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'Laughing is the best medicine': Night of comedy invites housed, unhoused to share a common bond

Local nonprofit Cultivate Initiatives aims to break down barriers between neighbors and instill dignity in people who are struggling.

PORTLAND, Oregon — Community members gathered for a night of comedy in east Portland Friday night. The event was a fundraiser to support local nonprofit Cultivate Initiatives, a group that helps people who are homeless get back on their feet. 

It also united people who are both housed and unhoused to enjoy a night together as neighbors.

“Laughing is the best medicine; it brings people together,” said Sandra Fairbank, who spent ten years living on the street. She joined the Cultivate Initiatives team three years ago and now has a job and an apartment.

“To see somebody smile is worth a thousand words,” said Fairbank. “People die every day alone because people are afraid of homeless people, and it sucks and it hurts.”

Cultivate Initiatives is located on Southeast 145th and Stark Street. The nonprofit’s ongoing mission is to empower people who’ve been marginalized through workforce development, housing, sheltering and community health. They also aim to create community events that bring housed and unhoused people together.

“We’re always seeking to not have moments that are transactional, but rather transformational,” emphasized Matthew McCarl with Cultivate Initiatives.

He said their goal is to instill dignity in community members and to help everyone recognize the humanity in each other. From there, he believes the path to recover can begin.

“People have lives again,” said Fairbank. “It's amazing.”

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