By Israel Bayer
Individuals selling the newspaper reported back to the organization that readers were more than generous, and your support meant the world. Thank you.
We would also like to thank the many individuals and families who have already taken the time and effort to give to the organization during the holidays. Street Roots raised more than $17,000 through the Willamette Week Give!Guide and $25,000 through the mail and through our own website. We can’t thank you enough. Your support means Street Roots will remain strong going into 2012.
This year is an exciting time for the organization. In February, Street Roots will be unveiling a new web platform that will help the organization compete in a changing media landscape. We have been working over the past year with open source developers to build a fantastic website for the general public. The new website will allow us to be more transparent as an organization, while highlighting the content of the newspaper, the vendor program and our advocacy work.
In the next year, we will also be expanding our physical space. For as long as Street Roots has existed, we have been operating in a shotgun office with editorial and vendor services. We will be staying in the same building, but creating editorial and development offices around the corner, in addition to our current space. The additional space will give us street side access on both Northwest Second Avenue and Northwest Davis Street. The move will allow for both the editorial and vendor program to grow over time.
Also in 2012, Street Roots will be working to expand sales locations and working with local businesses and organizations to serve the vendor program. We will also continue to publish more than 100,000 SR Rose City Resource guides and work with more than 200 organizations and institutions to distribute the guide.
All of this is a part of a larger strategy to go weekly in 2013-14. Over the next two years the organization is working to build capacity for such a venture. Going weekly would allow us to increase the income for people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Portland, and allow Street Roots to deliver more timely and important news that can’t be found anywhere else.
Again, we appreciate the love. Your support is going directly to supporting social and individual change. Cheers and Happy New Year!