None of the work we do comes without the power of collaboration and support Last week I wrote about my reflections and lessons learned from the relationships between advocates and elected officials. This week, I’m writing about when it’s time for communit ...
22 Sep 2017 - Israel Bayer
Israel Bayer delivers some real talk about his experience fighting for people in poverty In the coming months, as I gear up for my departure from Street Roots, I’ll be writing about some reflections and lessons learned over the years. Some real talk. Isra ...
15 Sep 2017 - Israel Bayer
For every person the system finds housing for, there are more people becoming homeless Thinking about solving the issue of homelessness can feel almost impossible. For the general public it’s hard to understand the relationship that nonprofits and governm ...
1 Sep 2017 - Israel Bayer
In Portland, prisoners are cleaning up the camps of people who are being criminalized for sleeping outdoors. There's a better way. Street Roots has advocated for years for the city to expand the Clean and Safe program, which gives people who formerly ...
25 Aug 2017 - Israel Bayer
Pushing homeless people from one neighborhood to the next is not going to solve the poverty crisis Every summer it’s a different neighborhood or area of Portland being flooded with homeless people. One summer it was homeless punks with skateboards and t ...
21 Jul 2017 - Israel Bayer
Oregon lawmakers have never prioritized housing in a substantial way On the same day Multnomah County announced a 10 percent increase in people experiencing homelessness, Oregon announced cuts to emergency rent assistance. If that didn’t add enough insul ...
23 Jun 2017 - Israel Bayer
Acts of kindness and compassion often go untold In my time at Street Roots, I’ve watched readers do some amazing things for vendors. Readers helping organize first and last month’s rent for a vendor, doctors helping with surgeries, dentists helping people ...
16 Jun 2017 - Israel Bayer
This flawed policy would perpetuate a cycle of madness that's been repeated for decades People tell me all the time, Israel — all my friends, even the liberal ones are tired of it. The homeless. The trash. Something has to be done to clear these camp ...
19 May 2017 - Israel Bayer
DIRECTOR'S DESK | Your support translates to vendors' success Here are 10 ways to support Street Roots and vendors this spring and summer. The more you spread the love about Street Roots and the more people who purchase the newspaper, the more s ...
12 May 2017 - Israel Bayer
We can do something powerful, but we need to focus on solutions We’ve lost the general public’s support and political will on homelessness. I’ve been hearing these sentiments a lot lately in political circles. That’s nonsense. It’s true that many people ...
4 May 2017 - Israel Bayer