03 04 2009

S treetS ense.org

March 4 - March 17, 2009

Where the poor and homeless March 4 - March 17, 2009

earn and give their two cents

D STE GE ON G S U N AT I DO

Volume 6 Issue 9

Shoe Leather Stimulus Writer’s Group Learns about St. Patrick Page 11

Bombay’s Laundry Business Page 12

photo By Sherri Watts

Federal Spending Package Includes Homelessness Prevention Fund,page 5

A 30-year-old organization evolves Page 4

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347–2006 Fax: (202) 347–2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kristal DeKleer Lisa Estrada Ted Henson Mary Lynn Jones Sommer Mathis Brad Scriber John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Martin Walker David Walker Kathy Whelpley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Mary Otto VENDOR MANAGER Gregory Martin ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond (volunteer) VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Sherry Antoine, Laura Arico, Robert Basler, Robert Blair, Cliff Carle, Jane Cave, Rebecca Curry, RickDahnke, Jessia Gaitan, Lisa Gillespie, Cassandra Good, Joanne Goodwin, Roberta Haber, Carol Hannaford, Justin Herman, Annie Hill, Dan Horner, Phillip Hoying, Kayne Karnbach, Michael Kelly, MauriceKing, Geof Koss, Brenda K. LeeWilson, Starlett McNeill, Kim O’Connor, Gabriel Okolski, Robert Orifici, Swinitha Osuri, Michael O’Neill, Jon Pattee, Katinka Podmankzy, Sarah Pope, Cara Schmidt, Jamie Schuman, Jesse Smith, Matthew Taylor, Robert Trautman, Francine Triplett, Eugene Versluysen, Jerry W., Linda Wang, Denise Wilkins, Marian Wiseman, Corrine Yu VENDORS Willie Alexander, Jake Ashford, Kenneth Belkosky, Tommy Bennett, Reginald Black, Corey Bridges, Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek Jr., Louise Davenport, James Davis, Bernard Dean, Muriel Dixon, Patrick Ebitit, Alvin Dixon El, Randy Evans, Tanya Franklin, Barron Hall, David Harris, Patricia Henry, Phillip Howard, Jo Ann Jackson, Michael Jefferson, Patricia Jefferson, Carlton Johnson, Jewell Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Brenda Karyl Lee-Wilson, James Lott, Robert McCray, Charles Mayfield, Lee Mayse, Jennifer Mclaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, L. Morrow, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Eveykn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Thomas Queen, Kevin Robinson, Tyrone Rogers,, Franklin Sterling, Sybil Taylor, Eric Thompson, Francine Triplett, Carl Turner, Jerry W., Martin Walker, LawlessWatson, Ivory Wi-

S treetS ense.org

Our Mission

Street Sense aims 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 experiencing homelessness in our community.

The Story of Street Sense

Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless individuals who sell it. About 25 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and dozens more exist throughout the world.

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors, Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. For the next three years the paper published on a monthly basis and greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network.

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a

project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization.

In October 2005 Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November the organization hired its first employee, a fulltime executive director.

A year later in November 2006 , the organization hired its first vendor coordinator, and began partnering with several service providers.

In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month and to support the increased production, Street Sense brought on its first fulltime editor–in–chief in April.

As of January 2009 the paper has 80 active vendors and prints about 30,000 issues a month.

Do you want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year?

Order a subscription today!

Not only will you receive 26 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also help raise awareness about poverty in the D.C. area. ___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense for just $40 a year for 26 issues. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ________________________________ Name: _______________________________ Address: ______________________________ _____________________________________ City:__________________________________ State:__________________ Zip: __________ Phone: _______________________________ E-mail: _______________________________ Please make checks payable to: Street Sense.

Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

We are proud members of: North American Street Newspaper Association

International Network of Street Papers

Vendor Code of Conduct 1.

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Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means.

I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers).

I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers.

I agree to stay off private property when selling Street Sense.

I understand that I am not a legal employee of Street Sense but a contracted worker responsible for my own well–being and income.

I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper.

I will not sell Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

I agree to stay a block away from each another vendor and respect the space of all vendors.

I understand that my badge is the property of Street Sense and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling papers.

I understand that Street Sense strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.

Last Month’s Donors Fahah Ashraf Susan Marie Branting C.P. Brumbaugh Gregory Chronister Candice Dodd Lara Thornely Hall Kelly Harris Kelly Haskins

Amy Heisler Stephanie Hunsaker Charles H. Jones Ann Kendall Jarroda Kelsaw Danielle Kwateng David Martin Michael Mavretic

Thank You!

Melani McAlister Brian D McAteer Edward Norton Jennifer E. Park Mae Lee Sun Thomas Zeno

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

Compiled by Jon Pattee Foreclosures Push Retirees Towards Homelessness Miami’s homeless population has swelled amid a wave of foreclosures, according to a March 1 AFP article. “Because of the foreclosure situation we had increased six times our protection programs for people affected in different ways,” David Raymond, director of Homeless Trust in Miami Dade, told the agency.

Carolina Lombardi, a senior housing attorney at Legal Services for Greater Miami, told AFP that there were multiple reasons for the number of seniors seeking help. “Unfortunately, many … did not understand the terms of the loans that they took out,” she told AFP, adding “Some of the elderly were tricked into finding mortgages that they could have never qualified.”

Eastern Europeans Ending Up on London Streets Many Eastern Europeans who migrated to the United Kingdom for work are ending up homeless, according to a February 12 article by Lucy Proctor in the Hounslow Times. Thousands moved to the UK seeking seemingly limitless construction jobs and a strong currency when the European Union added the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004. But according to Proctor, the jobs have long since disappeared and Eastern and Central Europeans are now estimated to make up 20 percent of London’s homeless population.

According to Nico Effiong, coordinator of the Feed the Hungry Heart project “We have seen a new influx of Eastern Europeans … [E]verybody is asking us for work and we are finding young Asians are in the same position. There are some who are drinkers and into drugs, but many of them are young, happy and bright - but they are needing jobs.”

Donated Pens Help Homeless Egyptian Kids Learn to Read and Write Egyptian children living around garbage dumps have received over 2,000 pens for their studies, thanks to the work of the Coventry City Council in the United Kingdom. According to a Febrary 19 article in the Coventry Telegraph News, project workers are using the pens to help teach the children basic reading and writing skills. A project trustee told the Telegraph that the pens had been a great success.

She described “shanty huts thrown up round a small area filled with pigs and dogs … Yet in the midst of this nightmare are women teaching the children basic writing and reading skills, often with their mothers sitting next to them, trying to learn with them.

Attack on Homeless Indian in Italy Spurs Official Condemnation Italy’s president has condemned xenophobia and racist violence in the aftermath an assault on an Indian man near Rome. According to a February 4 article in The Times of India, Navtej Singh Sidhu, a homeless construction worker, was critically injured when attacked while sleeping at a train station near Rome. Police have arrested two adults and a minor, who have confessed to pouring gasoline on Sidhu and setting him on fire. President Giorgio Napolitano condemned the attack, calling it one of many such “horrifying episodes” in Italy.

