Opinion
Editorial | Street Roots launches independent Sweep Tracker
The only source for quantitative data on homeless encampment sweeps in Portland is the city agency responsible for conducting those sweeps — or most of them, more accurately. Which, in itself, is cause for concern in terms of transparency and accountability. As anyone who lives, works or shops downtown may well know, the city recently…
Opinion | People need a safe space to park their RVs
Dear community, On Monday, April 18, just before 5 a.m. on Northeast 33rd Avenue in Portland, an explosive device was thrown at a parked motorhome where a woman was sleeping inside. The explosion was so strong, it blew out the front windshield and engulfed the interior in flames. The occupant inside was extremely lucky to…
Opinion | ‘Friendship is a concrete act of care’
What does a development team do? Do they develop an organization's structure? Or develop strategies to make more money? These questions circled around my head after my first meeting with Andrew, my soon-to-be internship supervisor at Street Roots. Sitting in my Dad’s living room in Santa Fe, I wondered what I could bring to the…
Opinion | It’s past time for a $15 federal minimum wage
President Joe Biden’s March 2022 State of the Union Address included a call for a $15 federal minimum wage. According to an Economic Policy Institute study, a phased increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would raise the earnings of 32 million workers — 21% of the workforce, no small thing. The current…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile | Newly housed and focusing on her health
Breathlessly, Elizabeth Bodenstab shared her big news: she is on the cusp of becoming housed. She was careful with her words, almost believing that if she said them out loud, they might vanish, along with the hopes of becoming housed. Elizabeth’s disbelief is understandable. After 22 years of being housing insecure, she finally saw a…
Housing
Just keep building?
If someone lives in Oregon, there’s a low probability their rent is considered affordable. Half of all Oregon renters spend more than 30% of their income on rent, which puts their rent beyond the federal definition of affordable, according to an Oregon Health Authority study. A “severe housing cost burden,” affects 27% of renter households,…
