Street roots., June 02, 2017, Page 6, Image 6

Vendors
Page 6
w w B O it profili :
Answers to Page 15 Puzzles
Karen
BY LEONORA KO
S T A F F W R IT E R
treet Roots vendor Karen is positive,
strong and turning her life around.
S
l-
£
9
Z
z
6
8
Z
ÿ S
8 9
Z £
9 1-
6
6 9 9 8
9 8 Z Z
Z £ V
9
1-
6 8 £
6 I. 9 £ Z
£ z Z 9 6
I- Z
9 9
Z 9 8 6 ÿ
8 Z £ Z 9
£ Z
9
6 z
9 9
Z 8
1-
8 6
Z £
9 I
Ÿ
1
3 À AA V s
3 3 a V a a V
3 3 IAI IAI V d 1
S 3 V 1 N 3 d
3 9 3 “1 1 O 3 9 N 1 N 1 V d 1
d 0 3
IAI V a 3
a 3 N 3 a
s
d
V N
I
v is
N V 0
s
■
y
S
3 IAI V a V IAI w
3
S 1 d 0
3 d V 3
S
1 3
1
3
n
1 ■
1
3 N 3
a N V
3 d O d
N 0 1 1 d 0 H S
■
1 V 1 3 N 3 d
3
d d V «
S 1 3 d
13 s
S V
S 3
3
I 3
s
1
3 0
N 3 3
S 3
N 0
3 »
1 d V AA 3 1 s
1
A 3
3 3
S 3
H 3
1
N
3
d S
3
1 IAI n
3 0
1
1 V
1 V a
unwrapping the lighthouses. I sat there in
the middle of my little room and bawled.
“It’s probably the first time in years I
allowed myself to truly cry. When you’re
homeless you’re so busy just trying to
survive. And out here, showing weakness is
not always a good thing.”
Lighthouses have a special meaning for
Karen.
When her mom died, Karen said she
received a sympathy card with “a beautiful
lighthouse.”
“The card says: even in the darkest days,
there is always light,” said Karen. “I still
have that card. Whenever I get down,
whenever I get worn out, I think: I just have
to keep moving toward that light. I know my
mom and my aunt would never want me to
give up.”
Karen continues to look at the bright
side.
“I’m celebrating staying clean, staying
sober,” said Karen.
“I’m celebrating that I’ve been able to
build my relationship with my brother.
There for a while we had little to no
contact. Over the last few months, we’ve
been able to reconnect.
“I’m celebrating that I’m doing Street
¡Roots.
1 For Karen, it also comes down to
■ being grateful.
“A couple years ago, I was living at the
Portland Rescue Mission,” she said,
“and I was thankful for that. I
was living in a dorm with 16
other women. Now I have
| my own little room. I don’t
• look at what I don’t have.
I look at what I’ve gained,
■you know? It may not be
I much, but I have it and
I I’ve earned it.”
| Karen said her next
(step is to find a more
{stable job and “keep
{moving forward.”
1 a
d V
N V 3 9
0
S a
a o
3 0
3
“I’m a redhead,” said Karen with a
smile. “And I’m Irish, German and
Chippewa Indian. We have a lot of the
stubborn thing going on. I just refuse to
give up.”
Karen was born and raised in Portland.
As an adult, Karen worked at various jobs
and became a caregiver to her ailing mom
and then her aunt. When both passed away,
Karen was unable to find another job and
became homeless.
“It’s terrifying,” Karen
said in a low voice.
“You never know where
you’re going to sleep. I
ended up here,
downtown, at the
Portland Rescue
Mission in 2014.”
j
While on the
street, one of
Karen’s first stops
was Street Roots.
She needed some
extra money and
decided to jump in.
“One of the
lessons I’ve learned
is: Don’t depend on
the system,” she said.
“Portland has a lot of great
programs, but if you wait for
somebody else to solve the
problem, you’re going to still be
standing there.
“(Joining Street Roots) was
probably one of the best decisions I ever
made because I had shut down emotionally,”
said Karen. “I didn’t smile or make eye
contact with people. I just kind of went
down into a really bad depression. Not only
because I was homeless, but also for the
grief for my family members.
“They built me up. They’ve encouraged
me.”
Karen became clean and sober last June.
She said, “I got tired of being drunk. I
looked at myself and I realized I was
becoming like my father, who died homeless
here in downtown.”
Karen worked with a Central City
Concern counselor to apply for housing.
This March, Karen found permanent
housing with Transition Projects.
“I went and did the happy dance like you
wouldn’t believe,” recalled Karen. “I had (a
collection of) lighthouses at a
friend’s house in
¡Storage. All sizes,
j
¡Shapes and
• , >
forms. My
friend helped
feme move all
i my stuff in
j and I
I started
Street Roots • June 2-8, 2017
>i
Sheeptoast
by Elizabeth Considine