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Early Childhood Literacy Bill Aims to put Books in Children’s Hands pg 5

State of Poverty Addresss Advocates say all government depends on the budget, is affected by homelessness pg 4

Metamorphosis:

Manna Inc transforms properties from foreclosure to affordable pg 7

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STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

3

NEWS IN BRIEF Annual Homeless Census Every year, teams of volunteers across the country conduct a “point-in-time” count of homeless persons in their communities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to conduct an annual count of people living in shelters or transitional housing, a so-called “sheltered count.”

Every other year, HUD also requires “unsheltered counts” of people living in a place unfit for human habitation — on the streets, under bridges, in parks, and so on. These counts are usually conducted on a single night in January. In The District, volunteers and activists on behalf of the homeless actually conduct the unsheltered count every year. Last year’s count showed a total of 7,748 homeless individuals in the city. This year’s number will be discovered on the night of January 28.

Volunteers are required to do more than simply count the number of people they come across. They are asked to obtain information about a range of characteristics such as age, race, gender, sexual orientation and whether the individual concerned has served in the military. Before the count, volunteers receive training in how to gain such information in a respectful and sensitive manner.

Although the information gathered from the count can never be perfect, it provides a useful measure of trends from year to year and constitutes the basis for HUD’s annual report on homelessness, presented to Congress each fall. The National Alliance to End Homelessness also uses the data to publish its own report, The State of Homelessness in America, which is published at the beginning of each year. Both reports provide a wealth of information that helps advocates fight for funding to support programs that serve the homeless.

—Jane Cave

HUD Awards Billions of Dollars for Homeless Services Grants totalling $1.8 billion were awarded to housing and homeless services programs around the nation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Monday, January 26.

Throughout the country, funds are distributed to Continuums of Care or networks of housing and homeless services providers.

Homeless services including prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing. The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, a local nonprofit, manages the funds for the District’s Continuum.

Washington received $21,213,687 of the HUD funds to support 68 programs across the city. The Community Partnership will distribute $173,581 to New Endeavors by Women, to manage a permanent supportive housing program formerly operated

by Rachael’s Women’s Center. Rachael’s closed its doors--along with the meals, showers, case management and other day services it provided--last September after 35 years of operation.Nationally, HUD funded 25 new projects to provide permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness. HUD defines a person as chronically homeless if she or he has a disabling condition, has been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

Permanent supportive housing provides a stable residence along with services such as physical and mental health care and treatment for addiction.

“It’s a national shame that anyone would call the streets their home,” said HUD Secretary Julian Castro. “As a nation, we can and must end homelessness.”

2015 marks HUD’s 50th anniversary. The department estimates that 578,424 people experienced homelessness on any given night in 2014, and continues to make progress towards the goals of Opening Doors, the comprehensive federal plan that was established in 2010 to end homelessness.

Opening Doors aims to end veterans homelessness by 2015, chronic homelessness by 2016 and homelessness among children, families and youth by 2020.In January of this year New Orleans declared an end to veteran homelessness.

“Communities across the country are driving progress by implementing the strategies that work to end homelessness--Housing First, permanent supportive housing, and rapid rehousing,” Matthew Doherty, Interim Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness said.

—Eric Falquero

Arlington Winter Emergency Shelter Extends Operations As construction nears completion, the $6.6 million Arlington Homeless Services Center is highly anticipated. Arlington county government closed on the seven story office building at 2020 14th Street North in 2012, and authorized construction in February of last year. The county will contract Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN) to operate the new facility. These operations will take up three stories of the building near Courthouse Metro station, with the remaining four eventually becoming offices for county government.

A small but vocal group of residents in the neighborhood opposed the shelter for security reasons; they were worried about the criminal backgrounds of shelter guests, though A-SPAN has operated Arlington’s Emergency Winter Shelter less than two blocks away for the past twenty years.

The winter shelter operates during hypothermia season, November 1 through the end of March, and stays open from

4pm to 9am. The emergency shelter is equipped with 56 beds; additional mats can be placed on the floor as needed.

On January 7 Arlington News Channel 8 reported the shelter was filled to capacity but that no one was being turned out into the cold. Staff told the reporter, “If they’re being turned away from here, best believe we’re sending them someplace else.” The shelter serves meals and provides check-ups on site. It also connects guests to other services such as housing assistance and mental health treatment.

The new Homeless Services Center will open its doors on May 18 to provide 24/7 year-round shelter: 50 permanent beds, 25 additional beds during the hypothermia season, and five medical beds. The Emergency Winter Shelter will extend its services past March 31 until the opening.

“Due to the circumstances, we think keeping it open the extra time will help with the transition,” Kurt Larrick, Communications Manager for Arlington County Department of Human Services, said.

“We’re excited and looking forward to the Center opening. It will be a major step toward our goal of ending homelessness in our community.”

In 2014 the annual point in time count found 291 people to be literally homeless in Arlington County. That number is down 39 percent from 479 in 2013.

A-SPAN sees the new center as a model shelter. In the District, there is a right to shelter only during the hypothermia season.

Unless the city’s hypothermia alert is active, District shelters operate from 7pm - 7am.

The Fair Budget Coalition delivered its 2015 budget report to City Council on Monday, January 26.The report identified five goals with guidance for implementation in FY2016, to “serve those who are struggling and explore long-term solutions that address the root causes of problems.”

Year round shelter was included in the recommendation.

—Eric Falquero

Supreme Court Hears Housing Segregation Arguments On January 21, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving a dispute between the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and an Affordable Housing Developer, the Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. (TICPI). At the center of the case is the issue of what criteria should be used to define whether state housing agencies have engaged in de facto discrimination in providing lowincome and minority households with access to housing. How the Court decides the case will have far-reaching implications for affordable housing advocates across the country.

Despite the progress made in reducing overt racial housing segregation since the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) in 1968, segregated residential patterns re-

main entrenched in the urban landscape, according to Al Jazeera America. Under the Act, state and county agencies that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must undertake active steps to undo the legacy of racial segregation in housing. A major tool in the effort to provide affordable housing is the low-income-housing tax credit.

Introduced in 1968, the credit provides a tax break to developers willing to build units with reduced rents. In principle, the credit could help finance new apartments in wealthy neighborhoods that poorer families can afford, giving them access to higher quality schools and a safer environment. In practice, the credits are allocated by states, and fair-housing advocates argue that states tend to favor developments in high-poverty, racially homogeneous areas rather than use the credits to create integrated neighborhoods. In the case before the Supreme Court, TCIPI claimed that the Texas housing agency had violated the FHA by disproportionately rejecting applications for tax credits to build low-income housing in “predominantly Caucasian neighborhoods.”

To support its charge, the group relied on the legal theory of “disparate impact,” which HUD has long used to determine violations of the FHA, even in the absence of discriminatory intent. If a plaintiff can show that discrimination was the actual result of a given practice, the defendant must show that the practice was necessary to achieve a “legitimate” and nondiscriminatory goal.

For its part, the Texas housing authority argued that legal liability should depend not on results but on proof of intent to discriminate, something that is extremely difficult to achieve in a court of law.

These issues are currently playing out close to Washington, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. In 2011, the county council seemed to signal support for affordable housing when it passed a law allowing special exemptions in the zoning process for low-income housing. Under that law, land originally zoned for low density development could be developed with a far larger number of units per acre if these were designated for low-income residents. In January of this year, however, the council passed a bill reversing this decision. This legislation acquired much of its impetus from local opposition to a proposed low-income development in the largely white, middle-class community of Severna Park, Maryland. An analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union, Maryland chapter, estimates the bill would reduce by 87 percent the county area available for dense low-income housing. Affordablehousing advocates are gearing up to appeal to HUD. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Texas, they will have one less weapon in their fight.

—Jane Cave

Monica Kamen hands a copy of Fair Budget Coalitions FY2016 Budget Report to Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh.

