Burnside Community Council records
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of the records of the Burnside Community Council, an aid and advocacy group in Portland, Oregon, for unhoused and low-income people. The bulk of these records consist of administrative records, including papers of staff members; records relating to events, fundraising efforts and grants; and records relating to properties that the council owned and/or operated, including the shelters Baloney Joe's and the West Women's Hotel and Emergency Shelter (later the West Women's and Children's Shelter) and the Eastside Community Clinic. Staff members represented in the collection include leading figure Michael Stoops, executive director Richard Meyer, Cindy Banzer, Michael Kaplan, Beverly "Ma" Curtis, Gene Ediger, Sue Elwood, and one-time Eastside Community Clinic director Neal Rendleman. The collection also includes serial publications that the council produced, including BCC Pipeline, Hobo News, and These Homeless Times; photographs; press releases; clippings; and public service announcements in audio and video form. The collection also includes a number of records of other organizations, including the United Way of Willamette Columbia, which the council was an agency of; and the Junior League of Portland, which undertook a grant project for the West Women's and Children's Shelter.
Dates
- Creation: 1969-1992
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1972-1990
Creator
- Burnside Community Council (Portland, Or.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials in Boxes 19 and 20 are restricted until 2040. All other materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative history
The Burnside Community Council was founded in 1972 in Portland, Oregon. The council acted as an agency serving people experiencing homelessness in Portland. It operated three shelters: Baloney Joe's; the West Women's Hotel and Emergency Shelter (later called the West Women's and Children's Shelter); and Ma's Community Inn. Baloney Joe's was established in 1978 by Michael Stoops (1950-2017), who had come to Portland in 1976 and became a leading member of the council's board. The council also ran a job placement program and a medical clinic. Starting in 1981, it ran the annual Hobo Parade (later renamed Parade for the Homeless) to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness in Portland.
In November 1987, the newspaper Willamette Week ran an article accusing Stoops of having had sex with teenage boys who were served by Baloney Joe's. Stoops denied any wrongdoing; three months later, he resigned from the council and left Portland. Facing financial difficulties, the council transferred management of its shelters to the Salvation Army in 1990 and subsequently dissolved.
Sources: Articles in the Oregonian: "Homeless Remain as BCC Sinks in Ocean of Troubles," July 1, 1990, page C8; "Sign Marks Changes at Burnside Shelter," December 14, 1990, page F1; obituary for Michael Stoops, May 2, 2017, page 3.
Extent
22.16 Cubic Feet (17 record cartons; 3 legal document cases; 1 slim legal document case; 2 letter document cases; 1 slim letter document case; 1 card file box (12x5x3))
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Records of the Burnside Community Council, which provided services to unhoused and low-income people in Portland, Oregon, including the operation of the Baloney Joe's shelter. These include administrative, fundraising, and property records. The collection also includes photographs related to the organization's services and activities; issues of publications including BCC Pipeline, Hobo News, and These Homeless Times; and records of other organizations including the Junior League of Portland and the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. The Burnside Community Council was founded in 1972, and dissolved in 1990.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Burnside Community Council, care of Chuck Currie, November 1990 (Lib. Acc. 20265); gifts of Chuck Currie, July 2009 and May 2018 (Lib. Acc. 26796; Lib. Acc. 29280).
Separated Materials
A commemorative brick and a racing baton were transferred to the Oregon Historical Society Museum Collections.
Materials from Lib. Acc. 26796 and Lib. Acc. 29280 that postdate the Burnside Community Council's dissolution or were wholly unrelated to the council were processed as the Chuck Currie papers, Coll 1090.
Processing Information
Collection was initially rehoused in archival folders before 2011, most likely in the early 1990s. Additions from Lib. Acc. 26796 were processed circa 2009. Entire collection, including additions donated in 2018, was processed and arranged by Jeffrey Hayes in 2025. Processing included rehousing papers into new folders. During processing, documents showing Social Security Numbers were either redacted or marked for restriction.
Subject
- Burnside Community Council (Portland, Or.) -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Burnside Community Council (Portland, Or.) -- Photographs (Organization)
- Banzer, Cindy, 1947- -- Correspondence (Person)
- Kaplan, Michael -- Correspondence (Person)
- Meyer, Richard -- Correspondence (Person)
- Stoops, Michael, 1950-2017 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Burnside Community Council records
- Status
- Under Review
- Author
- Revised by Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2012; revised 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org