Portland, like many cities throughout the United States, finds itself at a crossroads. How do we collectively tackle the housing crisis and begin to really put the resources needed into ending homelessness? Anna Griffin’s series on homelessness in The Ore ...
18 Feb 2015 - Israel Bayer
How is weekly going? That’s the question we’ve been getting all month. Amazing. For readers who aren’t aware, vendors purchase the newspaper for 25 cents and then sell it for a suggested $1 in the community. When we launched weekly at the beginning of Jan ...
6 Feb 2015 - Israel Bayer
A common misnomer in many communities, including Portland, is that when you offer services to people experiencing homelessness and poverty, you attract more people experiencing homelessness. We call it the magnet myth. The reality is this kind of thinking ...
30 Jan 2015 - Israel Bayer
A lot people in the housing community, for better or worse, are worked up over Anna Griffin’s ongoing series on homelessness in The Oregonian. Get used to it. A new story will come out every Friday for the next six weeks. Wait, does this mean I’m promotin ...
23 Jan 2015 - Israel Bayer
Did you know that to afford a lower-end, one-bedroom apartment at 30 percent of your income in Multnomah County you would need to make about $31,960 annually. That’s about $14.88 an hour. Thinking of something a bit more spacious, maybe with a view? Accor ...
16 Jan 2015 - Israel Bayer
BikePortland Publisher and Editor Jonathan Maus has been reporting on a growing concern that some homeless camps in Portland have become “chop shops” for stolen bicycles. One recent headline stated, “ Police search suspected Springwater chop shop, find st ...
9 Jan 2015 - Israel Bayer
It’s a busy time of year. I’ll be brief. We know readers are very busy before the holidays. Lots to do. As the year winds down and a new year begins, Street Roots and vendors want to thank you for all of your love. Every day we hear story after story of r ...
29 Dec 2014 - Israel Bayer
This is an incredible time at Street Roots. The dream we laid out five years ago to become a weekly publication is about to come true. Last year at this time Street Roots went public with the idea and the hope that the community would support the transiti ...
6 Dec 2014 - Israel Bayer
In a time when many urban environments are becoming more draconian in their approach to banning people experiencing homelessness from public spaces, Portland may be on the verge of bucking that trend. This summer, the Portland Police Bureau put 10 police ...
4 Dec 2014 - Israel Bayer
One of my first mentors on the streets was the great Genny Nelson, co-founder of Sisters Of The Road. Genny has mentored dozens of organizers, agitators, policy makers, writers and artists over the years. Her life’s work has a footprint on both Portland p ...
30 Oct 2014 - Israel Bayer