Allison Strange came to Portland to leave behind the old memories of her son, whom she lost to cancer, and to be with her boyfriend. She came looking for a fresh start in a new place. And that’s exactly what she found at Street Roots. “A better one than I ...
31 Dec 2014 - Sarah Hansell
Paulette Bade started selling Street Roots in Portland to fill the days in between her nights at the shelter. She experienced homelessness for the first time this year. But her reason for continuing — at least one of them — is a little different now that ...
6 Dec 2014 - Sarah Hansell
When Marlon Crump is standing on his turf in front of the Standard Insurance building on SW 4th and Salmon with a stack of Street Roots in his hands, even on a week in between new papers, it seems like everyone knows who he is. Maybe it’s his contagious e ...
31 Oct 2014 - Sarah Hansell
After being in and out of homelessness since age 26, Justin Harris finally had some steady housing in Portland through Transition Projects. But when his brother Bryan left their hometown in the Yakima Valley to join him, he moved back to the streets. “I w ...
20 Oct 2014 - Sarah Hansell
The first thing I notice about Betty Jo Griffiths is more than just her immediate smiling personality or her kindness. It’s the joyful calm of her spirit. So much so that I forget what questions I have planned to ask that day. Betty Jo’s youngest child ha ...
24 Sep 2014 - Sarah Hansell
Frank Quiroga’s ultimate goal is to open a Native American restaurant that features the dishes his auntie taught him to make — Indian tacos, fry bread, deer meat, buffalo and seafood. “I want to … have a story of each tribe’s background and history with a ...
11 Sep 2014 - Sarah Hansell
Tim Brennan’s short stories blend fantasy and fact: In one, the scene is the greenery of Washington Park. He’s watching a Shakespeare in the Park performance in the hottest part of the summer. It’s less than two years since the car crash that broke a long ...
13 Aug 2014 - Sarah Hansell
When Lori Lematta first started selling Street Roots in March, it was to meet her immediate needs — bus tickets, phone minutes, a driver’s license, vet trips for her 10-year-old dachshund Susie. Now, however, Street Roots gives her a little more than a sm ...
2 Jul 2014 - Sarah Hansell
For Allen Butera, Street Roots isn’t just an income opportunity. It’s work that helps make his recovery process possible. “I’m more focused on my recovery right now than anything else,” he said. He’s been staying in a clean and sober facility and particip ...
22 May 2014 - Sarah Hansell
It’s not always easy to stay positive when you don’t have a bed to sleep in, a roof over your head, or a job to support you. Evan, however, doesn’t seem to have trouble keeping a smile on his face throughout the short time I sat down to chat with him. “I ...
18 Apr 2014 - Sarah Hansell