Format Compact Editor Joanne Zuhl | Publisher Israel Bayer Founded 1999 | |
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Type Weekly street newspaper Founder(s) Bryan Pollard, Mike Parker, Brent Snyder, Sharon Pearson, Bob Healy, Remona Cowles, and a good handful of old venders and volunteers. | ||
Street Roots is a weekly street newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. The paper is sold by members of the local homeless community and is published on Fridays. Vendors receive 75 cents for every $1 paper they sell. 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.
Street Roots also publishes the The Rose City Resource, a 104-page pocket size guide of services available to people experiencing homelessness and poverty in the Portland region. 160,000 of the guides are published annually.
History
Street Roots was established in 1998 after Sharon Pearson of the "Burnside Cadillac" decided to retire, the office, equipment, and manpower was transferred to Street Roots Newspaper. Street Roots has acted as an advocate for homeless rights, supporting the establishment of Dignity Village in 2000. In Street Roots received a $30,000 grant from the Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) committee funded by the City of Portland. The grant was used to fund the printing of The Rose City Resource, described above. Street Roots is one of many street newspapers in the United States, including Real Change in Seattle, Washington and Spare Change News in Boston, Massachusetts.