The Fair Budget Coalition budget report panel members (left to right): Nassim Moshiree and Carol, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless; Maria S. Gomez, Mary’s Center; Aaron Goggans, Employment Justice Center; Tamaso Johnson, DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Lecester Johnson, Academy of Hope; Ed Lazere, DC Fiscal Policy Institute. PHOTOS BY ERIC FALQUERO

Coaliltion Calls for a More “Human” Budget

By Eric Falquero Editor-in-Chief

without cutting human services and other crucial programs.

Fair Budget Coalition is a group of more than 80 dues-paying organizations and As the City Council convened an imdozens of individuals, founded in 1994. promptu meeting on Monday, January 26 The Coalition’s mission is to advocate for to discuss a projected budget shortfall, a District budget and policies that address advocates with the Fair Budget Coalition human needs for all residents. This year (FBC) did their best to make sure each Taylor asked those in attendance to brand council member received a copy of the social media discussions of the budget priorganization’s recommendations for Fiscal orities with the hashtag #weareALLdc, inYear 2016. jecting an extra emphasis of inclusion on A panel of contributing experts to the Bowser’s own branding “We Are DC.” report drew 40-50 people into a Wilson The FY2016 report was restricted to five Building room to discuss some of the reaissues FBC feels are critical, with multiple soning behind each request. investment guidelines for each: Housing “I wish the councilmembers could be and Homelessness; Good Jobs, Workforce here for the full discussion,” opened ExDevelopment and Income Supports; Public ecutive Director Erika Taylor. “But we very Safety; Food, Health, and Nutrition; Tax much appreciate what they are doing and and Revenue. The full report is available prefer they be upstairs right now.” on www.FairBudget.org.

Taylor implied the council was look“The budget is a statement of our priing for solutions to weather the shortfall orities,” At-Large Councilmember Upcoming Bowser Administration Elissa Silverman acknowledged.

Budget Engagement Forums “Thank you for being here today, next time bring [even] more people!”

Each panelist explained how successfully ending poverty in their respective fields depended ultimately on the city budget.

Maria Gomez—President, CEO and founder of Mary’s Center, with an extensive background in health care—argued for yearround shelter. She said people left out on the street cannot heal or recuperate.

“We spend millions on emergency health care for someone in no position to improve,” Gomez said.

Lecester Johnson—CEO of Academy of Hope, with considerable experience in adult education and

workforce development—argued for literacy and career pathways.

“19 percent of adults in the District are reading below basic level,” Johnson said.

“These are people that have trouble reading a bus schedule.”

Tomaso Johnson—Policy Attorney at DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence—argued for increased baseline funding for the Office of Victim Services.

“Domestic violence happens disproportionately more in low-income areas,” Johnson said. “Poverty limits [a victim’s] options on what to do about it.”

In addition to compiling an annual recommendation for the next budget season, FBC organizes community participation in public meetings, comment periods and demonstrations to influence legislation and spending.

Monday morning was not the first time council members had seen Fair Budget Coalition’s ideas. The group began working on their report in October 2014 soon after Fiscal Year 2015 went into effect. They have been reaching out to council members in recent months, according to Monica Kamen, FBC’s Advocacy Coordinator.

“Ideally all of our recommendations will make it into the mayor’s budget proposal and be adopted in the Council’s final 2016 budget,” Kamen said.

As of FBC’s report release, the coalition had not yet reached out to the Bowser administration. Coincidentally, the following day—Tuesday January 27—Bowser announced a series of forums to request community input on the budget. The three forums will all be held at area high schools in late February. Information and registration is available at www.MayorBowserBudgetForums.eventbrite.com.

Councilmember At-Large David Grosso commended Fair Budget Coalition for their forward thinking.

“I appreciate how you’ve put this together,” Grosso said. “You’re getting ahead of the Mayor’s budget.”

Panelist after panelist presented staggering data and evidence-based conclusions from their fields. However it only took one person experiencing these situations to impact the whole room.

Carol, having joined the panel with Nassim Moshiree of The Washington Clinic for the Homeless, began to tear up halfway through sharing her story.

“In the past I sat on panels as an educated expert, now I’m on the other end of the spectrum,” Carol lamented.

Carol has worked in education for many years: a principal, special education instructor, and school administrator. That day she aimed to teach about the realities of living on the street.

“We’re leaving many to sleep in laundromats...excuse me...underpasses and on heating grates; to experience discrimination; and to acquire or exacerbate chronic health conditions,” Carol said. “Long term homelessness puts a programmatic strain on all aspects of any government.”

Albert Townsend, also formerly homeless, addressed the three council members in attendance about his success as a community advocate with the People for Fairness Coalition and recent receipt of a new advocacy fellowship from Miriam’s Kitchen. Townsend implored the council to incorporate homeless or formerly homeless consultants on their staff to better inform day-to-day policy decisions.

New Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen thanked the Coalition for empowering he and his colleagues to be better internal advocates for the priorities presented.

“I know I can count on you guys to be in our face when we need you to be,” Allen said.

STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

5

COVER STORY

Ward 6 Councilmember Proposes Bill to Bring District Children “Books from Birth”

By Jacquie Lee Editorial Intern On January 20, 2015, Charles Allen, Ward 6 Member of the D.C. Council, introduced a new bill, “Books from Birth,” which would provide children a new storybook once a month in an effort to raise early childhood literacy rates across the city.

Books from Birth proposes that children enrolled in the program would receive books through the mail. This poses a problem for children experiencing homelessness because they have no mailing address and no means to receive those books. “[Homeless children are] a community that needs this program more than anyone else,” said Laura Marks, Allen’s chief of staff. “We are absolutely going to be talking to advocates in the community and DC [service] agencies.”

The bill was inspired by a similar, statewide program in Tennessee, the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation. The foundation partners with singer and actress Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to make books available to every child in the state.

Councilman Allen was visiting relatives in Tennessee when he saw how his niece reacted when she received a book through the program. That experience inspired Allen to bring the program to Washington.

“The idea of bringing books directly into children’s hands is really powerful,” Marks said. “It is an evidence-based way of increasing early literacy.”

Allen’s measure does not contain an income threshold for eligibility. The bill will include children from a wide variety of backgrounds, including those experiencing homelessness. Marks told Street Sense that Books from Birth will pair with DC shelters and service providers to make sure donated books get to children in the District who are using homeless services.

Advocates for Books from Birth will also work with the DC chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which will help “advise on ways pediatricians can be involved with enrolling or updating addresses during child wellness visits,” Marks said.

The program in Tennessee has a similar partnership with the Tennessee chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. DC AAP is not yet certain which methods it will use to ensure homeless children don’t get lost in the system.

“They’re the most vulnerable” Dr. Lanre Falusi, President of the DC AAP chapter, said. “I think we’re still in the discussion phase about how to make that

happen. But we’re in close communicaLeague of Washington to read to them sign their children up for “Books from tions with [Councilman Allen’s office] and once a week to help bridge the ‘word gap’ Birth,” by filling out an extra form after we’ll see how things roll out.” among D.C’s homeless children. their baby is born, Marks said.

Falusi also sees potential in Reach Out One-on-one attention is crucial for But books alone will not be enough to and Read, a national non-profit that prochildren’s early learning, which is difcombat The District’s literacy problem, vides books to pediatricians’ offices. ficult for children to get if their home according to Terry Algire, executive diIf the bill passes, Allen’s office also insituation is unstable. rector for the Washington Literary Center. tends to partner with Unity Healthcare, “Parents in transition housing are really “Anything that puts books in the home which provides free clinics for the homestressed, so there is not a lot of time to is phenomenal,” Algire said. “But we also less or families in transitional housing. devote to early learning,” Johnson said. need to make sure there is a mother, faMarks noted that donating to service proHomeless children are also less likely to ther, aunt, uncle, someone there who can viders such as Unity is a way to get books be enrolled in early childhood education. read that book to the child.” to homeless children.

