For Rochard Clay, Street Roots is all about the people.
Clay has been vending with Street Roots for about three years, and he’s a big proponent of the paper and the way it serves the community.
“I just love it. It’s helped me get my mind right,” he said. “I’ve got so many people who love me in the (Street Roots) building.”
For Clay, the building on West Burnside is a place to come to get out of the heat or the cold for a little while, pick up donated supplies like toiletries and snacks, and drink a coffee and chat with the Street Roots community – not just other vendors, but also staff and volunteers. Clay compares the Street Roots office to a library or a coffee shop, but taken from a ten to an eleven: it’s a place to relax and talk, but it’s also a place for people experiencing homelessness, like him, to get help with healthcare and housing services.
“I’ve met a lot of good people,” Clay said. “When you don’t have nobody, and it starts to get dark at nighttime, it sucks. But that’s why I really love Street Roots.”
Clay knows there’s a stereotype about Downtown Portland and particularly about the homeless community that makes up some of the area’s residents. That stereotype is wrong.
“Nine times out of 10, (homeless people) ain’t gonna harass you or hit on you,” Clay said. “If you just actually go into some festivities and enjoy yourself going around downtown, you don’t really have to worry about that. If you’re not bothering people, 99% of the time, they won’t bother you either. And if they do bother you, you can just walk away.”
He knows people assume a lot of things about homeless people, but “you can’t be judging people,” Clay said. His example: because he’s homeless, people sometimes assume he uses meth or other drugs, but he’s never done so.
Aside from selling Street Roots, Clay likes BBQing, working on cars and watching basketball. He likes to make people smile, and he loves singing karaoke on weekends.
“I be dancing at karaoke,” he said.
He also loves spending time with his grandchildren. He’ll sometimes bring them to the Street Roots office so they can meet and spend time with the community he’s formed over his years as a vendor.
Clay has had a tough couple of years, but even still, he’s still thankful for his community and the opportunities he does have.
“Thank you, God, for all your blessings,” he said.
Clay sells Street Roots at several locations across town, including at the Albina Library in Northeast Portland and in and around Milwaukee. You can also support Clay through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (#1318) in the notes.