The temperature dropped quickly this week, so when we opened the door at 7:30 a.m., people piled in, some wrapped in blankets, rubbing their hands together, bee-lining for the coffee.
Immediately, one vendor asked if anyone had seen another man, concerned about his safety. Everyone started cataloging how many days since they’d seen him. The stakes, unfortunately, are life and death: 92 people died homeless in 2018 at the average age of 47.
Street Roots is an inclusive culture of caring. Again and again, experienced vendors mentor new ones. Friendships form.
I know some of us teeter on hopelessness, overwhelmed by an extreme situation. Too many people are homeless and too many people are sick. I hear from people all over the city who are really concerned, and some people understandably want to grab onto something big. But solutions do not reside within one person and one policy. It takes all of us.
On the dark, rainy days, a bit like those brightly colored tents on the sidewalk, we are a splash of brightness. There’s a wild optimism at Street Roots that began two decades ago when vendors lined up shopping carts and called it a parade to bring attention to homelessness.
SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY COVERAGE: Celebrating 20 years of Street Roots
We are honest about the suffering, and yet, importantly, we keep going with a dash of gusto, insisting on imagination as a means for making a more just world. As the poet Bertolt Brecht wrote, “In the dark times. Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.”
And to use a boxing metaphor – and yes, sometimes it does feel like a fight – we punch above our weight.
Consider the Portland Street Response, which our newspaper introduced in March. By June, Portland City Council allotted funding for a pilot, which this month it will convene to discuss based on recommendations of work groups. Because we are a newspaper, we keep digging in, sometimes offering up big ideas – like we did with the Portland Street Response plan. For the next two years, we’ll be doing that with our Next Generation reporting, looking into what it will take to prevent another generation from becoming homeless.
Consider how more than 700 people earn incomes selling Street Roots each year. Twice a week we welcome in all who wish to become a vendor. They go through orientation and receive 10 free papers to get started. After that, they buy each paper for a quarter and sell it for a dollar.
Consider how all of you are Street Roots, too. You are out there buying the papers, championing our journalism, supporting vendors by getting to know them. That connection between all of us, person to person, is a core Street Roots value: We are better for knowing each other across differences.
Today begins our Winter Fund Drive, including the launch of Willamette Week’s Give!Guide. The Give!Guide promotes a culture of philanthropy in Portland, celebrating many important nonprofits, and we are proud to be included. Donating to nonprofits who are on the front lines supports solutions in our city. Visit our Give!Guide webpage to get started.
During these cold winter months, we can always use warm gear to hand out to vendors – gloves, socks, hats, microwaveable soups and hot chocolate. Drop off supplies in person (and, if you like, stay a minute to share a conversation over a cup of coffee) or have them shipped from our Amazon wishlist.
Consider buying extra papers from vendors to pass on to friends and introduce our journalism to new readers.
And please support Street Roots with your year-end giving (streetroots.org/donate or by mail at 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209). This is our largest way to bring in revenue to keep it all going. It takes all of us to pitch in.
There are many ways that you can grow your donation. See if your employer does matches. We are happy to work with you on this. Just email Andrew Hogan at andrew@streetroots.org. You could also pace out your contribution, setting up a recurring donation. And if you suggest Street Roots as a recipient of giving to your friends, family – that’s a big help. One of the reasons folks cite for why they give is because they were asked by someone they trust.
It’s hard out there, and we don’t gloss over this, but please know that to be a part of Street Roots is to be a part of something really good in this city, and we welcome you.
Thank you!
Director's Desk is written by Kaia Sand, the executive director of Street Roots. You can reach her at kaia@streetroots.org. Follow her on Twitter @mkaiasand.