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. '