Press and News
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After lengthy debate, Portland City Council advances Wheeler’s camping policy
April 24, 2024: “Several members of the public who testified echoed this concern, calling the rushed amendment “legislation by chaos” an disrespectful.” Many of them rejected both Gonzalez’s and Wheeler’s proposals for prioritizing penalties for people experiencing homelessness over offering social services and shelter.”
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City divided on how to tackle homeless crisis during meeting on possible camping ban
April 24, 2024: People demanded leaders not criminalize homeless camps on public streets. “If you are not sure how to make this pass legal muster, then perhaps you should just give up on it, at least until everyone has a home,” Brenna Fawson, an advocate with the organization Sisters of the Road, told city leaders.
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KGW Top Stories: Portland's Proposed Anti-Camping Ordinance
April 4, 2024: Sisters Systemic Change Director Lauren Armony explained to KGW this week that that new proposed ordinance shifts from the more direct and precise Time, Place, Manner ordinance introduced over the summer, to a much more ambiguous one. “It’s really unclear how and when they are going to be enforcing these rules,” Lauren told KGW.
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City adopts Enhanced Service District recommendations amidst criticism
Feb 21, 2024: "We have a lot of ethical concerns around our funds going to ... further traumatize and entrench our community in poverty." - Lauren Armony, Sisters Systemic Change Director
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Portland intensified tent sweeps in 2023 but failed to track where people ended up
Jan 9, 2024: “This is willful negligence. … We can allocate resources more effectively if we have data on what types of shelter work best for unhoused residents.” - Lauren Armony, Sisters Systemic Change Director
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Use of force by Portland Police not a case of ‘a few bad apples’, organizers say
Jan 11, 2024: “Kat Mahoney, the executive director of Sisters of the Road, said this isn’t a case of ‘a few bad apples,’ adding, ‘Are the good apples doing anything to get rid of the bad apples? It looks from what I’ve seen: No.’” - Kat Mahoney, Sisters Executive Director
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Community recognizes Houseless Day of Remembrance
Dec 21, 2023: Community members and homeless services organizations gathered on the night of Dec. 21, 2023, for a Houseless Day of Remembrance memorial in honor of people who lost their lives while homeless this year. The event is recognized annually on the first day of winter — the longest night of the year.
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Enforcement of Portland's camping ban blocked
Nov 9, 2023: “A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge has blocked enforcement of Portland's daytime camping ban. ‘We can’t tell them how long it's going to last, but just having more time where people are not as forcefully displaced is good.’ - Sisters Systemic Change Director Lauren Armony
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Opinion: In Portland, making homelessness invisible is making us all less human
Nov 1, 2023: “There’s no simple answer. Portlanders are frustrated at seeing the violence of poverty outside their window. However, when the solution is to remove ‘inconvenient’ people from the visible places, we’re reducing their humanity. We’re choosing not to see them.” - Kat Mahoney, Sisters Executive Director
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'You can belong here': Sisters of the Road nonprofit cafe to returns to Chinatown
July 5, 2023: After Sisters of the Road’s non-profit cafe closed during the pandemic, the organization announced Wednesday they've purchased another home. And it happens to be one of the most historic landmarks in Chinatown.
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Genny Nelson, Sisters’ co-founder, retires
Dec 10, 2009: “We believe if you want to solve homelessness, do more than satiate the immediate, urgent needs of homeless people, build community and share power with them.” - Genny Nelson, Sisters Co-Founder