Sisters’ Systemic Change Program is committed to identifying and implementing immediate and long-term solutions to problems faced by people experiencing homelessness both in Portland, OR & nation-wide. The Civic Action Group (CAG, pictured at left) is Sisters’ community organizing body.

Our Current Campaign:

On January 20, 2010, Sisters’ community members, along with communities from up and down the West Coast, converged in San Francisco to demonstrate our immense energy and BE THE CHANGE this administration needs to do what is right. Shoulder to shoulder we took the necessary steps to win affordable housing and civil rights for everyone! For two days, participants organized, danced, evoked the vision and spirit of MLK, Jr. and helped the movement for social justice grow. 

For lots more details, including videos and photos of the event, check out Sisters’ Homelessness Ends with a Home web page.

Other Ways To Get Involved

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And more updates coming soon - check back!

Recent Activities:

Sidewalk Initiative Meetings On November 6th, three members of CAG met with Commissioner Fritz and her advisors to discuss the possible formation of an oversight committee for the Mayor’s proposed Sidewalk Management Initiative. The meeting was productive, and Commissioner Fritz expressed interest in possibly having a CAG member on the committee.

On Friday December 6th, CAG members Duke Cardinal, Chris Dreezen, Art Rios, and Amanda Seaver were again invited to discuss the Sidewalk Management Initiative with Commissioner Amanda Fritz. CAG members spoke passionately about not wanting this to turn into another sit-lie and also spoke about the possible pitfalls of starting another advisory committee that has no real “power” to shape the ordinance. Amanda Fritz alleviated some of our concerns when she stated that she would personally oversee the committee making it different that the SAFE committee. A few weeks after this meeting, CAG was invited to be full participants in what has been dubbed the “Sharing Public Sidewalks Advisory Committee.” The meetings will start January 4th 2010. Overall CAG support for being on this committee has not been decided but will be addressed in the coming weeks.

Media Skills Training On October 17, 2009, Sisters hosted a “Media Skills for Organizers” training put on by Jeff Leys of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Tom Hastings of PeaceVoice. A number of CAG members attended and said it was quite valuable.

Putting the HEALTH Back in Health Reform Conference On October 16th, 2009, Sisters co-sponsored a conference with the Archimedes Movement in Salem. The conference had an exciting lineup of keynote speakers who shared their wealth of knowledge and expertise, including former Governor and Archimedes Movement founder John Kitzhaber. Several Sisters’ staff and CAG member attended this conference. Read more about the conference.

Oregon League of Minority Voters Poverty Summit Also on October 16th, 2009, Sisters co-sponsored this important conference put on by the OLMV “to weave together our various dialogues around poverty into a narrative that’s bold and inclusive of all perspectives.” Sisters’ staff Monica Beemer and Julio Vazquez also presented at the conference on the Economic Human Rights.

Oregon Legislative Process Training On October 6, 2009, Heather Fercho and Jackie Koch held a training on the Oregon legislative process. It covered how an idea becomes a law, how to find out who your legislators are, what the passage of House Bills 2116 and 2009 mean and what the Oregon Health Authority Board is.

Building the Unsettling Force: A National Conference to End Poverty In July, Sisters’ staff members Lisa, Monica and Richard attended the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and the Social Welfare Action Alliance’s National Conference to End Poverty in Louisville, Kentucky. They had the motivating experience of joining hundreds of people dedicated to eradicating poverty in the United States. It was a unique and exciting event given that more than half the people participating had direct personal experience with, or were currently experiencing, extreme poverty and/or homelessness in our “country of plenty.”

Other activities

• CAG: Sisters’ Civic Action Group worked its way through its first year campaign, registering over 400 people to vote, marching in several rallies and putting 1438 white flags in a park to represent the people that the city says sleep outside every night.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Annual March and Rally. Click here to watch a video of the 2008 MLK March and Rally by Joe Anybody at zebra3Productions.
• WRAP - Western Regional Advocacy Project, of which Sisters became a founding member in 2006.  Click here to read WRAP’s report “Without Housing.”
• Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, one of Sisters’ allies on the national scene, out of Philadelphia’s Kensington Welfare Rights Union.
• Voices from the Street; Sisters book on homelessness, changing hearts and minds!

CAG, Sisters’ Civic Action Group is Sisters’ exciting community organizing branch made up completely of people who have experienced homelessness. Their current campaign follows Sisters’ and WRAP’s, protecting civil rights and repealing the sit-lie and anti camping laws.  As part of its current campaign, CAG is working on filming CAG-led or participated in events to better bring our words to our community. Their web page features these videos and more; click here to learn more.

Position Statements

As part of our effort to take leadership in the struggle to end the institution of homelessness, Sisters has prepared these Position Statements on hot-button issues around homelessness in our community.

• Sit Lie and Anti-Camping laws
• 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness

Sisters’ Definition, Vision and Approach to Systemic Change

Systemic Change is a creative process that honors the interconnectedness of all parts of a system and transforms it at a deep and lasting level.  We envision a community where all people are valued.  This value is expressed through the sharing of power and responsibility, and each person’s access to healthy food, safe housing, health care, and meaningful work that contributes to the well-being of ones self and community.

Sisters Of The Road works toward this vision through the changing of hearts and minds - by building authentic relationships, sharing our vision, and providing information that transforms perceptions:

• Within the Sisters’ community - Staff, Volunteers, Customers, Donors, and other Sisters’ supporters.
• In the larger Portland community - Housed and Unhoused residents of Portland
• Within policy-making and enforcement groups – City Council, City offices and bureaus, Portland Police Bureau, etc.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities working within Sisters to amplify Systemic Change, click here.

Past Activities

Civil Disobedience 102- On Saturday November 15th, 2008, Sisters held a second installment of our civil disobedience trainings.  This training was for people who were more familiar with civil disobedience and/or who have already attended one of our first trainings.  We will continue to to do more trainings, so sign up for our Action Info List to receive updates.

Willie Baptist of the Poverty Initiative- On Thursday, October 30, 2008, Sisters and the Portland Chapter of the Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA) hosted a presentation with Willie Baptist of the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary.  During his visit to Portland, Baptist presented on his work with the Poverty Initiative and the University of the Poor on building the broad based movement to end poverty.  After the presentation, he hosted an informal dialogue with local antipoverty activists on their efforts at building leadership within the organized poor.

Civil Disobedience 101- On Tuesday October 28th, 2008, Sisters held another introductory civil disobedience training. This training was the same as the training we had on June 21st.  It was geared toward those who are newer to the concepts of nonviolence and civil disobedience.

Civil Disobedience 101-  On Saturday June 21st, Sisters held a civil disobedience training at the cafe. The training was to help get more people tooled up in the practice of nonviolence and civil disobedience.  We will have more trainings in the future. For information on these trainings, sign up for our Action Info List.

Postcard Delivery to City Hall- Street Roots and Sisters Of The Road presented almost 2,000 postcards to Portland City Council on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 9:30am asking for the repeal of the sit-lie and anti-camping laws. The postcards were signed by citizens who are concerned that the ordinances punish thousands of Portlanders who lack adequate, safe and affordable shelter. Thanks so much to everyone who helped make this successful!  We all need to continue to work together to repeal these inhumane laws!