A new vendor for Street Roots, Joseph is building community wherever he can. Whether he’s selling papers outside the New Seasons on Southeast Division Street and 21st Avenue or checking in on friends living in camps and motorhomes, Joseph always tries to make sure that others feel cared for.
“We all have gifts and talents,” Joseph said. “Sometimes we don’t know what they are, and sometimes we do. But we don’t always use what we have. There’s so many things someone can be good at.”
For Joseph, his gift is connection. When he’s not selling papers, you can find him playing pickup games of basketball or baseball in the park, making music or exchanging stories and jokes with friends. Creativity runs in his family: his uncle was a recording musician before he passed away last year.
Writing is a passion for Joseph, as well. He’s taken classes at Portland Community College and is hoping to enroll in Street Roots’ Mobile Journalism program, which gives houseless Portlanders the skills to write and report on their communities and experiences.
Community also means looking out for your neighbors, Joseph said. He does what he can to help others living in camps, cars, and RVs. In between shifts working at the gas station or as a janitor around town, Joseph likes to reach out to friends and help keep camps clean. He’ll even do runs for supplies and medicine for people who need it.
Joseph often spends time with his brother and sister, who also live in town. Although he’s bounced around Portland in motels or other temporary dwellings, Southeast is one of his favorite parts of the city. These days, however, Joseph has no permanent place to sleep.
Joseph remembers a different time in Portland when rents were a lot cheaper. He came to the city for the first time when he was just a kid, visiting his grandmother who lived in the Pearl District in the 1980s.
“Back then, people were still semi-friendly… Now some people look at you like you’ve got the plague,” Joseph said. “Still, it’s one of the friendliest states I’ve been to. People are very helpful. I learn a lot from young people and older people.”
Joseph has had his share of challenges these last few years. Work hasn’t always been steady, and he’s recovering from a recent stroke. He has lost friends and family as well, but he said it’s important to celebrate life even when the ones we love are gone.
“You gotta find your happiness,” Joseph said. “My happiness is when I make other people happy or when I see someone show kindness and compassion for somebody else, no matter what background or what they’re going through.”
Joseph can be found selling papers outside the New Seasons on Southeast Division Street and 21st Avenue. If you’re unable to find him there, you can send him money via @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (#712) in the notes.
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