Type | Weekly alternative newspaper |
---|---|
Format | Compact |
Editor | Joanne Zuhl[1] |
Founded | 1998 |
Political alignment | Homeless advocacy |
Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Circulation | 10,000 biweekly |
Website | streetroots |
Street Roots is a weekly alternative newspaper establish in 1998 that is sold by and for the homeless[2] in Portland, Oregon, United States. The paper takes the position of homeless advocacy and it has been the most vocal opponent of Tom Potter's sit-and-lie ordinance. The paper is published every Friday and sold through vendors who are currently or formerly homeless. Vendors purchased the paper for 25 cents and sold them for $1 and kept the difference of 75 cents. The paper features alternative news, interviews, and poetry written by local journalists as well as people experiencing homelessness or working with the homeless. Street Roots is a member of the North American Street Newspaper Association and the International Network of Street Papers.
History
Street Roots was established in 1998.[3] In 2007, the paper was described as the "most vocal opponent" of a proposed "sit-lie ordinance" championed by the Portland Business Alliance and then-Mayor Tom Potter. The paper's acceptance of a $30,000 grant from Street Access For Everyone (SAFE), at a time when its annual budget was $90,000, prompted concerns about editorial influence. The funding was designated for printing 10,000 resource guides that listed services for the homeless and an employee to assemble the guides. Leadership of both Street Roots and SAFE disavowed any editorial influence connected with the grant, focusing on the two organizations' shared commitment to "providing a service for the homeless."[4] Initially, the city was concerned that this guide might be a duplicate of services already offered by the government and other non-profit agencies.[4]
The Rose City Resource, a guide to local services related to homelessness, was started as a four-page section of the paper in 1999, and established as its own publication following the SAFE grant. It served as a model for a similar publication established in Seattle in 2018.[5][6][7] By 2018, the guide had grown to 104 pages, and was published twice a year.[8]
Distribution
Papers sold for $1 each. Vendors purchased the copies of papers for 25 cents each and kept the difference of 75 cents.[9]
References
- ^ Schwartz, Devan (November 14, 2014). "Street Newspapers on the Rise in the Northwest". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Griffin, Anna (2015-03-01). "Our Homeless Crisis: Join our Monday live chat with reporter Anna Griffin and Street Roots executive director Israel Bayer". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
- ^ "Street Roots Executive Director Israel Bayer is Leaving the Paper". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
- ^ a b Pein, Corey (August 22, 2007). "Sit. Lie. Roll Over". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
- ^ Greenstone, Scott (April 4, 2018). "New booklet an aid in getting help for homelessness in Seattle area". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- ^ "Portland State Queer Resource Center". www.pdx.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- ^ independencenw (2009-07-27). "Rose City Resource Guide Just Published". Independence Northwest. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- ^ Fried, Susan (April 5, 2018). "Real Change Creates Resource Guide for the Unhoused". Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- ^ ""Portland Didn't Used to be Like This": The Western Housing Crisis". The Franklin Post. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
Further reading
- Griffin, Anna (March 26, 2009). "At 10 years, Street Roots builds on its base". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
- Redden, Jim (September 9, 2016). "Report: Homeless deaths increased sharply in 2015". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
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