In October, a Chinese immigrant was beaten up by teens in Rome, and a student from Ghana was beaten by Parma traffic police who mistook him for a drug pusher.

Actors Portray Realities of Homelessness from California to Kentucky An acting troupe comprised of homeless and formerly homeless people, the Seldom Seen Actors, is performing plays that delve into addiction and homelessness on the streets of Oakland. For more than three years, the Seldom Seen Actors have reenacted their life stories on the stages of churches and high schools around the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a March 2 article in the Christian Science Monitor by Jocelyn Wiener. The actors write their own scripts, and at their first show, in December 2006 at the Oakland Museum, the audience of 200 people gave them a standing ovation.

Last fall, the actors flew to Kentucky to perform for the national convention of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Homeless Sacramento Crack Addict Becomes Professional Cyclist Chad Gerlach, 35, has overcome homelessness and drug addiction in Sacramento to sign with a pro cycling team in Italy. According to a February 16 McClatchy Newspapers article by Blair Anthony Robertson, Gerlach spent five years homeless and addicted to crack after fumbling a promising start in the sport. In 2007, a friend contacted the TV show Intervention. Gerlach appeared on the program, agreed to treatment, and was flown to a rehab center in Florida.

As one opponent in a recent race exclaimed, “Good grief, this guy was in the depths of depravity and panhandling and abusing his body, and he’s come back in such a short period of time.”

Donate to Street Sense My Information

I will donate:

Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_______________________________________________ Phone:_______________________E-mail:_________________________

___ $50 for two vendor awards each month

Please make checks payable to Street Sense Street Sense is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization.

All donations are tax deductible.

Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org

___ $70 for food for vendor meetings ___ $100 for postage each month ___ $200 for the vests of 15 new vendors ___ $500 for rent for vendor office ___ $1,200 for the printing of one issue ___ Another amount of $_______ ___ Another amount of $_______ for vendor: ________________

In Kind Donations Needed * Messenger and tote bags and backpacks for vendors

* Laptop computers with at least Windows 2000

* Bottled water to hand out to vendors

and 10 GB of storage space

* Food for vendor meetings

* Laser color printer

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

Dinner and Art take a Look at Homelessness DPHW creates new image to match services The Dinner Program for Homeless Women ceased to exist on Friday, Feb. 27. The program has now introduced its new name and image, Thrive DC. Loud drums broke through the crowd’s chatter as the DPHW’s Evolution dinner celebrated the change.

The new name reflects a larger reexamination of the organization’s mission.

Founded in 1979 in response to the District’s first major wave of homelessness, it has moved far beyond simply providing dinners for homeless people, to offering them a range of social services to help them end their homelessness, said executive director Erika Barry.

“Our name hasn’t fit us for so long,” said Barry. “It’s not reflective of our values, our emphasis on the individual, and we didn’t want to have a name that in any way stigmatized the people that we serve or made it difficult to access us.

The people we serve chose this name.”

The program has been long housed at the First Congregational Church UCC at 10th and G Streets but is currently operating out of temporary quarters at 309 E Street NW while its offices are being renovated. Thrive DC provides a variety of help for needy people stopping in. There are washers and dryers, showers, phones and a computer lab for their use. Visitors can also take advantage of legal counseling and veteran’s assistance, HIV testing as well as a range of therapeutic and educational groups.

Classes and workshops on a variety of subjects are offered as people wait for their dinner.

“While they are there waiting for their meal we’re providing them with the knowledge and tools they can use to take care of themselves and make better choices,” Barry said.

The celebration began with Reverend David Bowers, vice president of Thrive DC, presenting the stories of clients and introducing guest speakers Lorna Fleming and Jason Hillman.

Fleming and Hillman both spoke about the slippery descent into homelessness and the trials that followed as they fought for survival.

Fleming talked about how she became homeless, not knowing the area and having no friends or family nearby to help her. Hillman, a homeless youth, ran away from home and fell into drugs and alcohol. After overcoming his ad-

Above, the crowd watches as DPHW unveils it’s new name, Thrive DC, after deciding to create a new image reflecting their current services.

Right, Lisa Moore talks with attendees at the Evoluntion dinner about her work as part of the photojournalism exhibit, “New Perspectives.” Five other homeless men and women participated in the exhibit, chronicling a day in their lives.

diction and seeking help, Hillman found Thrive DC. He told the crowd, “no service centers I came across were like Thrive DC,” and that the staff was warm and ready to help.

Jeff Chubb, the outreach manager for Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, or HIPS, commented on the work that Barry and her colleagues at Thrive DC accomplish.

“I originally started working with DPHW,” Chubb said. “When they were DPHW, when they worked with mental health, doing outreach within their program. Normally when people act out, they are asked to leave; they are laughed at, stigmatized in some way. At DPHW ( Thrive DC) they really stand beside folks and treat them compassionately.”

Another highlight of the dinner was New Perspectives, a photojournalism exhibit displaying one day in the life of six homeless men and women. One of the photographers, Lisa Moore, mingled with the crowd as they walked by her pieces. Moore has been homeless for two and a half years, sleeping in a shelter at night and wandering the city

Courtesy of Thrive DC

By Gina Barker

during the day.

“Once you become homeless it becomes very stressful,” Moore said. “You do get in a rut and its just like, ‘what am I going to do today?’”

Many of the photos chronicled her more intimate experience with Washington, D.C., standing in line for food stamps, a park squirrel she feeds, and finding a man sleeping behind a sheet of plywood in an alley.

“I’ve become so immune to what I see,” Moore said. “This is what I live through, this is what I see every day. Do other people see the same thing?”

Prints are still available through Thrive DC at $20 for an 8x10 print or $70 for a framed print.

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

Stimulus Dollars Target Homelessness

By Daniel Horner Among the $787 billion in federal spending in the nation’s mammoth economic stimulus bill is $1.5 billion for homelessness prevention – a measure that is being hailed homeless advocates as a “landmark” provision.

The homelessness prevention money was one of several commitments in recent weeks by the Obama administration and Congress to addressing both short-term issues triggered by the current economic crisis and longer-term issues that have been the target of efforts for years.

The $1.5 billion in new money under the stimulus bill - formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - is for a “homelessness prevention fund” that “will provide financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized,” according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. One particular tar-

get group for the funding is low-income renters who live in buildings that are in foreclosure, the agency said.

The funds can be used for a range of purposes, according to HUD, including rental assistance, credit counseling, security or utility deposits and case management.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness praised the inclusion of the homelessness prevention: funds in the stimulus bill. NAEH President Nan Roman said the money could be used for a variety of purposes; to hire people to negotiate with landlords or serve as housing locators; to establish housing data systems to help case managers keep people who have homes from losing them; or to get homeless people quickly into housing.

Unlike much of the spending in the stimulus bill, the homelessness prevention money is not focused on capital investments, Roman said.

