Elizabeth hopes to secure housing soon and knows the stability can help her move forward
Vendor Elizabeth Bodenstab has one priority: becoming housed. She’s got an upcoming opportunity that is promising — welcome news after having been on the streets for a year now.
“I lost my place and all my belongings a year ago,” Elizabeth said. “But DeVon (Pouncey, program coordinator at Street Roots) helped get an appointment for new housing. I’ve got some hurdles before I would get to move in though.”
A 10-year veteran of Street Roots, Elizabeth used to sell the paper at the Stadium Fred Meyer on West Burnside. She’s working on finding a consistent spot to sell Street Roots, but says her housing stability comes first. And she’s excited about the potential for new housing.
“There’s lots of rules for the new place, including limited visitors,” she said. “This housing would be a good thing for me.”
Stable housing can’t come soon enough for Elizabeth.
“I was moved up on a housing list because I escaped a recent domestic violence episode — one that required an ambulance trip to Emanuel (Hospital) and four stitches,” she said. “I was staying in a motel when it happened.”
The recent historic ice and snow in Portland landed her in the emergency room twice — once for lower abdominal pain and once for a slip and fall on the ice.
Despite the challenging weather, things are already turning the corner for Elizabeth, and she remains optimistic.
“For 2024, I’m excited to get inside and keep my apartment,” she said. “I want a good year this year. I don’t have time for any of this nonsense.”
And Elizabeth’s grateful for Street Roots and all it offers.
“Street Roots has provided so much for me,” she said. “Street Roots has been a great resource and advocate for housing — DeVon especially. He’s beyond great. He’s awesome. If you don’t know, he’s an awesome dude.”
And who else is awesome in Elizabeth’s eyes? Her customers.
“I can’t wait to reconnect with my customers,” she said. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Elizabeth wants to go back to school to earn her GED and eventually become a counselor for those who have experienced sexual violence.
“But I need stability in order to start that,” she said. “A lot has helped me, including the Old Town Recovery Center. I’ve got a good support system from there, including my case manager and my new counselor. I wish there was more housing in Portland, especially for homeless people. There are lots of people wanting to help themselves.”
While Elizabeth is still working on a regular spot to sell Street Roots (and of course, her housing), she can always be supported by readers through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering her name and badge number (680) in the notes.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. 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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