04 21 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE 14

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APRIL 21 - 27, 2021

Real Stories

Real People

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Real Change

HUD RELEASED ITS ANNUAL HOMELESSNESS COUNT. CRITICS SAY TOO MANY ARE STILL LEFT OUT STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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The Cover

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

A volunteer counts a person experiencing homelessness during HUD’s 2020 Point-InTime count.

Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community.

Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing.

At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

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Schwartz, John Senn, Aaron Stetter, Daniel Webber,

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Street Sense Media is joining The Way Home Campaign

BY THE STREET SENSE MEDIA STAFF

At Street Sense Media, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling. It’s one of our organization’s north stars, one of the foremost reasons we exist. And, we know that Street Sense Media vendors’ self-empowerment and the messages they spread through our media outlets are only one link in the chain of change. We strive to listen to people with lived experience and listen well, which means turning awareness into action and accounts of injustice into plans to rectify them.

We also know that systemic racism and white supremacy produce and maintain homelessness, so its solutions must also be systemic and focused on these root causes. After years of expanding our capacity and identifying gaps in our approach, Street Sense Media is ready to advocate for an end to homelessness alongside the vendors in more and different ways than we have before.

As such, we are excited to announce that we have joined The Way Home Campaign, a coalition of local organizations and community members working to end chronic homelessness in D.C. In its own words, the campaign is built around the principles that: • All people deserve a safe and affordable place to call home; • Housing allows people to live with dignity and thrive; • D.C. has the resources and ability to end chronic homelessness; and • Ending chronic homelessness is a vital step towards ending all homelessness in our community.1 Street Sense Media’s newsroom operates independently of the organization’s advocacy efforts, and this partnership does not influence its reporting (streetsensemedia.org/ethics).

This initiative matters to us because our work has always

revolved around ending homelessness in D.C., too. Though not all vendors are experiencing chronic homelessness — homelessness that lasts years or happens repeatedly and that occurs alongside a long-term medical condition — we recognize that this subset of people needs some of the most immediate and transformative relief and that any effort to end homelessness completely must start with them.

Street Sense Media vendors make it clear that housing is a human right, and we signed on to The Way Home Campaign because we believe that this work will ensure that.

As evidence of the power of housing, just flip to the art section of the paper. On page 16, Daniel Ball and Carlton Johnson each describe living outside during the winter. For them, housing would ward off hypothermia. On page 13, Jeffrey Carter reflects on how homelessness is an obstacle in the way of his goals. For him, housing would unlock education.

On page 11, Marcus Green celebrates his sixtieth birthday and looks ahead to the future. For him, housing — and the stability it provides — has allowed him to pursue a new passion: rescuing animals.

Street Sense Media vendors make it clear that housing is a

human right, and we signed on to the Way Home Campaign because we believe that this work will ensure that. We make that statement with certainty because while this future is surely a far cry from our present, it isn’t a pipe dream either. The Way Home Campaign has identified how much it will cost to end chronic homelessness for those most at risk of dying without housing in D.C. For just $100 million ($96,126,983, to be exact), D.C. could provide permanent supportive housing to the 2,761 individuals and 432 families currently experiencing chronic homelessness. The campaign has also put price tags on the services necessary to prevent homelessness, like rent relief, and to support people who end up outside in the meantime, like street outreach. The total cost of The Way Home Campaign’s asks is not even one half of 1% of D.C.’s $16.9 billion budget.

It’s not breaking news, but it bears repeating that ending chronic homelessness is a matter of political will.

Mayor Bowser releases her budget on May 27. The Way Home Campaign is asking the Street Sense Media community — employees and customers alike — to mount pressure on her and the D.C. Council between now and then, specifically by emailing them and submitting a quote in support of this work, as well as following the campaign for further updates.

More information about these key steps can be found at thewayhomedc.org/TWHCFY22. In roughly 10 minutes, you can support The Way Home Campaign’s work in these ways, and we hope you will. From us at Street Sense Media, we are excited to have you alongside us as we work to tell a new story about homelessness in D.C. 1

thewayhomedc.org/statementofprinciples

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NEWS

As its more comprehensive report on homelessness lags years behind, critics question HUD’s data

BY JAKE MAHER jake@streetsensemedia.org

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n the night of March 25, national news carried dramatic scenes of police clearing an encampment of about 200 people experiencing homelessness in Echo Park, just north of downtown Los Angeles.

Police arrested 182 protesters who had gathered to stop the clearing, firing nonlethal rounds into the crowd. They were able to remove all people experiencing homeless from the park in spite of the large protest, in the process arresting three journalists who were later released.

The forced removal from Echo Park nearly coincided with the release of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR): Part 1 for 2020, and seemed to evidence the changes in homelessness it documented.

The rates of unsheltered homelessness — including people living in encampments — and chronic homelessness rose, even while other categories of homelessness declined in frequency. Those rate increases were enough to drive up the overall number of people experiencing homelessness by 2.2%, the fourth year in a row of growth.

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge called the trends “very troubling” in a press release. But experts have noted that there are many barriers to gathering accurate information on the homeless population — and because of the methodology HUD employs to calculate that

information, the most recent report may even be understating the extent of the homelessness crisis manifested by the standoff at Echo Park.

