We want our 30% set aside, already!

Sisters Of The Road, Street Roots, Downtown Chapel, Community Alliance of Tenants, and the Western Regional Advocacy Project hosted a vigil late this afternoon on the site of the North Macadam development, block 33, to mourn the loss of the 400 units of housing that were slated to be built for low to middle income families. Read more about the loss of the 400 units.

Father Bob Loughery from the Downtown Chapel gave a reading of the last rites to commemorate the loss of these units in South Waterfront.

The Portland Aerial Tram with a cost $57 million dollars hovers over six newly built high-rise condominiums coming at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. Not one affordable housing unit has been built in the high-end neighborhood. This comes at a time when downtown inventory for affordable housing continues to decline. And when 211 Info is reporting the highest call volume for foreclosure assistance in its history.

Street Roots and others have not just been sitting on the sidelines whining , but instead have been offering in-depth reporting on a myriad of ways to create alternative revenue streams.

- Housing levy

- SR explores affordable housing options

- Why aren’t we paying better attention to homeless deaths? Dignity, and revenue streams potentially await.

Read more about the 30 percent set aside.

Posted by Israel Bayer

211 gets record number of calls for foreclosure assistance

Street Roots and 211 Info are proud partners, and work closely to make sure the most up-to-date resources, including the Rose City Resource Guide is accurate and able to help those in need. The following was an e-mail sent out by 211 Info today.

Yesterday, 211info received an all time record number of calls for foreclosure assistance on the state’s 1-800-SafeNet line. And, as of a couple of minutes ago, today’s foreclosure call volume ranks third.

Recent news coverage of $88 million in foreclosure assistance funds released by the federal government was the main driver of call volume.

Days like yesterday and today are a perfect reminder. There is great need in our region for an easy access point for information about foreclosure counseling and other needs associated with the worst economy since the Great Depression.

Too many people are unaware of the services that exist to help them — like free or low-cost, HUD-certified foreclosure counseling, food box programs or unemployment services.

Help us continue to spread word about 211info by forwarding this email to colleagues, friends and families and ask them to sign up for our email updates so they can stay connected. 211info cuts through the clutter of a community service system that can be frustrating to navigate and makes it easy for individuals, families and seniors to get the help they need.

Thank you,

Matt Kinshella

External Relations Coordinator

Proposed alcohol ban opens larger debate on street drinking

By Amanda Waldroupe, Staff Writer

City Commissioner Amanda Fritz’s office and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement is attempting to decrease the amount of public drinking in downtown Portland by convincing grocery store owners to voluntarily not carry certain kinds of alcoholic beverages.

But all the initiative is resulting in so far is fury from grocery store owners, collective agreement that it is not a real solution, with only a fraction of them agreeing to comply.

“VibrantPDX,” as the initiative is called, is a voluntary agreement between grocery stores and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement not to sell alcoholic beverages with high-alcohol content. That includes malt liquor and beer with names such as Old English 800, Steel Reserve, Milwaukie’s Best Ice and Camo Malt Liquor.

All grocery stores east and north of I-405, south of Lovejoy Avenue, and west of the Willamette River have been asked to sign the agreement. There are 67 grocery stores within those limits.

The purpose of the program is to decrease what proponents call “street drinking,” or drinking in public. It is illegal in Portland, and offenders are given a citation, which does not come with fines or other types of punishment.

The Portland Police Bureau gave 1,740 citations for public drinking in downtown Portland in 2009. That accounts for 53 percent of all public drinking in the city. Twenty-five percent of all individuals being held in detox came from the downtown area.

Steve Mattsson, the manager of Hooper Detox’s sobering station for intoxicated individuals, says the station has 12,000 admissions a year. Fifty percent of those people are ones that will return, Mattsson says, “on a repeated basis.” In his mind, there is no doubt that there is a street drinking problem.

“Over the last two years, one of the most frequent complaints we get were problems around street drinking,” says Mark Friedman, a Central Precinct officer.

“It is a compelling problem in a small area,” says Theresa Marchetti, ONI’s liquor license specialist. She emphasized that it is a location and not store-based problem. “(And) it’s not a problem we can really ignore.”

Sister street paper in Seattle is shunned by neighborhood association

March 29, 2010

Real Change, Street Roots big sister paper to the North in Seattle is being targeted by a neighborhood association not to move into their neighborhood. A letter from the Pioneer Square Community Association received by Real Change.

