01 27 2016

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Volume 13: Issue 6 January 27 - February 9, 2016

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Youth town hall

Washingtonians “Reclaim MLK� Day pg 4

talks building community in the face of adversity

Legacy of go-go

shows need to fight poverty in order to end crime

New re levels ports show o high discri f hiring m peop ination fo le r as tra perceived nsgen der

pgs 6

-7

Street Sense is the street media center of our nation’s capital. We aim to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are facing homelessness in our community.

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The latest episode of our Sounds From the Street podcast speaks with chool counselor Christie Jones, who wrote the first children’s book about homeless schoolkids.

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COVER ART

Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club chapters gather at THEARC on MLK day for a community forum.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEVAR JONES

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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director.

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STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

3

NEWS IN BRIEF D.C. Attorney General Supports Supreme Court Immigration Review On Tuesday, January 19, District Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced his public support of the Supreme Court case United States v. Texas. The case will review President Obama’s recent executive action involving immigration reform.

Obama has been pushing the government to create an easier path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The Attorney General believes that Obama’s actions have been within his constitutional authority, and will ultimately benefit the United States. “There are strong legal arguments that support the Presidents’ solution to create a pathway to legal residency,” Racine said, “we are confident that the Court will overturn the decision by a divided three-judge panel that blocked these actions.”

Previously, the Office of the Attorney General and a coalition of states filed a brief arguing that a lower court was incorrect in assuming that the President’s actions would harm states. The brief posited that immigration reform would benefit the American economy by enabling immigrants to participate more in American society by earning fair wages and paying a fair share of taxes.

One organization that will be directly impacted by the review is DC Doors, a nonprofit that works with the local undocumented homeless population. Janethe Peña, the organization’s founder and executive director, hopes the review will push immigration reform in the right direction. “If they’re able to create any kind of pathway, even a tiered pathway,

YES!

that will help the community,” she said.

“The people we work with are still in the shadows. They’re unable to be a full part of the community because they don’t know what they can and can’t do, or what their punishments might be.” Peña hopes that the Attorney General’s review will be able to provide a clearer path through the documentation process, and give currently undocumented immigrants an opportunity to contribute to their families and the economy.

-Abby Hershberger

SBOE Approves State Diplomas At a January 20 public meeting, the Washington, D.C. State Board of Education (SBOE) voted to award State Diplomas to adult students. This decision permits the Office of State Superintendent of Education to award diplomas to those who passed the General Education Development (GED) exam or completed the National External Diploma Program (NEDP) since January 2014.

The SBOE’s expects this to improve the benefits of pursuing adult education in the city. Over sixty thousand D.C. residents lack a degree, which the SBOE believes can significantly hinder an individual’s access to educational and economic opportunities.

Before passing the vote, the Board of Education heard testimony from a range of adult education students and community members about the need to recognize adults who have made an effort to further their education and enter the job market.

More information about the D.C. SBOE can be found at their website, sboe. dc.gov.

-Abby Hershberger

New York Governor Struggles to Move People Indoors Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York State spent the early part of January making several promises to the homeless community, in light of the plummeting temperatures and skyrocketing housing prices.

On January 3, Cuomo issued an executive order that all people on the streets must be escorted indoors when the temperature dips below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. He requires that police forces collaborate with local social services to ensure that the maximum amount of people are being moved to sheltered facilities during freezing weather. The order was implemented on January 5.

Some New York State officials were publicly against the order due to the requirement that all people will be forced inside, even against their will. Local officials voiced concerns that homeless people would distrust service groups as a result of

being forced inside. However, Cuomo decreed that it is necessary to move people without consent, as the cold temperatures can pose a physical risk.

Furthermore, Cuomo allocated $20 billion to support the homeless when he gave his State of the State address on January 13. He plans on using $10 billion towards expanding homeless services, such as increasing the number of beds in shelters.

The other $10 billion will be used to create and preserve 100,000 affordable housing units over five years.

However, the plan was stifled by the expiration of the 421a tax break for housing developers. The tax break allowed affordable housing to be built for lower costs.

With the collapse of the break, Governor Cuomo anticipates minimal short term effects on his housing plan. He acknowledges that he will need to coordinate a system in the future if he would like affordable housing to be built continuously long term.

-Emily Kaye

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Activists Say Bowser’s Crime Bill Must “Go-Go”

By Reginald Black “The Street Reportin’ Artist” In advance of Martin Luther King Day, a crowd of Black Lives Matter activists protested Mayor Bowser’s “Safer, Stronger D.C.” crime agenda on Saturday, January 16. A “go-go civil disobedi-ence party” was staged right in front of the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U Street NW. The cold band of advocates believe the mayor does not have concern for people of African de-scent in the nation’s capital, and that increased police power is not the answer to the District’s spike in crime.

“We have a Mayor who started a Robbery Task Force when robberies were on the decline. What we actually want is for her administration to proactively investigate and fine businesses that are committing wage theft,” said Aaron Goggans of Black Lives Matter DMV. In addition to attention to wage theft, the coalition called for more investment and guarantee of affordable housing. Black Youth Project 100, Black Movement Law Project, Stop Police Terror Project DC and ONE D.C. also collaborated on this event and others throughout the week. Four four days later the same advocates disrupted the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting to bring these requests to cities nationwide.

The June 16 “Muriel’s Gotta Go-go” event was envisioned as a call to Bowser’s fifth generation Washingtonian roots. Several eras of the District’s homegrown music genre, go-go, blared late into the night.

The Frank D. Reeves Center was a significant location because it used to house the popular go-go venue Club U. The club oper-

ated as a cafeteria for District government employees during the day and as a nightclub Thursday and Saturday nights, according to a 2005 Washington Post report. It was closed that year after a particularly violent night.

Go-go was created when musicians like the late great Chuck Brown combined gospel and jazz to create a totally unique, fun and energized sound. Other local bands such as Junkyard Band and Backyard Band expanded on the genre even further. Gogo has always been a part of D.C. culture since the late 70s.

Many bands would play near-daily on the local club circuit until authorities shut down most go-go clubs by seizing their liquor licenses. Violence was frequently associated with go-go by city offi-cials, to the point that a “go-go report” was circulated by the Metropolitan Police Department to list which bands were playing where on which nights, reported the Washington City Paper in 2010. The musicians and venues were required to hire police units for security. But many wel-comed it in the interest of safety for fans. Now most go-go bands have to seek out venues out-side of the city to continue playing regularly. Backyard Band frontman “Big G,” who went from playing 6 days a week to doing maintenance for the federal government, told Washington City Paper that go-go became a scapegoat for the city’s broader problems.

The go-go scene is not gone, but it has been marginalized it its own birth place.

Backyard Band’s cover of Adele’s “Hello” has recently put go-go back at the forefront. Fans hope that Adele will be willing to perform her song with Backyard Band at

an upcoming concert. D.C.-based rap artist Wale sampled Backyard Band, Mambo Sauce and other go-go bands in one of his 2008 re-leases.

For the gathered protesters, go-go was symbolic of their city and their culture.

“The same anti-blackness underscores it all. The MPD’s efforts to push go-go music out of D.C. is symbolic of the way D.C. city policies are pushing black students out of school, longtime resi-dents out of their homes, homeless residents into accommodations that deny dignity, young black people into prison, and big developers into lucrative deals at the expense of people,” said Dominique Hazzard, a BYP100 organizer.

The protesters changed a few classic call and response queues in the recorded music to chants like “Martin Luther King was a soldier … and he taught me how to fight!”

This action was particularly special because during the songs, various neighborhoods that are undergoing a wave of gentrification were called out by the respective bands. At go-go events, members of these groups usually initiate crowd response by identify with a street or as some people would call them, “crews.” These individuals live all over the District and most of the crew names either correspond with a main street, the name of a housing development, or a name a group of friends created for themselves. It’s a form of local identity that doesn’t have to connote a gang, but rather a group of people that live or associate in the same area.

