Jerry Vermillion brings confidence and love to his Street Roots newspaper job, and to life in general.
And he has the rocks to prove it.
“One day, I was walking to get papers down at the office and I found a rock,” Jerry said. “It had ‘CONFIDENCE’ painted on it. So I put it on the news stand next to where my turf is.
“The next day I’m walking to get papers and I find a rock that has this little checkered heart. I’m like, ‘Why is the universe giving me these?’ (I thought) those are the two things I need to do this job: If I love my fellow human being, everything is going to be fine. If I have confidence, everything is going to be fine.”
Jerry was born in Chelsea, Mass., and grew up near the East Coast. He taught himself about computers, ran his own computer business and, in 2005, moved to Portland to be with his girlfriend.
They rented a $1,000-a-month apartment in Northwest Portland, and Jerry found a job at a gas station down the street. When the relationship ended, Jerry hung onto the apartment but spent his savings and no longer had the job in 2013.
Jerry said, “I was late twice on my rent, and they kicked me straight out within a week. Then I ended up couch-surfing a little bit.”
He found jobs working at a construction company and on small computer projects. When those jobs ended, he was out on the street in 2014.
“I don’t like not working; it’s just not me,” Jerry said. “If you don’t have a job, it becomes challenging. You have to reach inside yourself and figure out how to do things.”
To survive being on the street, Jerry uses his friendly manner and resourcefulness. It helps that for 10 years he has lived and worked in the same community where he is now homeless.
When someone stole his blankets, a neighbor provided Jerry a secure place to store his belongings.
“I met him at the gas station that I worked at,” Jerry said. “He used to walk his dog, and I used to give his dog treats. We became friends.”
Jerry recently was offered his old job back at the gas station. To be hired, he needs an identification card and is working with Transition Projects Inc. to get his birth certificate. Unfortunately, the job will likely be filled before he has his documents.
In the meantime, Jerry is optimistic something will turn up, and he sells Street Roots near City Market Northwest on the corner of Johnson Street and 21st Avenue.
“I consider myself to be a greeter, and the paper is almost secondary to what I do,” Jerry said. “I have a friendly conversation, and if they buy the paper, then that’s just icing on the cake. And they will because the paper sells itself.
“Then there are those days where you’re out selling papers, and it’ll be two hours and you’ve made two dollars. But you still have to keep the smile on your face. I also know from doing it long enough – something else is going to come up. I’ll make $2 in two hours, and in the last hour I’ll make 15 bucks.
“You’ve just got to keep doing it – and be consistent and persistent. Those are my two things.”