OPINION | How should Portland and Multnomah County funding be spent for what is, in fact, a diversity of needs? How could the city of Portland possibly sweep unhoused people when there’s nowhere to go? And about those places to go — where and what should ...
26 May 2021 - Kaia Sand
COMMENTARY | Their real goal may be to stop us from making them pay their fair share Two business associations have filed a legal challenge to Metro’s proposed May 2020 ballot measure to prevent and reduce homelessness. The grocers and manufacturers group ...
21 Mar 2020 - Mary King
COMMENTARY | The commissioner’s coalition-building style created lasting improvements in how we look at solving the crisis I remember the first time I met Nick Fish. He had an almost naive optimism about what he wanted to accomplish on the housing front. ...
10 Jan 2020 - Israel Bayer
Commonly accepted practices are preventing good renters from getting into housing in Portland Across our city, too many people are homeless or unstably housed. What we don’t need are insurmountable barriers to housing that target people of color and those ...
19 Apr 2019 - SR editorial board
DIRECTOR’S DESK | If there's no funding for a compassionate response to crises on the streets, then support of the plan goes nowhere We’ve heard a tremendous response to the Portland Street Response plan published in our March 15 edition. The grounds ...
29 Mar 2019 - Kaia Sand
DIRECTOR’S DESK | Learning from Eugene's CAHOOTS program, Portland must make it clear that a non-police response is available Just under three hours south by train and I was in Eugene, there to witness their mobile crisis support program, CAHOOTS. I ...
15 Mar 2019 - Kaia Sand
DIRECTOR’S DESK | Plan includes some gains for homeless The Portland City Council voted unanimously to approve the Central Eastside Enhanced Services District Wednesday after an all hands-on-deck effort by the staffs of Commissioners Jo Ann Hardesty, Ch ...
6 Feb 2019 - Kaia Sand
Don't just make it easy for people to complain. Make it easy for people to help. Kaia Sand is the executive director of Street Roots. You can reach her at kaia@streetroots.org. Follow her on Twitter @mkaiasand At the Oregon Health Forum on Nov. 15, M ...
23 Nov 2018 - Kaia Sand
The homeless crisis requires more than an emergency response; we need long-term strategies It comes as no surprise that the Portland City Council is poised to extend the state of emergency to address homelessness. There is little on the ground that has ch ...
29 Sep 2017 - SR editorial board
Israel Bayer delivers some real talk about his experience fighting for people in poverty In the coming months, as I gear up for my departure from Street Roots, I’ll be writing about some reflections and lessons learned over the years. Some real talk. Isra ...
15 Sep 2017 - Israel Bayer