Sisters’ Newest Board Members
Name: Kaelyn Rushforth
Pronouns: she/her
What drew you to join Sisters’ Board?
Sisters has a long history of building community, increasing food access, and advocating for systemic change in Portland. It’s hard not to want to be involved in Sisters when you learn about their work. They care deeply about this city and the people living in it. We have neighbors living outside whose wisdom is often overlooked, and Sisters brings them to the table. We have areas of the city like Old Town that are often written off, and Sisters envisions a vibrant future community space where people can share a meal and their stories with each other. There is hope here. I am excited for all of our work ahead together.
Which of Sisters’ philosophies do you relate to the most and why?
I feel strongly aligned with Sisters’ philosophies, especially Systemic Change. They aim to increase the involvement of people who have experienced homelessness and poverty in the development of public policy. This is crucial for ensuring the solutions proposed actually address community needs. Community engagement at this level requires a lot of intentional work to create a productive space for these conversations. Sisters has a great track record in this area, and a vision to improve upon this work in the future.
What do you think people misunderstand or get wrong about homelessness or poverty?
One of the most common misunderstandings I hear about homelessness and poverty is that there are plenty of adequate social services for housing, food, and mental health support, and folks are making the decision not to take advantage of them. If you have ever had to navigate or help someone navigate these services, you know that is not true. The need far exceeds service availability and direct service staff capacity. It is crucial that we listen to the expertise of folks with lived experience with homelessness and poverty if we are to address these challenges, and it is crucial that we work together to create a system that supports everyone’s needs.
What’s one book or film that you recommend?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Name: Matt Chorpenning
Pronouns: he/him
What drew you to join Sisters’ Board?
We are living in a time when there seems to be a huge backlash against the idea that our houseless neighbors have rights and deserve to be treated with dignity. Sisters of the Road has a long tradition of advocating for the rights and dignity of the most marginalized in our city and I want to be a part of that. Also, after everything Sisters has been through (especially since the pandemic), I look at who is here doing the work now and I am excited about the possibilities. We have an amazing team!
Which of Sisters’ philosophies do you relate to the most and why?
Having a background in community organizing and macro social work, I am a huge believer in systemic change. We are all trying to survive in multiple systems that are harming people for profit and were designed to do so. It doesn’t have to be this way, and I believe we can work together to create something different and better for all of us. Systemic change, to me, is the belief that another world is possible, and that feels like the heart and soul of what Sisters is and does.
What do you think people misunderstand or get wrong about homelessness or poverty?
I think a lot of people believe that addiction and mental health diagnoses cause homelessness and poverty when it’s often the other way around. The long term impacts of poverty and homelessness on our cognition, our physical health, and our mental and emotional health are well-documented and lead many people to turn to ways of coping that they wouldn’t if they were adequately housed and fed. So what does cause homelessness and poverty? Capitalism, among other things. We live in a system where you can’t meet your basic needs unless someone else can profit from it, and that means the free market is just fine with poverty and homelessness. Poverty and homelessness are 100% solvable problems, by the way, but not if we’re going to try to solve them by appeasing the demands of capitalism.
What’s one book or film that you recommend?
I think everyone should read Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba.
