“Because No One Is Disposable”

Street Books Co-Director Joshua Pollock on care and harm reduction

Street Books nurtures our city’s collective imagination by bringing stories and connection to the streets. We want to reimagine a society that respects dignity, justice, and our shared humanity. For our Winter Campaign this year we’re imagining alongside Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities: a book that questions what a city is, what it’s for.

Invisible Cities is structured according to eleven themes that capture the many faces of a city. This week we are thinking about the theme of “Cities and the Dead," with a conversation about radical care and harm reduction with Co-Director Joshua Pollock.

“At Street Books, harm reduction begins by accepting people as they are: understanding that drug use exists, has always and will continue to exist, and is intertwined with systemic structures of power; letting go of judgement and embracing the humanity in every person; recognizing people’s autonomy over their own bodies and lives without trying to coerce them to change; and acting with love and care to keep people as safe as possible and improve their quality of life, because no one is disposable.

Harm reduction is one of the philosophies that drives us to show up for folks week after week. In addition to checking in on folks and providing access to books and culture, we distribute thousands of doses of naloxone annually, along with other safer-use and safer-sex supplies—after all, you can’t read a book or be part of a community if you’re dead.”

Will you help us continue to provide life-saving resources to our neighbors on the streets, so everyone can have the chance to start again and reimagine their path? The need for the kind of survival supplies we offer is only growing as our country's social support systems increasingly come under threat from federal cuts. We need your support today to keep showing up for Portlanders in need.

Click the button below to donate to our Winter Campaign through Give!Guide and help sustain Street Books through the months and years ahead.

Partner appreciation:

Street Roots

We’ve had a long and deep connection with Street Roots–and not only because everyone confuses our names (which we take as the greatest compliment!).  We set up our bike library in front of their office once a week, host an on-site library,  and collaborate with them on things like mutual aid and author events. 

Street Roots is built on a belief in the inherent dignity of every person.  We are all making our way through our system– that values money over the most basic human needs.  Street Roots recognizes that deep systemic change is the only way to alter the material conditions of people’s lives. In addition to their weekly paper, they focus on advocacy for their vendors, fight for changes at the policy level, and provide the Rose City Resource Guide–an invaluable compendium of available services across the Tri-County area. 

In many ways the failings of our current system are due to a lack of imagination. Both Street Books and Street Roots are committed to imagining a different world.  Street Roots helps us put words to that imagining through their weekly paper–which, since 1999, has combined low-barrier work opportunities for people living in poverty, with some of the best investigative journalism happening in Portland.

Street Roots tagline is–For those who can’t afford free speech–and that is all of us, right now.  Please join us in supporting Street Roots in Give!Guide today!

Street Roots on Street Books

We are grateful to work in community with organizations like Street Roots, whose team shared this sweet appreciation of our collaborative partnership for our newsletter:

"It’s hard to contain the love and appreciation Street Roots and our vendors share for Street Books and their dedicated street librarians. They remember our vendors’ names, the kind of books they like to read, and their hopes for the future. Our organizations’ missions intersect at the corner of community and belonging, and we share a commitment to meeting people where they are while cultivating relationships rooted in dignity and autonomy.

Like any great story, Street Books captures hearts with curiosity. A mobile, bike-powered library laden with paperbacks ready to lend? One can’t help but be pulled closer with intrigue! Yet it can be natural to approach with hesitation. Can I afford this? Am I invited? Is this for me? People living outside are constantly told no, but Street Books says, “Yes, this is for you.” There’s something transformative when patrons discover a library designed exactly for them.

Street Books gets books into the hands of those who need them, providing literature, connection, and resources for people living outside or on the margins. They take a culture of exclusion and privilege and tip it on its head. And like Street Roots, their model is low-barrier. No ID or address is needed to check out a book, and there are no fines or fees to fear.

And it’s not just about books and literature. Street Books librarians show up at the same places every week to provide consistency and caring community while checking in on people and meeting needs at the street level. Offering someone a book can be a way in – a starting point to building trust and a relationship. 

While books may not be seen as “essential” for day-to-day survival, Street Books treats the experience of belonging – of being seen and known – as critical to our shared humanity. Being recognized, spoken to, and offered a book is a powerful lifeline. Together, Street Roots and Street Books give a way for people to connect with the world around them, forge friendships, and engage in something bigger than themselves.

Street Books saves lives – story by story, conversation by conversation, and book by book. If you want to help Street Books sustain this important community work, please consider supporting them in Give!Guide."