News
Talking pot, polls and politics with Earl Blumenauer
Congressman Earl Blumenauer has the veneer of a seasoned Beltway politician, trademark bowtie aside. But to his core, he’s a true Portlander. Much has been written about his enthusiasm and support of cycling, mass transit and civic engagement. But on a deeper level, this is the man in Washington fighting for, among other issues, legalized…
Rethinking the wagon: with new methods alcoholics can moderate their drinking
Alan sometimes drank until he blacked out. When he regained consciousness, he’d find himself at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. The 54 year-old, who requested his last name be withheld, has tried to quit drinking several times. He attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He even scraped together the money for a 30-day retreat on the…
Paul Boden and the history of homelessness as we know it today
Paul Boden is the executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, or WRAP. The organization is made up of community organizations around the United States, including Street Roots and Right 2 Survive in Portland. The group published the groundbreaking report, “Without Housing,” in 2012, and has facilitated presenting artwork about housing from the Depression…
Challenges ahead for GED schools
The Londer Learning Center is facing new dual challenges to its mission of educating adults transitioning out of prison or drug treatment — from the loss of federal money and a new testing standard. It is unclear yet exactly how these changes will affect the program. But they likely will lead to loss of services…
More than a GED: Graduates of Londer Learning Center master learning and life
Thousands of fresh-faced high school graduates filed through the Veterans Memorial Coliseum this month, happy to transition out of their teenage years. But the small group of students who threw their caps in the air inside the Multnomah Building in Southeast Portland on June 6 celebrated the closure of something much more somber. Most of…
For the Record June 20-July 3, 2014
-Number of mental health professionals responding in person to students and community members in the first day after the Reynolds High School shooting: 98 -Number of deaths caused by firearms (includes suicide) in the U.S. in 2013: 31,672 -Number of homicides in the U.S. in 2013: 16,259 -Number of homicides using a firearm in the…
Opinion
The healing journey between victim and survivor
What I am about to share is unfortunately not a new or unique story. It is among millions and millions of stories, told and untold, by survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. That very fact fills me with indignation, not just as a person who is part of that number, but also as a…
We are reaching a tipping point in Portland
Portland is reaching a tipping point. With the decline of affordable housing units around the city due to the increase of rental prices we’re heading into a perfect storm. In fact, some might say the storm has already arrived on our shores. It sure feels that way. We are dangerously close as a city to…
Vendor Profiles
Rebuilding a foundation with friends
When Lori Lematta first started selling Street Roots in March, it was to meet her immediate needs — bus tickets, phone minutes, a driver’s license, vet trips for her 10-year-old dachshund Susie. Now, however, Street Roots gives her a little more than a small income. “Street Roots and my customers keep me going,” she said.…
