Dignity Village co-founder Jack Tafari led a fight that continues 16 years later Call it irony, or possibly a simple twist of fate, that Jack Tafari, an iconic leader who helped co-found Dignity Village and fight against Portland’s camping ban, passed awa ...
21 Apr 2016 - Israel Bayer
From the Legislature to the Portland mayor's office to you It’s a question I get a lot: Israel, can you explain to me what’s going on out there? Let’s start with Salem. Housing legislation is moving forward on important eviction protections, inclusio ...
25 Feb 2016 - Israel Bayer
It’s not easy being homeless. Just imagine. A student asked me this week why some of the homeless camps are so hard to keep clean. I asked the student to imagine: The entire world stepped inside your home at this very moment. Not just anyone, but every ...
11 Feb 2016 - Israel Bayer
Tent cities might not be popular, but they're a lot more effective than doing nothing It’s time for the city and county to support scaling up the tent city model in our region. Being able to find a permanent location for Right 2 Dream Too on the east ...
3 Sep 2015 - Israel Bayer
It’s time to embrace the idea of organized camping and the Tiny House Movement in Portland for people experiencing poverty. We are now three decades into to the rise of massive homelessness in the United States. During that time we’ve seen tens of billion ...
16 Aug 2014 - Israel Bayer
What happens when a group of people experiencing homelessness and poverty decide to take matters into their own hands and organize to improve their quality of life? Unfortunately, they often are looked upon as a nuisance in the community. It’s common know ...
16 Jan 2014 - Israel Bayer