houselessness

Change Matters with Kenny Hendrix and Collette Williams 12.6.22 Interview with 

Dr. Andres Lopez, research director for the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC), and Dr. Mira Mohsini, CCC’s senior researcher, talk about community based participatory action research and research justice. Their work recognizes and uplifts the expertise that exists within the community, and the ability of those most impacted to offer insight into solutions that work best.

Todd Ferry from Portland State University shares the results of his study on villages as alternative shelter and the how-to guide developed from the research. A key finding in the Village Research and How-To Guide was that 69% of villagers said that they should share in decision making at the village, and it was a key contributor to villager satisfaction. Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative researchers Dr. Marisa Zapata and Dr. Greg Townley were also part of the research team. Ferry also talks about how he got into this work and a little bit about the history of villages in Portland. 

In this episode of the Dive Podcast,  WW journalist Anthony Effinger and host Brianna Wheeler discuss Built for Zero, an initiative that all but guarantees a solution for our growing  homeless crisis.  Can a new and improved dataset suddenly make safe, affordable housing a priority for our most vulnerable community members?  Effinger will break down what he learned while reporting this story, including the success stories from other cities and a dirty little secret or two. 

Brianna also shares what she learned from WW this week, including  which iconic North Interstate neon may soon adorn a new cluster of un-affordable housing units, where potential council members stand on camp-deterring planter placement, and where to go if your physical activity of choice is low-intensity stoned twerking.

When Portland State University instructor Kacy McKinney got the idea to create a series of comics featuring PSU students with lived experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity, her goal was to change the narrative around homelessness. The project—which has blossomed into a 80-page printed comic collection and two gallery showings—has done that and much more.

Missoula County Shelter Project Coordinator Casey Gannon and City of Missoula Houseless Initiatives Specialist Emily Armstrong join the commissioners to provide an update on County and City efforts to help unhoused people in our community.  

Finding housing takes time and resources, which can be difficult when you’re constantly living in survival mode. In response to this need, the City and County created the Operation Shelter team to identify and vet potential locations for community members experiencing houselessness to temporarily stay while searching for housing.   

Casey and Emily explain how the City and County have partnered together and are finding creative solutions to a problem that outpaces available resources. While they are focused on the intense immediate need of providing temporary, safe and secure spaces for those camping in the urban area, they are also keeping their eyes on the long-term goal of helping these members of our community find stable housing.  

The conversation explores the key differences between the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space and the Authorized Camping Site, the longevity of these services and next steps as American Rescue Plan Act funding begins to dissipate. It’s a balance of infrastructure, systems, programs and provider support, and a community that is willing to recognize these people, living and working among us, also consider Missoula home, even if they don’t have a house of their own. 

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

FREE EVICTIONS SUPPORT: Tenants facing eviction can get help at (888) 585-9638 or at oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project.

Becky Straus and Emily Rena-Dozier co-run Oregon Law Center’s Eviction Defense Project, which provides free legal help and representation to anyone facing an eviction in Oregon. Straus is the Managing Attorney for the EDP and Rena-Dozier supports and mentors legal aid attorneys statewide on housing law cases. In this episode they talk about illegal evictions, the need for representation in an unjust system and their work to help all those who need it. Tenants facing eviction can reach their team at (888) 585-9638 or at oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project.

In this episode we talk with Julia Delgado, the vice president of the Urban League of Portland, about the higher rates of homelessness for black residents, historic lack of access to housing and services and how that inspired the Urban League and other culturally specific providers to get into housing.

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In this episode, we talk with Jessica Mathis and Calvin from Welcome Home Coalition, a group of organizations working together to advance the idea that everyone deserves a place to call home. Mathis is the regional organizer and Calvin is an advocate. They talk about the speaker advocate program, and the value of hearing and connecting to people with lived experience of homelessness. And why that’s key to effective public policy.

