An emphasis on sweeps is an emphasis on making life more difficult for our neighbors who live outside Mark jotted a letter on a sheet of amber-green colored paper that he tucked into a Street Roots newspaper. He did this over and over, writing letters to ...
9 Mar 2018 - Kaia Sand
Legislation that aims to encourage construction in Oregon communities squeezed by a housing shortage is an important step forward Like Portland, rural communities across Oregon are experiencing a shortage of stable, affordable housing, most notably for lo ...
2 Mar 2018 - SR editorial board
Those who have the least are being displaced and forced to downsize – to discard the possessions they hold dear “I can only carry so many backpacks on my back at the same time with my precious items,” Barbara told me. She was tired, upset, exhausted. Stan ...
16 Feb 2018 - Kaia Sand
Village of Hope wanted to equip homeless campers with tools to care for the land, but now they've been evicted from the public space First, they hauled away bag upon bag of garbage. Then, in small clearings, they pitched 10 green tents on platforms a ...
2 Feb 2018 - Kaia Sand
Let’s reject the cruelties of historical injustices compounded by present-day injustices In the morning light in Old Town, an elderly woman trudged down a rain-shiny sidewalk on Sixth Avenue, her backpack full and sagging low. It was unclear how much her ...
19 Jan 2018 - Kaia Sand
The government needs to find a way to prioritize affordable housing in the Portland region Israel Bayer is the executive director of Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. On the morning of Jan. 31 ...
3 Nov 2017 - Israel Bayer
We could be utilizing people experiencing homelessness to help maintain our natural areas Curbing climate change, protecting our natural environment and ending homelessness. In a world gone mad, these challenges sometimes feel so enormous that people don’ ...
27 Oct 2017 - Israel Bayer
With the city about to start seeking funding proposals, the real work begins In November 2016, Portland voters overwhelmingly passed an affordable-housing bond for $258 million. The bond's purpose was to give thousands of people a safe place to call ...
13 Oct 2017 - Israel Bayer
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