Dear Boiler Room, I am deeply saddened to learn that you will no longer be able to service the community. You all have been an inspiration to me. Last year on February 22 – my 37th birthday – I had discovered a hidden talent, and that is karaoke. Truth be ...
19 Sep 2016 - Marlon Crump
Bruce Heino, one of Street Roots’ original vendors, passed away on July 6, 2015 after a long fight with cancer. What follows is a personal letter from one of his customers, who was by his side during the last days of his life. When I moved to Portland, I ...
17 Jul 2015 -
Michael Votta passed away on Portland’s streets last week. He was an artist and a friend to many people, inside and out. For many, Michael’s life represents the failure of a system to help thousands of people suffering to find stability and housing. They ...
16 Jul 2015 - Israel Bayer
COMMENTARY Society wants homeless people to get up, and they would prefer that they do it on their own. Yet, homeless people are spending so much time in line that they have no time to get their high school equivalency diploma (GED) or job training. It’s ...
4 Mar 2015 - Johnny Williams
Dan Newth is a Street Roots vendor and periodic writer. This is the first of three columns, told through his perception of events surrounding his recent attempted suicide and recovery. Diarrhea dribbled down my leg. I fell onto the toilet with my underwea ...
30 Jan 2015 - Dan Newth
I was adopted at a young age, yet I still remember my adopted parents telling me they were my new parents. Then asking if it was OK, I answered, “yes.” They were pleased; next they told me I could change my name if I wanted to. They gave me some examples ...
21 Oct 2013 - Leo Rhodes
I was a little manic several springs back on the streets of a small Texas town called Mansfield. The police and I had been through several run-ins, which resulted in me landing in a Fort Worth mental hospital. Being a ward of the state scared me a bit, be ...
4 Jun 2013 - Hobo John