In this episode we switch it up, and Dr. Marisa Zapata is the one answering the questions about rates of homelessness, affordable housing, and how to help those living unsheltered. Community leader and housing advocate Shannon Singleton gets to ask the questions that many community members have. She is the former executive director of JOIN, a local nonprofit that provides street outreach and housing placement support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. 

Editor’s note: This episode was recorded before Shannon Singleton announced her candidacy for Multnomah County Chair, and is not meant as an endorsement of any campaign. 

In this episode, we talk with Raven Drake, manager of the Streets Roots Ambassador Program. The program builds on the talents and expertise of people on the streets to do public health outreach, surveys, and training while also helping participants build skills, make professional connections, and earn additional income. Drake also helped create C3PO, a collection of three alternative shelter communities built during the pandemic. She talks about why self determination is key when it comes to creating these spaces, and why efforts to create camps without it will fall short. She also shares her personal journey and how even on the darkest of days, there is a pathway forward.

UPDATE: Since recording this episode, Oregon has expanded legal support to all low-income tenants facing a court eviction. For more information, contact the Oregon Law Center at (888)-585-9638 or evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org

Don’t Evict PDX is an all volunteer tenants’ organization that mobilized during the pandemic to observe eviction court and organize around what they saw. While some additional supports have since become available, listen for those at the end of the episode, their efforts still underscore housing injustices in the Portland Metro Area. Eviction is a key contributor to homelessness. This is part one of our conversation with Don’t Evict PDX. Listen to the next half in episode 5.

UPDATE: Since recording this episode, Oregon has expanded legal support to all low-income tenants facing a court eviction. For more information, contact the Oregon Law Center at (888)-585-9638 or evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org

This is part two of our conversation with Don’t Evict PDX where we talk about the violence of eviction, systemic issues, biggest fears for the future, and what is next for the organization. Don’t Evict PDX is an all volunteer tenants’ organization that mobilized during the pandemic to observe eviction court and organize around what they saw. The end of the show also includes resources for those battling eviction.

This is the Final Episode in Season 2 of Rural Roots Rising! We go behind the scenes of Tea, Toast, and Truth and talk with Ashland High School’s Truth to Power Club about how they pair education and action through their podcast and community organizing campaigns. If you missed last month, be sure and check out that episode to hear a shortened version of their work, Seeing Homeless. 

The transcript of this episode will be available at ruralrootsrising.org. 

More on what you heard in this episode:

Tea, Toast, and Truth is a podcast created by Ashland High School’s Truth to Power Club. You can follow Truth to Power on Facebook and Instagram. The show is produced collaboratively and is part of the club’s broader efforts to tackle important issues such as racism, mental health, the housing crisis and more.

This episode features hosts and producers Izabella Cantu, Isadora Millay, and Anya Moore discussing their response to the murder of Aidan Ellison, a Black teenager who was killed by a white man in Ashland last November. Shortly after Aidan's murder, Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, and Community Coalition's leadership team pointed out that “the Black community in Ashland is less than 2% of the total population, but now makes up 100% of the homicide victims in our town.” Since then, Truth to Power organized multiple workshops on anti-racism, started work on a podcast episode and are planning a mural on Ashland Highschool to celebrate Ashland Highschool graduates who are Black Indigenous and People of Color. The mural will include Aidan Ellison and Michelle Alexander, author of the book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration, in the Age of Colorblindness.

You can listen to full episodes of Tea, Toast, and Truth on Spotify or Anchor FM.

Do you know a rural media maker we should connect with? Did Truth to Power’s work inspire you to take action on the issues that matter most in your community? Head to www.rop.org to learn more about Rural Organizing Project and how you can get involved or reach out to us at info@ruralrootsrising.org.

We featured music from The Road Sodas, Junior 85, and Ben Von Wildenhaus.

Rural Roots Rising is a production of the Rural Organizing Project. Thank you for listening!