Difficulties with transportation make enRoughly 36 percent of the local popuDC Public Library has also been inrollment and attendance difficult to manlation is considered “minimally literate” volved in the preliminary discussion. Its age, according to Johnson. and 90,000 adults in the District read Sing, Talk, Read program reaches out to So far, Councilman Allen’s office has heard below a fifth grade level, according to a communities with literacy problems, and nothing but support for Books from Birth. The report by the Washington Literacy Center. could get them enrolled in the Books from bill was co-introduced unanimously by the By the age of 3, children from low-inBirth program. other twelve councilmembers. come households have heard, on average, “If the bill passes, the library would de“We assume [Grosso] will set a hear30 million fewer words than their wealthitermine what resources would be needed ing date soon, but it takes a few days for er classmates, a phenomenon educational to acquire and distribute books as part of a newly introduced bill to move through researchers, Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley our budget planning process” said George the Council’s internal processes before it call the ‘word gap.’

Williams, Media Relations Manager for the officially reaches its assigned committee,“ Ready to Read, a program run by DC’s D.C Public Library.

Marks said.

Literacy Lab, works to “tackle the chalParticipants in the Books from Birth There will be at least two weeks’ notice lenge of [homeless children’s] low exprogram would not be required to sign up before the hearing, to assure stakeholders posure to written and spoken word, and for a library card. However, Marks expects and advocates that they will have time to the lack of books and texts in the home,” that it will encourage families to do so. sign up to testify at the event.

Ashley Johnson, Co-executive director of “We don’t expect these books will re“People often say that ‘this program Literacy Lab said. place the experience of going to the liserves the underserved’” Carl said of TenAt their two sites, DC General family brary. We do expect these books will grow nessee’s program. “But it’s for any child. shelter and New Beginnings youth developthe demand for children spending more There is a social integration factor around ment center, Ready to Read pairs individual time at the library” Marks said. the commonality of the same book.” children with volunteers from the Junior In Tennessee, t h e “ We l c o m e 2014 Percent of Washington, DC Children Proficient in Reading (By Student Sub-Group) B a b y Pr o j e c t , ” provides the main way for parents to sign their children up for Governor’s Books from Birth.

“Every family gets a letter from the Governor and the First Lady welcoming [their] child and providing information on healthcare; it is at that time that the family will get the packet to sign up for the program,” Theresa Carl, president of Governor’s Books from Birth, said.

DC residents should expect this District Public School (DCPS) and Public Charter School (PCS) results. to be one way to CHART COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION

Maryland Gallery Proudly Displays Elderly and Homeless Artists

By Jennifer Okosun Street Sense Staff

Mozel Bright wanted to show how vibrant her Takoma park community is. A framed print by the elderly photographer now hangs in the Himmelfarb Gallery in Laurel, Maryland as testament to the beauty she observed.

“I was attracted to take photos of the garden in my community because it is where we get food to eat,” Bright said. “I wanted to capture fruits that other residents, including myself, plant and grow.

Where we are is a very beautiful area.”

On January 22, 2015, the “Unseen Beauty” Photo Project held its first artist reception at Himmelfarb. The photographs on display were taken by homeless individuals and under-resourced seniors in Takoma Park, who were given disposable cameras by Community Vision, a nonprofit outreach program in Silver Spring, Md. Participants were asked to capture the beauty in their world.

“As you take a look around at many photos the gallery exhibits, you will see a lot of them are of nature, and that’s because we believe nature is our teacher,” said John Wilson, the Himmelfarb Gallery coordinator and creative director at the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH).

MUIH is a healing arts institution that includes acupuncture, nutrition, herbal medicine, yoga therapy, and health and wellness coaching. MUIH also offers health services for Maryland’s homeless residents and low-income individuals. The Himmelfarb Gallery, located at MUIH, keeps with the university’s mission by featuring artwork that focuses on aspects of healing, wellness, or nature. The gallery has held four exhibitions thus far.

Another senior artist showcased in the Unseen Beauty exhibit is the Reverend Gbessi Kemah, assistant pastor of United Baptist Church in Silver Spring.

“I like it. I used to take photos years ago,” Kemah said.

The homeless participants featured in the photo project were not able to

make it to the event due to transportation difficulties.

“We would have loved to attend the reception, and we would have loved to get the homeless artists out there. But logistically, there was no way for us to get there,” said Sandra Miller from Community Vision.

The reception was well attended by community members, as well as family and friends of Unseen Beauty Curator Sue Bracey. Bracey, a retired federal employee, wrapped up the first camera collection in early 2014 and displayed the photos in Washington Adventist Hospital. She was moved by the response from the photographers and believes strongly in the exhibit’s ability to change the community’s perception of homeless people.

Takoma Park City Councilmember Terry Seamens and his wife Joyce were among the attendees.

“When I first heard about what Sue wanted to do I thought it was a crazy idea. But after seeing some of the artwork, I was amazed.”

“When I first heard about what Sue wanted to do I thought it was a crazy idea. But after seeing some of the artwork, I was amazed.” the council member said. “It has been great to see the seniors in the Takoma Park community go out and capture the beauty in their world.”

The Unseen Beauty exhibit will continue at the Himmelfarb Gallery until March 15, 2015. At this time, donations are being accepted for the next project, which will provide more homeless participants the chance to take part.

Artwork and more information is available online: www.unseenbeauty.org.

NEWS In the Name of Sleepovers: Local Provider Bucks Trends in Affordable Housing and Foreclosures STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

By Emma Holland Editorial Intern Akua Danqua’s daughters are bursting with excitement to move into the home Manna, Inc., is preparing to sell her. Every day 4-year-old Dionna and 5-year-old Chanyelle ask, “So are we moving to the new house yet?”

The girls love to help their mother pick out a color for the new door and decide what kind of shutters Manna will add to their prospective home. Danqua says they are already asking to host sleepovers and are planning to paint the walls of their room.

Manna is an affordable housing provider that has been operating in the District for over 30 years.

After managing a transitional housing program for needy families, Manna’s founder, Akua Danqua Rev. Jim DickCOURTESY OF AKUA DANQUA erson, began to believe that most people could base their economic stability on owning a home. “[Our homes] become a way of ending generational poverty,” Bill Winston, Manna’s chief performance officer, said. “Once a family owns a home, they can use it to pay for retirement or a college education.”

Manna is unique. It buys houses and condominiums to renovate and sell as affordable housing. They’ve done this with more than 1,000 homes to date.

On Jan. 19, 2015, Manna hosted two property cleanup efforts for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. One of the sites was the house Danqua and her daughters hope to make their own.

University of the District of Columbia students Tamra McCoy and Brianna Brown, along with eight other volunteers, used their day off from school to clean windows, pick up garbage and sweep.

“This is our day on, not our day off,” McCoy said.

Garbage cleanup is a necessary part of renovation, Winston said. Like many foreclosed houses, the house had been vacant for several years, he explained.

The second cleanup centered on a group of 24 two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominiums in another neighborhood.

Manna buys and sells more condominiums than houses because that allows the organization to put more people in homes for less money, according to Winston.

Danqua first attempted to buy a condo from Manna 2 years ago, but decided to wait in order to work on her credit score and save more money. Now, Danqua counts herself lucky to be purchasing a house.

Manna’s website encourages professionals selling to “low to moderate income”

buyers to help them find loan programs that have very low or no credit score requirements. But poor credit can still block people from buying a home.

Cisco Hutson says that he was not qualified to buy a residence from Manna because his credit score was too low. Hutson works at a grocery store and rents an apartment now, after leaving a job that provided housing. He says that he’s looking to buy a house, not a condominium, because he grew up in houses.

“I want a backyard or a porch. At a house you can make improvements,” Hutson said.

Hutson feels that cities like Washington are focused only on money and numbers, not on community.

“They’ve taken a lot of neighborhoods away,” Hutson said. “With a house you see the people next to you, you have the chance to be a neighbor.”

The number of affordable rental and homeownership options in D.C. has been decreasing since 2000, according to the DC [institute’s website shows DC, not D.C.] Fiscal Policy Institute’s “Nowhere to Go” report, published in 2010. “The number of DC homes valued at $250,000 or less fell from 58,000 to 15,000 between 2000 and 2007,” the report stated.

