03 15 2006

Local Nonprofits Are Stepping Up to Fill the Gap of Affordable Housing in DC Before It’s Too Late, page 5

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Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents March ,15 2006 -- April 14, 2006

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Volume 3, Issue 5

www.streetsense.org

Md. Proposes Protecting Homeless Under Hate Crimes Law

We Are Family

Questions and Answers

By Michelle McCullough

By David S. Hammond and Valerie Wexler

F

See

FAMILY, page 15

pErry frank

irst, I want to thank everyone that had kind words to say about last month’s column. I hope you enjoy this month’s as well.

As you can imagine, there are very few positive experiences that come from being homeless. But one of the best things that has happened to us as a family is our involvement in the National Coalition for the Homeless’ “Faces of Homelessness” Speakers’ Bureau.

My husband David and I enjoy it, and it has been especially good for our son Matthew’s self-esteem.

The purpose of the Speakers’ Bureau is to break stereotypes and put a human face on homelessness. As members of the Speakers’ Bureau we visit many different groups and tell them our story. After we speak, there is a time for questions and answers, and I thought it would be interesting to write about some of the best and most frequently asked questions.

One of the best questions yet was, “If you were suddenly in a position of power, what would you do to help the homeless?” My answer: I would build a facility that would provide shelter, case management, mental health services, medical and dental care, legal aid, life skills and parenting classes, child and adult mentoring, substance abuse counseling, and all phases of employment preparedness including job placement services.

A question I’m always glad to

John Ewing and Omar Montonya meet in La Casa to talk of the imminent closing of this 20-year-old Shelter.

La Casa Residents Organize and Focus as Shelter’s Future Remains Uncertain

By Perry Frank “We want the city to support us and take into account the following points in their plans to move La Casa temporarily,” Omar Montoya, a representative of the La Casa Resident Leadership Committee, said at a recent D.C. City Council meeting.

He continued urging that the temporary La Casa center remain near its current location in the largely Hispanic Columbia Heights neighborhood. Montoya also said the facility should maintain its current capacity, staffing, and accessibility, and he requested that city administrators keep La Casa residents informed and take their opinions into consideration.

The La Casa Multicultural Ser-

Inside This Issue INTERVIEW

Stephen Bradberry This organizer from ACORN talks about fair housing and recovery in New Orleans, page 6

vices Center, a e 130-bed emergency shelter and residential treatment program for men, will move this spring from 1436 Irving Street, N.W. Though as construction has erupted around the La Casa site, where it will move is still uncertain.

Montoya’s presentation was the latest chapter in the lengthy dialogue between a united group of the center’s residents and city officials over the future of La Casa that began when the property -known as Parcel 26 -- was sold in 2002 to make way for mixed-use development.

Initial discussions about the future of Parcel 26 included La Casa, which has operated on the Irving Street site since 1985 as the city’s only bilingual emergency shelter and treatment program.

But residents, staff, and neighbors became uneasy when the successful bidder for the project unveiled plans for hundreds of luxury condominiums and rental apartments for senior citizens -but no La Casa.

“We saw the maps, and we asked, ‘Where is La Casa?’ We’d been pushed off the map,” said Gary Holbrooks, a representative of the La Casa Support Committee, which now is known as the La Casa Resident Leadership Committee.

La Casa’s residents have since banded together in an effort to ensure that the center was included in the city’s redevelopment plans for the Columbia Heights area. Despite the fact that these

See

LACASA, page 7

NATIONAL

EDITORIAL

A look at makeshift housing for the homeless in the U.S., page 9

Vendor August Mallory visits Philadelphia, page 16

Alternative Housing

On the Road

REVIEWS

FEATURES

In our first music review vendor Muriel Dixon gives readers a peek at a local artist, page 12

Vendor Jake Ashford hits the street to get readers’ opinion, page 15

Racoon Music

Man on the Street

A bill now in the Maryland state Senate would seek to more firmly deter attacks against homeless people by adding them to those protected under the state’s hate crimes law.

“It’s a statement of a society’s values – it’s a statement about ... who is it in our society that is entitled to those types of protections,” said Robert Nasdor, legal director of Baltimore’s Homeless Persons Representation Project.

“Hate crimes” laws stiffen the existing penalties for violent crimes in which an attack is motivated by bias. Maryland law currently offers this enhanced protection to victims targeted because of race, color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and national origin.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Alex X. Mooney (R-Frederick) at the beginning of March, is the first bill in any state to propose protecting homeless persons under the hate crimes law.

This bill comes in the wake of several high-profile attacks. In January teens beat a homeless man to death in Fort Lauderdale, and in early March a homeless man was brutally beaten and set on fire in Boston and someone videotaped a beating of a homeless man in San Francisco. Last year, there were 86 reported acts of violence against homeless persons in 22 states, resulting in 73 injuries and 13 deaths.

Michael Stoops, the acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, supports the bill and said that he thinks the bill has a chance. “I think because of the national stuff happening it gives the bill some momentum,” he said.

Perhaps because the most recent publicized attack on a homeless

See HATE, page 4

2 ALL ABOUT US

Street Sense . March 2006

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

BOARD OF DIREcTORS James Davis Robert Egger Ted Henson Barbara Kagan August Mallory Michael Stoops Kathy Whelpley

EXEcUTIVE DIREcTOR Laura Thompson Osuri SENIOR EDITOR Ted Henson ASSOcIATE EDITORS David S. Hammond AD SALES MANAgERS Jake Ashford Donald Brooks James Davis Alvin Dixon August Mallory Michelle McCullough

VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Gwen Arnold, Jake Ashford, Aliza BelmanInbal, Donald Brooks, Karen Brooks, Amy BurchfieldCliff Clare, Muriel Dixon,Perry Frank, Michelle Gaudet, Jake Geissinger, Leo Gnawa, Joanne Goodwin, David Harris, Enoka Herat, Annie Hill, Alex Hiniker, Adam Kampe, Maurice King, Jessica LeCompte, Brad McCormick, Michelle McCullough, Jill Merselis, Brian Morris, Amy Orndorff, Susan Pearce, Jen Pearl, Cara Santos Pianesi, David Pike, Diane Rusignola, Patty Smith, Trish Savage, Stephanie Schwartz, Francine Triplett, Robert Trautman, Linda Wang, Valerie Wexler, Mhairi Whitton, Marian Wiseman, Irene WuMark Youssef

VENDORS Alan Bates, Robert Beecher, Tommy Bennett, Donald Brooks, Kanon Brown, Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek, Jr., James Chisholm, Doug Crawford James Davis, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon El, Kerwin Dowell, Harry Glascoe Jr., Leo Gnawa, David Harris, John Harrison, Patricia Henry, Phillip Howard, Michael Jefferson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Wayne Kern, David McCullough, Michelle McCullough, August Mallory, Charles Nelson, Therese Onyemenam, Eddie Singer, Al Szekely Sr., Patty Smith, Francine Triplett, Martin Walker, Brenda Wilson, Patty Withington DESIgN cONSULTANT Oliver Uberti

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.

Our Editorial Policy

Editorials and features in Street Sense reflect the perspectives of the authors. We invite the submission of journalism, opinion, fiction and poetry, hoping to create a means where a multitude of perspectives on poverty and homelessness can find expression.

Street Sense reserves the right to edit any material.

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 men and women who sell it. About 25 street papers operate in the United

States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and there are dozens more 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. Since then, the paper has published consistently on a monthly basis and has 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 an independent nonprofit organization.

Today, Street Sense prints 13,000 copies, has 45 vendors and continues to grow.

March Donors

WANNA HELP?

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or a vendor, please contact Laura Thompson Osuri at Street Sense.

OUR NEXT EDITORIAL MEETINg April 12 at 6:00 p.m.

cORREcTIONS

In the March issue of Street Sense, the picture on page 3 of the Community for Hope did not have a photo credit.

It was taken by Lloyd Wolf.

Ernestine Slaughter gina Sangster Hayman keisha Byam Laura and Bill Slover nader for president keri a. rasmussen Jennifer E. park russell C. Capps Blair Taylor ali nininger-finch & The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region

Thank you!

Street Sense . March 2006

VOLUNTEER UNDERCOVER

Volunteer Undercover

CCNV: An Oasis of Help, Shelter for Homeless People

By Aliza Belman-Inbal The Center for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV ) is the embodiment of the cliché of how DC places the most powerful people in the country within a few feet of the poorest, most powerless and most disenfranchised.

In fact, CCNV, one of the largest homeless shelters in the country, is located only two blocks away from the Judiciary Square Metro station. As I walk down D street in Northwest and pushed past the crowds of bureaucrats, legislative aides and courthouse officials on their way to and from work, suddenly, I turn onto 2nd Street and enter a different world – that of the up to 1,300 people who call CCNV their home.

Linda Wang

Of course, home is a very qualified term here. CCNV actually is located in a federal building, an old office property that lay empty until the founders of the CCNV convinced the government to rent the building for use as a shelter. This means that it is subject to government rules, despite the fact that CCNV receives no government funding.

One of these rules places stringent limits on the number of months that people can call CCNV their home. Without the means to rent apartments, CCNV “guests” put their names on the list for subsidized housing – along with thousands of others in need. The wait can be a year longer than the amount of time that CCNV guests are allowed to stay at the shelter. As a result, CCNV staff is constantly trying to find the legal loopholes that will enable them to keep people off the street as they wait for the government to provide a long-term housing solution.

In fact, talking to the staff of CCNV, one discovers how much of the institution is about finding ways around the rules in order to focus on the organization’s mission of protecting the rights and providing for the needs of homeless people. Its staff is composed of 68 full-time volunteers, almost all

Residents of CCNV stand outside the shelter’s entrance on D Street in Northwest.

of whom were once homeless themselves.

Many work at CCNV in order to give back to a unique institution which they say helped them turn their lives around. These people are joined by volunteers from across the country and around the world who come to learn about CCNV and to contribute.

They are also joined by the shelter guests themselves, 65% of whom do at least some part-time work at the shelter.

CCNV’s staff of committed volunteers is much of what makes the atmosphere of this shelter so different from those funded by the government. For example, while other shelters have strict rules mandating by what time guests must check-in in the evening and leave in the morning, CCNV is open around the clock for those who need a warm place to sleep at night and a safe place to stay during the day. Alongside its primary function as a shelter, CCNV also houses a number of independent providers who run

programs for drug rehabilitation, job training, employment services and medical care.

This comprehensive approach makes CCNV much more than just a temporary roof for

street people; it provides them with the support they need to turn their lives around.

Perhaps the most important gift that CCNV gives to its guests, however, is the message that they are valuable human beings worthy of respect and capable of making a contribution. For a volunteer, this message is reinforced from the first day.

I went to CCNV twice to volunteer. My first day, I actually was not asked to work.

Instead, the volunteer coordinator, himself a formerly homeless man, spent over two hours showing me around the center and introducing me to other staff-volunteers. He spoke to me about what it is like to live on the streets, and how CCNV tries to make a difference. On the second day, I showed up ready to push up my sleeves and begin work, and was told that the most valuable contribution that I could make would be just to talk to the guests of the center.

