Harpo Has an Important Announcement

These are the last couple pairs from a big box that Keecow Socks sent us to distribute to the many, many camps in my old neighborhood. There are some in my new neighborhood too. But it’s usually just like one or two vehicles and/or tents, instead of a big camp with a cooking fire taking up half a block.

Portland’s homeless population exploded in 2019, after a new #rent control law led to a wave of #eviction on the flimsiest of pretexts. Then the #pandemic made it even worse. I was caught in that wave after a #roommate forgot to sign themselves off the lease when they moved out. I spent the next two years hanging on by my fingernails. I was within 48 hours of having to take the cats back to the #shelter and find one myself twice.

I finally was able to sign a lease for a house that wasn’t legally habitable, with a #landlord who later tried to evict me for asking for repairs. I absolutely would’ve ended up homeless after that if it wasn’t for Harpo. He helped me raise funds for a lawyer and inspections. Now his income is the difference between struggling to afford just a room in a big house and struggling to afford a little house.

There’s literally nowhere left in the entire United States where somebody who makes the minimum wage can actually afford a one bedroom apartment. My captioning job is more than double the federal minimum. But housing in the city I’ve been in my entire adult life has tripled. The two bedroom apartment I rented for $650 in 2008 is now $1950.

I know of so many people who work full-time yet live in vehicles. This cannot be allowed to continue.
More about our back story is here: https://ko-fi.com/post/Harpos-Heros-Journey-O4O2GY87P
#eattherich #strike #meow #pdxcats #pdx #tuxedocat #cats

Видео Harpo Has an Important Announcement канала Rain Surname