPs From all of us at Street Roots, thank you, We couldn’t not just a hobby or an excuse for spare changing. They’re doing investigative journalism and advocating do it without you. for some of the most disenfranchised and vulnerable B executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots. org o r fo llow h im on Twitter @israelhayer. Write in If you would like asa member of our reporti ng staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503*228-5657, jGanne@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 F a x z S ^ ^ W '' ww.streetroots.org ww.news,stre^roots.ofg •' Hours: 7:30 a.m,-3 p.m. MojVFrt, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat., and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl ■ I joanne@streetroots.org Vender Coordinator Cole Merkel cole@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Badtk, Jesuit Volunteer g r a c e @ s tre e tro o ts .o rg - Development Director Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Gaillot Reporters Emily Green, Sue Zalokar, Christen McCurdy Sarah Hansell, Sam Boum anjacques Von tunen Photographers Diego Diaz, Kristina W right • Canvasser Desmon Hardison ow is weekly going? That’s the question we’ve been getting all month. Amazing. DIRECTOR"! Israel B a yer is the Page 3 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 Langford 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 Kwasnlk, Doug Spangle ' 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. '