Manna boasts a much lower foreclosure rate than average in the District, according to Winston. He attributes much of their success to programs they run such as homebuyer education, one-on-one credit counseling and mortgage counseling.

“I will never own this apartment,” Danqua—a single mother who works as a remittance analyst and is student at Trinity Washington University—reflected about her current rental unit.

Danqua realized that by going through Manna, she could actually afford to buy.

The DC Fiscal Policy Institute’s report found rents have outpaced the incomes of most DC [Don’t have SS style guide; I think AP style uses D.C.] households. Danqua wanted to invest in a home rather than continue to pay increasing rent for a place she would never own.

“It’s for my family, to make sure that they have a stable place to go,” Danqua said. “If I pay the mortgage off, they’ll always have a place to live without having to pay mortgage or rent if they decided to continue to live here.”

To qualify for assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a home buyer must have an annual income that is between 50 percent and 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The AMI that HUD uses for D.C. residents is based on incomes across the greater Washington metropolitan area, which includes some of the wealthiest suburbs in the country. In contrast, the D.C. State Median Income is based on incomes only within the District. The me-

dian income in the District is 23 percent lower than the AMI. The basis on which median income is calculated affects who qualifies for affordable housing, explains Elizabeth Falcon, campaign organizer for the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development. For example, in 2013, the AMI for a family of four was $107,301, but the D.C. State Median Income for a family of four was $82,400. If the D.C. number were used, a family of four would need an income of just $41,200 to qualify for assistance from HUD (see table) .

Two years ago, D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie proposed the Truth in Affordability Act of 2013 to deal with the difference between D.C. State Median Income and the AMI. The bill was enacted on Dec. 8, 2014; however, it requires only that the D.C. State Median Income be published annually by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Affordable housing providers, like Manna, are not required to recalculate their income brackets using D.C. State Median Income.

Marcus A. Williams, director of communications and community outreach for the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), told Street Sense that Mayor Muriel Bowser voted in favor of the the Truth in Affordability Act of 2013 and that the department will comply with

7

the median income tracking requirement.

Williams wrote that “the Department is actively working to guarantee housing opportunities are in place for all who wish to call the nation’s capital their home” but did not describe any current or proposed measures to reach that goal.

The inside of Danqua’s future home is completely bare right now. A lot of work is still planned. The kitchen, for instance, is being moved from the left side to the right so that it is not separate from the living room.

This will take some time, but Danqua is fine with that. She’s not ready to move quite yet. Manna gave the family a timeline, and Danqua thinks the home will be ready to move into by late March or early April.

“Everything in this house is still all over the place, and financially I want to continue to save money,” Danqua said.

Though low-income areas in the city are lumped with more affluent areas such as Fairfax or Arlington counties to determine affordable housing accessibility, families like the Danquas are qualifying for affordable housing and benefitting from programs like Manna, Inc. And it seems like theirs will be a success story. Akua Danqua has made a down payment on the home so her two daughters can continue to plan sleepovers in “the new house.”

Tamra McCoy and Brianna Brown, representing their sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, cleanup a Manna Inc property, for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.

PHOTO BY EMMA HOLLAND

MLK Parade Highlights National Tensions and Local Housing Photo Essay By Matailong Du Volunteer

The City

By Henrieese Roberts, Vendor While walking, looking back at the bus stop, there appeared a person.

“Gosh, someone is waiting for the bus,” I said to myself.

I gathered my groceries and walked to the bus stop. Upon entering, I saw a policewoman dressed in blue talking to a stooped person who was sitting with blankets covering her.

After a nod and greetings by both, the female first-responder told the person, “The Light House called and said it is too cold to be out tonight.”

Phone conversations were overheard as calls were made to find a bed in an emergency shelter for the homeless. Luck struck! A bed in Baltimore City! Informing the lady she could now be taken to Baltimore City for shelter, the cop was met with, “No, I prefer to stay here!”

“Where do you live?” the policewoman asked.

“Florida. Take me home.” Joking ensued as a male cop strode up the hill, slipping a little on the newly-fallen snow.

The two first-responders accepted the homeless woman’s rejection of the bed in Baltimore City. The lady cop said, “You are usually this way!”

There have been many incidents when first responders were directly ordered to remove people from bus stops, stores, doors entrances, stairs, parks, and sidewalks because those people were violating specific laws. When the first responders engage in the removal of squatters from said locations, there have been residual injuries to the parties involved. The questions raised are: “What are the rules of engagement for police for use while removing citizens or persons from squatting areas?” “What do citizens owe to the first responders as they perform their jobs?”We have had conflicts in America that inflicted much loss, pain, and sorrow to all or some of us during these moments of engagement when first responders perform their job responsibilities. Please take a look at these images of some of those historical moments.

Hundreds of people gathered together in Southeast Washington on January 19 to participate in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and peace walk held by Empower DC, a nonprofit focused on community organizing. Participants marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue carrying banners and distributing fliers to gain support for our the organization’s campaign to prevent the demolition of Barry Farm--a neighborhood targeted for redevelopment and located near the parade route. The advocates called for job opportunities in DC and nationwide.

STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

FEATURE

SPOTLIGHT ANNAPOLIS

By Henrieese Roberts, Vendor

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COMICS & GAMES

: o Wiser! y e o l G & r, but n Olde

Rosie & Lady

STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

OPINION

Bowser Talks the Talk

Diversity Gone Amok

By Reggie Black, Vendor, “Da Street Reportin’ Artist” Muriel Bowser has been quick to make homelessness a part of her administration’s conversation. During the holidays leading up to her inauguration, Mayorelect Bowser visited Miriam’s Kitchen to make announcements of her cabinet that would take the helm in providing for the city’s poor.

“Many families face the reality of homelessness,” Bowser said. “I’ve set a goal of ending [it].”

Bowser fears we have retreated from a model that is proven to work: housing first. She aims to move back to it. Bowser announced Brenda Donald as the deputy mayor for Health and Human Services and Laura Zeilinger as the new director of Human Services, to aid in this effort.

Zeilinger, formerly of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, said that she was glad to see many familiar faces. Zeilinger believes we can and must do better to provide shelter when needed.

Bowser also appointed Rashad Young as city administrator, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt as Director of the Department of Health, and Clinton Lacey as Director of Youth Rehabilitation Services. When questioned by the press on the state of homelessness in The District, Bowser pointed out a need for services.

Louise Thundercloud, a homeless client of Miriam’s Kitchen, also highlighted the need for social services.

“You came and talked about crime, but where are the services? I mean, there is

By Jeffrey Mcneil, Vendor

nothing,” Thundercloud put the question to Bowser.

Zeilinger’s overall message was that by working together we can tackle the city’s challenges comprehensively.

“My focus is not on creating more shelter, but more housing,” bowser said. Brenda Donald added. “The Mayor-elect has given us a charge to develop and implement a plan toward closing DC General family shelter within a year.

She pointed out that the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has been working with the incoming administration to build out anticipated shelter needs for this year.

“We’re marching down the road to closing down the long-term family shelter and replacing it with the housing supports we need,” Donald said.

A week later, having assumed her duties as mayor, Bowser met with the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church to discuss jobs, housing, and homelessness.

“We are facing a crossroads that will shape the next generation,” Rev. Jeff Krehbiel said.

Krehbiel asked whether Washington will be only for the single and affluent, or whether it will be a city for all people.

“We notice the lines at our feeding programs for the homeless getting longer every year. This is where we take our stand,” said Krehbiel.

Dee Curly, an advocate for lesbian, gay,

bisexual, and transgender individuals who are homeless, shared her unique story.

“I was in and out of jail. I was the face of the chronic homeless. We must identify the needs of the homeless, and make a commitment to mental health services.

No one should have to live in the street and under bridges. It is a disgrace that the greatest nation in the world has allowed homelessness to become an epidemic. In a city where we can find money for streetcars and a soccer stadium, no one should be without a home. We need action, not rhetoric,” Curly said.

Bowser agreed that we’re at a crossroads of a growing city. She believes we are spending money on shelter that is not safe.

“It’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and go back to policies that work,” Bowser told the crowd.