Go-go over the years has been scrutinized for violence, but this event shows that go-go is only about communities coming together to have a good time and fellowship with each other.

Turner. Turner’s multime-dia company, Disciples Thru Media, produces his music and sponsors a contemporary church called Revolution DC, for which he is lead pastor.

Turner spoke in a respectful and accessible way. The teens, in turn, were receptive and honest when having difficult and meaningful discussion about their communities. The conversation continued into the bleachers as a microphone was passed around. Turner asked each participant on the panel to de-scribe one problem in her or his community.

“I face a lot of misjudgment for the way I look, but I am a peaceful person,” said Giovanni, 15.

Along with misjudgment of race, sexual orientation, and social class, the other problems discussed in-cluded drug abuse, peer pressure and stereotyping.

“Seek first to understand and then to be understood,” Turner reminded the teens.

The town hall pro-vided a safe space to analyze the obstacles within their com-

munities and develop strategies to tackle these difficulties head on.

After the first panel presented problems from each chapter’s community, a second set of club repre-sentatives sat down to discuss solutions. They reached the overall conclusion that improving commu-nication solves many of the problems that they face in each community.

The teens recognized that educating themselves, thinking before they speak and not judging people based on their appearance are all necessary tools to build these lines of communication.

“This event is opening people’s eyes,” said Ayanna Holmes, 17 and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington’s 2015 Youth of the Year. “Southeast Washington D.C. is not all about the gang violence and people getting robbed, there are actually positive things going on in this community, and we would just love for people to know to become part of it.”

District Youth Say #OurLivesMatter!

By Leah Dibianco, Volunteer

When Michael Brown was shot in 2014, Ferguson, Missouri and communities across the United States searched for answers to complex and divisive tensions.

On January 18, the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) turned to local youth for these answers by hosting the #OurLivesMatter Youth Town Hall on Martin Luther King Day 2016.

“I can’t let problems stop me from being a solution!” chanted over one hundred young adults from six Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. The bleachers of THEARC’s gym were filled.

The goal of the #OurLivesMatter campaign is to “educate our young people but also empower them to bring about change in their own community,” said Campaign Director LeVar Jones of the FBR (Fried-man, Billings, Ramsey) Boys and Girls Club branch.

“We didn't want [youth] to feel helpless,” Jones explained. “We wanted them

to feel empowered to bring about change.

The biggest thing is that young people are now talking about social issues, not only talking about it, but they are educating themselves about those issues, researching those issues, find-ing out the historical implications of those issues.”

Jones stressed the importance of letting youth drive the ideas and focus of the event.

“The clubs are a place [where] we learn to be responsible adults, they are self-esteem boosters, we get together and show the world who we are,” said Oprah, 14.

The event was an outlet for teens to come together and create, and take initiative to change their community.

Upon arrival, the attendees mingled through games, dancing and basketball.

Soon after lunch and so-cializing they were guided into the gym for a community forum. A youth representative from each club chapter sat on the panel, moderated by rising Christian hip-hop artist Devin

STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

5

NEWS

Local Needle Exchanges Save Lives

By Olivia Aldridge Editorial Intern Nestled between nondescript buildings on historic northeast H Street is the headquarters for HIPS, an organization frequented by sex workers, intravenous drug users and eager gender studies majors alike. Shortened from “Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive,” HIPS provides free safe sex materials to sex workers in the District. It is also one of three providing organizations of the D.C.’s Needle Exchange program (NEX), a program which allows intravenous drug users to trade their used needles for clean ones at roughly a one-to-one ratio. HIPS extends its NEX services to clients who are using hormone injection as a component of gender transition.

NEX falls in line with the philosophy of harm reduction, the belief that if individuals will inevitably use injection drugs, it is best if they do so as safely as possible. There are many opponents to syringe exchange and the philosophy of harm reduction, believing that they simply enable users to continue using. This sentiment is heightened because NEX is typically funded by tax dollars, in addition to private donations.

“People always try to present it as ‘well, just quit!’ But that’s definitely not how addiction works,” said Jess Sturges, formerly an intern and now a volunteer at HIPS. “When users know that they’re going to use, they want to learn to do it more safely.”

Evidence suggests that syringe exchange programs greatly reduce transmission of HIV among the communities they serve, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars as a byproduct. According to a study from The George Washington University, the rate of HIV transmission among District drug users has decreased by 70 percent since the program’s implementation in 2008. Because taxpayers will not have to support HIV treatment for these drug users, many of whose health plans are publically funded, taxpayers will save $44 million in lifetime costs for these clients.

“If it wasn’t for harm reduction programs, HIV would be rising sky high. People would be using each other’s needles, and they would be having more overdoses,” said Maurice “Mo” Abbey-Bey, Syringe Exchange Specialist at HIPS. As a former drug user himself, AbbeyBey is uniquely sensitive to the needs of the community HIPS serves.

“I come from the street, like anybody else,” he said.

Abbey-Bey spent time in prison earlier in life, where he began to mentor young

Jess Sturges, a former intern and current volunteer at HIPS, embraces Mo Abbey-Bey, a syringe exchange specialist with HIPS. PHOTO BY OLIVIA ALDRIDGE

men with similar backgrounds to his own.

After prison, he was drawn toward work in syringe exchange. Because his relationships with the community HIPS serves prevail, Abbey-Bey has sharp insight into the needs of NEX clients.

According to Abbey-Bey, the reputation of HIPS as a NEX provider put the organization in a unique position to prevent overdoses from fentanyl, a dangerous substance with which heroin is frequently cut.

“We might have been the only organization out there when fentanyl hit the street—finding out where it came from, where it originated from. Tracking the dealers on it. Sometimes we were there with flyers before the dealers even got there,” he said.

In addition to interning and volunteering with HIPS, Sturges utilizes its NEX program for hormone injection purposes.

Transgender individuals often face barriers to receiving the materials they need for healthy and safe hormone injection.

Sturges uses his own experience to demonstrate safe testosterone injection to HIPS volunteers, many of whom are college-aged millennials like himself.

“I think millennials in general are really feeling hopeless, and like they can’t see

their impact,” said Sturges. “Volunteer work is really important to this generation. There’s just so much powerlessness in sitting back and observing oppressive social structures. People like direct service because it helps them feel connected, and it’s a good way for them to push back against some of their privilege.”

Sturges and the HIPS staff are pleased with the organization’s NEX work, their inclusive client base and substantial grassroots volunteer support, yet they still wish HIPS could provide more services. Chief among them is the distribution of Naloxone. This medication reverses the effects of opiate overdose, most commonly from heroine, and sends the user into withdrawal. HIPS has long awaited a government-issued standing medication order for Naloxone that would enable the organization to freely distribute it to clients.

Two other organizations in the District, Family Medical & Counseling Services (FMCS) and Bread for the City, also provide NEX services in similar capacities to HIPS. HIPS and FMCS are similar in that they both primarily operate NEX with a mobile service. Bread for the City, however, operates NEX only on location and focuses more commonly on clients who

use NEX for intravenous drug use than hormone injection. Of the three organizations, only Bread for the City is currently able to distribute Narcan, a brand name of Naloxone, to its NEX clients.

One Bread for the City NEX client, who requested to remain anonymous, said that he accepts Naloxone when it is offered to him at Bread for the City. Although he does not expect to use it himself, he knows there is a chance he or a friend may need the medication should they use heroin that is cut with fentanyl by mistake.

“My issue is a chronic pain issue,” the client said of his reasons for continued heroin use. He said that after having surgery to ease his chronic pain, the aftercare he received was insufficient. Now he chooses to self-medicate rather than rely on professional medical care he doesn’t trust.

