By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer
Glen Hansen sees himself as somewhat of a nomadic person,
having lived all over the US, Canada and Europe (he is fluent in Danish) before
settling in Portland last August.
“I don’t grow roots well, so I migrate a lot,” says Glen,
whose travels have taken him far from his hometown of Detroit.
“I grew up listening to Motown, disco and KISS,” he says.
Glen admits he has found it hard to settle in one place, but he regrets
nothing.
“I’ve lived in a lot of places, and I’ve met a lot of
people, and I’ve seen a lot of different cultures and those to me are
experiences that you can’t buy. You know, I didn’t have a two-week vacation
here and there. I went to places and I lived there and met people and really
became part of the culture.”
Despite his love of traveling, Glen has fallen in love with
Portland and its people, and is now committed to building a life here. After
advancing through a few different programs, he is now in vocational rehab,
“trying to figure out where my strengths and weaknesses are and all that good
stuff,” as he puts it.
Glen has been looking hard for work, applying mostly to
sales jobs, but his goal is to eventually have a job helping people in either
the government or nonprofit sectors. “One of the things I’ve realized being on
the street,” he says, “Is that I’d really like something that would allow me to
go to bed at night and think, ‘You know what? I did good today.’”
He has been with Street Roots for the past few months and
sells outside of the City Market at 21st and Johnson, a location he has stayed
with because of its more easy-going atmosphere compared to other parts of
downtown. He has made impressions on many a passerby with his big smile and
genuine well wishes.
Glen, though, is not just a vendor, but also a huge fan of
the paper itself.
“I don’t sell anything I don’t believe in, and I don’t stand
by anything I don’t believe in, he says.”
Indeed, Glen is working hard to find a job and eventually
get into his own home. But what this father of three is most excited about is
for his daughter, whom he describes as his best friend, to be able to move up
from Arizona and live with him. “Honestly,” he shares with a big smile, “my
ideal job would be stay-at-home dad.”
Glen’s genuine optimism and
love for life and people are infectious, as is his determination to do good for
the world. Wish him well if you see him, because if he achieves his dreams,
indeed, only greater good will come from his success.
This article appears in 2013-05-10.