Marla’s life began in San Francisco, California. She arrived early, weighing in at just a pound and a half. Marla was born without a fully formed hearing nerve, resulting in challenges being able to hear clearly. But that didn’t slow her down. A determined child, Marla taught herself to lip read when she was two, saying she was so successful at it that “even the doctors didn’t know I was deaf for the first three years of my life.”
Marla attended deaf school in California until third grade. She then transitioned to a public, hearing school.
“It was hard,” Marla said. “I could see the teacher writing on the chalkboard, but they would be talking to the chalkboard with their back to me, so I couldn’t read their lips.”
When Marla was growing up in the 1970s, it was common for students with disabilities to attend specialized, standalone programs and even be sent away to boarding school. But Marla’s mother advocated for her inclusion in public school, telling staff how motivated and intelligent her daughter was.
Marla’s face lights up when speaking about her mother.
“She was one of a kind,” Marla said.
Marla was raised with siblings by a single mom. Her mother, aunt and uncle worked with a carnival. Every summer, Marla and her sister traveled around California with their family, selling tickets and supporting the show. In addition to the carnival, Marla’s mother worked as a bartender, drove an 18-wheeler truck and did hard labor — whatever it took to support her family.
Marla paints a vivid picture of her beloved mom.
“Big beehive, cowboy boots, belt buckle — just one of the guys,” she said. “The Jane of all trades. She drove a 1978 orange Ford pickup truck. She was really cool. I miss my mom dearly.”
After graduating from high school, Marla held a variety of jobs, but experienced difficulties with her health related to the air quality in California. Her aunt resided in Hillsboro, so Marla’s mother helped her relocate to Oregon, using the entirety of her savings to fund the move. Marla’s health improved in Oregon, and she was pleasantly surprised by her new environment.
“I saw the blue skies, and I saw the green skies and fresh air,” Marla said. “I was like, ‘What is that?’”
It was in Oregon that Marla got married and had her son.
On Aug. 26, 2013, Marla met her husband, James, getting engaged to him within a week.
“The heart knows you’ve found your soulmate,” she said.
Within a few months of marrying, the couple received a no-cause eviction notice and suddenly found themselves homeless. Marla and James faced many obstacles with finding new housing, such as meeting income requirements while only receiving Social Security Income payments, and were homeless for about 18 months before receiving a housing lottery slot. Despite their luck with the lottery, they ended up on the street again several more times due to paperwork errors, lost rent and issues with safety and disability accessibility.
Marla and her husband were eventually able to secure housing, where they live today with their dogs, Maisy Mae and Maverick. Maisy is Maverick’s mother, and can often be found with James. Maverick’s name is inspired by Marla’s sports fandom.
“Dallas,” she said. “I am a fan of the Cowboys as well. James is a Steelers fan — a house divided. I’ll root for his team a little bit if he roots for mine!”
Marla and James both are involved at Street Roots. Marla said of her experience selling papers: “I wasn’t sure how to do it at first, but now I love it. I have customers that care about me and Maverick.”
Marla also writes poetry.
“I Believe”
One day I open my eyes
I believe I’m going to be okay
I believe the world is going to be nice
for once the world puts smiles on my face
for once my stories put kindness out there
for once the world can stop and breathe
for once the world can stop the madness
Be kind
Be mindful
You can help with just a smile and acknowledge
the world that they are worth living.
Once they feel that
they are going to be okay
I’m going to be okay
I can’t stop smiling, feeling good!!
You can get your copy of Street Roots from Marla (she/her, badge #372) and Maverick at Bella’s Italian Bakery on Southeast 91st Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or at the Lents Farmers Market from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. 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.
© 2025 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 40.
This article appears in October 22, 2025.