Street Roots • March 20-26, 2015
Commentary
Page 13
The responsibility to speak up belongs to all of us who can
BY COLLEEN SINSKY
C O N TR IB U TIN G C O LU M N IS T
ost homeless people don’t care
about politics. They just think that
everything is how its going to be.”
This was my friend Mike, a grizzled
veteran of Vietnam, and years on the
streets, talking. “They’re too busy or j
something, you know.”
We were on a chartered bus, heading
back to Portland after having spent a busy
day at the state Capitol with the Oregon
Housing Alliance. We had learned about
effective messaging, the current initiatives
that would promote better access to
housing, and had met with legislators to
express our interest in affordable housing
for Oregonians. Mike and I were exhausted,
but feeling optimistic about the upcoming
legislative session.
I watched the 1-5 scenery roll past the
window and thought about what Mike had
said. I agree that it’s an unfortunate reality
that many folks experiencing homelessness
dr housing instability do not have the luxury
of getting politically involved. The stress of
existing in constant survival mode, worrying
about each meal and how to sleep in relative
safety each night, compound barriers such
as mental illness and lack of education that
a number of unhoused individuals face. I
imagine that having the energy to confront
political systems would seem impossible to
the. folks J know who have to gather
H
Colleen Sinsky is a
retention worker a t
JOIN, which works to
help people
experiencing
homelessness secure
a n d m a intain stable
housing.
cardboard for a bed each day.
What then, is my excuse? I have lived in
Portland for four years, and worked on the
front line of housing services for as long.
Why was this Housing Opportunity Day the
first time I’ve visited my own state Capitol?
Why haven’t I taken the time to really
educate myself about the various initiatives
put forward each session to alleviate the
very issues of housing access that I have
been working on the ground for?
In providing direct service and housing
support for families transitioning off of the
streets, I’ve let myself get swept up in the
same stressful daily grind that keeps
homeless and other marginalized individuals
from being able to speak up and organize.
I’ve let myself believe that I’m too busy or
too stressed to challenge the status quo on
a larger scale, and that because I’m “doing
the work,” I’m off the hook for engaging
politically. However, the reality that I am
letting myself realize is that I have a
responsibility to speak up. Taking time away
from my busy schedule at JOIN to attend
the Housing Opportunity Day in Salem was
tough, and I came back to a voicemail box
full of acute needs from my JOIN folks. I
have intimate access to the stories of
individuals who will obtain safe housing
because.of successful initiatives, and to the
stories of families who will sleep in a van
together becauseof budget cuts to
affordable housing.
I should be more proactive in leveraging
my privilege, my education, and my position
in our community as a social service
provider to advocate for more housing
support While easier in the short-term,
allowing myself to become too busy — or
jaded with regard to the political system
'
will ensure that the families with whom I
work face uncertain futures.
Even more important than personal
political involvement is my responsibility to
facilitate marginalized individuals in having a
political voice.
The Oregon Housing Alliance created a
forum for service recipients to speak
directly to legislators. Organizations such as
Street Roots, Dignity Village, and JOIN sent
delegations to represent the communities
who would directly benefit from the
proposed initiatives. Organizing the voices
of unhoused individuals is inherently
difficult, but the chorus that comes from
within the community is raw and powerful.
It’s a chorus that should not only be listened
to, but supported. Engaged service
recipients, like the several dozen who
attended the lobby day in Salem, are leaping
over barriers bigger than my own in order
to be vocal Oregonians.
I was proud to stand on the Capitol steps
in solidarity with a community, who despite
being largely ignored by mainstream society,
will not stop fighting for housing to become
a human right.
Better
health
here for
you
: Delivering physical, behavorial health and
dental health care for over 230‘1000 children,
families and individuals on the Oregon Health
Plan in the Portland Tri-County area.
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