The Obama administration has said the main goal of the stimulus bill is job creation, Roman said, and the homelessness prevention money helps serve

Help Bring the Homeless in from the Cold

CALL THE

Shelter Hotline 1 800 535-7252 Adrian M. Fenty, Mayor, Government of the District of Columbia

Where the money goes Federal Spending on Stimulus

$787 Billion • $1.5 Billion

Total Federal spending Homeless Prevention

gRANTS FROM u.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

$1.6 Billion • $1.4 Billion • $160 Million • $24 Million

that end. Another goal, she noted is to “alleviate suffering” of people who already have been hurt by the financial crisis.

Some critics of the stimulus package have questioned certain parts as not helping job creation – singling out some expenditures smaller than the one for homelessness prevention. But the homelessness prevention measure has not attracted noticeable controversy.

It isn’t clear if the money is a one-time boon or the first part of a major longerterm commitment to homelessness prevention, Roman said. But even if it isn’t repeated, it gives communities a chance “to build up capacity,” she said.

In addition to the stimulus money, in late February the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced nearly $1.6 billion in grant awards for homeless programs that will come from existing funds.

The bulk of the money, about $1.4 billion, is for what HUD calls “continuum of care” grants that provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless people.

Such grants also cover services such as job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling and child care, HUD officials have explained.

Another $160 million is for emergency shelter grants, which provide money for local shelters, as well as related social service and homelessness prevention programs.

There is a direct connection between the grants and the $1.5 billion from the stimulus bill, HUD officials said. As part of the grant process, the agency is awarding $24 million to create pilot programs in 23 communities for the rapid

Total grant awards “Continuum of Care” grants Emergency shelter grants Creating Pilot Programs

re-housing of families with children.

HUD will draw on the “best practices” developed under those pilot programs when it spends the $1.5 billion in stimulus money, HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan said in a recent interview.

Among the 23 communities receiving money are the District ($1,866,274) and Montgomery County ($541,738).

Also last month, the Obama administration issued the outlines of its FY 2010 budget request.

A key feature of the request is the $1 billion it provides for the National Housing Trust Fund, which would support financing of the development, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable housing for people with very low incomes. The budget also requests funding increases in two major rentalassistance programs.

The details of the request are scheduled to be issued in April.

Meanwhile, Congress also moved toward approval of the so-called “omnibus” FY 2009 spending bill, covering HUD and most other government agencies. The bill provides increases for numerous programs affecting the poor and homeless, though many rose by only a few percentage points.

Among the larger increases were those for Section 8 project-based vouchers for affordable housing, up $668 million in FY 2008 to $7.1 billion, and Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness, whose funding rose $6.4 million to $59.7 million.

FY 2009 began October 1, 2008, but Congress agreed on the spending figures for only part of the government.

For the rest of the government, lawmakers passed an interim spending bill that expires March 6.

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

D.C. Seeks Homeless Views on Stimulus

By Robert Blair In recent days, D.C. Council members and District officials have been soliciting suggestions from D.C.’s homeless population about how the city could best use federal “stimulus” monies and improve support programs for the indigent.

And homeless men and women, and the service and advocacy organizations that work with them, are responding with alacrity, speaking up in support of housing programs, emergency shelters and a range of other initiatives.

On Feb. 19, the Council’s Committee on Human Services listened to testimony from dozens of participants, many of them clients of D.C. poverty and homeless programs, on the quality of the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) performance. Councilman Tommy Wells (D–Ward 6), who chaired the oversight hearing, encouraged the witnesses to offer their views on how DHS services could be improved, and how short-term subsidies from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act should be spent.

At the hearing, a large contingent of homeless men and women, speaking both as individuals and as members of organized groups, endorsed programs that they felt were working well and suggested improvements to those they felt were not.

Several issues attracted wide support among those testifying, including the restoration of roughly $7 million in permanent supportive housing funds, frozen for the coming year in response to the city’s looming budget gap.

Permanent Supportive Housing The District, like many other cities across the country, has embraced permanent supportive housing as part of a strategy aimed at ultimately ending chronic homelessness. Such “Housing First” programs provide apartments to indigent people, along with social services, counseling, job training and health care designed to address the problems that underlie their homelessness. While costly, such programs are credited with saving municipalities money by stabilizing the lives of homeless people and decreasing their visits to emergency shelters, hospital emergency rooms and jails.

Four hundred and sixteen individuals and one family have been placed so far by the $19 million initiative, with 79 more families slated to receive apartments. City officials have said that people already being housed by the program will not be affected by de-

illustration by tyler perry

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cision to freeze millions for the coming year. But homeless people and their advocates worry about the future impact of the freeze.

Hearing speakers also called for a range of other efforts including more and better case management services at emergency shelters, more housing facilities for the mobility impaired, increased funding for rapid re-housing for families, and upgrading and better maintaining existing shelter facilities.

Adam Rocap, director of social services at Miriam’s Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides breakfasts and social services to homeless individuals, testified in favor of the creation of a network of smaller, service-rich, temporary shelters and for development of a 24-hour drop-in homeless service center.

Like several other witnesses, Rocaps’ testimony stressed the priority of funding the City’s permanent supportive housing programs, ensuring adequate permanent supportive housing-related services, and expanding the program for the most vulnerable.

Linda Kaufman of Pathways To Housing DC praised the city’s permanent supportive housing efforts, and went on to suggest that any savings from successful outcomes be channeled back into housing and support services resources for the chronically homeless.

Improving Shelter Programs Calls for improved conditions at the larger shelters were made by a number of witnesses, as were pleas for increased funding for family assistance.

Poppy Cali, representing the People for Fairness Coalition, recommended upgrading hygiene and safety in the city’s low-barrier shelter system.

“We need safe and clean shelters,” he told Wells. He also called for the city to provide more case management services at the shelters.

Another homeless advocate, Junior Almozard, reinforced Cali’s testimony on the need for improved shelter conditions. Almozard, naming two or three of the city’s larger men’s shelters, de-

scribed severely crowded conditions; called for improved communications between residents and security and other shelter staff; condemned unhygienic shelter conditions, including bedbug infestations; and noted the problem of property theft at some shelters.

Shree Hickman, who identified herself as a 22-year old mother on welfare, explained her difficulties raising her two children on the existing benefits for participants in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF).

Chairman Wells indicated certain issues in which he was particularly interested by the questions he addressed to witness panels.

Following testimony by Srinidhi Vijaykumar, of DC Hunger Solutions, on the need for increased funding, a greater outreach effort, and higher gross income and asset eligibility caps for food stamp programs, Wells asked about ways in which that program might help reduce D.C.’s high childhood obesity rate. He noted that farmers’ markets now take food stamps, and invited suggestions for possible pilot projects.

Wells, and new Council member Michael Brown (I–At-large), echoed concerns raised by several witnesses about the lack of affordable housing for low income earners in DC. On the topic of family assistance programs, Wells mused aloud about the possibility of linking such assistance to school attendance. He declared that, especially for children of elementary school age, he viewed school attendance as a priority. “Having children in school,” he stressed, “is really nonnegotiable.”

