In early March, Susie Krisjanson, 66, sold her first Street Roots paper outside the QFC on Milwaukee Avenue in Sellwood. Although if you asked her, she wasn’t the one who made the sale. Millie, her black and white Chihuahua, sealed the deal when a little girl approached to pet her.
“I was expecting to get a dollar, and they handed me a 20,” Susie said. “I just cried.”
Susie has been housed since 2009, five years after she had arrived in Portland. Before that, she and her husband were couch surfing and relying on the generosity of the people she knew in the area.
The generosity of the little girl and her family came at a key moment for Susie. Her husband passed away in November 2022 after a battle with diabetes that took his leg. The loss was one of many in Susie’s life, including her brother, father, grandson and daughter.
“Don't let this shatter your world,” her youngest daughter, Brenda told her after Susie’s middle child had passed. “Turn the corner.”
Despite the overwhelming losses she faced, both before and after the passing of her daughter, Brenda’s words kept her on the right path forward. After the snowstorm in late February, Susie came to Street Roots.
When she started, other vendors rallied around Susie, teaching her about the resources they had access to through the vendor program, and even helping her sell her first few papers.
“It's like when you think your life is over, and then someone opens this door,” Susie said, describing the feeling of becoming a part of Street Roots.
In the few months since Susie became a vendor, she has looked forward to getting more involved in initiatives. She’s been involved with Groundscore, a nonprofit co-founded by a former Street Roots vendor, promoting environmental justice and sustainable practices by creating low-barrier waste management jobs. Susie hopes to put her skills as a former nurse to use again with Portland Street Medicine, the all-volunteer team that responds to requests for assistance with non-life threatening medical issues.
Street Roots also helped Susie register to vote for the first time in Oregon, which spurred an interest in politics; particularly around women’s rights.
“All my life I’ve wanted to do something special, to help someone like me, or my siblings,” Susie said. “Street Roots is that something.”
Susie sells Street Roots every evening between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. outside of QFC in Sellwood on Milwaukee Avenue. You can also support Susie via @StreetRoots Venmo by entering her name and badge number (887) in the notes.
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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