According to Sturges, many clients of needle exchange simply aren’t in a place where giving up their use of highly addictive drugs like heroin or methamphetamine is possible.

“Frequently, people are just not in situations to quit,” he said. “They’re going to be around their friends and family who are going to use, and that will make it hard to stay dedicated to quitting. Addiction is real and scary.”

Sturges also addressed the role withdrawal plays in quitting. “If you don’t have a place where you can detox in peace, that’s going to make it really challenging. Withdrawal in general makes it challenging, because even if you do want to quit mentally, withdrawal affects your entire body.”

According to Sturges, the process of withdrawal can be particularly challenging for clients that are experiencing homelessness, commonly due to a lack of stable housing and a supportive network of friends and family. This makes NEX particularly important to these clients, who are less likely to have access to clean needles on their own.

While HIPS acknowledges the difficulty of quitting, its staff is also prepared to offer linkage to detox clinics and other medical care if the client expresses interest.

This is true of Family Medical & Counseling Services and Bread for the City as well.

“If you are experiencing homelessness or experiencing poverty, we know what’s going to work best. And if you’re looking for something that’s trans-inclusive, we know what’s going to work best,” Sturges said. “HIPS is about making people feel seen, and not seeing them through the lens of a stigma, not seeing them as just a trans woman, or just a drug user, or just a sex worker.”

Recent studies reveal that job-qualified transgender people are facing discriminiation within the applicant pool next to underqualified cisgender* candidates Consuella Lopez, business owner and hairstylist, loves her work. She loves the freedom to be herself, unapologetically.

“If you don’t like it, fine. I’m tired of putting on a front, I’m tired of trying to make someone like me because I’m transgender,” said Lopez, a resident of Friendship Heights.

She remembers a time where it was a stretch to find change to ride the metro.

Now, she sets her own hours. As a selfdescribed celebrity hairstylist by day and transgender advocate by night, Lopez has taken many years to get where she is now.

discrimination in the workplace.

She didn’t have a career until she pursued her true passion full-time: hair.

At age 42, Lopez now runs her own salon, Transformations, in downtown Bethesda. There, she works with a long list of loyal clients. Her styling has even earned her celebrity clientele, including Vogue Editor Anna Wintour and actress Patricia Arquette.

She is also a member of the boards of several transgender advocacy organizations and has been on the advisory committee for the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs for both the Vincent Gray and Muriel Bowser administrations.

This story of overcoming obstacles to become a business owner who is stable in herself and her career is one the transgender community in D.C. looks to for inspiration-- a community that is still struggling to find stable, well-paying employment.

“Tired of Putting on a Front”

Consuella Lopez.

“I go to certain areas and I get treated like a statistic, but where I work and where I am, I don’t,” she said.

Lopez immigrated to the District from Nicaragua when she was just 5 years old. Years later, she met one of her first transgender friends in a salon where she was offered her first job shampooing hair on weekends.

After earning U.S. citizenship and transitioning at age 18, she “felt lucky to even have the opportunity” to work hourly jobs and other administrative positions where she, at times, encountered transphobic

It has been illegal for employers in the District of Columbia to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and expression since 2006, yet 48 percent of employers in the city were found to have offered interviews to less-qualified applicants who were perceived as cisgender (not transgender) over more qualified candidates who were perceived as transgender.

The “Qualified and Transgender” report was conducted by using fake resumes to apply for real jobs. The District Office of Human Rights (OHR), which is responsible for enforcing the city’s nondiscrimination laws, administered the report.

Investigations were launched against five employers as a result of OHR’s testing. OHR is not allowed to identify businesses that have been investigated or

discuss the circumstances, but the businesses that received enforcement actions were identified as part of the restaurant, administrative and university sectors.

Since these tests were based on fake individuals, the investigations were initiated by OHR’s director, Mónica Palacio.

Enforcement actions resulting from the director’s inquiries are not mandatory.

“We found that the vast majority of employers end up implementing the changes, mostly because they don’t want a grievance from an actual complainant to come in and cost them a lot of money in the future,” said Elliot Imse, OHR’s director of policy and communications.

“Although they are advisory, they tend to make a real impact.”

OHR’s testing results, which were released in November, were reinforced by a survey of more than 500 participants in the transgender community living in the Greater Washington Area that was also published in November.

The “Access Denied: Washington DC Trans Needs Assessment Report” was published by the DC Trans Coalition (DCTC), an advocacy organization. The DCTC report found that 36 percent of respondents reported unemployment, compared to a 9 percent unemployment rate in the District. The report also found that 46 percent of respondents made below $10,000, compared to 11 percent of all residents.

Data Sheds Light on Deeper Discrimination “Our report and the report that was put out by the DC Trans Coalition really are tools for awakening people’s’ conscience … These are real numbers that people cannot just dismiss,” Imse said. “These are numbers that people are going to have

x

By Fallon Forbush Volunteer

to recognize and hopefully because of recognizing that, real change will happen.”

The 48 percent perceived rate of discrimination that OHR found in its tests was discovered using transgender résumés that listed recent college graduations, as well as Anglo-Saxon names that employers would perceive as white applicants.

This was done to isolate the reasoning for the discrimination so that if the résumés did not advance, it was likely because the person was transgender and not because of any other characteristic, like race or age, according to Imse.

The reality is that the discrimination rate found in OHR’s report is for people who are perceived as white, young, transgender and highly-educated.

“If we’re looking at someone who is a black, trans woman who is in her 40s or 50s and maybe did not receive that much education, it’s more than likely that the discrimination rate against that sort of profile would be much higher than the 48 percent,” Imse said.

Transgender individuals of color experience higher rates of unemployment, with 55 percent of black and 35 percent of Hispanic respondents reporting unemployment in the DCTC report. This is compared to a 15 percent rate of unemployment from white respondents.

Over 40 percent of respondents had been denied at least one job because of their gender identity and expression, with more transgender individuals of color (49 percent) reporting being denied a job than white transgender individuals (30 percent).

“Although things are clearly bad here in D.C., our fear is that across the nation it is potentially much worse, especially in jurisdictions that don’t have nondiscrimination policies based on gender identity or expression.”

STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

Cisgender* describes a person who is not transgender.

DATA COURTESY OF THE REPORTS “ACCESS DENIED: WASHINGTON” AND “QUALIFIED AND TRANSGENDER.” INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN BY ZACK CAPLETTE

OF

7

NEWS

EMPLOYERS

appeared to prefer at least ONE

less-qualified

applicant

as CISGENDER* over a more qualified perceived

TRANSGENDER applicant

Addressing The Discrimination OHR has been trying to raise awareness about transgender issues for the last three and a half years. In 2012, it became the first government agency in the nation to put out an awareness campaign that focused exclusively on transgender people.

“It was meant to humanize transgender issues for the general public and to help people understand that trans people are like all other people in D.C. and have lives, enjoy the city, go out for dinner and have community and family,” Imse said.

Going forward, OHR will conduct outreach to businesses so employers understand that discrimination against transgender and gender nonconforming people is illegal in the District.

“During the hiring process they need to make sure that people aren’t accidentally or purposefully discriminating against transgender applicants,” Imse said.

OHR is also focusing on outreach to encourage the transgender community to file complaints of discrimination so the agency can investigate and ensure justice is served when discrimination occurs.

Both the OHR report and the DCTC report acknowledged failure by the transgender community to report discrimination to OHR. During the agency’s last three fiscal years, 2013-2015, it only received 10 complaints of gender identity and expression discrimination in employment.

“Undoubtedly, we hear a very small fraction of discriminatory incidents that occur against the transgender community here in D.C.,” Imse said. “There’s no doubt about that.”

