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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2016)
Street Roots • July î - 7 , 2016 Let’s give everyone a safe place to call home w ith the endorsement of the City Council, Portland will see a $258 affordable housing bond on the ballot in November. It’s a historic m oment The campaign is called Yes for Affordable Homes! The council also voted to support a‘l percent construction excise tax on all new - residential and commercial development giving Portland millions of MBECTOSTS rasK By Israel Bayer Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. support affordable housing. It’s about time. These policy decisions come the same year that the city voted to tax short-term rentals and create tenants protections (We need motel). And inclusionary zoning policies are expected to pass in the fall. At the same time, the city and county have dedicated millions of dollars annually to support homeless services in our community. It’s going to take a comprehensive strategy to curb homelessness in our community and to provide all Portlanders with a chance at fair housing. And that’s exactly what’s , beginning to unfold. People ask me, “Why should Portlanders vote for an affordable housing bond?” Here’s the thing. Possibly you’re a bleeding-heart liberal and voting for an affordable housing bond simply fits in line with your values. Maybe you’re a fiscal conservative and you want government to save money over time by investing wisely in housing. Maybe you’re simply mad about tent camping. At the end of the day, regardless of political ideologies, or why you want people experiencing homelessness off the streets - we can all agree that we need to invest in more affordable housing stock. Will the affordable housing bond solve all of our problems? No. But it will provide housing for thousands of people. Families. Elders, Veterans. It’s also a part of a larger strategy as outlined above. Page 3 E d ito r ia l It’s also going to take a banner year in Salem next year where we are looking for the governor and state legislators to deliver big on housing. Does that mean our work is done, hardly, it’s just beginning. The harsh reality is that people are still dying homeless cm our streets. More than 50 individuals die on our streets every year. That’s simply unacceptable. Moreover, the lack of affordable housing and homelessness isn’t simply a Portland problem. Thousands of people in central Oregon are under water. Communities up and down the coast can’t provide enough adequate housing for their own workforce. Beaverton, Gresham, Ashland, Eugene, Bend - the list goes on and on. The housing crisis is real. It’s not a fictitious slogan made up by some newspaper editor or politician. Just this week I talked to the mother of ; James who died homeless in 2015 in Portland’s Union Station. “Keep fighting,” she said. “There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think of my son and the work we still have to do.” Yes, we do. “I’m feeling a lot better than I was on the streets,” says Wayne Moore, a Street Roots vendor. , It’s that simple. Housing makes all the difference in.the world when it comes to having the opportunity of living a healthy life. Affordable housing is an investment in our community, much like fire and police, our highways and bike infrastructure. We have to think of it as such. So, cheers to all of you for being a part of a collective effort to stand up for the city we love, to not become San Francisco. To give people a safe place to call home. Now let’s go win our city a housing bond and bring ih a pew day in o u r community. Let’s give people an opportunity for a better tomorrow. Let’s give thousands of Portlanders a safe place to call home. Let’s stand up and fight for our city. It’s the least we can do. Write in If you would like to have something f i a t you’ve written published in d i r pages, o r would like to get involved as a member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657. joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author's name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Daws 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. Mon.-Fri.. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-11 a,m. Sun. Advertising Interested in advertising in Street t o t s ? Contact brad Bayer at israei^streetroots.org Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroote.org Managing Editor Joanne 2uW joanne®streetroots.org . Vendor Program Director Cote Merkel cole@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beeeroft Development Director Sarah Cloud Program Assistant Scott Jackson, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Gaiiiot Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zafokar, Ann-Derrick G a ib t, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Am anda Waldroupe Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode, t o Brink Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Bruce Anderson, Rich Rodgers, . Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, Marcus Swift Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Stephanie Hdum , Anjali Rathore,Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Dan Jones, Rob Shyrock, Dennis Hogan, Tom Wright, Eileen Deerdock, Vince Waldman, Judy Taylor, Karen Allen, Monica McKune, Susan Wotfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buetl Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoieymani, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangie, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Hifery Smith, 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.