The Honorable Mike McGinn, Mayor City of Seattle, Seattle, WA 98104

Dear Mayor McGinn:

Thank you again for taking the time to tour Pioneer Square on March 18th. Pioneer Square community members were encouraged by your comments and perceptions of the opportunities and issues facing our neighborhood. We look forward to working with your office on an ongoing basis to help revitalize the District.

As we discussed, Pioneer Square has been a generous host to numerous social service providers in our community. However, the neighborhood is extremely under resourced and a “fair share” saturation point of services was exceeded years ago. This fact has been acknowledged and a moratorium on new or additional services has been in effect since 1998 with the publication of the Neighborhood Plan. Unfortunately, Pioneer Square finds it must defend this position time and time again.

Presently, Real Change is planning to relocate to the Historic District. There are heightened concerns within the neighborhood that representatives of this organization have not approached the Pioneer Square Community Association nor have they conducted any outreach within the District.

We realize there are enormous needs, especially in this economy, and further we recognize that many clients may not have any other resources at their disposal. We have strong relationships with service providers in our neighborhood who work with community members to address problems when they arise. That said; Pioneer Square’s economic vitality is impacted by the publics’ perception of safety issues which are exacerbated by line queuing for social service organizations.

The Office of Economic Development, with numerous community stakeholders, is conducting a review to find ways to revitalize this Historic District. In 2002, Urban Preservationist and Principal of PlaceEconomics, Donovan Rypkema, visited our community after the Mardi Gras reveling resulted in a murder the previous year.

At that time, several points were made by Rypkema that referenced street disorder and the neighborhood suffering significant negative perceptions regarding public safety. In December of 2009 Rypkema returned and reiterated the 2002 summary and questioned the lack of progress.

Within the past few years, the neighborhood was tapped to accept the expansion of existing service providers and to absorb the expansion of services at the Morrison Hotel during the construction of Fire Station #10’s Command Center. Legitimate assessments of the projects predicted long term, negative impacts in the neighborhood. As a result the overall perception of safety in the square has diminished.

The moratorium of the Neighborhood Plan needs to be upheld in this case. We feel it is imperative that service providers seek out other neighborhoods of Seattle that have not exceeded their “fair share” of services. We urge you to respect and support our position on this matter.

We would like to work with your office on this issue by setting up a meeting with Real Change, MaKensay Real Estate and our neighborhood organization to provide assistance to Real Change to find other suitable offices outside the District. As the proposed move of Real Change is on a fast track, we hope to hear from your offices as soon as possible.

Sincerely, Leslie G. Smith Interim Executive Director Pioneer Square Community Association

CC: Darryl Smith, Deputy Mayor Neighborhoods Phil Fuji, Deputy Mayor Operations Sally Bagshaw, Council Tim Burgess, Council Sally Clark, Council Richard Conlin, Council President Jean Godden, Council Bruce Harrell, Council Nick Licata, Council Mike O’Brien, Council Tom Rasmussen, Council Steve Johnson, Director, Office of Economic Development John Diaz, Interim Chief, Seattle Police Department Stella Chao, Director, City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Frank Buchanan, MaKensay Real Estate

Posted by Israel Bayer

One of the hardest things to escape in prison is your past

From my previous column, I left off by saying that my cellie had offered to let me live in his house in Fresno, Calif., The catch was he wanted me to sling his drugs while he was locked up.

Like I mentioned before, I didn’t have a place of my own, but neither did I want to make San Quentin or any other prison my home any longer. I felt I had done enough time and I was going to try real hard to stay out of trouble. I said as much to my cellie. He countered by saying, “Look at all the money you are going to make.” I said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” What I was thinking was, sure, that’s why you are in the cell with me. That is just where I would end up. I was not completely ignorant to the situation.

Well, my cellie tried for about a week to convince me, but I held firm. I had a goal this time and I was going to try and make it. What came next was pleasant for a change. I was being transferred to the gym.

The gym was now used as a place to house us prisoners who were of minimum security risk. It was a lot better than being in a little cell for 23 hours a day. First, we had a couple TVs to entertain us. Of course there were about 80 of us in the gym, but that was OK. We were able to have yard time every day so we could play basketball, etc. The two TVs were placed on either ends of the gym so when there was a sporting event on (which always took priority), well, the ones who didn’t like sports (heaven forbid) could watch something else.