The DCTC report recommended greater clarification on what constitutes as discrimination in the workplace

or as a hostile work environment, such as the use of wrong pronouns and preferred names.

Removing Barriers to Employment The DCTC report cited homelessness and a lack of access to education as factors contributing to the community’s inability to secure employment that pays a living wage.

This year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser started Homeward DC, a five-year plan to end long-term homelessness in the city.

“If folks are looking for an LGBT or a trans-specific housing policy, it’s not going to be there,” said Terrance Laney, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs. “When we talk about homelessness, we have to think about homelessness as it impacts everyone. The plan to end homelessness is trans-inclusive.”

More than 51 percent of the District’s unemployed transgender community work at least one informal job that pays under the table, including over 35 percent of respondents who said they engaged in sex work, or the exchange of sexual acts for money, housing and/or drugs, according to DCTC’s report.

The DCTC report recommended legislation to prevent offenses related to sex work from being considered on employment applications, as well as establishing LGBT-specific GED testing completion programs, scholarships for transgender individuals and entry-level positions and trainings with employers.

In 2011, the District’s Department of Employment Services began Project Empowerment, a subsidized, trans-specific employment program. The program had 22 cohorts of up to 25 transgender resi-

dents who underwent three weeks of employment training, Laney said. After the training, participants were assigned a position for six months of job experience.

“That program did not produce the kind of success one would assume it would because of a lot of other risk factors that complicate trans folks in the employment process,” Laney said. “When you take someone out of sex work, how do you get them engaged in some mental health care as well as a job? We don’t have a lot of models to draw from, we don’t have a lot of research to pull from. It’s sort of a trial by fire on all of these issues.”

Lourdes Hunter is working to address all of these barriers.

Hunter has been engaged in advocacy on behalf of transgender and gender nonconforming people for more than 20 years. First in her hometown of Detroit and then in New York City before moving to the District in the summer of 2014.

Hunter is now chief operation officer and interim executive director of Casa Ruby, one of the city’s largest organizations helping the transgender community.

Hunter described Casa Ruby’s mission as providing services to those disproportionately impacted by structural oppression.

The center provides access to housing, healthcare, mental health, meals, support groups and assistance for undocumented individuals who are seeking refugee status.

Casa Ruby’s housing service provides 36 beds in total, with 10 beds at its transitional housing location for people ages 18-24, an emergency house with 10 beds, as well as 16 beds at its new hypothermia shelter that just opened this month.

The hypothermia shelter is typically open from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. when temperatures reach below 32 degrees, but is planned to be open as often as possible

throughout the winter, according to Hunter.

“It is our point of entry for the homeless in Washington, D.C. These are people who are in the throes of complex issues,” Hunter said. “The core mission of Casa Ruby is about creating success stories with our young people. We’re trying to shift the narrative in our community.”

Casa Ruby’s hope is to help people become sustainable and independent, which has happened for many of their residents, some of which have become staff members, Hunter said.

‘For us, by us’ “This is the first job where I felt comfortable being myself, and have been allowed to be myself, said Mally Hatcher, who works as an administrator at Casa Ruby. Now 22 years old, she started transitioning when she was 20 years old.

“I was homeless, I had nowhere to go at the time and I engaged in sex work to keep myself in hotels,” Hatcher said. “I have slept on grates outside, I’ve slept in shelters where I was sexually assaulted before. Even in the streets, I was sexually assaulted.”

Establishing trust, which has been identified by both OHR and DCTC as a significant factor in helping the transgender community, is one of the reasons Casa Ruby is successful in its mission, Hunter said.

This trust is established because the organization is led by and for the community that it serves, Hunter said. Casa Ruby employs more than 90 percent of transgender or gender nonconforming people of color.

“They are existing in the same identities, they walk the same streets, they take the same subway that our clients and constituencies take, and they deal with the same discrimination and oppression,” Hunter said.

D.C. Mothers Join National Anti-Poverty Campaign

LEFT: “My son ran into some furniture at daycare and hit his head. I was notified that he was bleeding and that an ambulance was transporting him to the hospital ... I am “over income” for medical assistance for my son, but I struggle to pay for medications and co-payments. PHOTO BY KIM/WITNESS TO HUNGER ABOVE: “Everything I do is for me and you. I just have to keep on fighting, because it’s just me and her.” PHOTO BY RENEE/WITNESS TO HUNGER

By Emily Kaye Editorial Intern M any low-income parents across D.C. grapple with hardships ranging from hunger to gentrification to hospital bills. It is their reality, part of daily life. But a cadre of them have taken a stand by displaying personal photographs documenting these family struggles.

Kim Williams is one of those parents.

She is a “witness to hunger.”

The photography exhibit heralds D.C.’s new local chapter of Witness to Hunger, a national network of parents who have experienced poverty firsthand and are committed to advocating on behalf of their families.

With a gentle smile and a strong voice, Williams described in an interview how she survives on an income high enough to deny her welfare benefits, yet too low to cover her son’s hospital bills and medication. Her private insurance plan only covers 40 percent of these costs.

In order to exhibit how this affects her family, Williams photographed her son with a bandage around his head at the hospital. The photograph shows an adorable young boy with big eyes and an innocent face. But viewers were confronted with the fact that his mother is still struggling to pay the $400 hospital bill for that trip. This and other photos from D.C. lowincome mothers and fathers will remain on display at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus at 1901 Mississippi Avenue SE through January 31.

Mothers from Boston, Philadelphia, New Haven, and Camden joined Williams and other Washington parents at the January 14 event. Although there are five Witness to Hunger chapters nationally, campaign founder Mariana Chilton finds this new D.C. location crucial to the project.

“We also would like to have our exhibit

at the White House. We think the President needs to be paying attention at a very deep level to what the struggles are for families across the country,” said Chilton, who also directs the Center for HungerFree Communities at Drexel University in Philadelphia. According to her, there is a great potential for low-income families to help inform policymakers on Capitol Hill through hearings in front of the Senate and the House. In 2014, Chilton orchestrated a pop-up Witness to Hunger exhibit for Congress. Now the campaign has a chapter based in the nation’s capital to continue this work. Chilton says she will also continue to advocate for solutions to issues that are specific to the District, alongside the new members of the D.C. chapter.

Among the many problems that low-income parents face locally, housing was one of the largest and most pertinent to the families that shared their stories on January 14. Chilton pointed out that two of the photographs being displayed were from different witnesses who happened to be standing in the same long line waiting for affordable housing. They both felt compelled to show the public what these lines really look like after standing in the cold for hours. One of them claimed that other people in need would show up when the doors opened and cut in front of people who had been freezing for hours simply because they knew the employees at the desk.

Renee spoke through tears to the assembled crowd about her life as a homeless mother. A cosmetologist, Renee works for a multimillion dollar company for more than 40 hours per week. “D.C., how much longer do I have to struggle? How much longer is my income bracket not enough to afford affordable housing? Can I live in the 14th view? Can I live in any of these new developments in D.C.?”

She joined the rest of the mothers in

asking, not for a handout, but a step up.

Most people spoke about wanting to become independent from the system, but not having the opportunity to do so regardless of how hard they worked.

“We all just want to fit in,” Renee said.

Chilton hopes to push for higher wages in D.C. so that people do not have to rely on public assistance and do not have to choose between basic needs, such as Williams choosing to feed her family or pay the medical bills. Such financial compromises were universal among event participants. Most witnesses spoke of some medical ailment that they were struggling with, some even as a result of working hard all of their lives and the stress that is associated with it.

ABOVE: Two photos, by two photographers who did not know each other at the time, from the same line for affordable housing. PHOTO BY EMILY KAYE

One mother attributes her high blood pressure at age 38 to the prohibitive costs of healthy food and the stress of supporting her family as a single working mom. Another mother struggles with carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, and back pain. Another described the difficulty of finding a therapist for her children while on Medicaid.