CCNV wants to help its guests feel like people of worth who can help both themselves and others. This is a lesson that CCNV is committed to teach those that show up at its doors – whether they are homeless people or volunteers. And what more important lesson is there than that?

StreetFact Nearly 1,300 homeless people stay at the Federal City Shelter, where CCNV is located, making it one of the largest shelters in the United States.

Donate to Street Sense I will donate: ___ $50 for food at one vendor meeting ___ $70 for one restaurant review ___ $100 for postage each month ___ $200 for the vests of 15 new vendors ___ $500 for monthly rent and insurance ___ $1,000 for 5 months of job training workshops ___ $1,400 for the printing of one issue ___ Another amount of $_______ ___ Another amount of $_______ for a specific vendor

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

You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . March 2006

From THe Street Level

Speakers

Miriam’s Kitchen Succeeds at Its Mission with Art and Breakfast

By Jake Ashford Miriam’s Kitchen is a nonprofit organization that feeds and helps the homeless. I became familiar with this organization after becoming homeless in November 2002. The only meal this organization serves is breakfast, five days a week.

But besides providing food, the staff there has been unbelievable in the depths they go just to assist individuals.

Most importantly the art therapy is great for the participants. I have seen some of the work of their clients, who are extremely skillful artists. The art therapy, as well as music, writing and yoga therapy happens after the breakfast program is finished and is open to everyone.

So I am asking the public to check them out and you can see for yourself what great talents are just hidden in this wonderful community. I am hoping you see something that you like and give a donation to the individual who created the art work. You can also go just to look at art work and see what creativity is going on at the soup kitchen.

The staff members offer so much loving compassion, and are involved in every interaction and with every encounter, even if it involves security or one of the volunteers.

Eating at this location and receiving social

services assistance has made a big difference. They get you straight to the resources rather than having to run all over D.C. and get nothing accomplished that would be helpful in your individual situation.

Once I discovered that there are these services and compassionate people that eased the stress of being homeless in this metropolitan area, and it made it easier to cope with life.

The system that Miriam’s operates should truly be the standard of operations for all of the community. In fact, corporations and business in the area should follow Miriam’s lead.

If a business would offer a sponsorship of sorts to a homeless individual and concentrate on the needs of this person by offering them a job for eight months, they will surely get off the street. With this sponsorship, combined with the effort to end homelessness through Miriam’s, I know we can turn this increasingly huge percentage of people living in homelessness into a smaller fraction of the popultion.

The staff members offer so much loving compassion, and are involved in every interaction and with every encounter.

HATE, from p.1 person in Maryland was more than four years ago, Maryland’s homeless people feel safe.

Outreach workers in Frederick County report a history of low-level harassment – sometimes simple vandalism of homeless camps in wooded areas, but sometimes more sinister.

Todd Johnson, who coordinates homeless services for Frederick Community Action, said he knows of about a dozen fires at such camps in the last 16 years.

“We don’t know if it’s done maliciously, if it’s homeless-on-homeless, poor-on-poor, or wilding gangs,” he said, adding that there have been too many to ignore. “Lots of people double up or triple up in a camp. They watch each other’s back, and there are very few lone campers.”

In Baltimore, homeless people do not report the fear of being targeted as a primary concern. Bigger concerns are street crime and homeless-on-homeless crime – mostly theft and the occasional minor assault. But the city is seen as a far more dangerous place than are Maryland’s suburbs and rural areas. Several homeless men sleep near the Camden Yards baseball stadium because the security cameras give them a feeling of safety.

Jake has been a vendor for Street Sense since July 2004, and now works in the office once a week. He can often be found near the Whole Foods on P Street, NW and in Tenleytown.

And while the police presence downtown and near the Inner Harbor brings more enforcement of laws against panhandling and other activities, it is also thought to scare away anyone meaning to harm homeless people.

Elsewhere in the city, homeless people find shelter in more isolated spots, such as abandoned buildings. Those places may be too scary or remote for attackers seeking easy targets.

Still, whatever the motivation, attacks on homeless people are not unheard of. One Baltimore man reported having been beaten a few times by groups of young men. And another homeless man, who uses a wheelchair, said he remembered seeing a crowd of young men, who looked like they were “up to no good,” approaching him. One of the crowd called off the group because of the wheelchair.

It’s this kind of fear, and this kind of incident, that the Senate bill’s supporters say they hope to discourage. Adding homeless people to Maryland’s hate crimes law would help address this concern, supporters say, because state authorities are directed to report and track incidents covered by the law. And that, said Nasdor, would in itself send a powerful message.

Presented by the Equal Rights Center

Stephen Bradberry ACORN New Orleans

Shelter from the Storm Wade Henderson Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Race, Class, and Fair Housing in America Join us as we examine how the realities of race and class impact where we live.

Margery Austin Turner The Urban Institute

James Perry Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center

Janis Bowdler National Council of La Raza

For more information or to register, please visit www.equalrightscenter.org or contact Arlene Corbin Lewis at 202.234.3062.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 Kellogg Conference Hotel Gallaudet University 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. $75 includes breakfast, lunch, panels, and parking.

“It’s not just about enhanced criminal penalties,” he said. “What we’re talking about are the full rights of citizenship, and that homeless people shouldn’t be treated any differently than anybody else.”

The tracking provision, Nasdor said, could help Maryland know the scope of the problem. And supporters hope that establishing a vigorous and reliable police response would help break down the distrust homeless people often feel for law enforcement.

Maryland Senate Bill 539, “Hate Crimes – Expanding Prohibitions and Protected Classes of People,” is before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Committee action is expected in the next few weeks. You can learn more about Senate Bill 539 by going to http://mlis.state.md.us/.

Dan Andersen contributed to this story.

StreetFact The Maryland Senate is the first state legislature in the country to propose including homeless people in its hate crimes law.

Street Sense . March 2006

LOCAL NEWS

DC Nonprofits Take Lead in Building Affordable Housing

By Irene Wu Parkside Terrace with 318 units and Mayfair Mansions with 570 units are two affordable housing projects the not-for-profit Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CDPC) is renovating and rehabilitating with funding from the District government.

Projects like these, which preserve affordable housing, should be the most important element of the city’s development strategy, said Alice Rivlin, co-chair of the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force.

With traditional developers not stepping up to build an ample amount of affordable housing, nonprofits like CDPC are getting involved and, despite many challenges, are leading the way in responding to the Task Force’s call to build 19,000 new units of affordable housing by 2020.

This goal was outlined in a recently released report called “Homes for an Inclusive City,” which recommends doubling the funding for preservation and new development of affordable housing in the District, from $2 million a year to $4 million a year for the next 15 years.

Michael Pitchford, president of CDPC, said that nonprofit developers who are engaged in rehabilitating deserve to receive more funding for these projects, in light of the larger profits made by mainstream developers on high-end developments “The challenge to preserving affordable housing is mainly that the demand for condos has driven up the cost of buying units. There have been run-ups in sales prices. Condo converters can make a nice profit. As those units go condo, we lose them in the affordable housing area.”

For nonprofit developers like So Others Might Eat, Inc. (SOME), finding good sites is another major challenge, said Ken Ellison, its housing development director. SOME undertakes new development only of affordable housing and has pledged to build 1,000 new affordable housing units in the next seven years. Therefore this organization is constantly searching for empty buildings or land.

For land owned by the city, SOME must

Potential New Sources for Affordable Housing in DC Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force $2 million annually Commercial Linkage Fee 2% Taxes from new residents 24%

Increase fraction of Deed Recordation and Transfer Tax for housing 9%

Increase Deed Recordation and Transfer Tax from 1.1% to 1.5% 65%

compete with other projects that want to use it in ways that may generate more revenue for the city. In other cases, people who have empty buildings may be holding on to them in the hope that prices will rise, Ellison said, adding that “some properties never go on the market, but are sold to those willing to pay a premium.”

SOME has about 230 units of housing currently, with 23 units in the pipeline, for extremely low-income households, defined as households at 30% of median income.

Because of the land shortage Ellison said SOME is now interested in working with churches. “We commit to 40-year projects with the city, and we could do a 40-year lease with a church.” Adding another option, Ellison said that if people in a community do not want to sell a site but are still interested in having it developed, SOME is open to a joint venture.

The Task Force’s Rivlin noted that although the housing boom is raising prices for land and empty buildings as well as new housing units, “it is also creating opportunities because it is bringing in more resources.” To capitalize on these opportunities, the Task Force report recommends increasing the deed recordation and transfer tax and dedicating real estate tax revenue from new residents to affordable housing.

Besides building housing, the Task Force

Recommended Budget for DC's Affordable Housing Efforts Comprehensive Housing S trategy Task Force Homeownership 5% Rent Subsidy 23%

Production 40%

Preservation 32%

wants to preserve affordable housing by rehabilitating about 1,600 units a year and subsidizing rent for 25,000 units. Between 2000 and 2004, D.C. lost 7,500 units with rent levels under $500 and 9,400 homes valued at or below $150,000.

Ellison said that he welcomes the Task Force’s recommended increase in rent subsidies. SOME finds that while capital funds are accessible for site acquisition, there is a shortage of funds for both rent subsidies for tenants and subsidies that complement housing development. SOME housing provides not only shelter, but also an array of support services such as counseling and after-school programs.

The Task Force’s recommendations are based on the Mayor’s goal that the city will grow by 100,000 residents over the next 15 years. In 1970, D.C. had 756,000 residents, but by 2000 the population had dropped to 572,000. According to its report the growing population should make the city more prosperous, generate jobs, and increase the tax base, which in turn should improve public services.

A growing middle class is key to the city’s future vitality, says the Task Force report. CDPC’s Pitchford agrees. “That single mom [in affordable housing] has a job that is vital to the city—like a teaching assistant, or in the police or fire department. There are economic

reasons, not just social reasons, for having affordable housing,” he said. The Task Force report defines income levels, based on metropolitan-area incomes, as follows:

- Extremely low income (less than $27,000): Jobs like parking lot attendant, food preparation worker

- Ve r y l ow i n c o m e ( l e s s t h a n $54,000): Bookkeeper, firefighter

- Low-income (less than $71,000): Nurse, librarian Over the long run, efforts to increase affordable housing should help homeless people. “When there is an increase in the stock of affordable housing, there is a reduction in the number of homeless people. Every element of this plan, even though it does not directly address homelessness, indirectly it does,” Pitchford said.

However, neither homelessness nor the problem of unaffordable housing can be solved just from the housing side, Rivlin pointed out.

“The city is committed to both temporary solutions like shelters, and more permanent solutions like affordable housing,” she said.

“But anything you do about housing has to be coordinated with training and jobs—not our beat [of the Task Force], so to speak. But the Task Force emphasizes that the problem is not just housing, it’s higher income.”

Select Affordable Housing Initiatives from Nonprofits Community of Hope Manages Hope Apartments in Congress Heights, with 10 units for very low-income households with members in the early stages of substance recovery.

Community Preservation & Development Corp.

Runs 1,500 units in the District now, with two new projects under way with another 800 units. Residents are very often families with children, headed by a woman, on income of $10,000–30,000 per year.

An affordable housing complex developed by the CDPC.