She claims that the city is facing a $240 million deficit, and placed emphasis on preserving the affordable units we already have. According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, that number has fallen by half since the year 2000. Bowser announced plans to establish a strikeforce to deal with housing issues before low income tax credit laws expire in the next two years.

“Our priority is affordable housing, our priority is to transition people out of homelessness,” Bowser said.

The community seems to be waiting in anticipation of the administration’s next move.

Civil Rights movement. How dare anyone, especially any minority individual, not know this part of our heritage!

I was a little upset about this National Day of Service business too, created in 1994 to appease guilty consciences. Most organizations encourage Day of Service volunteers to continue throughout the year, but few do. Much like Thanksgiving and Christmas, this well-intentioned holiday has become a token chance for the otherwise self-absorbed to say, “I gave.”

King didn’t die so we could be community heroes three days a year! The idea was for all people to commit themselves to being active participants in the universal village (Earth) in which we live.

Charity begins within the home and is built through community. We need dignity for our neighborhoods. Respect and edification for every citizen can only be achieved through equality regardless of race, color or creed. King wanted an end to poverty for anyone and justice for everyone. On Facebook, a picture of him circulates asking “Is this what I died for?”

Never mind the disservice we commit

against ourselves - we are shortchanging our children. The ignorance I observed that Monday certainly did not see race, color or creed. College students ought to know better. American blacks ought to know better. Anyone armed and in uniform ought to know better. It’s a national day of remembrance for those who struggled and suffered so we could all live a better life.

My point is, we need to remember the man and “remember the dream.” We need to involve ourselves in strengthening our community, society, nation and world.

We need to reopen the lines of discussion across ALL barriers. There is no hope for community if there is no communication.

We need our churches and recreation centers to open daily, not just to facilitate services and special events. We need our police to be our allies, not enemies.

We need to yank the crooks out of public office and put people in apartments and houses, not parks and shelters. We need to engage our children in libraries and schools. This, all of this, will end the moral decay in our “civilization.”

That can’t be done with “a day of service.”

One Day?

By Ken Martin, Vendor I spent the greater part of January 19th wishing folks a “Happy Martin Luther King Day!” More of them than not ignored me or shot me an empty look saying, “I have no clue what you are talking about.”

One guy actually asked me, “What’s that?”

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted inclusion for all. I know he wanted an end to ignorance and self actualization for everyone! So on the day he was to be remembered (not his actual birthday, which is another story), it would be nice if all Americans, including those who want to become Americans, know who the blazes he was and why the devil they are out of school and off from work!

As a child I was at the March on Washington, I visited Resurrection City, and regretfully I was a brief participant in the 1968 riots. I also marched several times with Reverends Ralph Abernathy and Joe Lowery. I once sat at a table with Lowery and Reverends Jesse Jackson and Ben Chavis while they planned for the March. I was not a planner, just fortunate to be there as a Volunteer in Service to America - or VISTA. I lived the before and the after of the

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If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, his stance on non-violence would be tested by the modern day civil rights huckster.

Many African Americans are being driven out of their communities by gentrification; black unemployment is higher than it has ever been. While blacks constitute roughly 12 percent of the population, they make up 60 percent of the prison population.

While many African Americans are being harmed by globalization, what are modern civil rights leaders such as Al Sharpton concerned about? The lack of diversity at the Oscars.

While these hucksters honor Dr. King with their lips, they insult his legacy with their vanity. Since King left us, the civil rights movement has run amuck and the incessant whining about no blacks being nominated for Oscars has got to be a new low, even for Sharpton.

If African Americans can take great efforts celebrating black history, why can’t they have their own Oscars? Hollywood was created by whites. Why do blacks want to crash their party and demand someone give them an award whites did not create or produce for them?

Blacks once had Motown, which they eventually sold to whites. Now they complain they have no platform with which they can award themselves.

The double standard and hypocrisy of the diversity crowd irks me. How many whites get nominated for Soul Train and the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Awards?

If these civil rights leaders were so worried about the plight of the black masses, why are they so aggrieved that no African American was nominated for an Oscar?

Can an Oscar feed a poor black family?

Does it create jobs? Or does it elevate some self-indulgent, privileged blacks?

Whites worked hard, built, and produced jobs for their people. Isn’t it plausible that African Americans can do the same? Berry Gordy founded Motown using his capital and resources. And whites supported him.

Racism and discrimination is not harming African Americans; the desire for white outcomes is.

Black race leaders don’t need to be in Hollywood anymore than I need to be in Whitefish, Montana. They need to be in Oakland, Compton, Washington, D.C., or Chicago -- where their education, knowledge and know-how is needed. We have enough prima donnas and pretty boys in the black community. We need some black educators and engineers who can help uplift and build a generation that’s self-supporting and not dependent on the white man.

If blacks can make their own history, they can surely create their own Oscars.

Brown Boy

MY KATRINA: Part 26

By Robert Warren, Vendor

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor

As I think about these days of run and play, young Brown Boys brought up in poverty with grandmothers who always prayed, no fathers in the home to lead the way. Mothers left all alone to bring up young Brown Boys each and every kind of way. Her most used words, “Go outside and play,” with no toys or parks to fill our days. On train tracks and in creeks where frogs and tadpoles live is where we played, with the oldest among us leading the way. We ran from sunup to moon’s light, stargazers we became at night.

Did I say we had joners for comic relief at the end of the night? No ragging on mothers, or be ready to fight: the only thing we knew to be good in our life.

All forgotten at first sunlight; the hunt for nickels and dimes left no time to remember the fight last night.

The thought of sugar, something so sweet; real food is not what poor little Brown Boys would eat.

For nickels and dimes we would attempt any acrobatic feat, Little Brown Boys coming up addicted to sweets, girls and families.

But we grew apart and formed our crews of Brown Boys committing the crimes of their times with whole communities left behind.

For any one of us we would die, fatherless Brown Boys raised on lies. As I look around now, so many Brown Boys have died way before they had their time to shine.

I was raised a tough Brown Boy, for no tears will I cry.

My dream is to run and play with those Brown Boys in heaven on high.

But remember, give those Brown Boys no sugar, and we will tell you no lies.

PREVIOUSLY: Once we got to the Convention Center, you really see what people was goin’ through. People in neck brace, some lyin’ on the ground, some bleedin’, some moanin’, others screamin’ for help. Babies cryin’. Families huddled together. It looked like the world was comin’ to an end. It smell worse than the garbage plant. I spent that night in a tent with others we had helped survive. Like 20 of us sleeping in cot beds. It was sort of like bein’ in prison. Here you got babies cryin’ all through the night, people cryin’, people prayin’, people just wonderin’ where the other part of they family at. I close my eyes, thinking about all the suffering and wondering what would happen to me...

When the next day came we had boxes of Fruit Loops, Sugar Pops, and apple sauce to eat in the tent, along with granola bars, honeybuns, chips, cookies, and cupcakes.

And then a man announces that thirty minutes from now we be heading to the airport. He say the airport had another slot open. With me never bein’ in an airport I didn’t know what he mean.

We got back in the helicopters, and they flew us to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

They landed us down and we come up at like a side building where we entered the airport. It looked like a zoo. Literally.

To me it had more animals than people: iguana, big dogs, snakes, all kind of animals. Except giraffes and hippopotamuses, they didn’t have all that.

It was like people was comin’ to town for Big Fat Tuesday and that means: Mardi Gras.

I sat in the waiting area and the airport people come by and say “Go to the desk and they tell you where you goin’.”

They told us, “You going to Utah.” And we say, “Why we can’t go to Texas?”

You look up on the chart and they show us all the states is fill up—all the hotels and all. I say, “Who I know in Utah? My

My Newfound Friend

Beware of the Cold

By Carl Turner, Vendor

Five weeks ago, I went to church for the first time in a year. I really enjoyed the service.

Afterwards, my wife introduced me to the pastor and he invited me to come to the revival the following day. When I went, I was touched by the Holy Spirit the first time. I was so moved Idecided to join the church and be re-baptized. (I was first baptized when I was 12.) I also decided to join the men’s choir.