A speaker at the January 14 event acknowledged that it can be difficult for elected officials to create successful programs when they may be a few levels removed, regardless of their intentions. Organizers of the District chapter of Witness to Hunger intend to be a crucial asset for reforming programs to solve these struggles. They have met with policymakers to explain how existing programs are or are not working for the people they are supposed to serve.

And some public officials will be visiting the event on private tours to see the photographs and read quotes from the witnesses.

The witnesses in D.C. would like to become a direct link for officials to speak with people whom their legislation and agencies are affecting. Williams believes that the high cost of living in D.C. needs to be considered more when government workers calculate what assistance is necessary for certain families. The witnesses would like to be at the decision-making table in order to direct the conversation away from programs that have been tried and to suggest solutions.

“I’m coming to all of y’all’s offices. And y’all gonna see my face and you’re going to see my sister’s face and you’re going to hear my voice and I’m going to shout it out loud until y’all hear me,” Renee said. “Please don’t go home tonight and let this go in one ear and out the other because I am going to still be fighting for what I want in D.C.” Last names of “witnesses” who spoke publicly not used to protect their identity.

STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

FEATURES

Anacostia is My Home

By Robert Warren Vendor/Artist

I

have called Anacostia my home for the last 43 years. I am so happy that the place I call home is getting some much-needed redevelopment.

Many people who live and work in Anacostia are fearful that the new development will lead to Anacostia becoming gentrified, like so many other great neighborhoods in our city. I share some of those fears. The house I live in is in need of some repairs, and my goal and hope is to be able to one day purchase this house from my mother and make those repairs.

Mother and I could make these repairs and become first-time homeowners. I am thankful that I have sisters and a brother who are supportive of me being able to keep this house in my family.

Many houses on my block have been remodeled and new people have moved in. Most are not African-American, and that's alright with me because I learned a long time ago, people are people and we all do what we do. But my hope is for those in my community who are on fixed incomes and in need of a place, that they can afford long term leases. I know that at first, politicians always try to reassure those of us in the community that we will not be priced out, but they seem to never keep their word. Therefore, the displacement continues.

The main reason why I am writing about this is that during the president's State of the Union address he never said anything about black Americans and how we may begin to lift ourselves out of homeless-

ness and poverty. I truly believe the one thing America owes the black community is access to sustainable housing. So, if in his last State of the Union address he truly wanted to begin to help those in the black community, he needed to promise to increase people's rights to affordable and sustainable housing. I believe the number one thing that keeps people down is the lack of sustainable housing.

We could talk about how black America is only 13 percent of the population, but comprises a disproportionate number of people in poverty. Or we could speak on

how so many families are just one paycheck away from homelessness. But the truth is no one really wants to talk about these facts or about solutions that will address them.

My hope is that before the president leaves office he will sit down with us in the homeless community and come up with some ways we can help those in need of a home.

Photo essay by Ken Martin.

9

OPINION

Homelessness is an Embarrassment to the Nation's Capital

By Michael Matthew

What About Homelessness, Mr. President?

Mr. President, In your final State of the Union address, you didn’t even use the words “homeless” or “homelessness.” You didn’t even insinuate how problematic this epidemic is.

That’s a very hard slap in the face for the outrageous number of homeless men, women and children in this nation. Don’t forget those who are elderly, mentally ill. Or our veterans. Or the dead, 53 of which were mourned here in our city, the nation’s capital.

How could this be! Our homeless are apparently invisible in the rhetoric of your speech, but hopefully not in your heart.

I voted for you and I know you are aware of this national epidemic, particularly in our nation’s capital. I noted your pride in increasing funds for the armed forces, as well as acknowledging the inequality of the distribution of wealth in our country. But where do we fit in? How embarrassing and ridiculous!!!

If you’ve ever been homeless, or in transition, then at least a natural empathy would seem appropriate through legislation to eradicate this disease. You’re not a lame duck president to me, and I hope you put some muscle power into ending homelessness.

You’ve done many wonderful things in your seven years. Sell that!!!

Respectfully, Michael Craig Michael Craig is a Street Sense vendor/artist.

May God and Jesus truly be with the hundreds of people sleeping on the street.

It's cold outside.

Homeless advocate Eric Sheptock says there are about 1,500 that sleep on the street in the whole entire city. Three to four hundred is the downtown cluster of people who sleep outside.

There are 8,000 homeless people, I have been told, in the entire city. I have been trying to keep up with these numbers for at least 12 years. It's hard to get the right numbers. Everybody is telling lies! Especially to the homeless people.

I was homeless 15 months the first time and six years, five months the second time, and I have learned through experience that the homeless people are the easiest people to take advantage of.

Now I am a veteran. Over 8,000 U.S. service members have lost their livese in Iraq and Afghanistan. Out of that 8,000, 6,00 were under 23 years of age, 51,000 have been wounded, more than 1,500 have lost hands, arms, feet, legs. I have been trying to find out how many have been blinded, paralyzed, severely burned or severely disabled. These are some very serious issues that the veterans must deal with.

In the same perspective, here in Washington, D.C., we are blowing our minds trying to figure out how to help 8,000 of the poorest, most vulnerable people in the city, for a little place, a place called

home! For me, this is outrageous. A majority of the 8,000 are African-Americans.

And their foreparts worked the fields of this country for free. In 1619, the first slave boat came into Jamestown, Virginia.

We have The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the InterAmerican Development Bank — three huge banks, and we can't figure out how to help 8,000 people find a place called home.

Thank God for Jesus, I am not homeless

of absentee fathers, babies born out of wedlock, as well as a culture that glorifies false idols such as players, hustlers and pimps. Liberal’s programs do not lift anyone out of poverty but infantalize people into believing everything should be owned and nothing should be earned.

The Democrats will lose badly to Trump because they have no fire or passion and don't stand for anything but materialism and consumerism. They believe the poor are poor because they don't own brand new iPads, have access to the Internet or have La-Z-Boy chairs in their apartments. Who pays for the destruction that liberals created? It’s the hardworking and self-disciplined.

Hillary Clinton represents all that's wrong with today's Democratic Party. Instead of focusing on kitchen table issues, she feels she needs to be pandering to every interest group, promising things that can't be delivered such as amnesty for illegal immigrants, equal pay for feminists as well as cradle-to-grave welfare for single moms and minorities. This has been the Democratic Party playbook for fifty years:

Promise a lot, deliver a little and hope their base doesn't riot before reelection.

The media continues the lie. All is wonderful while polls say people are angry.

Our nation doesn't like where this country's headed, and we are in rebellion mode.

Trump's message is not just resonating with the Republican fringe. Many Democrats such as myself will vote for him. Many Democrats are tired of hearing about social liberalism while many of us are starving and don't know where our next paychecks are coming from.

Like Ronald Reagan, Trump will shock the political establishment. Both parties think working class people are stupid and are trying to rig the election for either Clinton or Jeb Bush so they can continue their neocon, neoliberal agenda.

Thank you, Donald Trump, for waking me up. If it wasn't for you, I would be sitting home.

I have l earned t hrough experience that the homeless people are the easiest people to take advantage of. anymore. I have a home. I have a place to rest. I have hot water. I have electricity. I have heat and plenty of food. Maybe one day, every child on the earth will have easy access to water, food, home and healthcare! Home, sweet, sweet home.

It's cold outside.

Homelessness is an embarrassment to the nation’s capital. Peace be with the people who do not have a home. I am a used-to-be homeless veteran.

Michael Matthew is a Street Sense artist and vendor.

