Vendor says he wakes up feeling good, thanks to Street Roots and his customers Norm Chamberlin and his dog, Heidi, are goodwill ambassadors for their community and on the street. “Heidi provides good therapy for me and others,” Norm said. “When somebody ( ...
17 Mar 2016 - Leonora Ko
Being on the street a new experience for chef from Oklahoma Anna Gibson has a passion for professional cooking and making her favorite specialties. “Meats and sweets! But I can make that tofu, you know,” Anna said, laughing. “Being a pastry chef, I just l ...
3 Mar 2016 - Leonora Ko
Vendor is proud of his new housing Jerrick Harrenstein is staying positive, clean and sober. And he has the apartment keys to show for it. “I finally stayed in my own place last night, for the first time in a long time,” said Jerrick. “To me that was so h ...
25 Feb 2016 - Leonora Ko
Vendor values 'a friendly conversation' Jerry Vermillion brings confidence and love to his Street Roots newspaper job, and to life in general. And he has the rocks to prove it. “One day, I was walking to get papers down at the office and I fou ...
19 Feb 2016 - Leonora Ko
Christopher wants to help people, show them 'a promised land' Before Christopher sat down for his interview, his priority was to help a fellow vendor. He carefully wrote down shelter information for his colleague, and only then was he ready to t ...
29 Jan 2016 - Leonora Ko
Krystal says Street Roots provides structure, helps her stay clean Krystal Jordan has strong women in her life and is becoming a strong and wise woman herself. It has been a long journey. “I was born and raised in Portland,” Krystal said. “I didn’t exactl ...
31 Dec 2015 - Leonora Ko
Janick Webb doesn’t dwell on his health issues and stays positive. Janick Webb is a life coach. He just happens to be on the street when he practices. “So many people with mental health problems really should not be on the streets,” Janick said. “For inst ...
19 Nov 2015 - Leonora Ko
25-year-old vendor is getting back on his feet Garret O’Malley was born and raised in Portland. He is 25 years old, smart and hardworking. And he is homeless. While it is difficult for Garret to talk about his current situation, he easily talks about his ...
22 Oct 2015 - Leonora Ko
Michael Krieger has an electrifying connection to a popular reality show. “You ever hear of that guy?” Michael asks. “The Cake Boss? He’s on TLC.” He explains: “I’m an electrician by trade. (The Cake Boss) has a huge building where he makes all of his pas ...
20 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko
"The houseless community is full of all different types of people, but the key is that we’re people" Brian Castor is houseless and a model neighbor. “I keep my roll military-tight, so everything is straight and even. Both me and my girl have OCD ...
6 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko