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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 2017)
Commentary Page 12 The streets need help, before it’s too late Maddy Brown-Clark is vendor with Street Roots. She sells the paper outside Floyds Coffee in Old Town. Sÿ > :•£ Î* BY MADDY BROWN-CLARK S TR EET R O O T S V E N D O R he housing situation is a serious problem in Portland, so many low- income and no-income people are homeless. Something must be done to address this tragedy. Sure, there are shelters. But there aren’t enough to house everyone. And they are only a temporary solution to the problem of homelessness. One can only stay at a shelter for a short period of time. As good as shelters are, they are like a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. One of the problems I’ve run into is the fact that you must have good credit to rent a house or apartment. It doesn’t matter how good your rental history is; that’s not good enough. My brother, who is still homeless, has run into that problem. In better days, we shared an apartment for seven years. We were never late with the rent and took good care of the apartment. But when we had to move out, we were denied apartment after apartment because we didn’t have credit cards. Many homeless people are disabled and mentally ill, like myself. So they have some income coming in. Yet they are still denied proper housing. Low-income housing is almost impossible to get into. There are long waiting lists. Sometimes it takes up to a year T % * or two to be housed. What will we do in the meantime? When I was homeless, I was in my wheelchair on the street. No one would help me and my chair would run out of power - once in the middle of the street. Yet I had an income coming in. But I didn’t qualify to rent a place. I got very sick living on the street. Many of us hallucinate, hear voices and talk to ourselves, yet are harmless. This is because many run out of medication on the streets and can’t be hospitalized in mental health facilities unless they are suicidal. The sad thing is that there are many empty buildings around the city. Why can’t these buildings be turned into low-income apartments to house the homeless? There are people out there who do care. Every year there’s a blues festival. Often the earnings are used to help the homeless. In my case, I finally found housing in assisted living. I am one of the fortunate ones. But many of my street brothers and sisters are still homeless. What will become of them? Winter isn’t that far away. Some die of exposure. Now is the time to help so they don’t lose hope and life. I call for those who can to help before it’s too late for anyone else out there on the streets. •:;> $ & S :$• :gi FamilyCare Health Are you a FamilyCare Health member? Get instant to your health care with our free mobile app! Review your benefits, search for doctors and clinics your digital ID card, and more. Download the app today from Google Play or the Available in English, Russian, Spanish, and Viei 800-458-9518 | www.familycareinc. Street Roots • August 25-31, 2017 Daybreaks by Avendor Rock and roll’s got my mind spinning my neighbor brought me a bowl now I’m grinning. Kiss me by the Birds of Paradise Mother Nature needs our love Train me in the warrior clan these corrupted times need a shove. I dirty my pant leg picking up a key in the red and violet neon light fogging over the city. I know these words as numbered are somewhat unfit to measure but sometimes to lay out the truth you must ruffle a few feathers. And now that the day’s hunger has been satisfied I’ll go to sleep beneath the stars with the rest of my pride. Should you find me waking up gazing into the dawn know that I’ve come here not to fail but to be loved, and to belong. Si- &