Cultural Development Corporation Partnered with a private developer to facilitate the sale of 12 affordable condominium units in Mather Stu-

dios for artists, and recently unveiled plans for 80 units in Northeast Washington, Ward 5 and Ward 7.

Mi Casa Helped 250 people achieve quality single-family homeownership for the first time, 450 tenants purchase and rehabilitate their own buildings, and 15 challenged individuals renovate home units.

St. Martin’s Catholic Church and Catholic Community Services Teamed up to build a 184-unit development at T and Summit Streets, N.E., for Ward 5 residents at diverse income levels. Units range from junior 1-bedrooms to 2-bedrooms; the development will include parking and community space.

INTERVIEW

Street Sense . March 2006

MY Two Cents

Fair Housing, Race and Recovery in New Orleans

‘‘

Bradberry’s latest organizing feat occurred in February, when 500 New Orleans residents came to Washington, D.C. , to petition Congress for more emergency relief and recovery funds. He will be back in Washington on April 25 as the headline speaker at the Equal Rights Center conference, Shelter from the Storm: Race, Class and Fair Housing in America.

Braderry was born and raised in Chicago but has been living in New Orleans for 18 years. He has a background in education and came to ACORN by simply answering an ad in the newspaper. ACORN is a national organization that has successfully campaigned for better housing, schools, neighborhood safety, health care and job conditions in low-income communities.

Describe how you reacted after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

I was actually out of town on vacation and was supposed to return on Tuesday the 30 th. So I immediately flew back to Baton Rouge that Wednesday and caught up with the staff and set up an office in Baton Rouge. ACORN has an office in Baton Rouge, so we pretty much moved into their building.

Next we began to text message people simply: “This is ACORN we are here and we can help.” We have about 9,000 member families in New Orleans, and members in other states like Arkansas and Texas were offering to help and take in our members, so we tried to match them up. And we also partnered up with MoveOn.org and their list of people willing to help.

A couple hundred of our members ended up contacting us.

And then when did the organizing and advocacy begin?

They were in the process of bringing people home last September, and that’s when we were in the lower ninth ward and held up the “No Bulldozing” signs.

That really became the first salvo in the fight to return to New Orleans. This was recognized by a lot of people, and that really struck people and became a symbol for people’s fight to return.

Then in October, we formed the ACORN Katrina Survivors Association of New Orleans Residents that deals with local issues and works together to give a national push.

In Nove m ber I won the award, and we had a rebuilding and recovery conference and came up with 40 to 60 residents to talk with planners, and what people really wanted to know is how people can get home.

In December we made the pledge to gut 1,000 houses by March 31, because that is the first step in stabilizing the property.

And so far we are at 800.

Then you have Alphonso Jackson with HUD saying that the new New Orleans won’t have as many black people. It’s not a question of is this a racial thing when you have all these people of influence saying it is a racial thing.

Laura Thompson Osuri of Street Sense spoke to Bradberry over the phone in early March as he walked the streets of his New Orleans neighborhood.

Were you surprised to win the Robert F. Kennedy award?

I was nominated last April and made it through all of the cuts down to the final five, and then the storm hit. And after that they chose me. But before that I was working on the living wage campaign and had a career of giving low-income individuals and families a voice and getting them involved in the decision-making process.

‘‘

Stephen Bradberry Lead Organizer ACORN New Orleans

Stephen Bradberry has been the lead organizer of New Orleans ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) for nine years, and he has been a longtime advocate for poor people in New Orleans. In November he won the Robert F. Kennedy human rights award.

He was the first African American to win the award in its 22-year history. He was honored for his work fighting for a living wage and combating predatory lending.

Most importantly, though, the award paid tribute to his work organizing the low-income residents of the lower ninth ward to fight for their right to return home and to get involved in the rebuilding process.

In discussions about the rebuilding process, does fair housing discrimination come up?

The issue is almost too big. The fact that people are not allowed to come back, I certainly see as a fair housing issue, especially when an overwhelming majority of the population of New Orleans are people of color. Jim Reeves of the Bring New Orleans

Back Commission said that the city has to change demographically and economically to successfully rebuild. And then you have Alphonso Jackson with HUD saying that the new New Orleans won’t have as many black people. It’s not a question of is this a racial thing when you have all these people of influence saying it is a racial thing.

Prior to Katrina you had done quite a bit of advocacy for the living wage. Why is this such an important issue for you?

Because the minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, and you cannot live on that and raise a family on that.

If it’s so simple, why don’t lawmakers see it that way?

One thing is that when they think about minimum wage, it’s when they received it, and the value of the dollar was much greater back then. Lawmakers are also beholden to private interests and are not as likely to think about low- and moderateincome families.

Was it more difficult organizing low-income people before the storm, when they had their lives together, or after the storm, when they have a more immediate cause to fight for?

It’s more difficult to organize now because it’s difficult to locate people. And people have many, many more immediate concerns than prior to the hurricane.

Also, the staff has to work with people to get new members involved and find places to set up meetings, all the while dealing with other problems. People are living out of trailers and shelters, and there are so many other issues, like childcare and physical problems.

So to do my job, I go out and find the people and talk with them. That’s what it takes.

What kind of general advice would you give someone trying to organize low-income people in any other part of the country?

Number one, organizing is not easy work. Most organizers are looking for an easy way of doing things, but that’s not what ACORN’s about. We go door to door every day, and it makes it much more difficult when there are no doors. You need to go to people at their homes and in their living rooms and ask them their concerns and ask them to come out to meetings.

We make tons of phone calls to come out to any event. It’s very tedious work dealing with people through all the anxiety and disbelief. But you have to accept [that] to encounter problems and go through that process and have minimal success at best.

Street Sense . March 2006

LOCAL NEWS

LACASA, from p.1 men are homeless, transient and, for the most part, native Spanish speakers, they have stood their ground for the last three years, going up against the City Council and against developers to make sure that their concerns are heard.

“When a group of people are trying to change a multimillion-dollar development plan, they need a common goal,” said Robert Pressley, one of the original leaders of the La Casa Support Committee.

L a C a s a re s i d e n t s t h e m s e l v e s a re now playing a large role in solving the relocation problem. With assistance from Neighbors’ Consejo, a nonprofit group that provides multicultural social services in the neighborhood, the Support Committee resolved to secure a commitment from the city to rebuild La Casa on its current site as part of the Franklin Square redevelopment project.

“Many of the men La Casa serves have roots here, and for Hispanic clients, being in a Spanish-speaking environment is key,” said Marnie Brady, the Neighbors’ Consejo community building and advocacy director.

Starting with a kick-off rally in front of La Casa in April 2002, the Support Committee began raising community awareness of how the loss of the shelter would affect the neighborhood and the city.

The Support Committee pointed out that the center’s demise would increase the number of homeless people on the streets and

New construction stands literally at the doorway of La Casa in Columbia Heights.

deaths from hypothermia, and that the city could not afford to lose 40 residential treatment slots that save nearly $20 in health- and crime-related costs for every dollar spent.

Committee members also contended that closing the center, with no alternative in place, would send a terrible message to Washingtonians about the purposes and consequences of “urban renewal.”

Then, with the solid backing of Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, the La Casa committee secured the support of the two

most affected Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs), 1-A (Columbia Heights) and 1-D (Mt. Pleasant). The committee also generated media publicity, launched a citizen letter-writing campaign to city officials, and encouraged the participation of at least 20 churches and other community groups.

Because of these efforts, the board of the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, the city agency developing the site, voted to amend the Parcel 26 agreement to include emergency shelter and substance abuse treatment services, as well as single-resident-occupancy (SRO) units, in the Franklin Square project plan.

The city subsequently appropriated $7.2 million for the new facility, which is now envisioned as a six-floor building that will provide a continuum of multicultural, bilingual services to support independent living.

But the appropriation has not ended the

work of La Casa’s advocacy group, the Leadership Committee. Nearly three and a half years after La Casa’s successful appeal to the city’s power structure, the center’s future still is uncertain, even as bulldozers excavate a massive foundation for the new condominium structure just yards from the current treatment facility.

The center still lacks a temporary site, despite two years of effort by city officials and La Casa staff. The D.C. Coalition for the Homeless, led by executive director Michael Ferrell and La Casa Executive Director Michael Nettles, in conjunction with Councilmember Graham, other Council members, and current Deputy Mayor Lynn French, have explored a number of possibilities, including use of a former supermarket or one of the neighborhood’s vacant schools.

None of these suggestions has panned out.

Late last year, the city announced that La Casa’s substance abuse treatment program will move to a vacant two-story building on the grounds of a D.C. Mental Health Department facility at 1131 Spring Road, N.W. But the city has not announced a temporary location for La Casa’s 90-bed emergency shelter component that currently operates in seven trailers adjacent to the treatment center.

A few weeks ago, Ferrell of the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless met with the La Casa’s Leadership Committee to discuss the relocation issue. He emphasized the positive aspects of the relocation and, in response to concerns about whether the older trailers could survive relocation to a different site, he reassured residents that the city has a stock of better trailers available for the move.

And, as recent events have shown, while the membership of La Casa’s Leadership Committee is constantly changing as men make the transition back into the community, the tradition of participation and activism is being passed on.

LA CASA LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE JOHN EWING John Ewing is retired from the U.S. Postal Service, where he was a union steward for many years. He was also active in Shaw Education for Action, a D.C. group advocating for affordable housing and a living wage. Married for 23 years with four kids and eight grandchildren, Ewing became homeless after leaving a senior citizens co-op. Ewing’s background as an organizer has made him an effective spokesperson for the La Casa Leadership Committee, which he has represented before the City Council.

OMAR MONTOYA Omar Montoya immigrated to Adams Morgan from El Salvador in the mid-1970s to escape civil violence in his country. A guitarist and mime, Montoya participates in a local street theater troupe and has performed at many festivals. Now retired on disability, he is an eloquent voice for the 40% of La Casa residents and clients who are Hispanic.

EARL WIMBLEY Earl Wimberly was always interested in people’s rights and joined the struggle for integration as a high school student in Tallahassee, Fla. After graduating from Florida A & M in 1979 with a degree in psychology, Wimbley moved to the District and worked as a sales associate at Hecht’s Department Store. He then did part-time catering, but eventually found himself homeless. Wimbley, who is preparing to graduate from La Casa’s substance abuse treatment program, is busy looking for a job and lining up housing. He has been an active force on the Leadership Committee, and has advocated for La Casa to church groups and the City Council.

ROBERT FARMER Robert Farmer is especially committed to education and job training for young people as a way to combat homelessness. He worked in the hospitality industry for many years, but bottomed out and became homeless after a divorce in 1990. Now pursuing his GED,

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . March 2006

StreetPolitics

By David S. Hammond

On the Hill

Prisoner Re-entry Redefined The Bill The Re-Entry Enhancement Act (HB 4202)

Mayor Candidate Brown Speaks Out, Cites Street Sense “I look at poverty differently. I don’t look at it as how much money you make – I look at it as what kind of resources do you have in your community and in your life to make you a better person or to make your community better.”

