Jason Isbell recently submitted paperwork for a housing voucher program through Old Town Recovery Center. If accepted, he will begin receiving a monthly housing stipend, and he hopes to move into an apartment within a few weeks.
“I’m starting to experience hope again for the first time in a long time,” he said.
Right now, Jason is houseless, and he dreams of being able to find a place with a washer, dryer and a room where he can focus on things that give him comfort and peace, like writing in his journal, coloring and the occasional video game. He thinks he could use the space to get back into drawing.
“I used to draw a lot,” he said. “I like to draw portraiture with charcoal. I’m pretty decent at it. I mean, I’m really out of practice, but I know if I just spent a little bit of time on it, it’s one of those things where you don’t lose the skill. It just gets rusty. It’s like a pencil. As soon as you sharpen it, you’re good to go again.”
Jason, who is in his early 40s, had a traumatic experience as a toddler, and he’s been seeing a therapist since he was 4 years old. He started journaling as a part of his therapy, and now it’s something he’s been doing for nearly his whole life.
“I’ve been under the care of a clinician for 39 years of my life, and journaling has always been a big part of that,” he said. “When I can, I actually journal a lot. It’s a really effective therapeutic tool.”
With a place of his own, Jason hopes to be able to focus on his mental and physical health. He struggles with anxiety, depression and diabetes.
“I want good stability in my environment, which will really help me focus on stabilizing my emotional life,” he said.
He plans to work with Central City Concern to get his disability benefits reinstated so he can work on a therapeutic plan to resolve his anxiety and depression. Ultimately, he wants to be able to find a steady job.
Jason has been a Street Roots vendor for more than a decade, but he only recently began selling the papers again after a hiatus spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. He sells papers at the QFC in Sellwood at 6411 SE Milwaukie Ave.
Since he’s just getting started again, he doesn’t have a lot of regulars, but building relationships with his customers is one of his favorite parts of the job.
“I’ve discovered that by communicating more with my customers that actually talk to and engage with me, I end up building really good relationships,” he said.
He takes pride in being clean, tidy, respectful and approachable when he works.
Jason recently started accepting payment over Venmo, and he said it’s made a big impact on his sales.
“You see a lot more people relying on digital currency than on hard cash these days,” he said. “Using Venmo has made a big difference.”
If you can’t catch Jason when he’s selling from noon to 6 p.m. at QFC, you can support him through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (611) in the notes.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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