Community Round Table In late February, shortly before the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness’s (ICH) bi-monthly public meeting, nearly 40 homeless people and service providers met in three groups, collectively called the Community Round Table, to discuss opinions on ICH planning topics. The focus groups

convened at the N Street Village shelter at 1333 N Street, NW, to reflect and comment on three specific issues: What priorities to apply to DC homeless prevention and rapid re-housing services; who should have access to them; and whether a residency requirement is appropriate; Where and when should homeless prevention information and homeless services be made available; and How rental subsidies should be structured; what time limits, if any, should apply; and whether or not to target low-income or other special needs populations.

The focus groups, facilitated by staff from Miriam’s Kitchen and N Street Village, worked together on responses to a detailed questionnaire. A summary of the groups’ comments were presented at the ICH meeting, and individual written comments were collected for further analysis.

Participants in the round table focus groups considered a narrower set of issues – mainly rapid re-housing issues and short-term “stimulus” legislation subsidies – than the DHS hearing witnesses. Despite that difference, however, some similar themes emerged.

They included the need for access to more, and more professional, case management services at shelters and other service sites; the need for housing priorities for homeless men and women with physical, medical (especially HIV/AIDS), mental, and addiction-related disabilities; and better and more varied communications channels for providing information about support services – including to those not yet homeless, but in increased danger of becoming so.

The focus group discussions about funding for homelessness prevention and re-housing services stressed the importance of emergency rental and utility assistance, case management and mental health services, and legal support for tenants before they become homeless as particularly urgent.

Requiring a period of residency to be eligible for homeless prevention and rapid re-housing programs also got strong support in the focus groups, but no specific time period was endorsed.

The Community Round Table meetings, set up to encourage greater client participation, were first instituted at the Dec. 11, 2008 meeting. Such preICH meeting sessions are expected to continue as a regular part of the ICH planning process.

The next ICH meeting is scheduled forApril 2 at the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter at 1900 Mass. Ave., S.E.

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

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Street News Service

Tramp in the Third Reich

By Birgit Müller

Fritz Eichler knows Germany almost as well as he knows himself. During the 1930’s he zig-zagged across the country on bike and foot in search of work, finding shelter where he could as a member of Germany’s 400,000 strong homeless community.

These were precarious times for Fritz and his ilk as the National Socialists (Nazis) consolidated their power and proceeded with their brutal plans to rid German society of perceived “vagabonds.”

Fritz, or “Crumb“ as he was known due to his tiny physique, lost his job in a wallpaper store in the Grindelallee, during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. With no prospect of work in his native Hamburg and being just 21 years of age he decided to make the best of it.

“My only hope was to find a job on the road. And I desperately wanted to get out, get away from my draconian father, enjoy nature and experience adventure,” recounts the 94-year-old today.

In January 1935 he set off with friends. His only possessions were a jacket, trousers, sturdy boots and a cap. He had sown 5 Marks emergency money into the inside of his jacket.

First stop: the working camp of the national service in Soltau – with the aim of being “awarded” a travelling worker’s permit. The Nazis had not yet outlawed travelling, but were attempting to curb the numbers. A traveller without permit would risk prison or labour camp.

Eichler and his friends had little idea of this kind of “special treatment” and did not consider themselves as being in any specific danger, because “After all, we were willing to work.”

Work they did find in the so-called “travelling workers sites,” which had been founded at the end 19th century on initiative of the pastor Friedrich von Bodelschiwngh.

His motto: work instead of alms. Eichler was only

My only hope was to find a job on the road.

And I desperately wanted to get out, get away from my draconian father, enjoy nature and experience adventure.

moderately enthusiastic about these places, where one was made to work pretty hard for a simple meal and a place to sleep. Often you had to sign up for several days work: chopping wood, digging trenches or working in the garden or the kitchen.

“I did not fancy that,” says Eichler. “I wanted to travel on my own terms. Travellers were obliged to register with the local police for the night and were given a place to sleep: a cell in the basement of the town hall, a storage room for potatoes or a bunker that was locked from the outside all night. I was much happier not to be locked away on my own in such a hole.”

Eichler’s travels also acquainted him with the old wandering vagabonds, or as he dubbed them “the bacon-hunters.”

“I was never going to become one of those. I knew I was going to return home at some point – and I was certainly hoping to find a proper job again.”

For the time being he made do with temp jobs: teller at a fairground carousel, sweeping the town square and cleaning a policeman’s bike. When there wasn't any work, he begged.

On one occasion, while travelling in Franconia with his brother Siegfried, he was overcome with a ravenous appetite for Franconian dumplings and cake.

“I promised my brother, we would have both.”

With no work available they took the only option available to them and begged. Within a few hours enough money was garnered allowing the homeless vagabonds to dine like kings.

However a shock came the following morning. At the crack of dawn they were woken and arrested by a constable. Begging was outlawed. Fast-tracked to court they were sentenced to 3 days in prison. More run-ins with the legal system followed. While staying the night in a Karlshrue homeless hostel Fritz and Siegfried were arrested from their beds.

“For six months we had been without a proper job” says Eichler. “We were considered wandering criminals. Fortunately the judge was relatively lenient: five days in prison – on parole.”

As Fritz learned the hard way, those who avoided the temporary working camps lived dangerously.

Already in Autumn 1933, the new men in power had demonstrated what they intended to do with the so called “work shy.” During the “beggar-weeks” ten thousands of beggars and tramps were arrested.

Though arrests and prison sentences for beggars did happen in the previous Weimar republic period, the measures of the Nazis were so comprehensive that even disused prisons were opened again and dedicated arrest camps set up.

The successors of Bodelschwingh and the charity for travelling workers were supportive of the Nazis.

Pastor Paul Braune hailed the tough measures of the new men wielding power as a “fortunate marriage of police force and social welfare or of love and strictness.”

In 1936 The National Socialists toughened their stance and outlawed legally regulated travelling.

Homeless people were criminalised and labelled “antisocial parasites of society.” In 1938 around 11,000 homeless people were arrested and held in concentration camps during a “cleansing operation.”

The charity for travelling workers turned over hundreds of travellers to the Nazis. Even the forced sterilisation of “(racially) inferior tramps” was advocated. Only when euthanasia was rumoured did Pastor Braune submit a protest to Hitler. Unsurprisingly Hitler did not care for his opinion.

Unlike so many Fritz encountered on his travels he was fortunate enough to have a home to return to prior to the major cleansing operations.

He managed to return to his home town of Hamburg where he lived during the war, later finding work in a storehouse for leather goods, where he worked for most of his life.

Today Fritz is 94 years of age and still mobile, with the help of a Zimmer frame. Despite this he claims he is still travelling.

“Today I go on a journey in my mind and watch movies with country scenery. And” of course, he says “I still have my dreams.”

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

Masterpiece Gazing into the distant sky, I chanced to see a cloud sail by.

In all of God’s immense creation In this I find the most elation.