So said Democratic mayoral hopeful Michael Brown when he spoke to Street Sense in early March. “There are a lot of folks that work on Capitol Hill that aren’t making much money at all, but they’re not living in poverty,” he said. “You can’t just link it to economics.”

Brown said that when it comes to helping poor and homeless people, “when you engage people, you learn.”

“It’s a tone issue,” he said. “It’s not legislation. ... Over the last eight to 10 years, I’ll tell you what’s been a priority: stadium, condos, restaurants – and I’m not saying that’s not good. I think those things are very important to a city. But other things that are on the low end of the totem pole for the priority list have been libraries, schools, recreation centers, how to deal with the poor.”

At a candidates’ forum later the same day, Brown answered a question about homelessness by decrying “leadership that says ‘here’s what we’re going to do, whether you like it or not.’ They may have some community meetings, they may not – it doesn’t matter, they’re going to do it anyway.”

He even cited the approach taken by Street Sense itself, saying “As Street Sense talks a lot about ... we need to engage people. For us to sit up here and talk about what the homeless need, without talking to homeless people, doesn’t seem to make much sense.”

Brown is not the only Washingtonian calling for changes in the decision-making process. Last year the City Council passed legislation that establishes an interagency council on homelessness. Mayoral candidate Marie Johns has been calling on the city’s most effective nonprofits to share their techniques for combating the stubborn problems of poverty. And Council member Adrian Fenty, who chairs the Human Services Committee and is also running for mayor, has been demanding more accountability.

It’s questionable whether any particular approach can overcome the force of habit, the pressures of redevelopment, and the limitations of a city with a high poverty rate amidst prosperous suburbs.

But Brown said that creative changes in how the city does business could make Washington more livable for both poor people and the middle class.

For example, he said, “The city is in such a rush for revenues” that when it sells land, it sells it for the highest price it can get. But “that developer then has to go get financing of his or her own, and they have debt service, [so] they have to sell condos at $900,000 to pay the debt service.”

Brown says there’s a better way: “What I want to do is better land deals with the developers” in which lower costs to developers could help the city set, and enforce, firm rules about including affordable housing in new development.

The pace of the campaign season is picking up, and voters should look for a shift from candidates’ overall messages, to specific proposals and positions. Street Sense will be asking the leading candidates for just that, and sharing the answers with our readers. Stay tuned.

Your feedback is welcome at StreetPoliticsDC@aol.com

Purpose Introduced in November 2005 to encourage successful re-entry of incarcerated persons into the community after release, and for other purposes.

Background More than two million individuals are currently incarcerated in federal and state prisons. Congress has found that 15% to 25% of released convicts go to homeless shelters after prison. The National Institute of Justice found that up to 60% of former inmates are not employed after one year of leaving prison. In 1998, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse estimated that 75% to 80% of all inmates had substance abuse problems, but only 13% of those inmates were

receiving treatment.

Details:If passed into law, the act would make many changes to the process a newly released convict goes through when reentering society. A few of the reforms include increasing the Federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit from $6,000 to $20,000 and allowing ex-convicts to vote in federal elections. The act would also make it easier for families with an incarcerated parent to stay together, stating that a reasonable effort should be made “to preserve and reunify families.”

Reforms would also be made to the “One Strike” policy in public housing. Before evicting a tenant for a criminal conviction or denying someone housing because of a criminal record, all mitigating circumstances and the impact of the loss of housing on the person’s family would be considered.

Also, the family of a tenant who is

convicted of a crime would not be evicted because of that one person. HR 4202 would also change Supervised Release. Ex-convicts, if caught, would not automatically go back to prison for committing a technical violation or if caught in possession of a controlled substance.” Instead, the court will impose a “community based sanction.”

Sponsor Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) Co-sponsors Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Robert Scott (D-VA), and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).

Status Re-Entry Enhancement Act is currently in the House Subcommittee on Health.

- Valerie Wexler

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Street Sense . March 2006

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Former Big Issue Vendor To Write Life Story For BBC

By Carrie Briffett Eric Wills is one of four people in Wales working with a mentor to write a 3,000 to 4,000-word autobiography that will appear on a BBC website as part of its RaW (Reading More And Writing Better) project. He is currently meeting with his mentor, author and actor Peter Read, for a couple of hours once a week.

Wills said: “I didn’t have much of an education and left school before I sat any exams – I was sent to a children’s home and had a bit of a mad childhood.

I can read and write so this is just to improve. I don’t read much and it’s interesting to me, I feel I should do more.”

The BBC approached The Big Issue looking for people to take part.

Afryl Glynne from the RaW project said: “We are targeting people through their interests and what other people will be interested in. It’s not supposed to be like going back to school. It should be fun.

“Janice Collard [Big Issue Cymru vendor service worker] recommended Eric as a possible candidate because his is such a positive story and that’s what we hope will be conveyed in his work. As soon as I met him I knew he was right for it. Eric has been interviewed on Radio Wales already and has also written a personal and moving story which will go on the website.”

Wills who was homeless for 10 years and sold The Big Issue from 2000 to 2002, is writing about how he has turned his life around.

He has a flat, a new job – after working last year as a sales coordinator for The Big Issue – has got married and is volunteering with a homelessness organization in Swansea with the eventual aim of working full time in the social sector.

Glynne added: “Hopefully people will relate to Eric’s story and will want to read it. It will definitely be on the website and there is a chance it might also get published as a book.”

The RaW project hopes to target 1.2 million of the 12.1 million people in Britain with intermediate reading and writing skills – that is, a reading age of between nine and 14 – and is running several projects throughout Wales. As well as large scale projects such as the one Wills is taking part in, RaW also offers a helpline mentoring service that allows people to have three half hour telephone sessions to develop whatever area of reading and writing they wish, such as helping their children with their homework.

The project is also working with other organizations, including The Big Issue Cymru, to establish ‘RaW centers’, providing organizations with the material needed to support the people they are working with in improving their reading and writing skills.

Jan Collard added: “We are hoping to set up a corner in each distribution office where vendors will be able to access the RaW materials. It is a different way of learning and many people don’t like to admit what they can and can’t do or feel awkward about it. This way they can do it at their own pace and on their own if they would prefer. It’s a more individual way of learning and once people have got involved and completed a course they can decide if they want to take things further and we can help them access further education.”

For more information visit www.bbc.co.uk/ raw or www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/raw

Eric has been interviewed on Radio Wales already and has also written a personal and moving story which will go on the website.

We

care.

We

help.

Re p r i n t e d f r o m T h e Bi g Is s u e Cy m r u © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org

We

heal.

Quality Primary Care Services for D.C. Medically Underserved and homeless Individuals……

For information on medical services in homeless shelters call 202-255-3469. For an appointment at any of our community health centers call 1-866-388-6489

We want to help. We want to help you.

Dome City in Los Angeles is a type of makeshift housing has been around since 1993.

Alternative Housing Part II: Options in the United States

By Mark Youssef In the previous article, two different homeless populations were examined: Brazil’s huge homeless population living in unsafe, dangerous, self-constructed cities; and Japan’s small homeless population living in small movable tents. If we were to tackle the homeless housing problem in the U.S., would we want to take Brazil’s approach, where the homeless form communities and camaraderie in hazardous living conditions, or Japan’s, where the homeless live generally as hygienic lonesome transients, unable to put down roots or even gain notice? In this, the second article in the series, we examine how the intersection of these two ideas might be an answer for homeless in the cities of the United States.

In downtown Los Angeles, a community called Dome Village, which grew from an encampment called Justiceville, was started in 1993 and utilizes small permanent hemispherical structures that serve as individual communal facilities, as well as private residences. The community comprises 20 domes that support up to 34 persons on approximately 1 1/3 acres of land. It has proved to be stabilizing tool in providing basic, affordable transitional housing that is nonthreatening to the chronically homeless and at the same time reduces urban blight and decay. The result has been individuals who are responsible and industrious and productive.

Another experimental community is the five-year old Dignity Village, in Portland, Ore. Eight homeless people started it following court action that overturned Portland’s Draconian laws against the homeless. Their ranks have grown steadily to some 60 people and residents there now are those who might otherwise be living in doorways, under bridges or in bushes in city parks. The residents are provided basic services that include toilets, showers, cooking facilities, telephones and computers, and access to health care. The village is now on city land, but is seeking resources to purchase a site to set up a permanent site.

Dome Village and Dignity Village share some of the favorable qualities of homeless communities in Brazil and Japan: a unity of persons, self-reliance and cleanliness. And

both have made as their aim providing a more meaningful and personably responsible experience than that available in traditional shelters. Additionally, by actively focusing on developing the community as a well designed, aesthetically pleasing space rather than a haphazard tent city, they aim to fight the typical images of homelessness of filth, chaos, and laziness.

But despite the hopeful goals of such communities, they do not have an easy path to success. Many criticisms of these types of communities come from “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) groups, who make several general claims against the proposed homeless communities. These groups assert that the homeless encampments hurt local businesses, decrease property values, bring in drug problems, and make the area unsafe for children. Would the answer then be to move the communities out of the densely populated areas, and into places where people would be less likely to create the disturbances that fuel the NIMBY arguments?

Would such a response be the avoidance of the homeless that is at the root of the homeless problem, as it exists today?

Perhaps the best way to approach the arguments against alternative homeless communities should be in the question, what is the eventual goal of such communities? Is it simply to move people off of the streets or is it a step in moving them into more permanent housing? If the issue can be thought of in terms of individual successes, and people desiring to rejoin society, then the answer is clear.

Dignity Village in Portland, Ore., is now home to 60 homeless persons.

In the third and final article in the series, the focus will be on the different structural options, including single unit housing, temporary winter shelters and renovated apartments.

10 PHOTOS & POETRY

Street Sense . March 2006 Winter Songs

Thro Vendo

I stand with my brothers sipping crisp morning air and muddy coffee.

They say “It wasn’t too cold last night,” and I silently agree, recalling touches of wintry breezes, unruly yet tender.

My brothers go their way and I go mine, lugging a pack that’s not so heavy.

As I march through the day, my body’s hinges sing to mesongs of violence.

I drape their rueful voices under a shroud of silence.

At evening, I catch up with my brothers in a leafless park.

Their shouts of joy and quarrel drown the moans of their creaking bones.

They span the dark and cobwebby landscapes of their lives armed with stems, bottles, needles loaded with powders and potions which will grant them silence, which will muffle the haunting songs of their angry bones.

Teenagers show off their skateboarding skills at the Navy Memorial. I love the sense of motion and action in this shot and the other skaters’ reactions in the background.

What do you get w feisty homeless man camera? A very inter of the city. Cliff Carle dreds of photos over Capitol Hill to Georg readers a glimpse in beauty and energy in

Here are some of hi why he chose them.

A homeless man making a statement at 18th and K streets in Northwest. I think his sign speaks for this photo.

I don’t join them; I prefer to snuff my shrieking songs alone.

Night comes to them and me, as inescapable as birth.

I wrap my self in a shroud of wool and silence, lying still in a place of deaf ears, then, at dark cold midnight, release the wrenching melody of my burning chest in a long and desperate moan to be swallowed in solitude.

-- David Harris Homeless Citizen

I am the corner guy who asks for a penny The one you reject because of my body odor The one in the street with a sign that says“help me.”