I believe I have been blessed, and I will

family in Texas.”

Then the lady say, “Oh, they have space to Washington, DC. If y’all willing to take that plane, we’ll take y’all there.” She say it’s Delta. I say, “Ma’am I never been on a Delta in my life.” My homeboy Chester—he know “Delta” mean it be a plane.

I say, “Where we gonna go in DC?” Chester say, “Ain’t nothing but a hip and a hop from Washington, DC to Maryland. Maybe we go there.”

The airport lady say they have snacks on the plane. Also she say they have waitress on the plane.

I say, “Nice-lookin’ waitress?” I just try to say something to make myself cheered up.

My homegirl Cheryl, she with me too.

A lot of us from my area where I come up are on my plane.

When I get on that plane and walk all the way to the back, I say, “Damn, when the end of this plane gonna come?”

My homegirl say, “Why you goin’ to the back?” The back more cooler than the front. The front you see everything.

I don’t want to see that. Helicopter more scary though; you got the doors open.

The waitress say my homegirl can’t sit on my lap. She say you gotta sit in your own seat with a seatbelt.

The plane took off and headed into the clouds; it was dark and reminded me of the storm all over again. And, boy. now it went back to my mind about that plane that crashed in the ‘80s.

But finally I was on my way, leaving my hometown for another state. I was thinking how it was goin’ to feel bein’ in another state where I don’t know anybody. But I’d be with a better roof over my head, not eatin’ cold sandwiches, having hot food, a better place with no more water in the streets, no more nightmares.

Well, that’s not exactly how it all turned out. (to be continued)

By Jackie Turner, Vendor keep going every Sunday to praise the Lord.

Jesus is good and is for real. I say “thank you” every day to Jesus for my health and my well-being.

I want everyone to know God is real. Although He might not come when you call Him, He is always on time.

Families that pray together stay together. God bless and enjoy a blessed year.

We a l l k n o w our normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees. We also know that too much above that number is not good and too much below that number is bad. So, when you see people lying outside in the wee hours of the morning or the night and it’s cold, pray the freezing temperature doesn’t kill them.

Remember, hundreds of Americans die each year from the cold. Last year 89 people in the District died homeless. So most of them were probably sleeping on the street. Why? Because there is not enough space in our shelters. So, pray for the homeless.

And don’t forget the forgotten.

STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

13

VENDOR WRITING

By Chris Shaw “Cowboy Poet” Episode 24

Let’s Kill Billy... Ya Think?

PREVIOUSLY: Early in the morning, on his way to sell newspapers, Jim Towson saw a homeless man for sleeping on the steps of a government building. A pair of policemen attacked the man...

Two police officers driving one cruiser at 5 a.m. pulled up to the front of a government business building, where both officers noticed a homeless man sleeping on the steps in front of this establishment.

The officers pull over fast: scrrrrr. BEEP BEEP BEEP, honking the horn of their police car, scaring the homeless man out of his sleep. This homeless man, who was very old, replied, “I am a human being, I am a man!”

“Let’s go! Let’s go now!” the policeman yelled out the driver’s side window.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

“Hurry up!” the officer shouted back.

The homeless man walked as fast as he could. (a beggar’s plea) “The wind ain’t blowin’ hard enough to remove the trash,” the officer in the driver’s seat said, “so let’s give Mother Nature a hand.” The two officers jumped out of their car and pulled out their riot batons.

They ran over to the homeless man and beat him mercilessly.

Jim is watching this as he tries to work to sell his papers of the unfortunate.

Sad to say to this isn’t anything new.

The officers radios for transport to a lock-up because the homeless man didn’t remove himself from the government building stairs quick again. Paper of the unfortunate is 2 pages for the homeless people and the city people who can’t get employment, nor any type of job. So an organization was put together by the

mayor of the city of hopefuls, Washington, D.C. Mayor Alson is the mayor of the city and not a good mayor at all, leaving unattended the issue of homelessness and violence on homeless people.

Jim knows this city is no good on the less fortunate as he calls all else on his government the first of the month to track pay-as-you-go phone to report what happened as he was walking to work.

Hanging up the phone after calling emergency response unit, he had to think happy thoughts for the type of people he has to deal with--they all give out some positive vibe. Just to draw his donation for his paper for homeless people. Barely making ends meet, Jim tries other means to make money, which is cutting grass and cleaning what else needs attention. When there is no one to call for the job, that’s when Jim’s little extra money comes into play.

Heading to his work site where he’s been working at for two years, but never making enough money to save and replace what he doesn’t catch from donations from a church organization, like food, clothes, etc. (a beggar’s plea) His money has to replace all those important things, but Jimmy feels grateful, very grateful while on his work site, because of the other street worker, homeless people and such, trying very, very hard to make ends meet. So Jim feels blessed that every night God protects him to see another day to struggle to better his life. Keeping locked in his mind negative thoughts, bad feelings, staying positive is an everyday mission for Jim in a struggling society, like hopeful D.C. (to be continued)

Al K. Hall stretched in a murky doorway of People’s Drugstore as the faint purple dawn bathed his broken smile. He jerked on a twine leash, hooked up to a dirty red bandana around the neck of Yaller, his worn-looking mongrel setter.

“Be still, now, dawg,” Al grunted. “We got some business comin’.”

Here was Billy Luck, proffering a purple pair of stretch socks. “Got a nice coat, Al? I need to slip into the Willard over there real quick.”

K. Hall jumped up like a sprightly old elf, and flipped Billy a light, wheat-colored, Italian-type sport coat he’d been using as a cushion. Luck sized the piece up.

Then, noting one frayed elbow to balance out the cool suede lapels, he slipped it over his slim back. “Thanks, Al K, I owe you one now--” “Yeah. And more than that!” at which Billy laughed.

Unmindful to these, Ferret chirped demonically into a booth payphone behind a bird-doo splattered holly by the Commerce Auditorium, at the opposite corner

by Pershing Square. “Uh-huh, Senator Marsh, first I’ll tail him, then I’ll NAIL the sucker!”

Deep in his paneled office, Marsh sat up, very rankled. “Now hold up, Apache, just what is your schematic on greasing, Luck?”

Ferret nearly dropped the receiver at his end in his manic excitement.

“Look, just cool y’ jets, I got some unexpected ASSIST on this--” Harris stepped forward, a matted bandage still outlining

the left side of his head.

“Jeez, Harris,” blabbered Ferret. “Yuh couldn’t have cropped up at a better moment!” Harris, looking a little spooky, nodded silently.

Billy crossed the plaza, smoothed his hair down with a little spit, and strode confidently through the gilt-and-marbled lobby of the Hotel Willard. Alice and Skipper, ensconced over morning cocktails in the Round Robin Bar, waved him in. Alice yielded the floor to her tall, buxom pal, who drew Billy dangerously close to her bustier of pink lace and ribbon.

“We’ve been waiting on you, Prodigal Boy!” Billy Luck nodded in embarassment to Alice Knowles, then leaned discreetly over to Skipper Marsh. “We have to save Reverend Rand posthaste!”

Skipper gave him her best wide-eyed response.

“Reverend is no fool, Billy. Maybe you’re heating up the grill a bit much.

How about a pink elephant, baby?”

Billy drew back, a sudden grim visage masking his ardor for the luscious Ms. Marsh. Billy stood, nearly clearing the entire tablecloth. “No thank you, Skipper, I’ve taken my last drink--EVER!” Ferret drew his jagged titanium blade beneath the filthy holly tree. “Whaddya think, Mister Harris? Shall we kill Billy Luck now or later on this evening?”

Harris shook his head. “Ferret, we needs to cogitate, boy. This job is bigger than the usual hit. I’m feelin’ a bit sick!” (to be continued)

Is It All About Me?

By Patty Smith, Vendor

Now the school bus. How cute. They were going to take us that night to the shelter. Well, I was sleepy and tired.

I had been doing my Street Sense all day. Next night my heart dropped: no school bus. I want to ride in the kids’

bus. It’s like giving you hot food one day and cold food the next. Call me a baby, but that made my day riding in the kiddie bus.

