Hi neighbors! It’s that time of year where many of you have sent your kids back to school for another year of learning, enrichment and not bugging you during the day. Maybe some have sent their last child to college and are feeling a little of the ennui of a new empty nester.
We here at the SNA are having a bit of that feeling ourselves! In August, we said goodbye to one of our flagship projects, the Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) as they moved to become an independent nonprofit. Founded in 2021 by our vice president Hannah Wallace, the SSP has served our most in-need neighbors for the last 5+ years with hygiene services, clothing, supplies, and community. It started off small with just a few volunteers offering approximately 12 showers per week during two days at the former Sunnyside Methodist Church. We didn’t really know what we were doing back then, but with perseverance, support from like-minded groups, and a ton of heart we got off the ground in helping the community. Over the years, we’ve grown—offering an annual winter gear drive, coffee and snacks, laundry cards from Belmont Eco Laundry, and even free acupuncture.
At the end of 2024, the growth of the SSP really began to ramp up with the hire of Lindsay Cogan Sant as shower project’s first director. Under their compassionate and strong leadership, the SSP has more than doubled the number of guests and offers new amenities like free phone services provided by Futel and a “whimsy committee” dedicated to bringing moments of unexpected joy to a marginalized community. Lindsay has also done an incredible job with fundraising.
The SSP is an amazing example of the good that can be done when we talk to our neighbors, find out what they need, and have a willingness to meet them where they are. I’m so proud to have been an SSP volunteer since the beginning and I am especially proud to be part of an NA that seeks to look out for everyone in the neighborhood. The good news is that the SSP will not be going far! Lindsay is an SNA Board member and the leader of our Community Cares group. They are so full of ideas and enthusiasm to help people that I know we will have new projects, on our own and with the SSP, soon.
September is also the real kickoff for Portland’s election season. This year we will be voting on all three of our city council seats and one citizen initiative. SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.) will be hosting a candidate mixer on September 26th from 1–4 p.m. You can find details at seuplift.org/event/district-3-candidate-mixer-2026. Rather than focus on the wide-ranging group of candidates for council, at our September meeting the SNA will focus on the initiative, “Community Budgeting for All.” If passed, this would require 2% of the city’s annual budget, approximately $17 million, be set aside for citizen-proposed projects. Projects would be vetted by a group within city government and then finalists would be voted on by all of us in a TBD process. Versions of this “participatory budgeting” are in use in cities across the country. Come out to our September 9th meeting to learn about how this proposal would work in Portland. What are the benefits? What are the costs? Get your questions answered!
That’s it for now. We’ll see you at the next meeting, at the Belmont Street Fair, and maybe browsing for new-to-you treasures at the Sunnyside Yard Sale!