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Director’s Desk: Now is the time to get housing done

The government needs to find a way to prioritize affordable housing in the Portland region Israel Bayer is the executive director of Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. On the morning of Jan. 31 ...

3 Nov 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: We're making a difference on homelessness, even if it's hard to see

For every person the system finds housing for, there are more people becoming homeless Thinking about solving the issue of homelessness can feel almost impossible. For the general public it’s hard to understand the relationship that nonprofits and governm ...

1 Sep 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: Summer brings old complaints about homeless, new opportunities

Pushing homeless people from one neighborhood to the next is not going to solve the poverty crisis Every summer it’s a different neighborhood or area of Portland being flooded with homeless people. One summer it was homeless punks with skateboards and t ...

21 Jul 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: With Legislature ignoring housing crisis, local progress is crucial

Oregon lawmakers have never prioritized housing in a substantial way On the same day Multnomah County announced a 10 percent increase in people experiencing homelessness, Oregon announced cuts to emergency rent assistance. If that didn’t add enough insul ...

23 Jun 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: Portland continues to support homeless efforts

Acts of kindness and compassion often go untold In my time at Street Roots, I’ve watched readers do some amazing things for vendors. Readers helping organize first and last month’s rent for a vendor, doctors helping with surgeries, dentists helping people ...

16 Jun 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: Aggressive homeless sweeps would undercut progress on the streets

This flawed policy would perpetuate a cycle of madness that's been repeated for decades People tell me all the time, Israel — all my friends, even the liberal ones are tired of it. The homeless. The trash. Something has to be done to clear these camp ...

19 May 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director's Desk: Yes, Portland has the energy to fight homelessness

We can do something powerful, but we need to focus on solutions We’ve lost the general public’s support and political will on homelessness. I’ve been hearing these sentiments a lot lately in political circles. That’s nonsense. It’s true that many people ...

4 May 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: How we can help bridge the gap between our homeless neighbors and the larger public

We can get ahead of the curve on homelessness Young people grow up understanding that having people experiencing homelessness in their city is simply a fact of life. It’s a sad reality. The truth is mass homelessness hasn’t always existed in American citi ...

13 Apr 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: Portland's mayor is writing the next chapter on the social justice front

Turnover in political leadership, Trump's threats leave Ted Wheeler with a daunting task People ask me all of the time, “What do you think of Mayor Wheeler?” I tell them, I don’t know the mayor well, but from my short time working with him he’s one o ...

30 Mar 2017 - Israel Bayer
Director’s Desk: Hateful acts against the homeless and the need to go big on housing

Trump's grave promises make local and state housing legislation essential In the past few months, a bar owner brandished an assault rifle at police. He was drunk and upset at individuals experiencing homelessness in the community. Another man tossed ...

16 Mar 2017 - Israel Bayer