New Street Roots on the beat

The new edition of Street Roots is on the streets. This issue looks at takes a look at modern day slavery with journalist John Bowe, who has spent the better part of the past decade looking into workers exploitations. Other articles include a look at recommendations given to the City of Portland by Street Roots, Sisters Of The Road, and the Western Regional Advocacy Project and

One step out of the past, many still ahead takes a hard look at the drug and free prostitution zones.

Editorial

Jay Thiemyer, Alejandro Queral, Art Garcia, and Jeff Kleen bring us some great opinion pieces, while this week's Act Now asks you to take action to stop federal plans to clear-cut Oregon's old growth forests.

Act Now

All this and much more in these in the October 12, edition of Street Roots.

Director's Desk: Help us lower the price vendors pay for the newspaper!

Street Roots is gearing up for the start of our Winter Fund Drive on Nov. 1. We have some super-exciting things in the works, the first of which is to lower the cost of the newspaper for vendors from 30 cents to 25 cents in 2008.

In 2003, Street Roots had no paid staff and was publishing the paper on a monthly basis. At that time the newspaper cost 25 cents for vendors. The vendors said they would pay up to 35 cents for the paper if we could deliver a biweekly publication. The organization knew that 35 cents was too much, and we all agreed to 30 cents. Still, the five additional cents was not going to cover the costs for an additional paper, and the staff needed put the publication together. With your support, dedicated vendors and a crew a ragtag volunteers, we made it happen.

Four years later the organization is at another crossroads. We are growing and looking toward a redesign in 2008, and eventually going weekly in 2009. While our readership has grown over the years, some of the same trends have continued. We believe by going weekly in 2009 we can expand our readership, and continue to increase the profit going into the hands of people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

First things first, right? Last year we received more individual donations from people like you than ever before. With your help we updated our technology for the newspaper and for vendors in the office, we finished our strategic plan, updated our bylaws, gained health insurance for our employees, and hired a formerly homeless vendor as our resource specialist. We developed a series of trainings for vendors, created an advisory panel and an editorial committee, and continue to bring Portland a professional street newspaper.

This year we will be redesigning the newspaper, which will help bring curb appeal for vendors to sell the newspaper, update our technology with a vendor sales database, and obtain online databases to improve our fund-raising and advocacy abilities. We will also be providing vendors with a new sales training video, additional sales items (buttons, stickers, chapbooks) and providing fresh hot and cold water in the office. With your help we can attain these modest goals.

If you are interested in becoming a Street Roots Block Captain for the Winter Fund Drive please contact me in the office. Each block captain can adopt a business, themselves, and/or family or friends to raise $400. You can do it! All it takes is getting 20 of your peers to donate $20, 10 people donate $50, or four people to donate $100. Each Block Captain will be highlighted in the 2007 Annual Report.

Office: 503-228-5657
E-mail: streetroots@hotmail.com