The Voice of an Angry Voter

By Jeffery McNeil

For too long, Washingtonians have been naive about the level of discontent in our country. Americans are tired of the political elites that assume the masses are unrefined dupes that need experts and consultants to tell us how we are feeling is irrational and stupid.

Before Donald Trump announced his candidacy, I planned on staying home this election. I participated and voted for Barack Obama, I feel like the Democrats played me for a chump.

Thank God for Trump – he’s a blessing from heaven. I no longer feel like a marginalized voice but an active participant.

When he first talked about illegal immigration, both parties tried to destroy him.

It's no secret our borders are broken, but American people can't discuss the impact that illegal immigration has in our communities without being called nativist or xenophobic. What steered me towards Trump was watching one of his rallies, where Jamiel Shaw Sr., an African-American father, spoke powerfully about his son who was killed by an illegal immigrant. It

moved me to tears. It sealed the deal for me when he begged Americans to support Trump, so we can save this country.

As an African-American, I have never voted Republican in my life but will gladly slam the lever for Trump. I was once a Democrat, but my conscious cannot align with a party that believes there is no biological difference between men and women, marijuana should be legal, abortion is alright and it’s OK to reward people based on grievances instead of hard work and personal responsibility. I feel Democrats have lost their moral compass. They have no courage or backbone. They believe letting people do whatever they want is good for society, no matter how destructive this is to people they claim to represent.

There’s this notion among wealthy liberals that you can't criticize the oppressed and hold them accountable for their attitudes and behavior. To do so will make you a bigot or racist. However, blaming everything on slavery, oppression and racism has not helped the downtrodden, but instead created a degenerate society

Jeffrey McNeil is a Street Sense artist and vendor.

Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? Street Sense maintains an open submission policy and prides itself as a newspaper that elevates community voices and fosters healthy debate. Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.

STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

1#1

OP-ED

Homeless People Have Been Through Enough Already

Look Sharp for Less

This is a letter to all government and private sector deranged whackos who intentionally harm homeless people.

A “predator,” according to MerriamWebster’s Dictionary, is “one that preys, destroys, or devours.” For the record, the word oppression is defined as “one who oppresses, esp. when in a position of public authority.”

In my own experience, public authorities here in the nation’s capital oppress impoverished people.We aren’t your slaves, neither have we ever given you authority to torment, dominate, abuse, assault or rape homeless individuals. Sociologically. Physically. Emotionally. Verbally. Or spiritually.

I was homeless for a year. And I’ve been housed for 18 months since then. But I was placed into a toxic housing environment, and have not been able to recover.

My air is polluted. Black soot is visible in the vents and on my furniture. It’s clinging to the walls – I can’t wash them fast enough. It’s in my lungs. It’s killing me.

My water is toxic. It corroded a filter, it’s eating up my sink. I called the police when I didn’t know what else to do. The officers that responded said they wouldn’t even shower in my water, much less drink it. The other said he had to leave my unit; he couldn’t breathe the air.

We are not slaves to any government agency or private sector organization.

The people that make these agencies run aren’t our taskmasters. Mistreatment of

As the New Year has started, you may be trying to start the year off by getting a job or moving into a new career. There are several things to do to help you improve your chances.

First, if you are living at a shelter or are homeless, try to find an inexpensive place to rent a mailbox (like a UPS store) so you have an address to use on your applications. Second, get a small, prepaid cellphone for receiving text, email and phone messages from employers. But the last bit of advice is what I want to focus on. If you do all the above and get an interview, you need to look good to get hired. Many organizations in the District help people who do not possess the funds to get business attire for interviews.

The first one is Strive D.C. They are located at 128 M Street NW, Suite 318.

You must be referred to them by a nonprofit organization. After that, you can make an appointment to go in and get clothing. Their donations are for males.

Women can get attire they need for interviews by visiting an organization called Dress for Success, which is located in the Terra Nova Building at 7826 Eastern Avenue NW. You can call them at 202-2694805 and make an appointment, which can be scheduled between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Women can also get clothing for job interviews at Suited for Change. They are located at 1010 Vermont Ave NW Suite 450, and you can call them at 202-293-0351.

Many of these organizations not only have clothing to help you dress up for the interview but some provide additional clothing to help you look professional when you start the position. It’s also important to know that many of these organizations have programs with counselors that will help you to find employment, which could be a huge source of help if you have barriers that have hurt your job search in the past (such as no high school or college, a criminal history, past drug or alcohol abuse problems). If you have had problems with these, and you are struggling to find employment, it would be very wise to take advantage of the opportunity for help in finding employers who will be willing to give you a chance to prove yourself.

It is a brutal job market out there, but you do not have to go through this battle alone. There are organizations out there that will help you. All you need is the desire to move forward and succeed (and a positive attitude will always help too). So get a great start to 2016, and get your career moving in the right direction by getting the help and the clothes you need to get a great new job.

Arthur Johnson is a volunteer writer for Street Sense.

By Cynthia Mewborn

homeless people has been going on for a long time. Our parents didn’t give life to us for you to turn their lives into a living hell. We weren’t born so that you can make a profit from us or abuse us.

My building manager refused to fix these issues. She said it would only be fixed if the federal government forced her to make the repairs. I was able to schedule an emergency inspection with the housing authority who were then told by the Department of Human Services that it was canceled because I already had an inspection last year. What else could I have done besides call the cops?

Whenever I make these complaints, I’m made to feel like I’m being ungrateful, or worse, spinning out of control: I should be grateful to have a roof over my head, DHS provides for me. I AM grateful, but a roof does little good when the rest of the environment is killing me. DHS merely uses taxpayer money to provide for me. I am grateful. I want to recover and go back to work. But I can’t. Not until I can use my water and get some rest.

Do you want to get angry? Then get angry with yourself. Stop victimizing homeless people.

The government and private sector is spinning out of control. You’ve got the problem, and everybody around you suffers because you can’t admit that you have a problem. That would require taking full responsibility for decades of homeless women and men suffering within

A Refreshing City Response to the Snow

By Angie Whitehurst

The Madam Mayor did an excellent job.

She was visibly present, responsible and followed the playbook: safety first.

It was refreshing to see emergency management, Department of Public Works, Health and Humans Services, the D.C. Office on Aging, police and fire personnel all ready and on the job. A city that works together stays together.

The efforts to assist the barely housed and exposed homeless on the street is duly noted and sincerely appreciated.

Hopefully housing deficiencies will be eradicated in the near future. But all in all, our city shines.

Angie Whitehurst is an artist and vendor for Street Sense.

RIGHT: Mayor Bowser tweeted “Don’t forget to check on your neighbors and lend a helping hand to seniors and those who have disabilities #DCDigOut” along with this photo on Sunday, January 24.

these programs as a result of irresponsible and prejudiced staff that go unsupervised.

The housing programs that exist now do work. And we should have more of them.

But what undermines them are the people that try to control them and dominate those that need them.

Whenever I make these complaints, I’m made to feel like I’m being ungrateful, or worse, spinning out of control.

The system isn’t broken; what’s broken are some individuals in it, who are unfortunately running these programs.

They have the power to create toxic circumstances, thus making the system seem broken. Really, it’s just a handful of administrators who have run these programs for decades without accountability.

Housing programs are and were designed to meet the needs of homeless individuals. But power plays and tampering derail all programs. I should not feel like my service provider is an abuser. Nor should I be an example of why a program doesn’t work. It’s not me, it’s you.

Cynthia Mewborn is vendor/artist with Street Sense.

By Arthur Johnson

The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.

Passing Peripherals (A Poem of the Season)

By Chris Shaw “The Cowboy Poet” What is it about the wind That allows the secrets in?

Shapes rush past: are they human?

Neighbors or merely phantom?

