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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2015)
Street Roots • July 24-30, 2015 Portland Business Alliance: We can do better he Portland Business Alliance took out a full- regulations that limit rental rates and increases is page ad a recent Oregonian with the title, “We banned under Oregon statute. can do better than this.” The ad goes on to say, Minimum wage: Local governments continue to be “Our city is experiencing a crisis on our streets and prohibited from setting local minimum wages — in our parks. Every day thousands of people sleep something in that continues to hurt social services and our parks and open spaces and panhandle our working people, especially with the high price of sidewalks. Turning a blind eye to housing people living on the street is not a So, how about a full-page ad asking the legislature humane solution to Portland’s to take on any one of these important issues, or D IR E C T O R 'S homeless crisis. Portland is better recruiting landlords to help end veterans than this. Sign our petition to tell DESK homelessness? Mayor Hales and Portland City Where was the Portland Business Alliance when it By Israel Bayer Council that the people of our city came to supporting inclusionary zoning in the recent want and deserve a better legislative session, or supporting efforts to open the solution.” doors to a real estate transfer fee? Why aren’t The petition goes on to say, developers being organized to help contribute to a “Portland is better than this. It’s time to get serious local housing trust fund? Why aren’t Oregon hospitals about addressing this long-standing problem that being compelled to invest real resources to help affects every person — residents, visitors, those in house people currently homeless as a known need of services — in the city. We need to provide extension of health care? After all, aren’t most more emergency and hospitals seeing record temporary shelters, an profits? area where the city My open question to ranks as one of the the business community lowest compared to is: Why do we continue to other major metro areas. blame City Hall and people We need more humane experiencing solutions for people who homelessness, when want help because no nothing will change unless Portlander should have we start working together to sleep on the street.” to tackle the problem On it’s face, the holistically? campaign seems like a Don’t get me wrong — I practical call for housing want City Hall to act too. arid resources W - t Street Roots would like to something we can all see the city commit to agree on. In some ways, giving a majority of next Street Roots doesn’t disagree. It’s time for year’s budget surplus to bold action on housing housing, while also and homelessness in our supporting a public city. There’s simply no initiative to support place left to turn. housing and homeless Saying that, buying a services. Saying that, full-page ad in The simply blaming City Hall Oregonian and doesn’t really get us orchestrating a Change, anywhere longterm. org petition seems like a Believe us, we know. sensational attempt to We’ve been down that road force the mayor into before. responding to the issue. ■' Targeting people Here’s the thing. experiencing homelessness in city parks and on When it comes to having tools at our disposal to sidewalks doesn’t really get us anywhere, either. combat our housing and homeless crisis we are Sweeping vulnerable people from public spaces isn’t hurting badly. Here is a short-list of tools used in the answer. Sweep people to where? The Westside? other states that are prohibited at a local or state The Eastside? Into the neighborhoods? It doesn’t level. ■ Construction Excise Tax: Local governments are work. It’s inhumane and not even practical. Can we move on? barred from imposing excise taxes on construction My point is, the Portland Business Alliance has a projects. real opportunity to help solve the problem of ■ Document Recording Fee: A constitutional ban individual homelessness. Imagine business leaders is in place on any new state and local taxes, fees or helping negotiate ways to create more affordable assessments at a time of sale or transfer of interest housing units with developers or helping facilitate in real property. conversations with the homebuilders and the real- ■ Inclusionary Zoning: This option would let local estate industry to find long-term solutions. Let’s all governments adopt land use regulations that effect work together to increase the minimum wage to establishing unit, building, or parcel pricing. It is support workers in Portland to maintain a healthy prohibited under state law. middle-class. Let’s find a way to make housing our ■ Real Estate Transfer Tax: The real estate community’s number one priority. When that day industry successfully imposed a constitutional ban comes, the Portland Business Alliance won’t need to against any new state or local taxes, fees or buy an ad in The Oregonian - it will already be front assessments at time of sale. ■ Rent control: The option to impose rent page news. ■ Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him a t israel@streetroots. org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. Page 3 Editorial Write in . If you would like tohave . / \ something . thatyou’ve written published \ > . iri our pages, or would like to get involved as a member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhi at 503-228-5657, joanne^streetroots .org, We ask that ail 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.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a,m.-3 p.m. MorvFrL, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat. and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Advertising Interested In advertising in Street Hoots? Contact Israel Bayer at israeltstreetrcots.org Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israetoeetrocfc.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuh! joanne@streetroots.org Vénder Coordinator Cole Merkel cofe@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer, grace@streetroots.org Development Director Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Galliot Reporters Emily Green, Sue Zaiokar, Ann-Derrick Galliot, Sarah Hansell, Lenora Ko,.Sam Bouman, Jared Paben Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Anderson Vice-Chairman Brad Taylor Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Eddie Barbosa, Rachel Langford Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Brian Ritchie, Anders Frederickson, Stephanie Holum, Anjaii Rathore, Sam Bouman, Joanna Chase, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Eliese Baker, Dan Jones, Rob Shyrock, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jessica Pollard, Christine Menges, Lee Ko, James Yu, Siri Carlson, Diana Richardson, Sarah Wise If you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or. call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik for more information at 503-228-5657.
