Melissa worked on a fishing boat, signed to chimpanzees at the zoo, raised animals, and more “I should write a book about my life,” said Melissa Hansen. Indeed, her life has been a kaleidoscope of adventure, travel, caring for exotic animals, heartache, j ...
25 Jan 2019 - Helen Hill
Years after he died homeless, a treasure trove of his work will finally be seen at Street Roots Sometime around 2012, an elderly homeless man sleeping on a bench in Portland’s downtown park blocks rolled off and hit his head. He was taken to Oregon Health ...
25 Jan 2019 - Helen Hill
A series of drawings depicts the history of Portland's oldest neighborhood Illustration by Helen Hill THE BINDLE STIFFS The early years of the 20th century were the golden years of the hobo. The railroad was still expanding westward, and the demand f ...
18 Jan 2019 - Helen Hill
CW has gotten off the street and into the Clark Center, 'an oasis in the middle of a desert' CW is a quiet, steady man, a gentleman who is always polite, well-kept and a joy to have around the Street Roots office. One day last summer, he came in ...
11 Jan 2019 - Helen Hill
Daniel says Street Roots inspired him to write poetry The poems arrive on crumpled sheets of scrap paper, folded and refolded, pulled from deep inside the front pocket hoody. With a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile, he passes them across the fro ...
4 Jan 2019 - Helen Hill
William’s passion is to help others stop judging homeless people “This interview is hard for me,” William began, “because I don’t think I’m anyone special. It’s hard for me to talk about myself.” William Weeks grew up in Roseburg in Southern Oregon. He jo ...
28 Dec 2018 - Helen Hill
Street Roots’ new vendor program coordinator emphasizes communication in a challenging role There is anticipation in the early morning air. Vendors gather on the sidewalk, looking up and down Davis Street for the delivery truck that will bring the latest ...
28 Dec 2018 - Helen Hill
'Waking up every morning, for me, that’s spiritual,' says Jason The steady presence of a gentle soul is a valuable treasure in the Street Roots vendor office. Jason Scheer is just such a soul. Jason is the first to volunteer if there’s a job th ...
14 Dec 2018 - Helen Hill
Jim has worked in a number of industries over the years – painting, manufacturing, printing, construction "It is an honor to rise above ground, open my eyes, and take a fresh breath of air,” said Jim McRae. These are the words he lives by. Jim was b ...
7 Dec 2018 - Helen Hill
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