The People’s Planet: 35 innovators under 35: Oregon’s future is in good hands

Eric Stachon is Communications Director at 1000 Friends of Oregon, a group that promotes livable communities and natural resource protection.

by Eric Stachon
Contributing Writer

What does a fourth generation rancher in eastern Oregon have in common with a first term legislator from inner southeast Portland? How about a fifth generation hazelnut farmer from Yamhill County and an urban designer from a Portland architectural firm?

They have all been named as one of Oregon’s 35 Innovators under 35 (years of age) by 1000 Friends of Oregon. To mark our 35th anniversary, we’ve chosen to honor young Oregonians working for positive change in their communities and continuing the proud Oregon legacy of active, engaged citizens.

Our organizational beginnings are rooted in that legacy. 35 years ago, 1000 Friends of Oregon was founded by a 32-year-old lawyer named Henry Richmond. After the Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 100, the first statewide land use planning law in the country, Richmond foresaw the need for an organization that would fight for the law in the courts and advocate a vision of livable communities and strong natural resource protection.

We’ve had many victories – and our share of setbacks – over the years. One thing that became clear in the last decade was that, as an organization, we needed to do a better job reaching out to younger Oregonians who were unfamiliar with the history of how Oregon came to be the great innovator of land us planning in the entire country.

Vendor Roger Cavitt: ‘It’s important to give back’

By Cassandra Koslen
Contributing Writer

Roger Cavitt is a people person.

“I’m enjoying the Street Roots experience,” he says. “You meet so many people (selling the paper) that you wouldn’t normally. It gives you the opportunity to talk to people.”

Cavitt sells downtown, sometimes near Pioneer Courthouse Square and in front of Nordstrom’s. Enjoying the social interaction of it is what compels him about being a vendor, but he was not expecting to encounter as many sterling examples as the streets of Portland have to offer.

“I’ve met so many different people, and it amazes me that 90 percent (of his customers) are really good people.” Pausing, he smiles. He attributes this to the city’s smaller environment, and that most of his sales come from repeat customers.

Originally from California, in his younger days Cavitt worked for the San Bernadino school district and ran his own maintenance business on the side. Reeling off the bitterness from a bad marriage and difficult divorce, he decided to hit the road.

He ended up in L.A., and started drinking.  About seven years ago his sister asked him to move to Portland, where she lives, and get a fresh start. Cavitt has been selling the paper for just over six months, and uses his income to stay housed and keep up on bills.

“I’ve lived on the streets,” he says, “and it ain’t no fun.”

Although he plans staying with Street Roots throughout the summer, Cavitt is also in training to work at a Goodwill, and is going back to school at Portland Community College. The next three years he is going to spend working towards a drug and alcohol training certificate.

While Cavitt may have his own history of drinking, he says it was never too bad. His father, however, was an alcoholic. The memories of growing up with an addicted parent and realizing that his mother enabled the situation, were enough to keep him from hitting the bottle too hard himself.

Now, he wants to take those experiences and use them to help others.

“It’s important to give back, to volunteer,” he says, in earnest. “Somebody helped me when I didn’t have two nickels to rub together.

“I am a Christian; I put God first. That’s what’s gotten me to the point where I’m level-headed. I’m not hooked on drugs, and I treat people with respect.”

Cavitt tells people interested in selling Street Roots to go for it.

“Be professional, and try to say something (the customer) will remember,” he advises.

SR gives recommendations for Sidewalk Management Plan

Attn: Mayor Sam Adams, Commissioners Randy Leonard, Amanda Fritz, Nick Fish, Dan Saltzman

Street Roots would like to thank both Mayor Sam Adams and City Commissioner Amanda Fritz for taking on the difficult subject of sidewalk management in our community.

Street Roots has the following recommendations for the ordinance:

-       Dedicate funding for two or three homeless outreach workers who work with individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty downtown, including youths and people dealing with mental health issues.

-       Dedicate funding for a neighborhood non-uniformed police officer to work with outreach workers and organizations working with people experiencing homelessness and poverty, including youths and individuals dealing with mental health issues.