Jen Elizabeth is a sober mom, writer, sexual abuse survivor, and harm reduction specialist. She works with the Sidewalk Project, an organization that works to empower unhoused communities around the world, and is also a host at the Sober Mom Squad, a community and space to discuss all things motherhood, without the mommy juice. 

I invited Jen on to talk about the meaning of harm reduction and why she is so passionate about this approach to treating substance abuse. She is very outspoken about why she believes the war on drugs is not working for anybody, and why we need to shift the focus to addressing the unresolved trauma that she believes is the root of all problematic drug use – and all houselessness. She also shares her own experience of living on the street – and how learning to advocate for herself is what led to her work in advocating for others who don’t have the capacity to stand up for themselves.

This interview is raw and moving and real and I hope you find it as eye-opening as I did. In the episode we discuss: 

-The definition of “harm reduction” when it comes to treating drug and alcohol misuse.

-Why alcohol is an example of “safe supply” (and the meaning of this term).

-Why being sober does not make us superior.

-The argument for decriminalization of all substances – and why drugs are winning the war on drugs.

-Why she stopped posting “before and after” pics and how she honors the person she was before she got sober.

-Why some lives are viewed as more valuable than others in our society.

-Why living in close proximity to houseless communities makes us so uncomfortable.

-Her personal experience of living on the streets.

-Why she believes that everybody experiencing substance abuse is a trauma survivor.

-Why the way we speak about people who are struggling is part of the solution.

-How sobriety helps her engage more deeply with her healing work – and the practices that work for her.

-Why she believes everybody should be trauma informed.

-Why there’s no such thing as being a perfect mom – and how to accept ourselves and our kids exactly as we are.

Discover more about Jen's work with The Sidewalk Project and Sober Mom Squad and follow her on Instagram @resurrektion_of _ me

Big thanks to Athletic Brewing for partnering on this episode. Place an order today at athleticbrewing.com and get free shipping on two six packs or more. New customers can also get 20% off their entire order with code RUBY20. Limited to one use per customer

In our second season of Rural Roots Rising, we’ve been on a state-wide mission to explore community-based, intergenerational, collaborative, rural media. Join us this month as we feature Tea, Toast, and Truth, a podcast created by Ashland High School’s Truth to Power Club. This podcast is a great example of everyday people using DIY media to amplify local voices and create community-driven change.  

Rural Roots Rising is both a podcast and a radio show airing on 20 community radio stations, and it’s also an ongoing experiment in building up our media skills across rural Oregon. We’re halfway through our second season, where we’re digging deep into how rural media makers do what they do. This episode features the work of creative high school students who are willing to explore complex issues in their community, all while teaching themselves how to create a podcast for the first time! 

We’re showcasing their second episode, “Seeing Homeless.” They describe the episode as one focusing “on the struggles and biases that surround the homeless crisis.” Truth to Power interviews members of the homeless community, home free and homeless rights activists, and the Ashland Chief of Police, and ask community members to take on an active role as an ally for the unhoused community.  

Download this episode’s transcript at ruralrootsrising.org.

More on what you heard in this episode:

Tea, Toast, and Truth is a podcast created by Ashland High School’s Truth to Power Club. The show is produced collaboratively and uplifts diverse voices and offers a teen point of view.

This episode is part one of a two-part series highlighting the Tea, Toast, and Truth podcast and features hosts and producers Izabella Cantu, Isadora Millay, and Anya Moore. They interview housing rights activists and many voices from the unhoused community, along with Ashland Chief of Police Tighe O’Meara. Together they touch on the criminalization of the unhoused community and the barriers to access many people face. 

You can listen to full episodes of Tea, Toast, and Truth on Spotify or Anchor FM. 

If you are interested in connecting with other rural Oregonians who are making media and building stronger communities in your area, head to www.rop.org to learn more about Rural Organizing Project and how you can get involved or reach out to us at info@ruralrootsrising.org.

We featured music from Daniel Birch and The Road Sodas!

Rural Roots Rising is a production of the Rural Organizing Project. Thank you for listening!