You look at me with a feeling of disgust With your face shriveled because of the smell of must You pass me by upon your way to work You call me bad names while your kids call me jerk I am the homeless citizen that you disrespect Not caring or thinking how I got like that I am the homeless citizen.

-- Daniel McGowan

A different prospective of M Street in Georgetown. It’s so surreal how the normal streetscape looks through this

PHOTOS & POETRY 11

Street Sense . March 2006

ough A or’s Lens

when you put together a n and a top-of-the-line resting and intriguing view e has been taking hunthe last few weeks from getown. His hope is to give nto his life, as well as the n the District.

Street Sense The tall, homeless man Who hawks Street Sense On the corner near my house With his melodious voice and What we used to call “good hair” Peaking from under his winter cap Always catches my attention.

Andrew Davis and his extremely animated son, Sammy, share a laugh at the Juan Valdez coffee shop. Sammy’s smile caught my attention when I stopped in to relax and check out this new café near the MCI Center.

is favorite pictures and

s broken glass window at one of the many stores in Georgetown.

Like yesterday afternoon when he Complimented my natural curls As I pressed a dollar into his hand And he said the look reminded him Of the 70s – a good time in his life.

In the moment we were simply Man and woman, close in age, Reminiscing about the good old days When we were young and he stood On other street corners looking suave, Saying something sweet to a young White girl walking by With her fine self The Hem --Gina Sangster Hayman A Street Sense Customer

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in downtown D.C. I just love the perspective of this and how noble the cross looks.

A stunning flower at the Botanical Gardens.

This flower caught my attention, and the camera did it justice. For a new photographer, all the flowers in the gardens were almost sensory overload.

I watched in pain as He walked by I tried in vain to catch His eye as He drew close I crept to Him was made whole as I touched His hem He felt my touch and said to me I love you so I’ve set you free no longer will feel the pain you’re whole now so tell of your gain I’ll see you soon go now with love until we meet at home above and when I see His face so sweet I’ll lay my crown down at His feet I’ll worship His Name every day and humbly thank Him as I pray He’ll gladly do the same for you just touch His hem and love Him true -- Al Szekely, Sr.

Street Sense . March 2006

12 FOOD

My Turn At the Table by Michelle McCullough

Hooters: More Than Babes and Sports

Michelle and her husband David with the Hooter Girls.

When my husband David and I thought about our turn to do the restaurant review we thought of fancy, pricey places that we could not otherwise afford to try. However, after Donald Brooks wrote of his experience at Zaytinya, we felt compelled to highlight a wonderful restaurant that gives great service and good food to everyone who dines there.

Now unless you live under a rock, you know that Hooters has the best chicken wings around, so we tried some other items to see if they measure up.

We met David Hammond, our chosen Street Sense volunteer, at the Hooters on 7th Street in Chinatown and proceeded to our favorite table in the front room. We love this restaurant because they’ve always been so friendly to us – even back

when we were still living on the street, and had to bring our bags with us everywhere we went.

Our server, Sofia, promptly appeared and took our drink order.

We then struggled with the daunting task of picking something that we hadn’t tried before.

We started with onion rings and the nacho grande platter. The onion rings were fantastic and came with a tangy sauce that was so good we inquired as to what it was, only to be told mysteriously that it is “onion sauce.” The nachos were also good with a pepper cheese sauce that had just a little bite.

For our main course David H. had the grilled grouper sandwich on a sesame bun, covered with grilled peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

It looked beautiful. David M. had the Texas steak sandwich and he

said “It melted in my mouth. That is the tenderest steak sandwich I ever had.” I had the smothered chicken sandwich, covered with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and provolone cheese. The chicken was grilled to perfection, juicy and tender.

We were all stuffed by the end of this great meal, but felt we had to try at least one of the three dessert choices. Sofia happily obliged by bringing us a piece of caramel fudge cheesecake and three forks.

It was so good that we didn’t leave a crumb.

Besides the large portions of great food, the atmosphere was fun and welcoming. The music was a mix of classic rock and ‘50s doowop, and one of my favorite college basketball teams was on the TV – Go Orangemen!

To top it all off Miguel, the manager, remembered that two days before had been David M.’s birthday, so he cooked up a little surprise that I didn’t even know about. The girls all sang to him and even gave him a Hooters pin for a present.

So, the next time you want a great meal, in a genuinely friendly place, at a good price – think Hooters.

It’s so much more than babes and sports.

Cook’s Corner

Chocolate Banana Pudding Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

1 package vanilla pudding 2 cups cold milk 2 peeled bananas 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 oz. melted chocolate 12 oz. of vanilla wafers 6 oz. sliced strawberries

Preparation • • • • • • • •

Mix milk and pudding for two minutes Mix in sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate Purée bananas in food processor Add bananas to pudding and combine Cover bottom and sides of bowl with wafers Pour pudding over wafers Top pudding with strawberries Chill and serve

This Recipe was created and prepared by James Gray. James is a student at Community Family Life Services culinary arts training program.

These students work at Third and Eats Restaurant and at the U.S. Tax Court cafeteria. Many also work for New Course Catering.

New Course caters all events from corporate lunches to weddings to 500-person galas. For more info visit www.newcoursecatering.com or call (202) 347-7035.

Michelle and her husband David have been vendors since the fall 2005, and Michelle now writes a column on families. They also have a son Matthew.

MUSIC REVIEW by Muriel Dixon

Racoon Rocks Dupont Circle with His Guitar Jams Desperate for that coffeehouse, poetry reading, folk music kind of feeling? Look no further than this street artist, who has a CD out and who is well known around Dupont Circle.

Raccoon, as he is known, hails from modest upbringings in a small Midwestern town. His adventures and his expansive imagination form the basis of his colorful, original lyrics.

Singing in a clear baritone voice, he accompanies himself on a battered red acoustic Gibson guitar. A small piece of plastic works fine as a pick, because this singer-songwriter has a way with words, fine picking skills, and a sense of humor.

Raccoon’s CD “Nature’s Cathedrals” opens with “Harvest Day,” his statement of purpose: to play music for the people who will listen as he sings his songs – even if it takes all night, even if he gets arrested. He sings, “I like sitting in the middle of my merry-go-round, watching the world go by and by and by ... .”

Raccoon has seen a lot of the world for himself, though.

He’s been on the freight circuit – riding the rails and the roads across America – and he has been on the Indian reservation, too. He also knows the inner city, and has lived on the streets of Washington, D.C. Neil Young and Willie Nelson are favorite influences, and Raccoon is also obviously well acquainted with the 1930s hobo songs of Jimmie Rodgers, the poetical, political troubadour songs of Bob Dylan, and the goofy humor well known among the hippies. He will take you from days spent on the

road under the open sky, to a coffeehouse, and back to a circle of friends around a campfire.

It’s all original and it seems to come to him quite easily.

Raccoon says he plays and sings his heart out, and it’s tough to see panhandlers getting money he’d like to earn. He is also

trying to get control of his back disability payments, and says it’s frustrating to be told what to do. “All I really want to do is go somewhere and get a little piece of land in Arkansas,” he said. And he dreams of using the disability money to get off the streets – permanently.

In the song “Rainbow Mountain,” Raccoon travels back to a time and a place where he felt like he belonged, and was at peace. “It reminds me of the highest mountain in Idaho, and of the tall tribes of Israel.” And he sings, “Rainbow Mountain, I’m coming home – I’m tired of walking alone.”

Raccoon also makes handmade jewelry. He made me an earring from silver wire and a red bead that looks like a musical note. He also makes necklaces and beadwork.

If you are ever in the Dupont Circle area, be sure to stop by the benches near the fountain – Raccoon is always ready to entertain and will have several copies of his nicely produced CD “Nature’s Cathedrals” available.

You can check out Raccoon’s website at www.raccoonsongs.com.

Racoon strums his guitar for passerbys in Dupont Circle.

Muriel Dixon has been a vendor since November 2005 and supplements her Street Sense income with temporary culinary work. You can learn more about Muriel in her profile on page 20.

LITERATURE

Street Sense . March 2006

Marvin Hammerman A mystery novel in parts BOOK 3, PART 3

By August Mallory

As a new case gets under way, Marvin Hammerman hangs up the phone with Patricia Ramsey at D. Morgan Slater LLP. “So, tell me, what’s the new case all about?” asks Anna Jackson.

“Well, Anna, it appears that this person Billy Joe Biddle was once one of my clients, and now he seems to have disappeared. What do you say we grab some dinner and make plans to head south to Atlanta? I have got to find out just what Mr. Biddle was up to when he vanished,” Hammerman says. “I think this calls for help from my good friend Russell Jamison. I just hope he’s available. What worries me is that this case may prove more dangerous than his last one.”

Meanwhile, down at the Atlanta Union Mission, homeless men stand in line for an early breakfast. As numbers are called out for meals, two men talk about Biddle. No one has seen him in the last several weeks.

But, somewhere in a dark and cluttered alley, a figure stands over a body. That figure is rummaging through the pockets of Billy Joe Biddle, whose body is lifeless. A wallet with ID and some loose change is taken along with a watch and a ring. The figure checks one more time to make sure nothing was missed, and then he takes off running down Ponce de Leon Avenue.

The thief arrives at the Open Door Community, a soup kitchen that Biddle had visited just a day earlier. The person waits in line for breakfast. The soup kitchen opens, and men and women are welcomed inside. The person who stole Biddle’s belongings is among them.

Back at D. Morgan Slater, attorney Whitman Jordan is looking through the belongings of Billy Joe Biddle to find a next of kin to contact. He finds a number for Biddle’s brother, Robert, who resides in Arizona. Jordan gives Robert Biddle a call.

Up in Baltimore, Hammerman and Anna Jackson are saying their last goodbyes to Walter Lacey and his dad. They purchase tickets for a flight to Atlanta and make reservations to check into the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Hammerman gives Russell Jamison a call.

“Good morning, this Jamison Private Investigations. Holly Williamson speaking. How may I help you?”

“Hello, Holly. This is Marvin Hammerman.”

“Well, hello again, Marvin. What’s new with you?”

“Well, it looks as though I will need Jamison’s assistance again. This time, it’s down in Atlanta. Would it be possible to have him meet me tomorrow at 2 p.m.?”

“I will pass this message on to him and see what he can do for you,” Holly answers. “Thanks, Holly. I will be talking to you soon.”

Hammerman turns to Anna. “Well, Anna, are you ready for a trip down South?” he asks.

“I guess so. Why don’t we visit that land of opportunity, as they call it.”

Next month: As Hammerman and Anna make their way to Atlanta, Russell Jamison joins them. Jamison starts a new case in search of Billy Joe Biddle.

bOOK rEVIEW

13

Putting Homelessness In Context

The prejudice and stereotypes that and poor—and by extension, the homepoor and homeless people face today are less—have been characterized in a negahardly a recent construct. These negative tive light for so long that these negative barriers, which plague our daily lives, characterizations appear to be inherent have, in fact, been around since at least qualities of the poor and homeless.” the Middle Ages.

That’s what history teaches us. But Ken Kyle, a professor of sociology at what about science?

