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Dear Friend, 
It is the rainy season and at Sisters we are reflecting on the conditions in our community.
Reflections on Alternatives to Housing 
by Dawa, Cafe/Systemic Change Co-Manager
The foxes have holes and the birds of the air their nests, but those who live within the margins have no place to lay their heads. 
Homelessness is a serious problem in our country. The numbers are increasing every day on local, state and national levels. Here in Portland the numbers are staggering. The Point-in-Time report states that nearly 3,000 people were “literally homeless” in 2013. Read more here...
The Need for Clean!
by Michael, Cafe/Systemic Change Co-Manager
“Limited hours”; “No privacy, especially for women”; “I have to choose between working and a shower”; “No place to keep belongings safe and free of bedbugs”; “No place to clean cuts and change dressings”. 
These were some of the challenges people voiced at Sisters’ Community Forum on Hygiene Access on Monday, February 24th. We knew from the outreach surveys we had previously conducted to determine the priorities for the Homeless Bill of Rights that the houseless face considerable challenges meeting basic hygiene needs because of the lack of access to bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities and any place else they can keep themselves and their belongings clean and safe.
As a result of that outreach – the results of which were remarkably consistent across 18 cities in Oregon, California and a few other states – the right to 24-hour access to hygiene facilities is one of the demands in the Homeless Bill of Rights.At Monday’s forum, we wanted to present what we had already discovered, get more detailed input from our community, and begin brainstorming what solutions might be effective. Paul Boden from the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) joined us to facilitate and frame the issues that the HBR Campaign is addressing. Read More here...

Sweeping the Streets
Prose by R.A.
The city is making people move from a doorway or out from under the bridge, 
So people who are NOT homeless don't have to see the problem that is right there in front of them. 
They think that is the way to get the problem solved of people being homeless. 
We know all this will do is move the problem to a different place. 
If the city wants to solve these problems then why not be willing to help with finding a place where people can just be; 
Where people don’t need worry about being moved in the middle of the night when they are trying to get a little sleep. If we can’t be here…where do we go?
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133 NW Sixth Ave. | Portland, OR 97209 US