I lunge forward, moving away From the statue of a superlative steed, Need I feel fear, uncertainty In the darkish park/ Hardly! I am freshly stimulated; My cheer brushed By a barking fluffy pup.

(A leftward extension of an old Buick Park Avenue rear passenger Port, but – chort!”)

Why then does the brief infusion Of a bewildered / or enthused dog Arouse my imaginings of the Wonders of a life examined (and enjoyed); Far better than the peripheral, Blurred shades Of an anthropoidal, Pedestrian, Mob?

Snow, Snow, Snow

By Ronald Turner, Vendor/Artist

Snow makes me notice people.

Some of those people sleep under the K Street Bridge, Some in Rock Creek Park.

They were told that they could not continue to camp there, In the snow, because snow is wet and cold.

Remembering Bobby, Praise God!

By Marcus Green, Vendor/Artist

Praise God for the time with my lovely wife Roberta Bear. The season has come and gone and its message is a blessing. I’ve dedicated the rest of the year to Roberta and her cause which is helping the homeless and the mentally challenged. As the pain of grieving subsides and crying lessens, it’s like after the rains when the sun comes out and shines so brightly. Move forward and make every day count like it was your last. So as I cope with the hole in my heart, and being homeless again, I’m optimistic about what the future holds for me.

I have a lot to offer a company. My skills are in sales, customer service and fundraising. I’m really focused and prayerful, looking to consider internships and apprenticeships too. You can contact me through Street Sense. Thank you for making a difference in my life. God Bless, Marcus Green.

PERCEPTION OR REALITY:

The Great Race

By Robert Williams,Vendor/Artist First and foremost, I thank God for His grace and mercy in bringing me forth into a new year. Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to all, especially you, little big 4-year old Lila.

Sorry I missed you and others through the holidays.

As I continue my attempt to enlighten the public as to this homeless epidemic and ad-vocate for homeless veterans, I pray to be a positive and motivating force to help bring about real change. I can't do it alone. But together, I am hopeful and confident that all of us can make a difference.

We must rally together and lift our voices for what's right and humane. This is a racial thing, for it will affect the entire race. The human race. And we are in a race! A race to end this homeless epidemic.

How long will we sit idly by while politicians continue to give lip service ad promises? Each one promises to work to end homelessness, but we don't hold them accountable. Yet we complain privately and among ourselves. If you do or say nothing, you might as well be part of it. Perception or reality…

2016. Twenty sixteen.

Are you gonna be caught in-between.

Saying nothing yay or nay.

If you do, all you have can be swept away.

I Believe in Street Sense My Street Sense Story

By Damon Smith, Vendor/Artist

By Patty Smith, Vendor/Artist

Becoming a vendor for Street Sense has been an empowring experience. First, you definitely have to have an outgoing personality, as well as a good judgment of the mood of the people you serve. From what I’ve seen in my short time as a vendor, you have many different types of personalities you come in contact with. A common thing I’ve found is you must be able to accept rejection as well as praise with a smile.

A lot of Street Sense vendors get a sense of financial freedom they normally wouldn’t have. Being homeless means you sometimes have a sense of hopelessness; and this is a highly stressful feeling: of not knowing where your next dollar will come from. But being a vendor also gives you a sense of purpose I would not have normally had.

Also being a vendor is a way of networking. I’ve found you come in contact with a variety of people who may even help you, because they are concerned about you. They may be able to open lifedoors you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Becoming a vendor has brought a ray of sunshine to a dark existence. I love being a Street Sense vendor.

I was a little discouraged at first but a vendor invited me to come with him and meet some others. The vendor was Andre, and he got a lot of hellos and a lunch invitation from people who would not normally even acknowledge him. Seeing that made me a believer. Kind words, can sometimes go way fur-ther for me than a dollar.

One day I had got word that my mother would be losing her property in about 10 days. One thing led to another and I ended up sitting around the YWCA, with time on my hands.

One night I was waiting for one of my girlfriends who used to get off workaround midnight. I would make her some coffee.

One day she told me, in a nice way, “Patty you sit around too much. Just be-cause your mother lost her property is no reason for you to stop living.”

She said that she knew of a class that I could be taking over in Westmoreland.

I thought that it was a typing class, but it turned out to be an entrepreneurship class. I talked to the teacher about a business where I would sell coffee. The class ended about 12 weeks later, but before I left he gave me a com-puter. I had also received a coffee pot from the Thomas Coffee Shop.

My friends at the YWCA started teaching me how to use the computer. Down the street from me was the Brian McKenzie information shop. I went there and met some of their college students, who taught me how to go on the Internet and job search.

That was how I found out that Street Sense was looking for vendors, this was in 2005. I have been with them ever since.

STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

13

VENDOR WRITING AFTER KATRINA: A Ten-Year Roller Coaster, Part 13

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor/Artist

PREVIOUSLY: With me bein’ addicted, mostly I saw nothin’ but money and the material things. I didn’t pay attention to the consequences that could come with this. One day, the cop pull up on me and say, “I’m gonna do you a favor man. Leave those guys alone. They goin’ down. We gonna bust them and they never see the light of day again. I’ve got informers. I pay them real good.” I say, “I’m gonna see the light of day, ’cause I’m not doin’ nothing.’” He say, “All right man, I’ll see you later.” I was really messed up in my mind after that. I wanted to quit but my addiction was sayin’, Nah, if you quit, you ain’t gonna be able to get high like you do now. I was in a world of my own with everything I wanted. I thought I struck gold. I should have known this was the beginning of a road that was gonna come to a end...

A few weeks later I was so high. I was comin’ from the BP station where I got me a pack of Newport cigarettes. This unmarked gray Impala pulls up with a white boy and a black boy in it. They jump out. I know immediately they’re undercover police.

They tell me to come and put my hands on the car. Me being so high—I knew I had the cigarettes in my hand, but I forgot I also had ten bags of heroin in my hand, because someone had called to meet me for it.

So I put the cigarettes and bags on the hood of the car.

I told them, “Man, this car hot—I’m not keeping my hands on the damn hood.”

The black cop said, “Well put your hands on the side of it.”

That’s when he asked me my name and I told him my name.

Then the white cop told me, “Do me a favor take one hand slow off the car and put it behind your back.”

I asked him, “Man, what are you doin’?”

He said, “We don’t want no conflict with this. Sometimes people try to run.”

He put a cuff on both my hands. I said, “Man what are doin’?

Takin me to jail?”

He said, “Nah be patient, man. We just running your name in for a check.”

Next thing I heard, he getting on the radio, sayin’ he need transport and I say, “What’s goin’ on?”

He say, “You got the right to be silent.”

I say, “What??”

He say, “Before I search you, you got anything in your pocket that can stick us—needles, knife, anything like that?”

I say, “You already told me you gonna take me in, what’s really going on?”

He took my shoelaces, my belt, my money change, my money and put it in a plastic bag. It was around $400. He say, “Man where you work at? How you get all this money?”

I say, “Man why you gotta ask me all these questions?”

He say, “If you want to get your money back—from what we see you could be a dealer.”

That’s when I seen the white van comin’ around the corner.

“Before I search you, you got anything in your pocket that can stick us— needles, knife, anything like that?”

I say. “I know the law. Anything under ten bags, I’m a user; it’s just possession.”

He say, “If you got another bag on you, that could be distribution.”

The black cop say, “You a seller.”

I say, “I’m a user.”

He say, “Why you got all this money?” Then he say, “You may know New Orleans law but we got other law here.”

Right then they put me in the white van and say, “This officer here gonna take you to 5th district station. You go to court tomorrow—you may get out, you may not get out.” (to be continued)

The Me I’d Like to See

By Henrieese Roberts, Vendor/Artist

I am looking forward to a year of good health!