Penn State, puts homelessness in historKyle addresses this question later in ical context in his book Contextualizing the book and again takes a critical view Homelessness: Critical Theory, Homelessof the issue. He admonishes those who ness, and Federal Policy Addressing the would accept scientific “knowledge” Homeless (Routledge, 2005). about the homeless without question A self-proclaimed “left-of-center inand notes that scientific studies played tellectual,” Kyle examines the historical Contextualizing Homelessness: Critian important role in the formation of the origins of modern attitudes toward the cal Theory, Homelessness, and FedMcKinney Act. Kyle reveals how bogus homeless through the lens of critical eral Policy Addressing the Homeless sciences such as phrenology, the physitheory. A favorite tool of academics and

by Ken Kyle ological study of the shape of the human nearly impossible to understand outside (Routledge, 2005) skull, once played a central role in how the ivory tower, critical theory has the scientists studied different races and goal of ending oppression and criticiz- the government’s sole responsibility was cultures. ing the institutions responsible for that to maintain public order, not to distribBeing a typical academic, Kyle comes oppression. Kyle admits that his book is ute aid. The reformers find their histori- up short on the practical side of things. challenging and that it is clearly aimed cal antecedent in the almshouses built He offers no concrete solutions to the at academics, not average readers. Nev- in the United States in the 19th century. problem of homelessness. But what he ertheless, Kyle offers important insights At this point in history, the poor were does offer is a challenge to the reader. into how we think about the homeless. considered “meek,” and charity toward Kyle challenges his readers to examine The book starts with the McKinney the poor was the responsibility of indi- the pervasive dichotomy of “deserving” Act of 1987, a major piece of legisla- viduals or the church and not the federal versus “undeserving” poor. According tion addressing the needs of the home- government. Finally, today’s modern lib- to Kyle, the differentiation between “deless. Before delving into the historical erals find their roots in the New Dealers, serving” and “undeserving” poor should influences on the McKinney Act, Kyle who viewed the poor as “unfortunate” be eliminated, or at least de-emphasized examines aspects of the Act in a criti- victims of the Great Depression and thus in the discussion. That idea itself could cal manner. For example, Kyle notes deserving of federal aid money. eventually go a long way toward ending the relative lack of political power of the History has not been kind to the poor. homelessness. homeless. He points out that the home- “In effect,” Kyle writes, “the indigent -- Amy Burchfield less never receive aid directly under the McKinney Act; rather, aid must always be channeled through government entities. In contrast, people victimized by natural disasters such as hurricanes are typically direct recipients of aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This sends the underlying message that the homeless are not responsible enough to receive aid directly.

Kyle uses the McKinney Act as a benchmark for modern attitudes toward the homeless. He identifies three categories of people who represent these modern attitudes: reformers, conservatives and liberals.

Reformers, conservatives and liberals all view the homeless as either deserving or undeserving of federal ROPA VIEJA ROASTED PORK LOIN VEGETABLE RISOTTO TILAPIA aid. Reformers, who view the homeless as “misguided,” are in favor of Pulled flank steak with sofrito, Pan roasted and garnished with Risotto with seasonal vegeta- Plum-glazed filets paired with with spicy black beans, fennel-apple marmalade, bles, served with house-made carrot-daikon radish stir fry and federal aid. Liberals, who see the served served with roasted red potaSpanish rice, and a seasonal parmesan crisps, and wilted red coconut jasmine rice homeless as “victims,” likewise are in vegetable accompaniment toes and honey-glazed carrots chard favor. Finally, conservatives, who see the homeless as “deviants,” are not in favor of federal aid. All three groups define their agendas based on a disFresh Start Catering offers professional catering services tinct differentiation between the socalled “deserving” and “undeserving” while employing graduates from DC Central Kitchen’s poor. Following this line of thought, Culinary Job Training program, further preparing them for some poor people deserve aid while employment in the food service industry. others do not.

Kyle explains that the views of reformers, liberals and conservatives FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: have their basis in history. The conFresh Start Catering | Emily Carlos servative viewpoint has its origins in 425 2nd ST NW the English vagrancy laws of the MidWashington, DC 20001 dles Ages through the 17th century.

(202) 234-0707 x120 | freshstart@dccentralkitchen.org Under these old laws, poor people www.dccentralkitchen.org where considered “criminals,” and

FRESH START CATERING Celebrating Ten Years of Serving More Than Just Great Food !

SAMPLE MENU

14 PUZZLES

Street Sense . March 2006

Cryptogram

Leo’s Planet Puzzler

Solve the message below to discovery a famous, meaningful quote on poverty and homelessness.

Fill in the blank spaces in the grid so that every vertical column, horizontal row and every 3x3 box contains the name of each of the 9 planets in the solar system.

BMKLQUR ZHDU NMU PL G PGQ

Leo has been a vendor since November 2004

UM FLGQNANC GNT FLGQNANC Saturn

ZHDU MWWLQ GN LDJGBL WQMZ

Jupiter

Venus

J

Me

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P

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Uranus

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Mars

Saturn Mercury

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N

Earth Pluto

Neputune

Venus

Neptune Pluto

-- FRNTMN PGANLD SMXNDMN Saturn

Last Month’s Solution: The man with a toothache thinks everyone happy whose teeth are sound. The povertystricken man makes the same mistake about the rich man.

-- George Bernard Shaw

Earth Mars

2

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www.CrosswordWeaver.com

Win a Free Street Sense Subscription!

Complete two of the three puzzles above and mail this page back to Street Sense

by March14 and you will be entered into a drawing to win a free subscription.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________ State:_______________ Zip: ___________ Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Mars

Uranus

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Neptune

Venus Venus

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Saturn

Mercury

Crossword 1

Venus

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Mercury

Hint: P = B

Jupiter

Jupiter

Pluto

Mercury

ACROSS

20 TV station with Street Sense Profile 22 Teeny 24 Scenes 25 Nonprofit Developer 26 Mythical monster 27 Respond 28 Cook meat 29 Blink of an eye 30 Bradberry’s organization 33 Thoughts 35 Shaded 40 Hermit 41 Public disgrace 42 Sponsor of MD hate crimes bill 43 Amiable 45 Wrath 47 Haze 49 City of vendor on BBC website 50 Tableland 51 On top 52 Pairs 53 Contextualizing Homeless Author 54 Street 55 Seep 56 Bode 59 Roberto’s yes

49 Barking sound 50 Lunatics 53 Down under jumper 57 Decorative needle case 58 Creator of Sherlock Holmes 60 Expand 61 Chimney dirt 62 Lane 63 Be unproductive 64 Church part 65 Dregs 66 Adam’s garden

1 Department (abbr.)

5 Measurement 9 Agency (abbr.)

13 Shaft 14 Creed 15 South of the border crazy 16 Praise 17 Instructional method (2 wds.)

18 Monopoly player 19 Threatening 21 Xii 23 Mind 24 Slue 25 Popped 28 Gun type 31 Mined metals 32 Fathers 34 Bridge support 36 Clean 37 __ Jones Industrial average 38 Promissory note 39 Women’s magazine 41 Tremor 43 Land unit 44 Musical 46 Abase 48 Epochs

February’s Answer Key

Saturn

DOWN 1 Painter of melting clocks 2 Student’s dread 3 Purple fruit 4 Wordy 5 Witticism 6 Salamander 7 Central daylight time 8 Restaurant in review 9 Province in Western Canada 10 End 11 One of largest shelter in country 12 Link 14 Face parts

A D O R N S

L I N E A L

H W O B P N E M A A L D I

B R E N E D A A T E A R R S M S T B J O I N M E

S T O W

A L T A R E S

E N D S A C I T T H E R S E N A M E N A L A T E T U P E M A F A L L M C C O Y L O V E C K E V I L L A R I E L E D G

C C N V

L L O Y D

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E M R H I F O R A Y D A E T E N T A A S I E N

L I EW N O D U N E S C O

B A R K E R

FEATURES & EDITORIALS 15

Street Sense . March 2006

What our REaders are Saying...

Dear Mr. Brooks: Last month, I was entering the station at Metro Center when you approached me to ask, so kindly, if I would buy your newspaper. Well, I am humbly ashamed to say I was that mean old lady who said, “you found a sucker.” Please forgive me, I am so sorry.

My rude reply did not diminish your beautiful smile. And I am so glad I bought the paper.

It is excellent and you are an excellent writer! I enjoyed your review of the Zaytinya restaurant and be assured I will never eat there. I want you to know you are in good company. Ruth Reichl, former food critic for the New York Times, wrote a book called Garlic and Sapphires.

In it she described wearing various disguises at restaurants she reviewed so the restaurant’s owner wouldn’t recognize her.

As with you, the treatment she received before and after she became known was intense.

It was the reverse of your experience, however, in that she received rude, indifferent treatment at the four star restaurants in New York, such as the Four Seasons and Le Cirque when dressed as an ordinary patron but received bowing and scraping when she came back with important people well-known as the star makers of the New York Times. Your experience was rather pleasant until you became known as a reporter for Street Sense.

Separately, I enjoyed the feature on Christ House, which I have supported for many years.

And the articles on homelessness were well researched, excellent.

Sincerely, A Friend

To Whom It May Concern: I just wanted to put in a good word for a vendor who just sold me a copy of Street Sense. I forget his first name, but I think his last name was Dixon El. He was selling outside the Rite Aid at 13th and U Streets, N.W. on Saturday evening. He read a poem to us and was an allaround nice guy.

Also, thanks to all of the volunteers who put together this great publication.

Sincerely, Jerry Grossman

Dear Street Sense The poetry in this issue is particularly good. I know to expect a polished poem from David Harris, but the others are really something too. Michelle’s meter, rhythm and rhyme are perfect. George Rivera’s surprising harsh, but apt, images really made me stop to picture exactly what he meant, and then marvel at how perfect his analogy was. Bryan’s is hard-hitting and raw; the bare-bones of expressions of feeling. This is for me the best part of the newspaper.

Harise Poland

Vendor on the STreet By Jake Ashford Question of the Month: How many homeless people do you think are on the streets of Washington on any given night?

FAMILY, from p.1 “About 2,000. There are a lot of good things happening in D.C. and hopefully they will be able to take care of homelessness so we won’t have it any more.”

-- Ray Mitchell

?

“I would say about 100,000 people counting families in the D.C. area. It’s a shame that America is the richest and most powerful nation in the world yet there are people that do not have proper housing and have to live in slum areas. It does not make sense to me. With all these resources and money, there is no reason for anyone to be homeless in the United States.”

-- Jeff

A lot. Like thousands from what I’ve seen. There are a lot of homeless people with the housing going away. Like 20,000 I would say.

-- Christos “20,000 or somewhere in that ballpark.”

-- Steve Power

Answer of the Month: There are about 11,000 people that are literally homeless on any given night in the District of Columbia based on January 2005 numbers from the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.

hear is, “What can I do to help?” I respond with give of yourself and get to know a homeless person that you see regularly, arrange to bring them a home cooked meal, some warm socks, or that old blanket you never use any more.