To view the master’s work of art And feel each brush stroke in my heart.

On a moving canvas that will never cease Of clouds that form a masterpiece.

By David Denny

photo By Cliff Carle

photo By Cliff Carle

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

Regrets They are useless demons clawing my mind’s eye robbing me of sleep and peace following me around my life like twisted pets snarling and demanding and draining me of life.

A partial list: A child abandoned for the better part of twenty years causing me to wonder why she clings so desperately.

Talent wasted because I thought underacheiving was cool and now I cling to barstools min utes after last-call reciting glorious tales of what might have been my life.

photo By Cliff Carle

Friendships destroyed because when I’d look in mirrors I’d never see a friend.

To those who’ve loved me I called myself a fraud and in shame, hid my face from their questioning eyes.

Perched atop the Taft Bridge Five A.M., my only companions were the wind-chill factor and my regrets urging me to please them offering absolution for my sins demanding a dramatic sordid resolution to the bitter war within my soul.

My regrets now howl in anger that I’m still here raising a fist in triumph, having won the war and discovered peace.

By David Harris

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photo By Cliff Carle

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

gREGORY’S gREAT gAME Who’s Your Vendor #1 Jewel Patricia Phillip Ivory Jeffrey Conrad Lawless Cliff Allen Bobby Tyrone Barron Lee Kenneth Muriel Sybil Carlton James Sammy Tommy

Vendor Manager Gregory Martin loves to create seek-and-find puzzles and drive the Street Sense staff crazy trying to find the answers. Below is his latest puzzle. Good Luck!

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street sudokuo: puzzle 10 Difficulty level: MEDIUM

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS

The month of March Madness for basketball fans comes in like a lamb and goes out like the punch of Muhammad Ali. Remember to keep your Street Sense of humor - today is your special day, and spoiling yourself is a must.

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and trustworthiness, altering your approach in your dealings with your peers. It’s been said that “peace isn’t the absence of war, it’s a virtue and a state of mind.”

And remember: “if you are not on top of your game, the game will be on top of you.”

Today’s predictions come not from the stars but from life itself and I’ll leave you today with some words of wisdom.

is arises from desiring to share happiness.”

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

Will write for food: Writer’s Group Writer’s Group meets Wednesdays 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Street Sense office. A poetry after party is 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

St. Patrick By Elexi Arbuckle I did know that St. Patrick was a slave being held and I believe also if not mistaken that he prayed a whole lot. That’s supposed to have been what freed him eventually or at least assisted him in his freedom. His corresponding behavior probably helped freeing him also like converting to Christianity for instance.

Elexi is a poet who started with Writer’s Group a few months ago.

Lucky Charms By Cara Schmidt I always thought of Lucky Charms and green frosted cupcakes when it came to St. Patrick’s Day. When Reggie inspired me to research the holiday for a writing prompt I was embarrassed at how little l really knew.

The three-leaf clover (and not the lucky four-leaf variety) is the icon of the holiday, stemming from St. Patrick’s use of the clover as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity. Blue used to be the color of the holiday until it became international. Then green, the color of Ireland, replaced blue.

But these are superficial revelations. I was more impressed to learn that St. Patrick was a pagan and then a slave, when I had just always assumed he was a Leprechaun character. It makes me think maybe I should take the whole holiday a little bit more seriously and drink a few less pints (but only a few less).

Cara volunteers with Writer’s Group and creates exercises.

Holidays By Robert Warren

My thoughts are not all they are supposed to be. That’s just been easy for me. I guess that feeling started a long time ago one Christmas day. While celebrating with my father’s family, I didn’t receive a gift from any one of my father’s family’s sister or brother or grandmother or grandfather. I wasn’t so upset for me, but for my little sister. So St. Patrick’s Day has for me just been any other day and I have never really thought about the true meaning of St Patrick’s Day. After hearing that tyranny was part of the start of St Patrick’s day it is big news for me.

Robert joined Writer’s Group in December and has participated regularly since then.

Pagan Patrick? By Reginald Black

I thought St. Patrick’s day was about luck. Boy was I wrong. I thought that it was about the Irish as well, but from the information I read today I have a different ideal.

The true notion of St. Patrick’s day was religious? Who would have thought that a pagan could change a landscape in religion. If I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day I will pray for those who have died and those to come, under the same cause of unity do so under God’s enormous green thumb.

Reggie volunteers with Writer’s Group, leads the Poetry After Party and is a poetic vendor.

Cara and Reggie’s writing exercise was to write about the life of Saint Patrick, whose day is celebrated March 17. Front page: detail of photo by Sicarr, window at the Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, Cal. Courtesy of http:commons.wikimedia.org.

Writer’s Group on Video

VJIAM.tv Video Jockey Naomi Alfini visited Writer’s Group and Street Sense around the holiday time and created a little video clip about Street Sense.

The link is http://www.vjiam.tv/videos/a5fd8e380c9a Naomi is talking about doing some ongoing video group with Writer’s Group. Stay tuned for more information as it develops.

– Jerry W.

Reggie’s Reflections:Revelations By Reginald Black I was being followed in my intimate ventures, having my true feelings revealed not to mention I didn’t tell the girl how I felt about the other. What was crazy is how I ended up alone. This time cheated on, not once but twice. Same follower, different girls. Social scenes become complicated when people talk behind your back. I began to hang back. Limited my posts and tried to dispel the damage done by others. It was a hard process, one that I am still trying to recover from. I didn’t want to be followed and certainly didn’t want any one’s leftovers. The emotional strain was immense. There were times I thought I had no choice or direction. I was lost alone, and still homeless, rejected because of my looks, age and not being able to keep up with the Joneses How was this possible I wondered? What did the now ousted brother mean to gain from telling the girls I knew things that I wasn’t ready to? Many times the follower and I argued but that was only to mask the destruction in my heart. What did I gain from this revelation? A lot more reality than I could chew.

Reggie’s contact info: RoninWorrior@yahoo.com

“The Pit and the Pendulum” By Patty Smith Here was a man that was sentenced to death. While waiting for his trial he believe himself to be in a room waiting to be sentenced to death. So this man closed his eyes and remembered what he had been told about these dungeons.

The room was in complete darkness and he envisioned tall candles on top of the table. He tried to figure out the size of the room. The floor was muddy and damp.

He was going to use his pocket knife to mark where he had been on the walls. The inquisitors had wrapped him in gauze material. He tore the bottom of the gauze and placed it on the floor so he can figure out how large the cage was. The next day, he noticed a big hole. He took the gauze and dropped it down the hole after which he heard a large crash in the pit. He said he had been spared from death. The next day, they put food and water in his room. They had tied him to the bed. He looked up and saw a huge pendulum. He thought to himself, he was spared from one death just to receive one worse than the first. He was horrified. How could this happen to me?, he thought. Then he saw some rats they were going to eat his food and eat him too. He planned to get from under the pendulum. First, he got the rats to loosen the bandages. Then the pendulum would do the rest of the loosening. Once he put this plan into action, thinking he was home free. The pendulum raises and he is free, but now encounters the walls melting in on him.

