This winter, a group of students from Sunnyside Environmental School formed a Houselessness Cohort to better understand the issue of homelessness. Working with Street Roots, the group embarked on a letter-writing project to collect student perspectives on the issue. The following is a selection of those letters.
Dear Street Roots,
MY NAME IS IVAN MANNING and I am part of the houseless cohort at Sunnyside Environmental School.
How I feel about homelessness is very mixed because I know there are some people out there that could harm me but I am also very sympathetic for people in the streets because of the price of housing or they can't get a job. Thinking about homelessness usually makes me think about drugs or alcohol abuse but there is that voice in the back of my head that reminds me that not everyone is in that position because of drugs and alcohol.
And I know that if I was in that situation I would want people to help me out a little maybe pick me up off the ground and help me get a job. I think that if I was homeless it would be pretty hard because I know that I have the capability to work and provide for myself.
This subject is important to me because I get worried for people when I walk by the crowd of people at the church on the way to school.
I think you should care because as you probably know we have a huge homeless problem in Portland and people are having a hard time living and eating while they don't have a job or house and without help from the public.
Another reason is that homeless people tend to have a hard time finding a place to sleep and clean themselves up (brush their teeth, shower, use the bathroom).
A way that you and I could and should take action is by going to Clay Street Table and serve meals to those in need.
MY NAME IS ANMOL, I am an eighth-grader at Sunnyside Environmental School.
I think homelessness is a big issue. When I think of homelessness I think of people sleeping on the street with no resources or just a few resources and no warmth. I am asking myself what can we do? If you have any ideas for me/us we are open to ideas. What is the thing you most need right now?
I AM A SEVENTH-GRADER here at Sunnyside Environmental School. I think that homelessness is a huge issue especially here in Portland. I walk by so many homeless people every day and it makes me think about how actions need to be taken.
I could never imagine being someone out on the streets with little food or water. I always wonder about how they came to be in that position, because it's not always because of drugs or jail. I care about this crisis because there is something we can do and just the little actions can help them.
In the past I have made lunches and dinners for them. Serving them, I realize that even though it's not a big action it's still contributing to helping those in our community.
I AM AN EIGHTH-GRADER from Sunnyside Environmental School.
I think homelessness is not OK and it should be a human right to have a safe home to sleep in. Also I think there are a lot of bad stereotypes on homeless people. I have seen people be very rude to homeless people, once a homeless person told me of a story that a policeman shoved his friend on a wall because his phone looked like someone's phone that had gotten stolen.
I want to break these stereotypes and treat them like normal people because they are. I care because I know a lot of homeless people and it's really hard and they deserve better. This is very important to me because homeless people are oppressed and I want equality for them.
A wide range of people should know about homelessness because the more the people know the more people will do to help. You should help this big problem by spreading awareness about this issue.
MY NAME IS CLAIRE. I am from Sunnyside Environmental School and I am in eighth grade.
Houselessness is a huge topic running around our school and we are all exposed to it every single day. We walk and take laps around are school every day and there are always people living in vans and around the grass. It is really hard to see especially because how cold it is outside.
Personally, houselessness is a big topic for me and I have always been very passionate about it. I care because seeing people who don't have the main necessities of food, water and shelter is really serious. Every single human deserves the main things in the world.
We see people complaining about not getting the clothes they like or accessories, but some people don't have any “nice things” like shoes or clean underwear or clothes. As a whole we have to come together as a community to not end homelessness forever but create a safe place for them to stay and have food, water, and a roof.
MY NAME IS EVA and as an eighth-grader at Sunnyside Environmental School, I feel aware of this issue. In the past, we have had students here that are homeless. I think that this is unfair. No one should be homeless, especially kids.
I think that people who are homeless aren’t given the chance to be accepted as people and are only looked at in a pitying way. I know that people who are homeless aren’t dangerous, but I always doubt it and it’s something I need to work on. Because they have just had the perspective on their humanity taken away.
I think if I was homeless I would feel vulnerable and confused, because I wouldn’t know how to get back on my feet. The only way for a difference to be made is if we all agree that this is an issue. We can only solve a problem when everyone wants to change it. And if we all understood that these people just want a chance, and a crutch to get back in their feet, we could change things, at least for that person.
Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Learn more about Street Roots