In the wake of recent gun violence, it's time we stop pointing fingers and start working together The gun violence that occurred on the streets last week was a tragic affair. A homeless man was shot March 31 near a preschool in Southeast Portland, pr ...
8 Apr 2016 - Israel Bayer
The progress in Multnomah County and Portland is great. But it's not enough. People ask me if the homeless and housing emergency in Multnomah County is working. The short answer is, yes. The long answer is, we’ve got a long way to go. The most visib ...
2 Apr 2016 - Israel Bayer
Drug users need a safe place to inject Last week, Street Roots, along with the NAACP of Oregon and the Mental Health Association of Portland, hosted a social justice mayoral forum on police accountability, mental health and homelessness. Street Roots ask ...
17 Mar 2016 - Israel Bayer
From the Legislature to the Portland mayor's office to you It’s a question I get a lot: Israel, can you explain to me what’s going on out there? Let’s start with Salem. Housing legislation is moving forward on important eviction protections, inclusio ...
25 Feb 2016 - Israel Bayer
It’s not easy being homeless. Just imagine. A student asked me this week why some of the homeless camps are so hard to keep clean. I asked the student to imagine: The entire world stepped inside your home at this very moment. Not just anyone, but every ...
11 Feb 2016 - Israel Bayer
People ask: Does my voice matter? Yes, it does. It’s hard to put into words the trauma we see on the streets every day, much less how it has affected my peers and me over the years. It pales in comparison to how it actually affects the people that go thro ...
28 Jan 2016 - Israel Bayer
Lifting Oregon's ban on inclusionary zoning is key to finding a solution Inclusionary zoning. You’ve heard about it, but what exactly is it? And why is it so important in addressing our current housing crisis in Oregon? Inclusionary zoning links the ...
21 Jan 2016 - Israel Bayer
Organization’s success depends on relationships, community Street Roots is celebrating the first anniversary of being a weekly publication. Only the fourth street newspaper around the globe to be a weekly publication, we are proud of the work we have been ...
31 Dec 2015 - Israel Bayer
A year-end roundup of what’s shaking on the homeless and housing front People ask Street Roots why we aren’t covering more of the housing crisis in the newspaper. It’s a simple answer for a complex problem: We pride ourselves on publishing original conten ...
23 Dec 2015 - Israel Bayer
It may be raining, but our vendors are shining bright With the holidays upon us, it has not been an easy month for Street Roots vendors. Record-breaking rainfall has all but stopped sales of the newspaper on a couple of days, and that never happens. It’s ...
17 Dec 2015 - Israel Bayer