Patty was in Writer’s Group from the beginning and is vendor number four. She likes horror stories, and here she retells an old favorite by Edgar Allen Poe.

Patrick as Saint? By Jerry W. A friend of mine Patrick, born and named from St. Patrick’s Day, is one of the reasons I got involved in Street Sense. He impressed me in talking to homeless people, even as we were walking out of a restaurant in his neighborhood after celebrating his birthday. I met him in a support group meeting, which is now defunct. I introduced him to the local community organizing alternative mental health known as consumer operated drop-in centers.

He took on the difficult jobs and became the chair of the local nonprofit board. As time passed and I was active elsewhere, he ‘saved his pennies’ and bought a new car despite having difficulties with driving in the past.

As an older gentleman and former military, he was a slight man with more wisdom, respect and patience than most people I’ve ever known.

He passed away during difficult personal and organizational financial times so afterwards, I started keeping his memory alive, in part, by talking directly with homeless at Street Sense and participating in the newly starting Writer’s Group about a year and a half ago. Besides green beer, reckless binge drinking and a celebration of Irish history, that is how I remember St. Patrick’s Day. Jerry volunteers with Writer’s Group. NoVAPeers.PBWiki.com contains many of his rants on Mental Health and other issues.

PRODUCTION, HOSTING, LAYOUT AND SUPPORT:Cara Schmidt, Carlton Johnson, David Hammond, Jerry W., Patty Smith, Reginald Black

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Doing Laundry the Bombay Way

By Eugene Versluysen

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or many people doing laundry barely registers on the radar screen; it requires little effort, other than loading and unloading a washing machine and dryer, be it at home or in a laundromat. For the rich it involves no effort at all; their maids do the laundry.

But imagine being homeless. If that is your unlucky fate, having a place to stay, let alone owning a washing machine is but a distant dream, and staying clean and well groomed is a constant challenge. The homeless have little or no access to laundry facilities.

Now, take a leap in space to Bombay (now called Mumbai). A sprawling metropolis with some 16 million inhabitants, it is home to some of the world’s largest slums. In the slums the small dwellings-sometimes mere shacks--of the poor are huddled together, pell-mell in a rabbit warren of narrow alleys.

There too washing one’s clothes and staying clean is a daily struggle. But, at least, the slum dwellers have a place to stay and a modicum of privacy; surprisingly there are very few truly homeless people in Bombay.

Bombay also has a wealthy middle and upper class, including several billionaires, not to mention countless Bollywood movie stars. Those people are so well off that they don’t even think about laundry, let alone do it.

Their maids and servants attend to all their needs, laundry included. Bombay also has numerous hotels, including some of the world’s finest and most expensive, among them the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels that were partly destroyed in brutal attacks in November last year.

Whereas in Washington and other big cities hotels do their laundry—sheets, towels and tablecloths—in house, in Bombay hotels send out their washing to the strangest of places, the Dhobi Ghat.

Some Bombay residents also send their laundry there. In Hindi Dhobi means washer man, and a ghat (which means ‘landing’) is a place by the water, usually a stepped embankment that leads to the water’s

edge. India has countless rivers and innumerable ghats.

Take, for instance, Benares, one of the world’s oldest cities. It stretches along a crescent of the Ganges, India’s most sacred river.

The city has several ghats where pilgrims come to bathe and do their ablutions.

T h e re a re a l s o t w o cremation ghats, where bodies are burnt in huge funeral pyres, before their ashes are strewn in the river. Not surprisingly the waters of the holy Ganges are far from clean.

But that is beside the point. Bombay’s Dhobi Ghat couldn’t be more different. It isn’t on a river and one can’t swim there.

On the contrary, this, the world’s largest open-air laundry, stretches along one of the city’s busiest railway lines. It has no natural supply of water; all the water is pumped in.

The ghat is the home of Bombay’s dhobis, a couple hundred families that live and work there. The dhobis are among the city’s poorest and their work is grueling.

By night they live in miserable shacks. By day they do laundry in concrete wash pens that are filled to the brim with soapy water. Standing in the pens, kneedeep in the water, the men stomp on the laundry before pounding it on flagstones.

After rinsing, the laundry is hung to dry on what looks like miles of clotheslines, then pressed, folded and returned to the various hotels. The work is back-

breaking, standing in water all day long takes its toll on the dhobis’ health, and they earn but a pittance for doing it.

For westerners the Dhobi Ghat is a sight to behold. Hordes of tourists flock to it, cameras in hand.

Somewhat bemused, the dhobis can’t figure out why their time-honored work causes so much curiosity.

But the greatest mystery is that, at the end of the day all the laundry—thousands of sheets, towels, tablecloths and individual garments--gets back to the right place.

Much like at dry-cleaners, it is done by marking each item. Each hotel has its own distinctive indelible mark. That way nothing gets lost.

Eugene is retired World Bank economic who worked on micro-financing issues. He is current an active Street Sense volunteer.

All photos by Eugene VersLuysen

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March 4 - March 17, 2009

The Potter’s House Hosts “Sounds of Hope” Open Mic Night

By Reginald Black

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n Friday, January 30, I was invited to the Sounds of Hope Open Mic night in Northwest D.C. The place was The Potter’s House on Columbia Road.

It turned out to be a night full of food, fun and fellowship from supporters and artists alike.

It was an experience I will never forget Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Mary Shapiro, the organizer of the event. Mary grew up in a musical household; her mother played guitar. Mary believes in music that makes a difference.

“It’s so important to be heard,” said Mary, who has completed a children’s CD entitled Little Friends of Peace and is now working on her second production - a solo debut album entitled “The Time is Now.” The title gives you a good idea of her approach to life. She is always taking on new challenges. When she first started renting the cafe space back in the 1990’s she and several other guitarists started the D.C. Folk Guitar Workshop, a monthly class where they taught anyone who wanted to learn. The open mic nights followed in 2002 and have been going on ever since.

The idea was to provide a community service. Using locals artists to entertain and bring in the crowds, the proceeds from the tip jar go to Sopa a Las Dos (which in Spanish means Soup at 2:00), also a program of the Potter’s House that serves as a sort of day center for anyone who wants to come in and enjoy a bowl of soup, or a cup of coffee.

I sat down to listen to the first pair of artists. Their names were Paul and Ricky and they started out playing together in a high school jug and washboard band. After years apart they got back together on this night, they were playing their guitars at the Potter’s House.

I was next and I read a poem I called “Powerless” and another unnamed poem that I wrote in Job Corps. An array of artists followed, with

a wide range of talents and stories to tell followed me. Many had been honing their skills since childhood.

There was Sam, who started out with a rock cover band - a band he explained, dead seriously, that plays other people’s songs to cover up not having any originals of their own. Now 20 years later, he considers himself a gospel performer.

Next up was Rachel, an elegant young woman, a published poet who chose to read some poems written by others. During the break I met Lindsay, another elegant young woman, a jazz singer from New Jersey.