Organize a group of friends to cook dinner for a homeless shelter. Mentor a homeless child a few hours a week. Spend an hour writing letters to elected officials and make your views known.

A question that was asked just the other day is, “Are you angry with all the agencies that failed your family?” I believe that anger is something that you choose or refuse. Anger is only useful as a motivation to change that which is unjust.

I am distressed that we are not as caring and concerned about each other as we should be.

The Speakers’ Bureau is doing good work and we are proud to be a part of it.

If you want to learn more about the National Coalition for the Homeless you can go to www. nationalhomeless.org or call 202-462-4822 and ask for Mike O’Neill, the Speakers’ Bureau coordinator.

Michelle and her husband David are the only couple selling Street Sense. They have been selling since September 2005 and Michelle is also on the Steering Committee. Michelle, David and their son Matthew are pictured above.

16 EDITORIALS

Street Sense . March 2006

through a vendor’s eyes By Donald Brooks

On the Road By August Mallory

Et Tu Brute

No Brotherly Love In Philadelphia

U

I

t is a Monday afternoon, and as I arrive in the City of Brotherly Love, I am surprised by the number of homeless people lurking about in downtown Philadelphia.

As I make my way through the Greyhound bus terminal I see homeless men asleep in the waiting room being awakened by security officers and escorted out of the building. As I make way through downtown to the Philadelphia Veterans Multipurpose Center (PVMC), I pass beggars and bag ladies shaking cups and pushing carts down Arch Street, across Race Street, along Vine Street, and up Hamilton Street. Making my way to 217 4th Street, I see three homeless men cuddled up in blankets, trying to stay warm in the cold. Around me I see a city in tremendous need of help for its homeless. When I look at Philadelphia, I see a another decaying Los Angeles. Here in the City of Brotherly Love, people ask, “Where is the love?”

At the PVMC, I go to a service area known as “the perimeter,” a daytime drop in center for homeless veterans. On the third floor, I come to very large room where homeless veterans are playing cards, playing chess, drinking coffee, eating donuts and watching television. This center and many like it are stretched across the United States to serve veterans, and I am beginning to understand the purpose of the drop-in centers -- they are a true welcome sight.

I talk with fellow veterans about various tours of duty, and they tell me the struggles they are going through to get their benefits for service connected disabilities. Pity on the Bush Administration for cutting the budget for veteran’s benefits.

As closing time approaches later that day, it’s off to the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission to check in for the night. We are led to the chapel for evening services, which are a requirement at many rescue missions across the country. After chapel service it’s dinner time and we are served a very well balanced evening meal. Then it’s off to bed. The next morning it’s up and out, but we are served breakfast before we go.

After I leave the rescue mission, I head to the Ridge Avenue Shelter to hang out in their day room, and I meet Willie, the homeless man who e-mailed me to do a story about the situation in Philadelphia. The Ridge Avenue Shelter is a city-run shelter in Philadelphia. The difference between this city-run shelter and the shelters in the District is that there is bed linen each and every night for the men to sleep on, three meals each day, and a day room to lounge in to come out of the cold for awhile.

But the city government still needs to make improvements for the city. More women’s facilities need to be opened. There are probably just two women’s shelters in Philadelphia. Of course, I did understand that if a woman has children, special arrangements can be made, but she has to go through a lot of red tape. Before I left, I had a talk with a few men and they say the Mayor is holding back on a lot of things. I agree.

August Mallory has been selling Street Sense since it first appeared in November 2003, and he now serves on the board of directors. Please e-mail August Mallory comments at carriergroup2009@yahho.com, and please tune into the More Betterman Show on WOL-AM 1450.

sually a writer gets writer’s block. But living in Washington, D.C., I get so lucky because there is always some material for writing, which I only hope is believable.

Adding to my sources for writing is that this column will be published on the Ides of March, which for historical purposes is when Brutus murdered Julius Caesar.

By the way, they say if you don’t remember your past, you will soon repeat it! We do so every day. So, as a salute to the Ides of March, here come the slayers.

I watch as individuals, groups and organizations to whom we as a society give our voice, time and rights with funding, so that they can represent us in legal, business, personal, political, social and religious affairs in our day-to-day lives, show us every day that they are the new Brutus.

Let me explain.

We have a president who spies on people without getting permission, a vice president who shoots an individual and does not notify the appropriate people in a timely manner, and a police department that is supposed to protect and serve (by the way, with taxpayer money) that gets to be massaged sexy and still gets paid by us (society) and then makes an arrest.

We have defense contractors, congressmen and congresswomen who are abusing our public trust through their own greed. By accepting bribes, religious leaders who we trust to restore and confirm our faith with our higher power are now being found guilty of personal greed, ruining and destroying the fabric of our society with their own criminal behavior.

Last but not least are the individuals, groups and organizations who I will call the profiteers, who are the new Brutuses. These profiteers slay the spirit, self-es-

teem and hopes of individuals who have already made bad decisions and are trying to change their lives. But these profiteers appear as pillars of our society in assisting these individuals with their products.

These new Brutuses, or slayers, happen to open up businesses in poor, neglected, underserved areas of the city to sell the ``L, L and D’’ (liquor, Lotto and drugs).

These LLDs usually greatly influence the unfortunate, homeless and misguided population, who generally need to distance themselves from these temptations.

These profiteers, even those already in the area, continue selling instruments of destruction to these individuals and then complain about the homeless and unfortunate individuals’ behavior and their lack of direction. What nerve!

Society should act like Brutus to these businesses by stamping them out through legal, criminal, political or civic actions!

So, as the Ides of March arrives, let’s see if we as a society can possibly use all of our electronic devices (BlackBerrys, new computers, I-Pods, cell phones, etc.) for storing and remembering our history. How about us reading and remembering some of the data (history) so that we can recall, recognize and avoid the arrival of any new ``Brutus’’ and the traits of any old Brutus.

So, until the darkness covers my shades again, let us remind ourselves to stand up for something, because you might need someone to stand up for you.

Et tu Brutus!

Donald Brooks is a longtime vendor for Street Sense, and a member of the steering committee. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail him at DLBrooks54@hotmail.com.

CONVERSATIONS By Phil Stead

www.steadart.com

EDITORIALS 17

Street Sense . March 2006

Remembering Kenny

MAURICE SPEAKS

Is Recovery Possible?

N

obody has ever answered one of the questions that I’ve had ever since I became homeless: Will I ever be able to return to the life I once knew?

I was living a comfortable life in the suburbs in an apartment complex. I drove my own car. I worked as a contractor for a government agency and held an interim secret level security clearance.

I was fully involved in the lives of my children. All of those things are now ancient history for me. Nobody has even begun to address any of those issues in the years that have passed. Is a recovery even possible? I cannot say that I find the silence at the other end encouraging. Then again, the silence seems to be because there is no system working at the other end. There really is no system working out there to assist in recovery; it’s precisely that sink-or-swim mentality that has made the United States the industrialized country with the highest percentage of poverty.

It would seem to me that my ques-

tion is not an unreasonable one to ask and merits an answer. I have asked it repeatedly and before any number of organizations that claim to be available for the purpose of helping homeless consumers. Mostly what I get in return is a blank stare, which in fact is a lot less demeaning than to be given answers that say a lot of nothing.

The existence of so many organizations for the homeless that serve no apparent purpose other than to claim that they help the homeless is certainly a cause for concern, if for no other reason than to spare the homeless the indignity of wasting time with them. Organizations that render assistance in the form of handouts do only a partial service to the homeless, because a better strategy would be to work toward empowering the homeless to be able to fend for themselves. This strategy seems to be pursued only partially when it is pursued at all.

Does the word empowerment confuse people so much that they pretend that it does not exist? Or is the problem the classic “Let the government take care of them” attitude? The government is not taking care of the homeless; let’s get that straight right now. If the government were taking care of the homeless, then there would be an address to which to turn to ask why the numbers of the homeless are not going down. There would then be someone to ask questions that currently go unanswered. There is no government system

that cares for the homeless. Whatever help homeless people do get is through various nonprofit organizations that direct the homeless toward resources that may be able to help them get on the road to recovery, if recovery is indeed possible. The question still remains: Is recovery possible?

Often the term “case management” is tossed around as if it were the panacea to all problems. Case management can make a difference if it is implemented within a supportive framework with ample resources available. Otherwise, case management is as useless as a pork chop in a synagogue; it’s just one more blind alley that the homeless pursue when the case manager has nothing more than words to offer. Sadly, sometimes that is precisely the case when the resources are not available to render assistance. A case manager is not a magician who can make resources materialize out of thin air.

The question still has no answer for me, and I know that I am not alone in asking it. Can I expect to recover the life I once had, or is that never to return?

To me, that is the sign of a successful recovery. Is it possible? The answer I’m not hearing is not very encouraging.

Maurice King has been writing editorials for Street Sense since January 2004, and is also in the process of publishing his own book. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail him at benadam@cyberdude.com.

In Memoriam: Vendor Bryan Morris

I

am saddened to report that vendor Bryan Morris passed away suddenly in the middle of February. Bryan is greatly missed by all the staff, volunteers and vendors at Street Sense.

Although Bryan had only been with Street Sense for three months, he was a very active vendor who I, and many others at the organization, got to know well. Cus-

tomers could often find him around Farragut Square and near Eastern Market.

Bryan was always very kind, courteous and wellspoken, whether it was in the office or with customers.

In fact, during the short time he was with Street Sense, I received three e-mails that were all very complimentary of Bryan. One spoke of his kindness in helping a woman with her broken car and another was from a man who said that talking with Bryan gave him hope and inspiration on Christmas Eve. Bryan was also a writer for Street Sense. His last poem ran in the February issue. We have run it again, as it is even more powerful in the wake of his death.

The vendor who was closest to Bryan – 20-month veteran Alvin Dixon – has spent the last few weeks trying to track down anyone in Bryan’s family. We know that Bryan, 38, grew up in D.C. and served in the military. If you have any information on where we could locate Bryan’s family, please e-mail me at info@streetsense.org or call 202-347-2006.

Bryan greatly missed by all the staff, volunteers and vendors at Street Sense.

Please keep Bryan and his family in your hearts and prayers, and thank you to everyone who supported and encouraged him during his brief time at Street Sense.

- Laura Thompson Osuri, Executive Director

By Stephanie Schwartz

I

keep thinking I see Kenny. This morning, while walking my dog through Adams Morgan, I thought I saw him again, across the street walking back and forth with his quick pace, in a stylish jacket he picked up at Christ House.

But I have to remind myself that I won’t be seeing Kenny again. Kenny died February 14, 2006, from pneumonia.

I moved to D.C. a year ago from New York. I think Kenny was the first friend I made here. There were days when the only human contact I had was with him and I looked forward to seeing him.

He would ask me if I missed New York. He would ask for money, but only when he really needed it.

Sometimes I would offer him a little bit of money, and he would tell me to keep it because he was doing just fine. He was that generous of spirit.

And the day I was sworn in as a lawyer to the D.C. Bar, his congratulations to me were so heartfelt, I walked away struck by how he was so kind when life had not been so kind to him.

Of course, it was not always so perfect with him.