Metro

By Phillip Black, Vendor, “The Cat in the Hat” M y u s u a l 25-minute commute on Metro last week took one hour and 20 minutes. Someone had decided to single-track during the morning rush.

It was a cracked rail. A few days later, the doors wouldn’t open. It’s always something with Metro. New Metro cars were

supposed to be on the way. Now, more Metro riders are driving to and from work.

Most of the rails and Metro cars are more than 30 years old. And Metro fares are going up soon! Like me, so many people depend on Metro. I can walk downtown from my house in about an hour, but it’s too cold, so I would never do that now.

Metro needs to step up its game if it wants to keep riders happy.

I think I’m going to buy a bike.

ILLUSTRATION BY MARISA GROTTE

nued! i t n o c TOILET TALES

Don’t Break the Bank

By Jackie Turner Vendor

Local governments spent thousands of dollars to build a Metro parking lot in Silver Spring, which is poorly constructed and still incomplete. Then the D.C. government spends a large amount of money to congest the H Street, N.E., corridor with streetcars that are bound to create accidents. Now advocates are asking the District government to also pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for outside toilets, when anybody with a heart has always let me use a store or a restaurant bathroom.

So, think about it: Where is our money going? I don’t want to see the District government spending money just on toilets when instead it could build, for example, 10 apartments with bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms.

Outside bathrooms ARE a good idea.

Just don’t break the bank to go poop.

Policing the Toilet

Young, Desperate and Homeless

I was waiting to use the bathroom early one Sunday morning in a restaurant at Gallery Place when the police came in to chase people out of the toilet. Rather than be in the middle of it, I walked down the street. And I was robbed, right out in the open, for nothing but cookie crumbs and lint. How can the police protect me from that crime when they have to monitor the bathroom? You can’t do real police work watching a toilet. Additionally, it is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Officers take the job to protect and to serve--and they can get frustrated when the day-to-day is reduced to that of a bathroom monitor. The need for public toilets is real, if nothing else, to avoid a situation like my experience. But you can’t walk through the city without smelling urine or feces.

I’m not going to hold my breath. The government won’t give us a place to sit.

So, why would it give us a place to pee?

There is a growing misconception in this country that human trafficking is not a domestic issue and that it occurs in developing countries far away from the United States. However, domestic modern slavery is an unspoken and growing issue in this country. In truth, by some estimates, four in every five domestic sex trafficking victims are runaway children.

These are young people – girls and boys – whose journeys often began in homes where incest, molestation, abuse, and neglect were the norm, forcing them to become desperate and homeless. They may also be gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth who are rejected by families and put out of their homes just for being open about who they are. Also startling is the number of middle-class minors who become the targets of predators. Homeless minors are extremely vulnerable. Their journey into slavery begins with the promise of food and warmth, but it often finishes with deceptive, forced, and fraudulent situations where they are tortured, drugged, and indoctrinated into a life of commercial sexual exploitation. Once trafficked, these children face beatings, mutilations, brandings, rapes, and a host of other crimes no child should ever live through. Then they are sold into this violent industry at the highest price, with no regard to destroying their dignity and sense of self-worth. Ultimately this life – if you can call it a life – becomes their “new normal.”

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), human trafficking is right behind drug trafficking in becoming the secondfastest growing criminal industry in the country. DOJ estimates that nearly half of those trafficked are minors. In 2007, Justice’s Civil Rights Division created the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit (HTPU) within the Criminal Section in an attempt to consolidate the expertise of some of the nation's top human traffick-

By Ibn Hipps, Vendor

Dealing with February 4th

By Lester Benjamin, Vendor

I am Lester L. Benjamin, a Street Sense vendor who truly appreciates and gives thanks to God and my customers. Thank you!

I wrote an article once about my one and only son, Travis D. Johnson. He died on February 4, 2013, from an enlarged heart.

My own heart aches every day thinking about the loss of my only child. Fortunately, I’m doing much better. I have turned my life around. I thank God every day for leaving me one granddaughter.

She is my life and she means the world to me. She is only two years old.

I continue to pray hard to God to please help me stay clean and sober for the rest of my life. I feel really good about myself, and one thing I have learned is that alcohol and drugs will not settle your problems. I once did that, but when I woke up I had the same problems and felt even worse. God really has blessed me. I pray day and night, and prayer is the only thing saving my life. I sell Street Sense papers every day and there are some truly amazing people in this world. They are part of my blessing.

I thank you all for your support and wish you a belated (sorry about that) Happy New Year! Street Sense has really helped me a lot. I hope everyone who works for Street Sense will be blessed and have a wonderful day every day. Please pray for me next Wednesday, February 4. I need every prayer I can get. God bless each and every one of you.

My Struggles With Life

By Elizabeth Bryant, Vendor

I celebrate my birthday on Groundhog Day-February second.

I was lucky enough to be able to fix up my apartment a bit. I took a lesson from my AA program: you can make your place a hut or a castle. A “home” is not a home until you make it a home. I fixed it up to my liking, with a lot of reds (my favorite color.) I was able to find a new bed and couch, too.

God and the Holy Spirit are really working in my life.

My legs hurt, and this cold air doesn’t

help, but I’m going to let Him guide me in learning and having fun. I’m going back to school in June, after my hand heals from a recent operation. I’ve been doing well and really want to finish.

My daughter Bernice is still not speaking to me, but I pray and I know inside that I've reached out to her the best I can.

I no longer feel as guilty. I’m really getting my life on track. Only God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit can work it out--I just have to stop sticking my nose in it!

By Tasha Lee, Volunteer

ing prosecutors. However, no hard numbers accurately detail the scope of the problem, and most of the soft numbers are anecdotal. In fact, law enforcement doesn't actually track how sex workers are recruited into the field, and unless the victims are underage, prostitution is typically a low-priority “victimless” crime. The state child welfare systems often fail to properly identify and assist these trafficked and exploited children.

Moreover, the protections, services, and practices that have been established for the abused and neglected are infrequently provided to these trafficked minors.

Even more alarming, in many states, those who are trafficked are treated as criminals and shunted into the juvenile justice system rather than being categorized as victims, because trafficking is often mistaken for crimes like prostitution and those who are actually being trafficked often are the ones arrested, not the real perpetrators of this growing criminal enterprise.

This month is designated as Human Trafficking Awareness Month to raise awareness about the realities of modernday human slavery and to press the need to start important discussions about human trafficking. Though January is an awareness month, the injustices of human trafficking are a problem 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

For those who want to learn more about the issue, PBS recently began a series called “A Path Appears.” Airing January 26th through February 9th, the show will focus on the impacts of poverty and gender inequality, sex trafficking, violence, and child slavery in the U.S. This three-part series highlights inspiring activists and advocates who have established solutions to gender-based oppression, forging escape paths for these victims while transforming lives to create bright futures.

Street Sense Pride: Causes for Celebration

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Sybil Taylor’s father is doing a whole lot better... and he’s looking great. Through prayers and faith and hope and a lot of love from everyone who supports him and my family, we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts. He is getting his miracle healing from God and miracle prayer. God has touched him and his body. He is no longer on the pump machine. His doctor said he’s doing very well and doesn’t any longer need it for pain. He is taking pain pills instead, and his pain has eased. He’s not hurting as badly as in the beginning. He is happy. He is even picking up a little weight! He appointed me as his therapist to come each day and give him therapy and strength. I exercise his legs, arms, feet, joints, neck, and breathing in and out. He really enjoys it.

My mother and sister help him on the days I don’t work for him. My mother is doing a beautiful job taking good care of him. My mother and sister get him up around 7:00 a.m., clean him up, bathe him, shave him, clothe him, make his bed, and feed him breakfast, lunch and dinner. He is getting the best home care and the best love from all of us. He is strong and doing very good, smiling, thanking God. He can even lift his legs and arms by himself! He can raise his arms up high. He knows the Lord and the Lord’s powers of healing him from his cancer. He is strong and full of joy and power in his heart to be touched and healed.