Someone who impressed me a lot was John This poet’s performance sets a new bar for poets such as myself. He has been attending religious and cultural events at Potter’s House since 1962years before Mary started her café there.

The Potter’s House considers him an old friend. John recited some humorous poems from memory. John learned these old English poems by hearing other people perform them and listening to recordings.

I also saw a man with a strange drum. It was a wooden drum and the man’s name was Wallace. He is a poetic musician. Wallace contributes his talent to what is in his heart. It’s one of those things you’ve heard and it begins pulling on you.

After a lot of running around, I caught up with Will. He was hard to catch. Will has been in music since the age of six, starting with the piano.

Will got his first guitar in the seventh grade, and has a desire to teach music in the District of Columbia. At a table full of books I met Gary.

He said he is part of the famous Cash family of country music fame. Gary has been playing county for about 40 years. He even has his own country music label.

It’s no secret that the District has an enormous wealth of talent. I was honored to grace the stage with so many artists. I almost cried when I listened to Candy, a violist and regular and a good friend of Mary Shapiro, who has been playing almost since birth.

She says the drive in her heart for music comes back to life at the Potter’s House. I enjoyed my first time attending the “Sounds of Hope” Open Mic, and, since these events are held on the last Friday of every month, I look forward to returning.

Reggie has been a vendor almost a year and loves to write and read poetry.

Questions About Black Poverty

By Jeffery McNeil

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was never one to play the race game in life. I always have believed that if you are honest, work hard and play smart you will fulfill your dreams.

However I became disturbed when I became homeless and noticed most of the homeless in Washington D.C. were black.

I became curious how and why this was happening why there were so many homeless in Washington.

Like any investigator I started talking to the homeless in the parks.

Many were veterans who been in battle and were shell-shocked from trauma. Mr. President if you ever read this article please take notice. Hundreds of the homeless are veterans who are told they aren’t any good. To see them sleeping on park benches is disgraceful in my view.

My anger continued to build when I tried to enter the workplace in Washington. I tried to fill out many applications only to be met by foreignspeaking people who would not even review my applications. I never had a problem finding work in the Northeast but the job process in Washington in my view seem like pulling teeth to even get an interview. It’s no wonder so many homeless get discouraged from the workplace.

The most depressing aspect of being homeless, however, was how many of the homeless, especially the black homeless, would not even attempt to work. In my view it only seemed they only wanted to smoke crack and drink beer. I didn’t want to be swallowed up by being around people who weren’t even trying.

I didn’t want a life in soup lines arguing over a chicken wing, or getting into knife fights because someone wanted a dollar I got from selling a paper.

I started questioning the black race. How did we get this crazy?

I wanted out of that culture and decided to find a way. But I felt sad for those who try to get out and instead get left behind.

Eric Holder said we are a nation of cowards. As a black man I believe we make too many excuses for those who don’t try. You can’t blame white America for a black man who has sex and doesn’t become a parent. We cannot blame white America for someone who knowingly robs and assaults someone for drug money.

I think as a black man we don’t glorify the true black man. We glorify the gangster, the falsification of the thug and that lifestyle.

Instead, we need to show more Obamas and their stories, show more black CEOs and successful businessmen.

If we as a nation are going to come together economically, we must talk about responsibility and integrity instead of harping on past injustices.

Jeffery sells and writes with enthusiasm. Email him at jeffery_mcneil.com.

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Service with a Smile at DC Central Kitchen

By Alecia Peterson

Alecia (right) and another TFAS student take a break after making croissants at DC Central Kitchen.

There is a certain type of joy that comes from helping others.

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hough a native of Oklahoma, I am spending my semester here in Washington as a student at Georgetown University at The Fund for American Studies (TFAS), a program for students to help “instill an appreciation for the American form of government and the free enterprise system.”

Part of my work has me here at Street Sense four days a week, serving as an editorial intern, working with homeless people who are striving to improve their lives here in D.C. In addition, I and some of my classmates recently had the opportunity to volunteer at the DC Central Kitchen, where I gained an addition-

al opportunity to work with people who are seeking to help themselves.

The DC Central Kitchen has been providing 4,000 meals per day for nonprofit organizations in the past 20 years.

The people supervising the kitchen and cooking are drawn from the ranks of homeless people who have completed a 12 week life-skills/training program.

The Kitchen’s most popular form of volunteer work is having teens, college students, and other programs such as The Fund for American Studies, help prepare the meals. My colleagues and I wanted to share our experience and express how important is it to serve the community.

Our TFAS Capitol Semester program manager Lily Pascucci took two groups from the program to DCCK in late January and early February. All together there were 33 of us working in the kitchen.

TFAS has been working with the Central Kitchen for a few years now and believes that it is very important for students to not only visit key institutions but to experience them.

Pascucci said that she “enjoys watching the students learn new cooking techniques and working as a team with the other DCCK volunteers and staff members to provide meals for men, women and children in need.”

In addition, Pascucci said she hopes to share the pleasure she herself gets from volunteering.

“There is a certain type of joy that comes from helping others and I know many of the students experience this through working in the DC Central Kitchen,” she said.

Diane Crowe, a public policy track student with TFAS certainly found the day at the Kitchen rewarding.

“It was such a small part of our days, our experience in D.C., and our lives but it really meant something to the people that we helped as a result.”

Crowe’s specific job during the volunteer work was learning how to chop cucumbers and put cheese in the salad.

Simple job but someone has to do it.

“I learned that there are really amazing organizations that we can become a part of and give back to the community in a direct way,” Crowe said. She also found a side benefit from pitching in: “proper cucumber-chopping technique.”

Crowe believes that volunteering

is an undervalued institution and that more should take the initiative so that we as a society can better ourselves.

She also applauds the homeless who are trying to get their lives in order and working themselves at the DC Central Kitchen.

“I think that those who try to better themselves are doing exactly what they need to. I really respect when someone takes the initiative to improve their situation,” added Crowe, who likes doing volunteer work and plans to do much more in the future. Her favorite part of the experience was being with her friends and “finding joy in the small things like putting cheese in a salad.”

Another student, Tricia Ellis, on the journalism public policy track at TFAS, said she had a wonderful experience as well.

“Basically, we got split up and sent to different areas of the kitchen where everybody was making different things.

I was in the salad section with Ms. Dot,” said Ellis.

“Ms. Dot happened to have worked for DC Central Kitchen since 1995 and she was tough. She showed everyone how to correctly cut each vegetable then assigned a few people to each one,” added Ellis, who has volunteered at many homeless shelters and other related programs and plans to continue doing so in the future.

“I think that homelessness is a significant issue and that volunteering is extremely important. It is something that everyone should experience in their lives. I really don’t think that asking for a few hours out of someone’s day once in awhile is too much to ask for,” Ellis concluded.

As for my personal experience, I made ham and egg croissants with another student from TFAS and had an amazing time. The chef I worked with told stories about his past as a homeless man. He said the DC Central Kitchen helped save his life. He is now in the culinary job training program at the kitchen and spoke of his big plans for his future.

