When Justine Morby says, “What I’ve been hoping for is what I’ve got now,” she’s referring to much more than meaningful work and a place to live.
She’s been on a long journey to arrive at this place. “I’ve been transitioning my whole life,” she said. “But when I rolled off the Greyhound bus one night in Portland, that’s when it truly first began.”
Justine is originally from southeastern Idaho.
“Where I’m from, it’s a pretty conservative, faith-based community.”
And even though she had the support of her mom and most of her family, she explained feeling disconnected.
“It was not the right place for me. I was set up there for failure.”
Justine chose Portland.
“It was time to live my new life, to be truly who I am. I knew Portland was the place to go,” she said.
That was 2019. Homeless and without family and friends, she found Street Roots.
“Street Roots is a welcoming place where I could feel safe, feel a part of a team and feel that I’m accepted,” Justine said.
And because her work is highly social, whether working on teams like Ground Score or selling Street Roots newspapers, her work is nudging her out of her naturally introverted comfort zone. It’s a good thing, Justine explained.
“I’m developing more and more friendships,” she said.
Her closest friendships in Portland remain the ones she made while spending a year at Laurelwood Center, a low-barrier shelter operated by Transition Projects.
“Being at Laurelwood strengthened me,” she explained. “It’s where I met my close friends. And after working with a counselor there, I have my own place.”
And now, thanks to her connections with Street Roots, Justine has additional meaningful work. She’s a member of Ground Score, a program that Street Roots executive director Kaia Sand said, “employs people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity to clean up areas of the city where people are sleeping outside.”
Each week, Justine joins a team of four who go into specified houseless communities to help with trash control and to deliver supplies like water, trash bags, and food.
“We try and keep it tight for them so they can stay where they are,” Justine said.
It’s a win-win relationship, Justine explained.
“We’re helping both sides,” she said. “We’re keeping the community clean, and we’re helping campers. I enjoy the work; it gives me a sense of helping others, and also it gives me a way to make an income.”
If you’ve been a steady customer of Justine’s, there are interesting things about her that you might not know. For instance, sports have always been important to her. Throughout high school, she played basketball and baseball and wrestled. She played college baseball in Colorado and has played some competitive baseball since then. Playing sports was always her chance to battle the influence of drugs.
Justine also has a creative mind. As a writer, she’s published several short stories in both Street Roots and the Street Roots Zine.
This summer, Justine is looking forward to getting out and exploring more of Portland, specifically parts she hasn’t visited yet. And most of all, she says she’s looking forward to “continuing to expand and to grow.”
Drop by Justine’s post at the corner of Southeast Caesar Chavez Blvd. and Holgate Blvd. in front of Trader Joe’s. Additionally, you can support Justine through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering her name and badge number (333) in the comments.
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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