The root cause for houselessness hardly comes from a cookie-cutter mold, but a common cause is the crumbling of a relationship with a spouse or family member.
Even though Sonya Aho owns a home, she camped in her Chevy Trailblazer in Portland parks for more than a year. Sonya inherited her Beaverton family home after her mother died in 2015, but she left in 2020 when her home life deteriorated.
Sonya is rebuilding her life through her work as a Street Roots newspaper vendor and member of the Street Roots Ambassador team. After Sonya’s year of camping, she moved for two months to various Washington County sites: a motel, a family shelter and a car park in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard. Since 2021, she has been placed into affordable housing through the Department of Housing Services in Washington County, where she now lives with her toddler son, Steven. The apartment is large enough for her older sons to live part-time with her.
As a vendor, Sonya has sold papers through the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, and she currently brings papers to coffee shops and libraries in Beaverton. Sonya is currently looking for more Washington County sites where she can also bring her toddler. As a Street Roots Ambassador, Sonya does street outreach providing supplies and alerting persons on the streets to upcoming sweeps. The ambassador program started in March 2020, and offers income opportunities beyond selling the newspaper.
“I put up signs warning people when sweeps are coming,” she said. “Often signs are taken down and people are not prepared for sweeps.”
Her work at Street Roots has provided Sonya with a new start.
“It is a new beginning for me. I have an extended family I can lean on when I need to vent. When I come to Street Roots, I sit back and breathe easier. It has a calming effect,” Sonya said.
When Sonya isn’t working at Street Roots, and she has a break in her care for Steven, she is on the internet reading up on nutrition and science. Outdoor activities are a draw for Sonya, and her top hobbies include hiking, biking and camping.
Sonya is working on building a new future with her three sons. She attended Sunset High School and later received her GED. Sonya spent time in the Job Corps, where she learned welding and masonry. Her goal is to enter a welding program or another trade at Portland Community College to provide a stable income for her family.
A long-time Beaverton resident, Sonya said she has difficulty getting her friends to understand homelessness.
“Most of my friends haven’t experienced homelessness and can’t relate,” she said. “They just complain about seeing camps. I agree, but I ask what are the solutions? We just can’t complain; we need solutions.”
Many of the vendors and ambassador workers have creative solutions for solving some of the houseless issues and make things happen and public decision-makers overseeing homeless programs should be open to their ideas, she said.
“They should be listened to,” Sonya said.
Sonya can be found selling papers at various Washington County locations. You can support Sonya via @Streetroots Venmo by including her name and badge number (706) in the note.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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