As Forest Hills Connection’s webmaster, I see our website’s logo every day. But the last place I expect to spot it is downtown, on my way to work. But there it was, as plain as day, in the hands of a Street Sense vendor.
In February, Van Ness Street Sense vendor Roberta Bear was featured in Lee Armfield Cannon’s piece on our homeless neighbors. And as I discovered after handing a dollar to the downtown vendor, Roberta has returned the favor.
Writing in the May 21-June 3 edition of the newspaper, she describes how one of her customers told her about the article, so she went to read it for herself. “It made me feel good to think I had helped the reporter tell a larger story about homelessness,” she writes.
Roberta has some nice things to say about our community, too.
My one regret is that I didn’t buy this edition from Roberta Bear herself. We can do something about homelessness by buying Street Sense from her and other vendors. The folks who are selling this publication are working hard to put their lives back together. Let’s keep helping them.
And be sure to stop and say hello to Roberta and tell her you read about her in the Forest Hills Connection – and Street Sense. – Tracy Johnke
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David Bardin says
Roberta Bear is most often out near the Van Ness Giant. Whether one buys or not, she is as cheery (and cheering) a person as one might hope to meet and greet.
David Bardin says
Or sometimes near Calvert-Woodley, where she was this morning. Roberta Bear has also become a journalist, with her own byline in the latest issue of StreetSense (July 16-29) at page 14
Lee A C says
I’m so glad that Street Sense responded to our article, and gave Roberta a chance to make her own voice heard, too! Thanks so much for reading about Roberta and greeting her as a neighbor!