-       With the resources above, organize a response team made up of homeless outreach workers who respond to calls regarding people experiencing homelessness and poverty and people dealing with mental health issues in non-emergency situations on sidewalks during peak hours.

-       Six-month reporting date to bring stakeholders, including people experiencing homelessness and poverty, to discuss the effectiveness of the ordinance.

Historically, Street Roots has come out against the sidewalk ordinance in 2002, and again in 2006 due to its strict enforcement guidelines that targeted people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

Street Roots feels this ordinance brings together a wide-range of community concerns, and on its face is fair to everyone accessing sidewalks. Saying that, in our recommendations, we suggest a six-month reporting date that will allow stakeholders to determine the effectiveness of the ordinance.

Mission: “Street Roots creates income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty by publishing a newspaper that is a catalyst for individual and social change.”

Street Roots weighs in on latest police shooting

Street Roots is saddened by the loss of Jackie Collins. He died of gunfire in a state of crisis following an encounter with a Portland police officer. He was homeless, labeled a “transient” by media reports, even though he had lived in and called Portland his home for years.

We are saddened by the loss of yet another human life in a state of despair, particularly at the hands of a local officer of the law, a 13-year veteran who no doubt has seen a gamut of experiences on the streets of this city. The information trickling out about the incident is too scant at this time to weigh judgment on the officer, Mr. Collins’ actions, or the circumstances of his death. But the life of Jackie Collins is a well-traveled narrative of homelessness, addiction and desperation that should never end in the sights of a gun. Yet it has, once again.

It would be a real tragedy if the needs of people experiencing homelessness, those in the throes of addiction and/or mental illness, are merely co-opted to complete the picture of out-of-control police officers. The two make headlines when they intersect at violence, but the point is that the issues of mental illness and addiction and homelessness must be constructively addressed well in advance of that intersection, as does the training, capacity and obligations of our police force.

The larger picture is that there are many Jackie Collins’ out there trying to survive. And we as a city have yet to conjure a solution for not only those who have been “out there” for a long time, like Mr. Collins, but the countless numbers of people who are gradually spiraling down toward that same pit of self-medication, hopelessness and crisis.

After the death of Mejia Poot, Kendra James and James Chasse, after the death of Aaron Campbell and now Jackie Collins, all at the hands of police, the people of Portland are more incensed than ever at how this city not only initially addresses, but accounts for its actions when it comes to these deadly confrontations. We may never know of all the peaceful resolutions between officers and people in crisis, and we’re sure there are many, but we do know that too many have ended in tragedy. And the leadership is not there for us to trust the system to restore balance. Distrust fosters more distrust, and we don’t see an exit from this conveyor belt from the police or the city commissioners.

Trust is not forged from 20-hour delays from the police bureau in reporting a fatal shooting by a police officer. Nor does it spring from the fact that the first commentaries on the incident came from the police labor union chief in an attempt to fend off a justifiably alarmed public. And it certainly doesn’t come in the egregious gap in time allowed to interview the officer directly involved in the shooting, even though witnesses are questioned at the site. Accountability is not a process, it is a state of operation, and our city doesn’t seem to feel compelled to live up to this basic tenet of transparency that it uses to defend itself.

Though the latest efforts of the City Council, there is some hope that the Independent Police Review Division, and the process by which we hold our law enforcement accountable, will grow some teeth to truly represent the community at large and not just the police union. There can be no restoration of trust unless this balance is achieved. Street Roots fully supports these efforts.

From the street level, we need a level of interaction that is not equipped with a badge and a gun. Portland needs to invest in outreach workers to work the front line on non-emergency disturbances involving people suspected of needing mental and emotional assistance. We are setting police up for failure if we expect them to be at once the carrot, stick, psychologist and savior.

And we call on our representatives at all levels of government to fully fund the demand for mental health and addiction treatment through supportive — rather than punitive — measures. And that will take all of us shedding stereotypes and recognizing the public health crisis that is growing on our streets.

Because it wasn’t just Mr. Collins and Officer Walters who converged at Hoyt Arboretum that day. It was all of the above. Our lack of city and state leadership to address these problems isn’t changed by the death of one man, but by the actions of all of us here today, tomorrow, and in advance of the death of another.

Community Gathers to mourn the loss of 400 units of housing.

Building a movement to ensure everyone can afford a home in Portland!

