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
Wyman Wilson began selling Street Roots two years ago to support his habit, but his first stint with the vendor program didn’t last long. He had his badge pulled when he couldn’t remain sober enough to sell the paper. It’s not the first job he’s lost due ...
9 Sep 2014 - Sam Bouman
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
Before we sat down at the café around the corner from the Street Roots office, I asked Robert how he was doing. “Another day in paradise,” he said, without a hint of the irony or bitterness that usually colors that response. He has a friendly and open way ...
7 May 2014 - Sam Bouman
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
When Harry Richards and I sit down for our interview, the first thing he asks me is if I want half of his burger. You have to learn how to share, he explained, when you grow up in a big family like he did. Now, Harry shares in a different way – through ar ...
27 Mar 2014 - Sarah Hansell