Take Action

Below are some ways to help end homelessness, organized by Sisters and our Civic Action Group (CAG), community organizers who have experience with homelessness.

Community Forum

Sisters and CAG are hosting a community forum on violence and drug/alcohol abuse outside the cafe and on the streets. Please come discuss these important community issues.

Tuesday, November 25th at 5:30pm at the cafe, 133 NW Sixth Ave.

MLK Day March Save the Date

Please plan on joining us for this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. march and celebration on Monday, January 19th.

The MLK committee is still brainstorming about the theme and event details. We will work on logistics such as location, march route, speakers, and entertainment. If you are interested in helping to plan the event, please contact Devin at 503-222-5694 ext. 16 or

For info on the Sit-Lie law, click ‘read more’ below.

According to data submitted to the City by the Portland Police Bureau, the Sit-Lie Law has been enforced almost exclusively against homeless people. “Enforcement of the Sit-Lie Law is not only inhumane and immoral, it’s unconstitutional; the constitution says laws cannot be enforced against any one class of people. Of the 88 warnings and citations issued between August 30th, 2007 and January 22nd, 2008, 79 were people who were identified as homeless, ‘transient,’ or no address was listed,” said Patrick Nolen, Community Organizer for Sisters.

The SAFE Workgroup was established by the Portland City Council on May 24, 2006, developing “Five Strategies for a More Livable Portland.” According to the Executive Summary of this process on the Mayor’s website, “The Workgroup emphasized that consensus around this strategy would not endure unless all five parts are implemented together.”

Sisters’ staff representatives on the SAFE oversight committee noted that the services associated with these strategies, including day access center space, public restrooms and benches, have not been implemented in a timely and adequate manner. 

By contrast, the strategy of a sit-lie law that prohibits anyone from sitting or lying on a public sidewalk between 7 am and 9 pm has been fully implemented, and the vast majority of warnings and citations are issued to homeless individuals. To deepen this injustice, the language of the law applies to obstructions on the sidewalk including signs and seating outside of businesses that do not have the proper permit.  No action has been taken to enforce the law as it applies to inanimate objects, only humans who lack shelter.

In recognition that the SAFE process has not resulted in the equal implementation of the five strategies and has been shown to target homeless people in its enforcement, Sisters Of The Road publicly resigned from the Oversight Committee on May 8, 2008.