My eyes are improving and my ability to do more is wel-come! I will vigorously work every day to END AIDS. I hope to find new friends and spend fun time with my family. I would like to learn to write short sto-ries and be a loving person who is known to others.

If I were the me that I would like to be, I would be sure to walk at least 5,000 steps per day. I feel so much better when I do and I love seeing the village where I live.

I would live where my children and grandchildren live: the Atlanta, Georgia area.

If I were the me that I would like to be, my career would be a health education filmmaker. I would have learned lighting so I can take better natural photographs. This year I look forward to shooting photographs of New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore for my statistical data presentation in my health education programs. I plan to become active in finding a cure for Sickle Cell disease.

I would be much happier if I could be the me that I would like to be!

Most of all, I would have completed my business plan class at Operation Hope here in D.C. Then I could go into business as a health educator filmmaker and photographer.

Let us see me one day working with my grandkids on some of my film projects. My me is the new me I would like to see.

My book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.

Faith in 2016 Time for a Change

Look for the Blesser

My Resolution

By Charles Davis Vendor/Artist

By Evelyn Nnam Vendor/Artist

By Latishia Graham Vendor/Artist

When I wake up in the morning, I try my very best, even though I’m so tired, to pray. Despite the pain that my body goes through, I am going to stay strong with that beauti-ful faith.

This year 2016 is time for a change, and that change could be a plan that God has for me and his other loving children also.

I will be 53 years old in March. I will try and find my way to stay strong and healthy. My father gave me the wisdom to stay strong in faith, and my mother gave me strength to stay strong and keep this family together. This year is a time for a change, Amen.

A new year that means a new chapter of life and a blank page to fill. New memories will form and amazing stories will be remembered. The Lord has taken us this far. That means stepping into a higher dimensions, higher stages, higher levels of understanding more of who Jesus is and knowing that He has called us to do mighty wonderful works of Him. Getting to know God and seeking his face is what this year should be about.

When he is in control then the improvement is complete. We all have a lot of things to be thankful and appreciative for. We have favors that God has blessed us with and we know that more are coming our way this year. As someone has told me, reflecting back on John 6:26, "Do not seek the signs, seek the one who does the signs."

So I will close out saying yes, this year will be great, full of signs, wonders, blessings, miracles and fa-vors but that's not the reason why we serve God. We serve Him, to seek Him and learn His ways and do HIs ways.

See the blesser, and not the blessings. Thank you and God Bless.

My New Year’s resolution is to spend time with family and friends and no negativity. I’m expecting new things to happen.

My goal is to own my own bakery with cakes and cookies, pies and maybe ice cream.

What Street Sense means to me is meeting new people and helping the homeless and expecting new things to come for Street Sense.

COMICS & GAMES

My Inspiration

! t a h w e gets a n

By Lawrence Rogers Vendor/Artist I find these passages important because life revolves around decision making. The Holy Spirit has helped me find my way:

The Way Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” JOHN 14:6 If you are walking daily with the Lord, you will not have to find God’s will—you will already be in it. If you are walking with Him in obedience day by day, you will always be in the will of God. The Holy Spirit’s role is to guide you step by step to do God’s will. Walking closely with God each day guarantees that you will be exactly where He wants you to be. You would have to reject all of the Holy Spirit’s ac-tivity in your life in order to get out of the will of God. The disciples never had to ask Jesus where they should go next.

They simply looked to see where Jesus was going and stayed close to Him! Jesus was their “way”. They didn’t need a map as long as they had Jesus. Too often, we would prefer a road map of our future rather than a relationship with the Way. It often seems easier to follow a plan than to cultivate a relationship. We can become more con-cerned with our future than we are with walking intimately with God today.

Jesus will never give you a substitute for Himself. He is the only way to the Father. That’s why it is criti-cal that you clearly know when God is speaking to you (Isa. 30:21). If you are disoriented to how God speaks, you will not understand when He is giving you a new revelation about what He is doing. If you want to know God’s will, take time to cultivate your relationship with Jesus and learn to identify His voice. He is more than willing to show you the way.

15

STREET SENSE January 27 - February 9, 2016

COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Outreach

Medical/Healthcare

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org

Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org

John Young Center: 639-8569 119 D Street, NW

Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org

Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House: 328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd, NW christhouse.org

Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only)

Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW friendshipplace.org

Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc)

Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities ID (FRIDAY 9-12 ONLY)

Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Gospel Rescue Ministries: 842-1731 810 5th St, NW grm.org

CELEBRATING SUCCESS! Strictly Business

By Chon Gotti Vendor/Artist Now is the time for me to make changes in my life.

Changes that may affect some loved ones and a whole lot of negative people calling themselves friends of mine. I can’t associate with that kind of person or influence anymore. It’s not personal, just what I need to do to move forward. It was really nice knowing you and I will see you in the next life time.

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE

Open Door Shelter: 639-8093 425 2nd St, NW newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html

Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org

Street Sense Selfies

By Scott Lovell, Vendor/Artist

These are the most appreciated customers. These two are customers that got every issue in 2015. And get every issue since I met them in 2014.

These are my choice for customers of the year 2015.

They bring a smile to me almost every day and I give them a smile to take home.

They are a true blessing from God to me.

Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork: 675-9340 741 8th St, SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 797-8806 71 O St, NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org

The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St, NW | 745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave, SE | 797-3567 whitman-walker.org

P U D E K C O L , T LOCKED OU Join Street Sense for our next Forum & Networking event:

Did you know? ●

74 percent of those experiencing homelessness do not know of a OMELESSNESS H F O N O TI ZA LI A IN M safe and legal place to sleep.

RI C NCOVERING THE

Locked Out, Locked Up

U ●

18 percent of cities ban sleeping in public places throughout JOIN STREET SENSE FOR OUR NEXT FORUM & the In 43 percent, sleeping in a NETWORKING city.

EVENT! vehicle is illegal.

WHEN: Thursday, February 11th, 6:30pm-8:30pm ●

Those leaving prison are nearly

of the Epiphan @ Metro Center WHERE: Church 20 times more likely to become

Uncovering the Criminalization of Homelessness

70%

OF HOMELESS

When: Do Thursday, February 11th, 6:30pm-8:30pm not know of a safe and legal place to sleep.

Where: Church of the Epiphany @ Metro Center (1317 G St. NW 20005)

18%

1317 G Street.than NW 20005 homeless the general

RSVP: lockedupforum.eventbrite.com

population.

RSVP: lockedupforum.eventbrite.com

OFaCITIES Featuring panel including: Ban sleeping in public places ● ●

HEAR FROM OUR FORUM PANELISTS

● Source: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

2014. "No Safe Place: The Criminalization of Homelessness in USAnderson Cities."

Gerald Tyrone Rogers Jennie Simpson Ann Marie of Street Sense

of Behavioral Health System Baltimore

of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Staudenmaier of Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

throughout the city

Gerald Anderson of Street Sense Anne Marie Staudenmaier of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless Jennie Simpson of the Substance Abuse and OF CITIES Mental Health Services Administration Ban Did sleeping in vehicles you know?

43%

Moderated by Armando Trull of WAMU

●

20

MORE LIKELY

To become homeless leaving prison early than the general population

●

MODERATED BY: Armando Trull of WAMU

●

January 27 - February 9, 2016 • Volume 13 • Issue 6

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

74 percent of those experiencing homelessness do not know of a xsafe and legal place to sleep.

18 percent of cities ban sleeping in public places throughout the city. In 43 percent, sleeping in a vehicle is illegal.

Those leaving prison are nearly 20 times more likely to become homeless than the general population.

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RSV

Feat ● ●

Remember, buy only from badged vendors and do not give to those panhan-

●

dling with one paper.

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 15 for more information.

Join Net

Source: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

2014. "No Safe Place: The Criminalization of Homelessness in US Cities."

Mod