Sisters Of The Road, Street Roots, and Community Alliance of Tenants will host a vigil on the site of the North Macadam development, block 33, to mourn the loss of the 400 units of housing that were slated to be built there for low to middle income families. Father Bob Loughery from the Downtown Chapel will preside over a reading of the last rites to commemorate the loss of these units and community members and organizations will gather to say enough is enough: Fund and Build housing that is affordable NOW!

When: March 31st, 4:45pm-5:30pm

Where: The vigil will be held on the sidewalk in front of the Elizabeth Caruthers Park located at 3508 SW Moody, one block south of the OSHU Health and Healing Center. The Park is bordered by SW Curry and SW Gaines and is across the street from Block 33 where the 400 units were to be located.

Why: The purpose of this action is to call attention to the need for housing that is affordable in inner Portland. 788 units of housing for low and middle income earners where slated to be built on the south waterfront, 400 at the block 33 site alone. To date NO UNITS of housing that are affordable have been built in the south water front development. Meanwhile, affordable housing inventory in Portland continues to decline. The PHB has made efforts to curb the decline but the city is still 1800 units behind the established goal of over 5000 units of housing that is affordable in Inner Portland. The loss of these 400 units represents another setback for housing that is affordable in Portland. We must work together to ensure this does not happen again.

Sisters Of The Road, Street Roots, the Community Alliance of Tenants, along with long-time community activists are asking city officials to join with us to ensure housing that is affordable becomes a top priority. We are asking city commissioners to:

* Prioritize the Building of housing that is affordable for 0-60% Median Family Income (MFI)

-In a time of recession, hard working families are the hardest hit. Let’s prioritize housing dollars targeted at housing for these families.

* Ensure the Building of housing that is affordable in inner Portland.

-Clean and safe housing units that are affordable must be near the vital services, hospitals, and public institutions that make a difference in people’s everyday lives.

* Restore funding for the housing inspections program.

-Protect existing housing from falling into disrepair, creating un-safe and un-sanitary conditions for residents by fully funding inspection programs.

* Let’s look to the future! Portland needs “housing heroes” who will step up and say “never again on my watch!” and prioritize housing for 0-60% MFI.

Read more from Street Roots here.

Local day laborers shine in ‘Jornaleros’

By Noah Teicher
Contributing Writer

On March 25, “Jornaleros,” a documentary produced by VOZ Workers’ Rights Education Project and Precarious Egg, will premier at the Clinton Street Theater. “Jornaleros” means laborers in Spanish; the documentary profiles five Hispanic laborers who frequent the VOZ Portland Day Labor Hire Site in their search for work. One of the individuals, however, is a former laborer who now works at the hire site, also known as the Worker Center.

VOZ opened the new Worker Center in June of 2008. Located on NE MLK Jr. Blvd., the Worker Center provides day laborers with a safe environment in which to wait for work and protects workers’ rights, guaranteeing a minimum wage of $10 per hour.

“Jornaleros” is not a straightforward depiction of issues typical to immigrant laborers; rather, the film focuses on the artistic talents and activist spirit of the laborers. The individuals profiled in “Jornaleros” are musicians, artists, and writers.

“We wanted to show to the community at large the tradition and culture of the workers,” says VOZ Executive Director Romeo Sosa, who also served as the general coordinator for the project. “We wanted to show the workers have humanity.”

Francisco Aguirre, one of the individuals profiled in the film, is an assistant at the Worker Center and also owns a computer repair business. He used to be a jornalero. At the Worker Center, Francisco organizes the laborers, helps them find work and performs a marketing role.

Breaking: Sidewalk Management Plan ordinance set for April 8

The City of Portland is poised to bring a Sidewalk Management Plan ordinance before the council on April 8. The last sidewalk ordinance was declared unconstitutional back in June.

Via the City of Portland late this afternoon…

Why is the City Council working on a comprehensive “Sidewalk Management Plan?”

Last year, the court ruled that the City’s ordinance regulating the use of sidewalks was unconstitutional. And, there have been significant budget cuts to Multnomah County’s human services programs, which have left many Portlanders without the safety net needed to stay afloat during the current economic crisis. The lack of services has added social pressures to the way sidewalks are used and affected the City’s need to manage its sidewalks in a way that will accommodate the new pressures without restricting the fundamental purpose of the sidewalks, which is to move people.

What does this ordinance do?

