Kate Adair lives in a women’s shelter in Corvalis, Oregon as she works toward more stable housing. We spoke of her journey that led to homelessness, her love of singing, and her desire to once again have a kitchen for cooking, a bathtub and a door that locks. I met Kate at the Corvalis Daytime Drop-in Center. “He made me laugh every day. And I did … Continue reading Kate Adair
Zachary Pierce is a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe. At three weeks old, he was adopted by an English and German mother and an Irish father. Zachary spent more than a decade on the streets of Corvallis but viewed COVID as an opportunity to reset. He used it as a filter that allowed him to keep what he wanted and discard the things that … Continue reading Zachary Pierce
We spent a few days with the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center, a resource hub to help connect people with services and resources around housing security. We set up our studio and asked, “What do you want people to know?” The goal is to craft an answer that is 25 words or less, so that the text fits on the person’s portrait. But of course there … Continue reading listen
Ken Craft is the founder and CEO at Hope of the Valley rescue mission. I interviewed him at the Alexandria Park Tiny Home site, the largest tiny home community in the state of California. At that site, there are 103 tiny homes, 200 beds, toilets, sinks, laundry facilities and services. As Ken says, “Anything and everything that somebody would need to overcome the barriers that … Continue reading Ken Craft
Rev. Andy Bales is the president and CEO at Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California. “It should be very apparent to us how we’re failing, but I’m not sure what falsehood or lie we’re caught up with that we think this is okay.” “I worked my whole life to end up on skid row and finally made it about 16 years … Continue reading Andy Bales
Vincent Turner once lived on the streets of Los Angeles, in a liquor store parking lot. He tried to build barriers to keep others out because he was disappointed with himself. He knew he was hurting himself and he didn’t like hurting others. When he was ready for change, he used the one bus token in his pocket to go to the Union Rescue Mission … Continue reading Vincent Turner
It’s not often that I go out without my camera, but that’s what I did on Skid Row in Los Angeles the other day. “Be careful,” my contact at the shelter told me. “Watch out for yourself,” said the security guard in the garage as I handed him my keys and walked up the ramp toward the bright light of the street. They had good … Continue reading Skid Row
Earlier this month I got to visit HopeWorks Station in Everett, Washington. An innovative housing project in Snohomish County, it holds the possibility of a permanent solution for some of the people experiencing homelessness in the area. A few interesting facts about HopeWorks Station: -65 affordable housing units from 300-453 square feet -focused on serving veterans, youth and families -all units face inward to a … Continue reading HopeWorks Station
Michael Reid played bass in a punk band and became addicted to heroin. He was strung out on the drug for ten years. His days revolved around petty crime to feed his addiction, which eventually landed him in prison for more than a year. After his release, Michael started volunteering at a food pantry. Over time, he was given more responsibility, and now Michael is … Continue reading Michael Reid
