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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2017)
Street Roots • Page 3 Editorial Jan. 13-19, 2017 Wrttete Be safe, be kind, be alert T ^ o u r people have frozen to death on W Portland’s streets since Jan. 1. City and JL county officials along with homeless outreach organizations have been working around the clock. It’s a nightmare scenario for people sleeping OUtside. Emergency shelters and warming centers around the region have opened, but unfortunately the B y Israel Bayer community isn’t able to reach everyone. Readers will ask me, Israel, why aren’t people experiencing homelessness going into shelters? Many people experiencing a mental health crisis can’t be around other people in large groups. No one has a plan for that. I can’t tell you the number of times Street Roots has worked with someone having a mental health collapse and there’s simply nowhere for that person to access services. Social service agencies are overwhelmed. First responders don’t have an answer. We offer individuals a hot cup of coffee and a restroom. After that, individuals are cast back out into the wilderness with no clear plan for how to address their mental health crisis. It’s a frustrating and sad reality. More so, many people experiencing DIRECTOR'S DESK Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach h im a t israel@streetroots. org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. streets, others died horrible deaths after having terminal illnesses. Many died of drug overdoses, some were self-medicating due to their homelessness and/or mental illness. Homelessness is a sick and twisted deal where you’re lucky to get out alive. You most certainly will be traumatized for life by the experience. It’s hard to .find the sunny side of the street. In the meantime, be kind. Be alert out there, readers. Warming centers are open in Portland and Gresham during day and night To assist someone in locating shelter and transportation to shelter, please call 211. Calls can be answered in more than 150 languages. If you see someone outside, unsheltered, whose life appears to be in danger or is in an apparent medical crisis, call 9-1-1. Otherwise, if you see someone about whom you are concerned, such as not being dressed for the conditions, call police non-emergency 503- 823-3333 and request a welfare check for that person. Don’t hesitate. It’s better to be safe than sorry. You might just save a life - literally. This week has certainly has been a wake up call for me. In many ways, working on the streets for so long and helping coordinate the annUaFfemefessdeathcdunt with the If you would like to have that you’ve written published io our pages, or would like to gel involved as a member of our reporting staff, S contact Managing Editor Joanne Zu hl a t , ¡8 503-228-5657 Joanoe@streetroofe.org. We ask t o all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Reels 211NWOavfe$t Ported, OR 97209 . . 503-2285657 Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org - Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat and 7:30-1 p.m. Sun. i m Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at i$r3el»eetroot$.org Staff Israel Bayer israd@streetroots.org Executive Director M anaging Ed ito r Joanne Zuhi joanne@streetroots.org m e d ic a l e x a m in e r an d h e a l th d e p a r tm e n t - Vender Program Director Cote Merkel people tlying w the streets'had become' so ' th e ir ow n. W h y w o u ld n ’t th e y ? T h e y w a tc h people die every single week on the, streets. Four people freezing to death on Portland’s streets since New Year’s is a wake up call. Unfortunately, the wake-up call has less to do with shelter capacity and more to do with the lack of mental health services and housing. Long after the snow and cold are gone people will still be dying on our cole@streetroots.org n o rm a liz e d in m y e x p e r ie n c e t h a t t h e n e w s Operations Director Sarah Beecrofi Development Director Sarah Cloud of another homeless person dying barely even phases me. That s not OK. The reality is that every time someone dies on our streets it should be a wake-up call for all of us. That housing should be prioritized at all levels of government and that in fact homelessness or someone dying on the streets is anything but normal. Program Assistant Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasntk Canvasser Desmond Hardison Saying that, it’s important to recognize the many volunteers, outreach workers and first responders working on the streets to save people’s lives. People are tired. They continue on. Working around the clock to save people’s lives. It’s also worth noting that some social service agencies close their doors during snowstorms. If your mission is to serve people experiencing homelessness and you close your doors during a snowstorm you might want to revaluate your priorities. It s unacceptable, period. In 2015, an average of more than 7 people died every month in Multnomah County. Some chose suicide over living on the Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Dan Jones Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Marcus Swift Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymant, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce, Anne Reif, Gillian Horen, Mark Oldani, Meg Holden, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler, Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin, Tom Vandel and Grace Gallagher. If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer, Or you can call for more information at P H O T O B Y ISRAEL B A YER Jan 10.