Sometimes he was too drunk to talk and sometimes he was so busy talking to himself that I just left him alone. But most of the time, he was smart and engaging and curious and special. I introduced him to the woman I was dating, who was visiting from New York because he was my friend.

My friend called me last week to tell me Kenny had died. She knew because of the memorial set up on Columbia Road for him. I ran down the street, past all of the places I would run into Kenny and saw the placard for him and the kind words written by his neighbors about him. And I mourn his death. And I mourn his life. And I will always remember his smile and humor and kindness. I think many of us will.

Feel As I Do (Bryan’s Last Poem) If you were to walk in my shoes, would you continue to walk by with a judgmental sigh?

If you were to look through my eyes, Would you still look with such contempt without a smile?

If you were to breath with my nose, Would you take the time to talk to me and see what I know?

If you were to feel with my skin, Would you see that my situation is not a sin?

All of these questions are not facts, nor written in stone.

They are just how I feel, and a lot of times I feel alone.

On the other side there are those who do stop in their busy day as they go about.

These are the ones who give me faith.

So I know that what I do is not a waste.

They stop and listen with great concern, not only that they are willing to learn.

-- Brian Morris

Street Sense . March 2006

18 COMMUNITY PAGE

UPCOMING EVENTS Homeless Empowerment Project “Lobbying 101” H.R. 4347 Bringing America Home Act Who: National Coalition for the Homeless When: Saturday, March 25, 2006, 1 p.m.

Where: Church of the Pilgrims, 2201 P Street, NW What: Learn about how you can advocate for the homeless and for HR 4347 Bringing America Home Act, the most comprehensive bill to end homelessness. Sponsored by Julia Carson (D-Ind). Presenters include Kirsten Peterson and Ann Marissa Ambacher, Policy Analysts, National Coalition for the Homeless.

The Homeless Empowerment Project uses the voices and faces of those who have experienced homelessness to dispel stereotypes, personalize homelessness, and inspire involvement through volunteerism and advocacy.

For more information, contact Michael O’Neill, Director, Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau at 202462-4822 ext. 20 or moneill@nationalhomeless.org.

National Homeless Sleep Out Who: To The Streets, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Student Campaign Against Homelessness and Hunger, Call To Renewal, and Sojourners When: Friday March 31, noon until ???

Where: Dupont Circle What: Join advocates, students and homeless persons as they spend a night on the streets together to raise awareness and work toward changing the homeless situation in the United States.

For more information about the D.C. event contact Michael O’Neill at moneill@nationalhomeless.org. To find out more about other sleep outs across the nation visit www.tothestreets.org.

Budget Town Hall Meeting Who: Washington Legal Clinic, S.O.M.E., Center for Nonprofit Advancement, Suited For Change When: Saturday, April 1, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Where: True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street, NW What: Come and tell elected and government officials what’s on your mind concerning homeless services, mental health, juvenile justice, access to health care and other relevant topics. The meeting will include children’s activities, child care, great food, a raffle, and door prizes.

For more information, contact martina@legalclinic. org or 202-328-5513.

DC’s HIV/AIDS Crisis: Bringing the Epidemic to Light Who: Great DC CARE’s Citizens Academy Where: Near Farrugut West and North Metro stops When: Thursday, April 6, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

What: The HIV/AIDS infection rate in Washington DC is the highest of any U.S. city and rivals the infection rates of many developing countries. So join the Citizens Academy for a panel discussion to hear from the local experts about the District’s HIV/AIDS status, the different programs and initiatives that are addressing the need for care, and how to get more involved in the efforts to bring this crucial topic to the attention of officials. The panel will include repre-

sentatives from DC Appleseed, Metro Teen AIDS, DC’s HIV/AIDS Administration, DC Primary Care Association, and the Whitman Walker Clinic.

Registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Kilin Boardman-Schroyer at 202777-4457 or kschroyer@dc-cares.org.

Annual Universal Living Wage Tax Day Demonstration Who: National Universal Living Wage Campaign Where: Martin Luther King Jr. Post Office, 1400 L Street, NW When: April 17, 2006, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

What: A demonstration happening across the nation to support a Universal Living Wage for everyone and to show that, if all businesses paid a Universal Living Wage, the tax burden on every American would be greatly reduced.

For more info visit www.UniversalLivingWage.org.

Shelter from the Storm: Race, Class and Fair Housing in America Who: The Equal Rights Center When: Tuesday, April 25, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: The Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University What: This symposium, being held in recognition of Fair Housing Month, will shine a spotlight on how the how the realities of race and class in our society can affect where we live. The keynote address will be delivered by Stephen Bradberry of ACORN New Orleans, 2005 Recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.

For more info or to register, call 202.234.3062 ext.

1104 or visit www.equalrightscenter.org.

Vendor Notes In the last month, Street Sense and its vendors have been in the press. On March 8th, NBC-4 ran a fabulous piece on Street Sense under a new segment called “What Works.” The piece featured vendors Jim Chishom, Conrad Cheeks and Phillip Howard, and gave rave reviews of the paper, its vendors and its volunteers.

In addition, on Feb 23, a reporter from WTOP talked with vendors Donald Brooks and Jake Ashford about their restaurant review experiences, and a segment based on these interviews is expected to run in the near future.

A few months ago, vendor Tommy Bennett wrote about a traumatizing experience he had seeking dental services at Unity Healthcare. We are happy to report that after this article ran, Unity Healthcare got in contact with Tommy, apologized and then completed all of the dental work Tommy had been seeking without any problems or complications.

Board member and longtime vendor James Davis has been helping out a newly formed organization called Self-Advocacy, Support and Solutions to End Homelessness (SASS). The group is now going around to shelters to find out what the most pressing needs of homeless people are, and James has been their guide during these shelter tours. SASS is looking to find out what churches can do to meet the needs of homeless people beyond just providing clothes and food.

Also, during the last month Donald Brooks, the fixture vendor at 13th and G streets in Northwest, started doing temporary work for the Consumer Action Network, an organization that promotes recovery through self-advocacy. While the stint there lasts only a week, he said he plans to work for them again in the near future.

And lastly, vendor Jeff Jost has been offered a job working at an organic farm, but it is all the way in Hawaii: Josanas Garden on the Big Island. However, he does not have the money to fly there by the April 1 start date, so he wanted to ask your help. If you want to trade in your frequent flyer miles for a good cause, e-mail Jeff directly at fortheplanet@yahoo.com or if you want to send money or tickets directly to Jeff, you can reach him at Charlie’s Place, 7419 Wisconsin Ave, NW 20016.

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Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. Thanks for your support!

Street Sense . March 2006

SERVICE PROVIDERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 19

Community Service Index Shelter/Hypothermia Hotline 1-800-535-7252

N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060

SHELTERS Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 783-6651 Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-7118 CCNV 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-1909

New Endeavors by Women 611 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-5825 New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355-57 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 832-2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8093 SOUP KITCHENS

Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-7356

10th Street Baptist Church 1000 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-232-1685

Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (Family) 503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 882-9649

Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-3066

Franklin School (Men) 13th and K streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 638-7424

Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 387-6612

Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW

Dinner Program for Homeless Women 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-9311

Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1731 House of Imagene Shelter 214 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 518-8488

Eofula-Spanish Senior Center 1842 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-5800

House of Ruth: Madison Emergency Shelter (Women) 651 10th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-2600

McKenna’s Wagon 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608

John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8469

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 452-8926

La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street Washington, DC 20010 (202) 673-3592

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 797-8806

Washington City Church of the Brethren 337 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-5924 Zacchaeus Community Kitchen (“9:30 Club”) 10th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-9144

(202) 797-3500 OUTREACH CENTERS Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 338-8301

EMERGENCY FOOD Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 265-2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 561-8587

Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-1005

Covenant House of Washington 3400 Martin Luther Ave., SE Washington, DC 20032 (202) 610-9630

Sasha Bruce Youth Work 741 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9340

Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1112

Friendship House 619 D Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9050

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE Washington, DC 20011 (202) 269-2277

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635

Byte Back (computer training) 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-3395 Capital Area Food Bank 645 Taylor Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 526-5344 x223

801 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-5298 Downtown Services Center 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-5400 Catholic Charities NE Community Services 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100 Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 347-0511 Hermano Pedro Center 1501 Park Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 332-2874 JHP, Inc. (Jobs and Housing) 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-5300 Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-8970 Samaritan Minstry (job training & support services) 1345 U Street, SE Washington, DC AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 202-889-7702

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100 Community of Hope 2250 Champlain Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-9022 Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-4300 Whitman-Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009

Catholic Charities Homeless Services of Washington, DC 924 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 772-4300

Travellers Aid Union Station (train level) 50 Mass. Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 724-3932

Catholic Charities Emergency Center 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100

Virginia Williams Family Resource Center 25 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 (202) 724-3932

Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-8870

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Steet, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-5500

Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness

VENDOR PROFILE

PHOTO FINISH

Scenic View

By Linda Wang

volunteer photographer

Muriel Dixon Muriel has been a Street Sense vendor since November 2005. She is a native of Washington, D.C., and grew up in the Petworth neighborhood.

“My family was a ‘yours, mine and ours’ family – both my parents had been married before, so I had one stepsister and three stepbrothers,” Muriel said. “My mother was always a positive influence on my life.”

Muriel spent several years working in Minneapolis as a lab technician before moving to Tucson, Ariz., to work for Dunn & Bradstreet.

She returned to D.C. in the late 1980s.

“And boy, oh boy, the things I saw! D.C. had changed – the people I thought I knew, I didn’t know them at all – it seemed like half of them were on drugs, and the other ones were locked up or dead.”

Muriel now works in the hospitality industry, getting plenty of temporary assignments and hoping to find more a more regular work schedule. She sells Street Sense regularly.

Muriel shares an apartment with Matesha Thompson, another Street Sense vendor.

How did you become homeless?

I took care of my mother for the last few years of her life. When she passed, it was hard to get back into the workforce. I went into a downward spiral, and really didn’t care about anything, so I ended up on the streets.

A homeless man near the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter huddles under a blanket as he watches bird play on the fence.

Why do you sell Street Sense?

I believe in it. And it’s an icebreaker - I meet people and talk to them on a different level than when I had a cup in my hand. You gain a modicum of respect that you didn’t have before.

StreetFact Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the U.S. with more than 200,000 children homeless on any given day.

Soure: National Center on family homelessness.

MARCH 2006 • Volume 3 • Issue 5

What advice would you give to someone who is homeless?

First of all don’t ever give up. Make up your mind that you’re not going to stay there.

Just because you have one bad day, doesn’t mean they’ll all be bad. Remember that you weren’t born out there, so you don’t have to stay out there. And always try to smile, no matter what – laugh to keep from crying!

Interested in a subscription

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Mail To:

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 18 for more information.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Having my own business – either in transportation or a restaurant. I’d like to do good old, home-style home cooking, with good portions and moderate prices. A place you can bring the family to…

What is your favorite food?

Lasagna. I make a mean lasagna.

What is your favorite music?

Back in the day I was into heavy metal and rock; I guess now I like ballads and soft pop. And I like classical too – my favorite composer is Handel. I love the Messiah.

Muriel reminds customers to only buy from badged vendors and not to give to those panhandling with one paper.

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