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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2015)
Things Portlanders can do to help Write m I d f S 1 Pe°Ple ask me’ “What can ®tr?duce t0 Philanthropy at a young i ao to help people experiencing homelessness? I feel helpless and I’m not sure age. We know that when younger people are my voice actually matters.” not sure introduced to giving they are more likely to become lifelong donors and volunteers to What do I do when people ask me for great causes throughout their lifetime Plus The n ° " the Streetf Ifs rea,ly “P t0 you- Jt s a great way to educate your kids on ’ he Oregonian asked me the same question helping others. this year and this is what I had to say, ,, R°° ts 3180 recommends looking to n e ^ 0,iS y ,I,m blased would encourage the Willamette Week’s GivelGuide during the people to pick up a Street Roots. Saying that I have a one quarter or dollar rule. The first ’ months of November and December and pemon who asks me for change each Jay gets giving a donation to one of the many great nonprofits throughout the Portland region. a htfle something. After that, I tell peopfo no Give.Guide s launch is right around the It s a quick and easy way to give, but to not corner. other myself with the complexities of trying 1 Sh0Uld give or why 1 s^ uld Businesses can also get involved by giving a give to a specific person. i t ' s e a s y t o b e c o m e c y n f c a , a n i ja d # d I would advise people to be aware of then- t h e is s u e o i h o m 8 le s S B e s s M d environment, to use your gut instinct and to give as little or as much as you like. There’s s Z e X ’ W a “ e T S e r i0 B S ,y - 6 i v e a U w “ P P o r t t w i t y t o d o no, ? lg.remotely fun about living in poverty o m e U u n g g o o d i n y o m r c o m m n a it y w i l l m a k e y o n f e e l and having to beg for money. The idea that Phanh.a" <“lng somehow are making out like bandits is an urban myth.” Can I organize my family, friends and/or business to do something for organizations percentage of a night’s profits to a local non working with people experiencing homelessness? Yes you can. From getting your profit working with people on the streets. It’s peer network or business to engage in helping a great way to engage your customers and to get customers engaged while also supporting gather materials for organizations working your business. Not to mention it’s _ a tax _______ •. write- with people experiencing homelessness to off. crowdsourcing online to help someone stay in Beyond giving your time, expertise or their home — this m oney — people w ant to know how they can x can be a g reat way DIRECTOR'S DESK By Israel Bayer to engage and educate your network and do something good for community forward. the community. of Tenants. They both can be found on Facebook and Twitter. I would also recommend signing up for their newsletters online, which provide you with á lot of opportunities to take action in the community. The next thing you can do is contact elected officials and tell them you care about housing. I realize this feels like a hollow action, considering that rhetoric oftentimes outweigh substance in American politics. Saying that, our local government just did declare a state of emergency on housing and homelessness. I would argue that making your voice heard today is more important than it has been in years - that’s at the local, state and federal level. Elected officials need to hear a clear message that the rental crisis is affecting all Oregonians. We need our city council members, mayors, state legislators and members of Congress to step up to the plate. We need both new legislation and revenue to support giving all Oregonians a safe place to call home. It’s easy to become cynical and jaded when it comes to the issue of homelessness and poverty. Saying that, your support matters. Seriously. Given the opportunity to do something good in your community will make you feel better and it will also go a long way to support your fellow neighbors. We all need a hand up. It’s up to all of us collectively to chip and support making our community the best it can be. HOW WOUld I gO 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. help m ove th e issue of housing in our about this? Connecting with a nonprofit and asking what specific needs might be is a good place to start You can also look up non-profits online and see if organizations have wish lists. For Street Roots, fresh socks and Little Hottie Handwarmers become lifesavers in winter months. Can I offer my labor to support organizations working with people on the streets? Yes you can. Vounteering your expertise is one of the best ways you can get involved. From simply volunteering a day out of your week or month to trying to get on a nonprofit board of directors — your shared experience in the world adds value to many groups working with people on the streets. Should I give a donation to a local non-profit working with people experiencing homelessness? How do I choose who to give too? From a little to a lot, it all matters. It’s my opinion that you should give to organziations doing a lot with a little. Of course, everyone has a different view on this. Researching organizations that have been effective in providing services without a lot of overhead and organizations that provide successful advocacy efforts are critical at this time. There are a lot of ways to think about giving. For example, if you have a family, engaging your children to take part in giving B esides reading S tre e t Roots, two groups you should be following are the Welcome Home Coalition and the Community Alliance '. If you would like to have something' that you’ve written published ip our pages, or would t e to get involved as a member of our reporting staff, ^ ^ ^ ana$°S Edito r Joanne Zuhf at 503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the authors name and contact information, Street Roots 211-NWDavfeSt - Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 . Fax: 503-227-31,7 www.streetroots.org 'ww.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m„ Sat. and 7:30-11 am. Sun. interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at israei@streetroots.org Staff E xecutive D ir e c to r Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org M a n a g in g E d it o r Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org V en d o r C o o rd in a to r Cote M e rke l cole@ streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Sarah Cloud Scott Jackson, Jesuit D e ve lo p m e n t D ir e c to r P ro g ra m A s s is ta n t Volunteer Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Galliot Reporters Emily Green, Sue Zalokar, Ann-Derrick Gaiflot, 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, Marcus Swift Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Brian Ritchie, Anders Frederickson, Stephanie Holum, Anjali Rathore, Sam Bouman, Joanna Chase, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Eliese Baker, Dan Jones, Rob Shyrock, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jessica Pollard, Lee Ko, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning If you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or call our volunteer coordinator for more information at 503-228-5657.
