Our February 13th Voices of the Homeless event is a panel discussion by people who have experienced houselessness at some point in their lives. They will share their perspectives on how they responded and what civic strategies have been helpful in getting people back on their feet. If you have time to do some reading in advance, you might want to read The Residue Years, A Novel, by Mitchell S. Jackson (which takes place in Portland) and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond. Both books have been “Everybody Reads” selections in years past.
If you don’t have time to read a book, you might want to watch the 40 minute video produced by Transition Projects about Surviving Sexual Violence on the Street, which focuses on the extra challenges confronting women who are houseless. League of Women Voters of Portland Co-President Doreen Binder worked at Transition Projects during the time this video was produced, and she will moderate our panel on February 13. The link to the video is: https://archive.org/details/FINALPRINT