I left the place inspired. Overall I had an amazing experience helping and I plan on volunteering again very soon.

Alecia is an intern for Street Sense until May 2009 when she will return to Southern Nazerene Univeristy.

Wanna See More Vendor Restaurant Reviews?

You Can Help!

DONATE GIFT CERTIFICATES for your favorite restaurant to Street Sense and a vendor will go check it out, and Street Sense will thank you in a review.

Typically reveiws are $50 to $70 (for a vendor and guest).

Please mail your gift certificates today to: Street Sense, 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

FOUNDRY A Reconciling Congregation Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM Homeless Outreach Hospitality: Fridays 9:00 AM

Foundry United Methodist Church

1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010

www.foundryumc.org

S treetS ense.org WASHINGTON, D.C. SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW (202) 783–6651 www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356 www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave SE (202) 610–9600 www.covenanthousedc.org Housing, education, job prep Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731 www.grm.org John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469 www,catholiccharitiesdc.org My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596 Washington, DC 20017 office (202) 529-5261 24-hour hotline (202)-529-5991 shelter and other services for domestic violence victims N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639–8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612

March 4 - March 17, 2009 www.churchofthepilgrims.org

mental health services

Dinner Program for Homeless Women AND the “9:30 Club” Breakfast 309 E Street, NW (202) 737–9311 www.dphw.org

Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling, mentoring, education, youth services, clothing

Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112

Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter. org laundry, counseling, psych care

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277 www.foodandfriends.org Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8926 www.miriamskitchen.org The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635 http://www.epiphanydc.org/ ministry/welcometbl.htm

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100 www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300 www.unityhealthcare.org Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500; www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419; www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treatment Green Door (202) 464–9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive

Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608 www.marthastable.org dinner, education, recreation, clothing, child and family services Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005 http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc. php hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social events Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340 www.sashabruce.org counseling, housing, family services So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org lunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 Washington DC 20001 (202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300 www.ccs–dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.org housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low cost resources. www.dcfoodfinder.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511

15

www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet

MARYLAND

VIRGINIA

SHELTER

SHELTER

Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs

Comm. Ministry of Montgomery Co. 114 W. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville (301) 762–8682 www.communityministrymc. org

Alexandria Community Shelter 2355 B Mill Road, Alexandria (703) 838–4239

Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/ services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW (202) 462–4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau National Student Partnerships (NSP) 128 M Street NW, Suite 320 (202) 289–2525 washingtondc@nspnet.org Job resource and referral agency Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202)889–7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/ alcohol addiction, healthcare St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667–4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (202) 347–3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Mass. Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/ dc.html emergency travel assistance Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org

The Samaritan Group P.O. Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480–3564 Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org

FOOD Bethesda Cares 7728 Woodmont Church, Bethesda (301) 907–9244 www.bethesdacares.com Community Place Café 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org Manna Food Center 614–618 Lofstrand Lane, Rockville (301) 424–1130 www.mannafood.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Community Clinic, Inc. 8210 Colonial Lane, ilver Spring (301) 585–1250 www.cciweb.org Mobile Medical Care, Inc. 9309 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda (301) 493–8553 www.mobilemedicalcare.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Catholic Charities, Maryland 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring (301) 942–1790 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services Mission of Love 6180 Old Central Avenue Capitol Heights (301)333–4440 www.molinc.org life skills classes, clothing, housewares Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless 600–B East Gude Dri Rockville (301) 217–0314; www.mcch.net emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportiveservices

Carpenter’s Shelter 930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org Arlington–Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless 3103 Ninth Road North, Arlington (703) 525–7177 www.aachhomeless.org

FOOD Alive, Inc. 2723 King Street, Alexandria (703) 836–2723; www.alive–inc. org Our Daily Bread 10777 Main Street, Ste. 320, Fairfax (703) 273–8829 www.our–daily–bread.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Arlington Free Clinic 3833 N Fairfax Drive, #400, Arlington (703) 979–1400 www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Abundant Life Christian Outreach, 5154 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria (703) 823–4100 www.anchor–of–hope.net food, clothing, youth development, and medicines David’s Place Day Shelter 930 North Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org laundry, shower, workshops, hypothermia shelter Legal Services of Northern Virginia 6066 Leesburg Pike, Ste. 500 (703) 778–6800; www.lsnv.org civil legal services

Shelter Hotline: 1–800– 535–7252

S treetS ense.org

March 4 - March 17, 2009

THe Last Word

By Mary Otto

Comforts of Home

T

Tommy Bennett

Vendor Profile

he harsh-sounding bell jangled as it does a hundred times a day here at Street Sense, signaling that a vendor is downstairs, needing to buy papers, needing to come up, maybe make a phone call or ask for a dry pair of socks or write a haiku.

That afternoon, it was volunteer Roberta Haber’s answer the door, so she disappeared down the stairs. When she came back a little while later, she sighed.

It had been one of her favorite vendors, a hardworking guy with a shy, luminous smile and a habit of talking to himself.

After he lost his place at the shelter, he had, in sly, yet urgent contravention of Street Sense house rules, stowed a duffle bag in the office storage closet.

And when he had rung the bell, he had asked only for a small favor, Roberta explained.

“He just wanted to look at his stuff.”

Every night, I turn a key, and a door opens into a small, wellordered place in the world that is mine. I switch on the light and I see my books there, and my couch and chair and rug. My stuff is there, silently greeting me. It is with a sense of gratitude and awe that I enter. I am home.

When the last vestige of home is a bag in a closet, there must still be some comfort in looking at it, touching it, in knowing it’s still there.

Some vendors use some of the dollars they earn selling Street Sense to pay for the storage of their things, what is left of the homes they once had, before they were thrown out or locked up, before they fell behind or got sick.

Sometimes they cannot make the payments and lose those things.

I talked to a vendor recently about the loss of the things in his storage unit. He mentioned with the most regret the loss of his notebooks, his writings.

“You are still the poet who wrote those words,” I reminded him.

“You will have to rewrite them.”

Are there things to be gained, to be learned, from losing the last vestige, the last comfort of home and then rebuilding, rewriting one’s life?

There must be, I thought to myself, hoping his lost words would return to him in a fierce new flame.

By Alecia Peterson Tommy Bennett is 53 years old and grew up in Washington, D.C. He did not finish high school but is currently working towards obtaining his GED and lives in the shelter 801 East.

Tommy does not have an alternate employer as of yet but is pursuing a drug counselor’s position once he gets his GED. He came to Street Sense 5 years ago when told about it from his friend Jose. He currently sells his papers at 14th and G, 11th and G or 29th and M.

What is your favorite kind of music? Jazz, Korean and Jamaican music What is your favorite food? Steak with mashed potatoes and gravy What is your favorite movie? I like Batman and Spiderman but also like horror movies.

How did you become homeless? I got myself into trouble doing stuff I wasn’t suppose to.

Were you ever homeless before? Yes, about 20 years ago.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Tommy sees himself getting his drug counselors

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