Often, when someone is walking down around downtown Portland, you can see the tension and awkwardness take over when they come near an encampment of folks living in tents downtown. You can hear similar tension when you’re listening to conversations about people living without permanent shelter. “What people don’t know is that almost everyone is one paycheck away from being houseless” -Gary Barker.
While people living houseless are often othered, the reality is we are all in a community with much more tying us together than dividing us. Those of us living with the privilege of permanent housing are responsible for rejecting the notion that those without are a distant other. So often, it is our classmate, colleague, or friend, unbeknownst to us. However, the question of, “How can I do that?” is a valid one.
Join the Student Community Engagement Center in learning from Gary Barker and Bronwyn Carver from Street Roots as they provide us with their experience and expertise to answer the question, “*How can I live in a community with folks living without permanent housing in a way that empowers them and makes them feel seen, respected, honored, and valued?”
We will be hearing Gary and Bronwyn discuss their experiences and their work to change the perceptions and understandings of those living without permanent shelter and empower individuals to use their skills to amplify their voice and elicit change. They will also be answering questions from the audience and discussing how we can empower our community to address some of the root causes of inequity within the houseless community.
https://www.streetroots.org/
https://www.pdx.edu/student-community-engagement/