Five Street Roots vendors talk about life on the streets In the 2017 Multnomah County Point In Time homeless count, 1,355 adult women were identified as homeless, making up 36 percent of the total homeless population. This was up more than 16 percent from ...
7 Dec 2018 - Helen Hill
The parts of homelessness most people don’t talk about Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessn ...
8 Feb 2019 - Helen Hill
A periodic column about the parts of homelessness most people don’t talk about There are many aggravations and indignities people living on the streets endure, especially in the winter months. One persistent hazard is insect parasites, specifically body a ...
8 Feb 2019 - Helen Hill
Street Roots vendors talk about how they get through Portland winters on the streets As soon as the Street Roots office door is unlocked at 7:30 a.m., vendors – the people who sell the newspaper – quickly duck in, seeking relief from a night of cold wind, ...
15 Feb 2019 - Helen Hill
Street Roots vendors talk about how they cope with illness For those who are housed, feeling the first tinges of a winter cold or flu means settling in on the couch with hot tea and soup, a warm comforter and a list of Netflix movies to watch. Rest, fluid ...
22 Mar 2019 - Helen Hill
Street Roots vendors talk about how they’re ‘spending a hell of a lot of time' Waiting in line sucks. We’ve all had to do it, and we will again. It’s exasperating and humbling, and it robs us of a precious, finite commodity: time. But when you are li ...
12 Apr 2019 - Helen Hill
‘It kind of lights up the whole city. But just for the homeless people.’ Early Friday morning, April 19, the sidewalk outside Street Roots was alive with talk of the gleaming full moon the night before. Some vendors were enchanted and left their rooms, te ...
26 Apr 2019 - Helen Hill
Through the tough times and the good, Johnny and Stephanie find that life is better together Life on the streets is hard. Some of the hardest living imaginable. So to witness a love that rose from the streets to thrive and deepen over many years, weatheri ...
7 Jun 2019 - Helen Hill
Nearly every Street Roots vendor who was asked had a story to tell about problems with feet People experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness often suffer from foot problems caused by ill-fitting or worn out shoes, wet shoes, shelter showers shared by ...
14 Jun 2019 - Helen Hill
Some Street Roots vendors welcome the added security; others say private guards – who are not police – overstep their bounds Private security guards are ubiquitous these days. They silently survey the public in stores, on sidewalks, in schools, on campuse ...
28 Jun 2019 - Helen Hill