Matt, Thanks for working me in to the picture of Mayor Potter and Commissioner Fish! It was really a nice award ceremony. I am just happy that I got to hang out with a bunch of nice people and they feel I do stuff that is worthy of being recognized. thanks Patrick

I think it was the first event where United Poor People members,UPP, members were sitting with elected officials without any sneers. I think that Patrick Nolan rocks and I have worked with Dennis who never thought that he would shake Tom Potter's hand. Good to see the small guys getting credit. Not a Good Queer

actually in city hall this morning fish was questioned by a city hall protester about a previous comment he made in favor of the repeal of the sit/lie and and anti-camping laws if given the opportunity he would stick by his commitment to repeal them. he said he will stick by his words, and that he wanted to meet with her. pretty cool eh?

Congrats Patrick! Certainly the real honor is the small and daily steps forward. Regardless, I'm sure it's nice to see your hard work publicly called out.

Congratulations on continuing to ruin Portland in the pursuit of individual selfishness. Humans are the only creatures on earth that keep their failures alive and this is an excellent example of refusing to look at the full social ramifications just to promote the needs of individuals who use being a victim as a way to get what they want. Thank you for showing why Portland continues to fail and yet can deny that fact by feeling good about the "progress' it makes.

@An Observer: "Humans are the only creatures on earth that keep their failures alive" For which you should be VERY grateful.

@5: Because anonymous hate is so gutsy.

Hahaha, looks like Patrick hasn't ever missed a meal. What a dolt!

Congrats, Patrick, Well deserved. Keep up the good work, Dude!

An Observer, actually, I would say that that is humanity's greatest strength. that we recognize that it is all of us in this together... if you are for saving the enviroment, for less cruelity to animals, for less dependence on foreign oil, for buying locally and thinking globally, at all... then you should be for helping Portland's most disenfranchised communities, including those living without housing. Another Matt, actually, I have missed a few (very few). my weight comes from a couple of reasons. A) I enjoy food, B) I lived homeless for a while and the meals are mostly starch filled and make one prone to weight gain. my mechanism for dealing with emotional pain is eating. I am not proud of that fact, but I am also not one to feel embarassment about something that is the truth. I am overweight. thanks Patrick

It was also great to see more of the advocates and those that report/support their efforts at these city meetings. The next ones won't be about presneting awards, so just remember you're welcome at those, too.

yeah, I know DA, that is the great thing about our city. or one of the many great things. I attended SAFE meetings (for about a year I think?), attended Oldtown China Town Neighborhood Assocation meetings, Downtown Public Safety Advisory Committee meetings, Oldtown Public Safety Meetings, meetings with staff of all five city council members, in most cases them personally, TriMet public meetings, etc. in Portland there are many places and venues to get your voice heard depending on your subject, the problem being getting things done is often harder than being heard. thanks Patrick

Congradulations Patrick You certainly have put in the time and effort for this award. Remember a big part of this is encouraging others to attend many of the numerous opportunities for civic engagement on issues of poverty. You are fortunate to be paid a living wage to do this work and as you said much of the ground work for your opportunities to do this work are based on the work of many paid employees and long suffering volunteers who have contributed to these causes in Portland. Like most accomplishments we stand on the backs of others. It is important to empower those working with you that they might have the opportunity to be so recognized and then pass the passion and empowerment on to others. Say Hi To Izzy when you get a chance. How the hell does he afford a European vacation on only $10 dollars an hour? That boy works miracles sometimes!

I went to Europe? Wow. That's news to me...

Are you the same Izzy? John L. at the front desk said you were in Switzerland with Joanne was he lying?

Yes, I'm actually in the Alps drinking beer and checking blogtown.

The CCEH, as you noticed yesterday, Patrick, has a very difficult job on its hands in a very tough enonomic and political climate. The city mission to reach goals and benchmarks of placing folks in perm housing is a large one with great presuures to perform. As you noticed, often the precentages of "success" are very misleading. When only 40-57% of those placed in housing can even be contacted in the first 6 months in new homes, it really is impossible to state that there is 65-75% retention. The actually numbers are much less and there are hundreds of newly housed homelss again after the first year. It takes watchdogs like you, Patrick, et al, to keep questioning results and striving for the more, greater, better while ignoring those that choose monger hate and apathy. Congrats on your award.

Richard, Apparently you do not know what the word "failure" means. You must have lived in Portland for a very long time. Patrick, if i was for saving the enviroment, for less cruelity to animals, for less dependence on foreign oil, for buying locally and thinking globally, at all... I would be saying that we should kill the homeless and not have to worry about wasting valuable resources like food and energy on them. I did not say that. I said way to promote selfishness without thinking of the full social ramifications. making a random series of feel good social statements and then blanketing a very diverse and difficult situation which cannot be solved as a group but must be individually assessed and approached effectively not only by society but by the individual who has made the choices that have lead them to the situation they are in is not how to make an argument work. It is how to make a emotion work for you. Matt Davis. No one has done more in such a short period of time to truly ruin Portland with false piety and useless underdog bravado. If you really want to help people with no place to live then let them live in your house. Certainly you have room for at least one. Put your belief in your life not just in the paper for other people to read. I, for one, would like to read the series of articles you will write about the year you spend having someone who is socially disenfranchised live with you so they can become stable and gain success for them self and society by gaining employment and a place to live. I really do believe you want to make things better for people. I just do not agree with how you choose to go about getting it done.

It's a long road... "The workers asked only for bread and a shortening of the long hours of toil. The agitators gave them visions. The police gave them clubs." - Mother Jones

"An Observer"' I would agree, solving homelessness is not something you can do with a blanket answer. there are many reasons people are homeless, there are also many ways that we hurt animals (god I love steaks! not so hot on the furs though)... I think that there is an answer though. I dont think that answer is "we give up"... nor is it to be like other animals and 'get rid of our failures'... you did not directly say kill, but you did imply. thank you Patrick

Dan, thanks, I made sure to mention CAG, Sisters, Devin, and anyone else I could think of in my "one minute of fame" speach. without Sisters and vollunteers, I would not have gotten that award. and I think that Izzy went to Illinois, not Europe, but I could be wrong... they are very simmilar. thanks Patrick

PATRICK NOLAN IS COOL! Take it from a bus driver! (58) Al M

so I have the line 58 drivers and the mercury staff behind me! thanks for your support Al! Patrick