News
Clark County’s scorecard in Washington’s goal to reduce homelessness
Clark County, Wash., is often considered part of the Portland metro area. Street Roots invited Andy Silver with the Council for the Homeless, and Rachael Myers with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance to talk about the situation on the other side of the bridge. In 2006, the Washington State Legislature set a goal for…
Our corporate classrooms: Bill Bigelow on the dangers of standardized curriculums and fresh ideas
Bill Bigelow is an educator and activist who taught social studies in the Portland Public Schools for more than 30 years. Though he has left the classroom as a full-time teacher, he is actively involved in the U.S. educational system through his work with both Rethinking Schools, a quarterly magazine that focuses on critical issues…
Tent city part deux? Homeless individuals in Clackamas County look to Right 2 Dream Too as a model
On any given evening along the dark, wooded perimeters of the Springwater Corridor in Clackamas County, more than 50 homeless individuals tuck themselves in for the night and hope for the best — or, at least a good night’s rest. To many, uninterrupted sleep comes as a luxury in an area fraught with late-night camp…
Photo slideshow: Primetime Street Roots
Street Roots partnered with local company Whaleheart Productions and director Gabe Van Lelyveld to produce a promotional video to bring greater awareness to the Street Roots vendor program and our mission in the community. For three days, April 24 to 27, an all-volunteer cast and crew of nearly 60 people documented the life of the…
The Village Building Convergence: An answer to better questions
When there are so many challenges to making the beautiful world we believe in the same one we live in, what do we do in Portland? When the world is increasingly ready for ways to heal deep social alienation and problems such as homelessness and disempowerment that go with it, what do we do in…
Ghosts of Agent Orange: The notorious defoliant continues to ravage generations of Vietnamese
Former Marine and member of Portland’s Veterans for Peace chapter, Dan Shea knows the lasting effects of the Vietnam War all too well. In 1977 his first child was born with a number of birth defects that he believes were the result of his exposure to Agent Orange. His son, Casey, came into the world…
Vendor Profiles
Sharing smiles with customers, friends alike
For Allen Butera, Street Roots isn’t just an income opportunity. It’s work that helps make his recovery process possible. “I’m more focused on my recovery right now than anything else,” he said. He’s been staying in a clean and sober facility and participating in a six-day-a-week program since February. “Street Roots is great because I…
Opinion
Growing pains: The imperative to understanding labor’s decline
Sociologist Jake Rosenfeld, author of “What Unions No Longer Do,” describes union decline as if he were a building inspector describing the key weaknesses in an aging building where unions are a failing structural element. In sharp contrast, Steve Early’s “Save Our Unions” is about repairing that structural element, with examples from what has been…
Knowing you’re not alone makes all the difference
Mike has lived a very hard life. Challenges with mental health, addiction and living with Tourette’s syndrome have for years contributed to a life on and off the streets. Mike has been a regular at Street Roots for quite a while now. We’ve both seen each other at our best, and at times, our worst.…
Bold moves a good start to prioritizing people
Bold. That’s the word we would use to describe Multnomah County right now. Multnomah County Chair Marissa Madrigal and the County Commissioners are going big. A new $1.4 million mental health program to prevent people experiencing mental health problems from being warehoused in our county jails is just the start. Increased support for housing, backfilling…
