🌱 Helping Homeless Off Streets + New Recycling In Washington County

It's Friday, peoples. The day that bridges the gap between the hum-drum tedium of the work week and the unbridled fun of the weekend. We, Portland, have achieved perfect balance. Here's what's happening today.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy today, with a high of 60. There may be a few showers.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. A Portland nonprofit is focused on getting people off the streets and into full-time jobs. Community Volunteer Corps, which is part of Central City Concern, works with people who are in recovery or struggling with homelessness through volunteer work and manual labor. “They help build us up and make us feel important and special,” said Haley Scott who has been with the program for about four months. Scott was one of about a dozen people clearing out drainage at Joseph Wood Hill Park Wednesday. (KGW.com)
2. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says he is working to support and expand the Portland Street Response with a bigger staff and a bigger budget. The mayor says it is part of an effort to re-focus the public safety system. Portland Street Response sends unarmed mental health experts to situations often involving a mental or behavioral crisis. The mayor says Tuesday’s one-year evaluation on the program included encouraging data. (KATU)
3. Washington County announced it is launching a new recycling program for unincorporated areas of the county. Washington County Board of Commissioners approved the new curbside recycling program, Recycle+, for materials not included in standard recycling such as plastic bags, plastic #1 clamshell containers, clothes and compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Community members can request the service through their garbage and recycling collection company. (KOIN)
4. Conditions in the Multnomah County’s two jails are worse for people in custody who are Black and those who have mental health conditions, according to an audit released Wednesday by Multnomah County. The audit team looked at data from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2021. Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk’s staff found deputies appeared to use force and discipline procedures in line with the jails’ standards. However, jail deputies used what they referred to as “minor force” at a higher rate and disproportionately doled out misconduct citations against Black detainees. (OPB)
5. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury put out a call Wednesday asking for more Portland-area landlords to work with organizations that help unhoused people move into apartments. She said the county plans to spend $4 million to pay rent for tenants to help make it happen. The plea comes nearly two months after a coalition of nearly every homeless service provider in the city announced an initiative to try to house 3,000 people this year. (OregonLive)

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Today in Portland:

• Auditions! is a new musical and Broadway revue workshop presentation presented by Avalon Events and the Alberta Abbey in NE Portland. Auditions! features original pieces and classic Broadway covers from musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, The Greatest Showman, Les Miserables, La La Land, The Producers, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls and more! Tickets available online. Showtime is 7:00 PM.
• Today kicks off the first of four weekly dance classes in Pioneer Courthouse Square from DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid! The Kid will warm things up with a DJ set, then Anjali will teach several South Asian styles of dance. From the high energy Panjabi folk forms of Bhangra and Giddha to the classical inspired Filmi Mujra of Bollywood, Anjali will keeps things moving for dancers of all levels. Noon to 1:30 PM.
• There will be a Gobshite Reading at Rose City Book Club in NE Portland. Gobshite Quarterly is a multi-lingual literary magazine published in Portland. Gobshite Quarterly & Reprobate/GobQ Books present Sean Davis reading from "The Jesus He Deserved" and Angelo Luna and Christopher Luna reading from "Exchanging Wisdom: A Guide for Parents of the Autonomous." This will be followed by a Q & A and a small open mic of 8 slots of up to 2 minutes each. 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
• Bleacher Bums Comedy Night returns to the Portland comedy scene at The Pickle Jar Clubhouse in downtown Portland. The Pickle Jar is the official flagship retail store for the Portland Pickles and sells new exclusive limited-edition product drops. Tickets available online. 7:00 - 10:00 PM.
• PDXTransEvents presents TOXIK: A Trans & Non-Binary Community Punk Show & Fundraiser for the Trans Lifeline at the Shanghai Tunnel Underground Bar. Dedicated to the late Tegan Toxik, a loving friend to so many who tragically took her own life in March of 2021. In her memory, PDXTransEvents will be donating a percentage of cover sales as well as 100% of the proceeds from a Midnight T-shirt Raffle, directly to the Trans Lifeline. Event starts at 8:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Cookbooks by Portland chefs Gregory Gourdet (Everyone’s Table) and Joshua McFadden (Grains for Every Season) are officially in the James Beard ring, vying for the foundation’s prestigious award. Nominees were announced today for the James Beard Foundation 2022 Media Awards, which focus solely on cookbooks, broadcast media, and journalism. Read the finalists list here. Finalists in the best chefs and restaurants categories were announced in March, with three Portlanders contending for awards.
• Clad in purple vests and backpacks, the Portland Streetcar’s Rider Ambassadors are the newest addition to the city’s changing public transportation safety landscape. Funded by a federal grant that aims to encourage riders back to public transportation as the pandemic wanes, the streetcar’s team of five Rider Ambassadors started riding the system in mid-January. During the year-long pilot project, the team is tasked with providing a non-security presence that increases onboard support for homeless riders in an effort to provide a feeling of safety for all passengers on the streetcar. (Portland Mercury)
• Crafty Wonderland, everyone's favorite Spring Art and Craft Market, is coming to the Oregon Convention Center this weekend! 200+ artists selling their goods at the Oregon Convention Center! If you're looking for quirky, locally made items, then this is the place for you. Get your tickets online. (Crafty Wonderland)
• When rapper Mikey Vegaz first started touring, he’d play shows at the Roseland Theater, the church-turned-music venue that has attracted both local and touring acts for decades. Starting next month, he’ll be selling food there, too. Trap Kitchen will open its first Portland restaurant within the Roseland Theater in May, serving lobster pizzas and teriyaki pineapple bowls. (PDX Eater)
• Community members in Old Town gave an update Thursday on the 90-day reset plan’s progress toward reducing crime and in turn creating a safer community. The community-driven strategy aims to help Old Town recover and address the district’s rising crime rates, houselessness and addiction. However, the OTCA says the City of Portland Multnomah County has made “little progress” as the plan reaches its halfway point. (KOIN)
• If you haven't visited the LanSu Chinese Garden, it's a beautiful place. The YouTube channel Airstream on the Way gives you a visitor's view of the downtown Portland site. (YouTube)

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Is that enough of a Friday for you? Keep your Zen, my friends, and I'll be back tomorrow to help you kick off your weekend.

— Dominic Anaya

About me: Doctor, educator and now a writer/artist, I'm just chillin' in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, our chickens and our goats.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? Contact me at portland@patch.com