Many people live with cancer. Some live for a long time. I think my father will be one of those. His doctors say he will live a very long time. He’s not going nowhere soon. He is very happy and at peace and spiritual about God’s blood and anointing power. He’s staying on top of everything. Thank you everybody who prayed for him and really supported us. God Bless.

Academy of Hope: 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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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)

Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW cchfp.org

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

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

Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

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

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

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

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

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

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org

15

STREET SENSE January 28 - February 10, 2015

Housing/Shelter

Clothing

Outreach

Transportation

Education

Legal Assistance

Food

Showers

Medical/Healthcare

Laundry

Employment Assistance DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS HOTLINE 1-888-7WE HELP (1-888-793-4357)

SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252 Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Samaritan Ministries: 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

Subscribe to Street Sense 1 Year: $40 2 Years: $80 3 Years: $120 I want half of my purchase to benefit a vendor directly Vendor Name Vendor Badge # Name

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

Address Phone

LAST WORD: CRIMINALIZING COMPASSION

VENDOR PROFILE: THE MORROW

By Michael Carome, Volunteer

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the United States faces a pervasive, nationwide problem of homelessness. In its 2014 report, The State of Homelessness in America, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that 610,000 people were homeless in 2013.[1] While this represents an improvement from the estimate of 763,000 homeless people in 2005, the number remains unacceptably high and likely underestimates the scope of the problem.

For the individuals and families trapped by homelessness, each day represents a seemingly endless, desperate struggle to meet their most basic human needs, such as adequate food, clothing, shelter and health care. Each of these is essential for the maintenance of good health and wellbeing, and, ultimately, survival.

Federal, state and local governments have consistently failed to fulfill their moral obligations to this highly vulnerable, economically disadvantaged population by not allocating sufficient resources to satisfy the daily basic needs of all homeless people and help them find affordable housing. As a result, homeless people across the country have come to routinely depend on the compassion of charitable organizations and individuals for food, clothing and shelter.

But now, in what can only be characterized as a shocking display of callousness for the less fortunate, cities across the country are making it illegal to help homeless people. Particularly troubling are the findings in the National Coalition for the Homeless’ (NCH) October report, Share No More: The Criminalization of Efforts to Feed People in Need.[2] The NCH previously has highlighted efforts by local jurisdictions to criminalize homelessness.

[3] The new report documents the efforts of 31 cities since January 2013 to pass legislation or implement other actions

By Eric Falquero, Editor-in-Chief

designed to restrict or ban individuals and organizations from sharing food with homeless people.

According to the NCH, in 2013-14, 12 cities passed laws requiring individuals or groups to obtain a permit to distribute food on public property, and four cities enacted legislation restricting food-sharing based on stringent food safety regulations. In addition, four cities orchestrated community pressure to force an end to, or a relocation of, a charitable food-sharing program. Other cities are pursuing similar efforts. For example, the city of Raleigh, N.C., implemented a law forbidding individuals and groups from serving or distributing food of any kind in any city park without a permit issued by the Parks, Recreation and Greenway director.

The necessary permit costs $800 per day.

Commenting on the law, Tamara Gregory, executive director of the Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen — a nonprofit group dedicated to feeding the needy in Raleigh[4] — said, “It’s very disheartening when people are being threatened with jail when they are trying to make the system better.”[5] The NCH report explains that among the motivations behind many of these laws is the myth that sharing food with homeless people enables them to remain homeless. But the true reasons people remain homeless are a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, mental and physical disabilities, and poor-paying jobs.[6] The shameful efforts by cities to stop or restrict compassionate people from feeding the needy will only imperil the physical and mental health of homeless individuals and will do nothing to solve the problem of homelessness. Such immoral laws are a national embarrassment and stain the American conscience. They must be rescinded or overturned. And the lawmakers who enact such legislation need to be run out of office.

January 28 - February 10• Volume 12 • Issue 6

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

Permit #568

Remember, buy only from badged vendors and do not give to those panhandling with one paper.

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

For Street Sense vendor L. Morrow-who requests you just call him “Slim”-Street Sense is another step in his quest to engage with the community at large.

Born and raised in the projects of Southwest Washington, DC, Morrow found himself working with community development organizations in Washington, Chicago and Boston over the years. He attended Jefferson High School and graduated from Bowie State University in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Morrow doesn’t have to convince me he worked for Peoples Involvement Corporation, ran a free lunch and afterschool program or served as an advocate for a low-income tenant association – the man builds community just sitting along a highly trafficked sidewalk. During the course of our interview he’s had a friendly exchange with fifty percent of the passersby – trading jokes with a courier and calling out to “Young Man,” “This Guy” and “Sister Love.”

“Keep up the kindness, the world needs more of it,” Slim tells another strangerturned-friend.

Morrow stayed active in the Southwest community until his grandma passed away.

Her death left him rudderless and he began to travel. Returning to the District in 2007, Morrow has been selling Street Sense ever since.

“I’ve had millions and I’ve been broke,” Morrow reminisced.

His return to Washington qualifies as one of the times Slim was broke, but he didn’t take long to figure things out. After seeing another Street Sense vendor selling the paper and doing pretty well for himself, Morrow decided to give it a read - and soon after, a sales pitch.

With his big personality, Morrow could easily command attention for a sales pitch, yet he claims to never ask for money.

Instead he aims for the role of advocate and guide, asking pedestrians not to forget the homeless. He can often be found citing statistics on the number of people who experience homelessness - more than 575,000 nationwide on any given night, according to last year’s Point-in-Time count.

“I just wake ‘em up,” Morrow said. “I keep a crowd.”

When Slim notices someone listening to him, he approaches to ask if they have ever read Street Sense. He asks for the persons time, not money.

“I show them my badge and where it says ‘vendor.’ Then I show them the list of the vendors in the front of the newspaper,” Morrow said. “You see that - all these people are homeless; but we’re self-supporting.”

John Engel was one such attentive member of the crowd last fall. He was visiting town for business over several days.

Morrow gave him a tour of the newspaper, telling Engel how it was all about poverty and partially written by people experiencing homelessness - and of course showing him the list of vendors. Engel in-

sisted on giving Morrow the $2 donation listed on Street Sense’s cover.

The next night Morrow was selling on the same corner and saw Engel in the crowd again. He asked if he had read the newspaper. Engle reported that he had not only enjoyed the paper, but was inspired by the way Morrow persevered to sell the newspaper while so many people just walked passed him.

The third night, Engel found Morrow t o give him a hug and thank him for his time and inspiration before leaving town.

A week later Morrow received a handwritten thank you note in the mail that he carries with him to this day.

“If you don’t have money, give me a smile,” Morrow often tells potential customers.

Morrow’s unique brand of cheerfulness has turned more than a few heads.

Amberly Young, a University of California Santa Cruz graduate who did a portion of her 2010 studies in Washington, was moved to include him in a report she was authoring at the time.

“When I first met Morrow, I had gotten off at the wrong stop on the Metro,” Young writes. “But before I could even pull out my map, Morrow approached me ‘Where would you like to go young lady?’”

Young’s subsequent interviews allowed Morrow to delve deeper into his advocacy than the normal 15-second street corner spiel allows for.

“Shelters are dirty and dangerous,” he told her. “Only the strong survive. It’s like being in jail; shelters corrupt homeless people.”

Mrrow wishes top government figures would start paying more attention to homelessness, and suggested to Young that Michelle Obama start a think tank comprised of shelter clients and shelter staff to determine what people really need.

He wants his work to make an impact, even after he is gone.

“The people at the top don’t got any idea about the homeless. They never missed a meal. They don’t know what it is to endure adversity, humiliation, sickness, hunger,” Morrow told Young. “These politicians ride around with a tinted window for a reason, so they can’t see the homeless.”

Despite his despair with our safety net, Morrow stays positive. According to Slim, you have to keep your dignity and your pride.

“Homelessness is a state of mind,” Morrow said. “I’ve slept in a bus stop before, but I’ve never been homeless.”

Morrow would like to thank all of his customers, he’s enjoyed meeting every last one.