For Joshua Valdez, becoming a vendor with Street Roots was a game changer.
“I got involved with Street Roots because they were (some of the) very few people in Portland that (were) willing to admit that they would help you,” Valdez said. “Street Roots is the only organization that gives you something to do that you’ll like and provides you nourishment to your mind, your body, your soul.”
Valdez came to Portland about three years ago from the Bay Area. His interactions with kind locals kept him in town despite his struggles to get adequate assistance through various local organizations and his dislike of the notorious Portland weather.
“That was one thing that I didn’t know about Portland when I came up from California, is that the weather up here is brutal. The weather in California can be really bad too. It snows, it hails, but the wind (in Portland is worse),” Valdez said. “I think (the weather) comes from ideas … and from the people in that area. I just think it’s trippy. That’s why it’s really important to take care of people.”
After about a year in Portland, Valdez got involved with Street Roots.
“Street Roots gives me something to do,” Valdez said. “Instead of being in the streets, smoking or sitting on the corner, it gives me an opportunity to make money, to do something that’s legal and not promote bad ideologies … I like that I can approach people without having to ask them for a cigarette. It changes the interaction that I have with other people around the city.”
Outside of vending with Street Roots, Valdez likes to read up on conspiracy theories and learn from the people around him. His idea of a perfect day is a relaxing one — hanging out, surfing the web and watching “Law & Order.”
Valdez believes that, during one lifetime, a person is both a teacher and a student.
“During different parts of people’s lives, people become different people so that they can learn or teach something,” Valdez said.
As for whether he’s currently learning or teaching, Valdez has an easy answer.
“I’m doing both.”
Valdez doesn’t have a set vendor location, but his favorite place to sell Street Roots is outside the Safeway on Northwest 13th Avenue and Lovejoy Street. You can also support Valdez through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (1226) in the notes.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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This article appears in April 2, 2025.