Public sidewalks are a public service. This ordinance takes a holistic approach to managing the myriad of sidewalk uses by segregating the sidewalks into zones, which allows for more efficient use of the available space. It is based on federal American with Disabilities Act (1990), Architectural Barriers Act (1968), and the Rehabilitation Act (1973), all of which include specific design guidelines that disabled citizens need for unobstructed passage on public sidewalks.

Read the two-page document— Sidewalk Management Plan

The five-page final draft ordinance— Final Draft Ordinance

Read about the history of the ordinance.

Sound off and let us know what you think!

Posted by Israel Bayer

Downtown “affordable” housing inventory continues to descend

“The city of Portland, nonprofit housing developers and the Housing Authority of Portland deserve praise for slowing the rate of losing units downtown, but that’s not enough to end homelessness,” says Bobby Weinstock. “We’re still down over 1,800 units from our goal.”

The goal of creating and preserving 5,183 units of affordable housing downtown was set by City Council in 1988. The 2010 Northwest Pilot Project Downtown Portland Affordable Housing Inventory counts 3,315 units which currently rent for $437 per month or less. This is the rent level affordable to a single, full-time Oregon minimum wage earner. Affordable housing means paying no more than 30% of gross income for rent.

New York Times article talks Resource Access Center

The New York Times reports, “To revive a languishing neighborhood, one theory goes, cities should encourage new restaurants, locally owned shops and quality market-rate housing, and the money will follow. In the Old Town/Chinatown district here, however, that model is being turned upside down.

The Resource Access Center, a $47 million complex that will provide affordable housing and a shelter and services for homeless people, is the focal point of a 10-year plan to end homelessness here. The eight-story, 106,000-square-foot center, which will open next year, is expected to help catalyze development in the north end of Old Town/Chinatown, a neglected area that supporters say is poised for significant growth.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Health and Homelessness: On the front lines w/Dr. Jim O’Connell

By Amanda Waldroupe, Staff Writer

Dr. Jim O’Connell had dreams of becoming a country doctor when he graduated from Harvard Medical school in 1982. Taken by the way medicine was studied and practiced in a large academic center, he chose instead to work toward becoming an oncologist and started his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In 1985, his chief of medicine called him into his office and told O’Connell that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation had given the city of Boston funding to start an organization devoted to providing primary health care to homeless people. O’Connell was asked if he would mind being the program’s only full-time doctor for one year, as a way of involving Massachusetts General in the program. “(A) kind of urban Peace Corps,” O’Connell thought.

One year turned into 25. O’Connell, now 62, became the founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which has become the country’s largest and most comprehensive program providing health care to the homeless.

The program serves 11,000 each year.  Services are provided at two hospital-based clinics, over 80 Boston shelters and agencies, and a 104-bed medical facility providing acute, sub-acute, post-operative, recuperative, rehabilitative and end-of-life care.

O’Connell’s research on the relationship between homelessness and increased health problems and likelihood of death has been widely published. One study was noticed by the New York nonprofit Common Ground, which subsequently created the Vulnerability Index survey (see “Measuring our Vulnerability,” Street Roots, Oct. 31, 2008).

Starting in 1986, O’Connell began providing medical care two nights a week out of an outreach van operated by a Boston outreach agency. The experience of being a street physician has taught him that homeless people can receive the same level of medical care on the streets as in a clinic, and that the most important key to providing quality and continuity of care are the relationships that are forged.

Amanda Waldroupe: What do you enjoy about being a street physician?

Jim O’Connell: I certainly enjoy the complexity of illness and trying to figure out how to diagnose, care for and finding treatment plans for people that are practical. I love working in teams. What keeps everyone going, virtually, is getting to know the stories of people over time. (They) are more often than not tales of breathtaking courage. Those stories really grab you, and its very hard for you to not to become enraptured and engaged.

A.W.: It’s pretty obvious that homeless people will become more unhealthy while they are homeless. Do you think people realize that?

J.O.: No. I think it’s hard for people to see.

A.W.: How can increased awareness about homeless people’s health affect government’s efforts to end homelessness?

J.O.: I think that we need to do everything we can to raise awareness of what I would call the public health emergency of people living on the streets. Their mortality rates are so high. The outcomes from their illnesses are so appalling. If this were any other population, we would have major programs to address health disparities.