Comprehensive studies face delays On the night of Jan. 27, 2020, volunteers in D.C. and across the country set out on an ambitious task: counting and recording every person experiencing homelessness in the U.S. that night. That annual effort — known as the Point-In-Time (PIT) Count — generates the data that forms the backbone of HUD’s AHAR: Part 1.

The information in AHAR: Part 1 in many ways defines the public perception of American homelessness.

Media and advocacy groups draw on PIT Count data to form a narrative around homelessness, and Congress and HUD use the information to allocate funding to different programs and prioritize different demographic groups.

But AHAR: Part 1 is not — and is not meant to be — the final word on homelessness in the country. There is a corresponding Part 2 report that is more comprehensive, but that takes much longer to produce. As a result, the people making influential policy decisions about homelessness may in some cases be doing so without understanding the scope of the problem.

While Part 1 relies on the annual PIT Count, the

Los Angeles police arrive to evict homeless encampments at Echo Park Lake during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Los Angeles, California. PHOTO COURTESY OF REUTERS/DAVID SWANSON

follow-up report uses data from Homeless Management Information Services (HMIS) — data entry systems used by service providers to keep track of the people they serve. Part 2 presents a look at an entire year’s worth of data, not just one night’s worth.

The differences between Part 1 and Part 2 can be revealing. The 2018 PIT count found about 500,000 people experiencing homelessness on the night the count was conducted. But HMIS data from that year showed that nearly 1.5 million people used homelessness services at some point during the year — almost three times the number of people identified by Part 1.

The long delay between the two reports’ release makes AHAR: Part 2 far less influential. Before 2018, Part 1 was generally released in December or November of the same year as the PIT count, and Part 2 came out between September and December of the following year.

Since 2018, however, the reports have become even more delayed. The 2018 AHAR: Part 2 came out in September 2020. The 2019 and 2020 AHAR: Part 2 have not been released at all.

HUD wrote in the 2018 AHAR: Part 2 that it had begun using a new platform for combining different forms of HMIS data starting that year, possibly accounting for the new increased delay. But the department, under new leadership by Fudge, did not respond to questions about the missing reports.

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The two reports present information that is not always directly comparable. The fundamental difference is that Part 1 attempts to count all people experiencing homelessness, while Part 2 only draws on HMIS data for people who utilized shelters that collaborate with HUD. Among sheltered people, though, Part 2 provides information that is beyond the scope of Part 1, including statistics on how many people were people with disabilities or survivors of domestic violence. Both reports offer statistics on age, sex and race/ethnicity.

Most importantly, Part 2’s “Broader Perspectives on Housing Instability and Homelessness” section compiles information on people who may not meet HUD’s standard definition of homelessness (living in a shelter or in a place not fit for human habitation) but who are still housing-insecure. Sources include the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the U.S. Department of Education, and even other reports by HUD. The data in that section suggests that the scale of the country’s affordable housing crisis is much greater than what the PIT Count can quantify. For instance, in a section summarizing HUD’s 2019 Worst Case Housing Needs report, AHAR: Part 2 stated that 7.7 million families in 2017 had “worst-case needs.” Worst-case needs are defined as renters making less than 50%of the Area Median Income without housing assistance and living in “severely inadequate housing,” renters paying more than half of their income in rent, or those doing both.

“Almost all households with worst-case needs (98%) pay more than half their income for rent,” the report reads, “an untenable situation that puts people at risk of homelessness.”

The Education Department collects data from state educational agencies on how many students between 3rd and 12th grades are either staying in shelters, navigating transitional housing, or waiting for foster care placement; living unsheltered; residing in a hotel or motel because they had nowhere else to go; or sharing someone else’s house as a result of lost housing — a condition called “doubling up.”

About 1.5 million students fit at least one of those criteria at some point during the 2017-2018 school year, the Education Department found. By contrast, the 2018 PIT count found just 110,000 people under the age of 18 experiencing homelessness — sheltered as well as unsheltered — on the night it was conducted.

“Modest at best, a severe undercount at worst” According to some experts, the crucial question is not which part of AHAR is better, but whether AHAR is a successful way to measure homelessness at all.

“Counting homeless people is almost impossible,” said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. He argues that it is important that the national understanding of homelessness not be limited to data from just one count.

People who are doubled up, for instance, are not present at all in AHAR: Part 1. “Those are numbers that should be in any report,” Whitehead said. The report also misses people experiencing homelessness who, on the night of the PIT count, happen to be in jails, hospitals, or dangerous living areas where the volunteer counters don’t want to go.

But even the AHAR: Part 2 figures suggesting a larger homelessness crisis are “modest at best, a severe undercount at worst,” Whitehead said.

The issue is that service providers want to demonstrate a decline in homelessness in the areas for which they’re responsible, creating an incentive to undercount. But the cumulative effect of this kind of incentive, Whitehead said, is that homeless services don’t get the full funding they need.

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A graph from HUD’s AHAR 2020 Part 1 illustrating the demographic breakdown of people experiencing homelessness. COURTESY OF HUD

“We start at a deficit because we don’t have the right numbers to give to Congress to get resources,” he said.

Barbara Duffield, executive director of the national advocacy nonprofit SchoolHouse Connection, agreed. She called HUD’s effort a “very dramatic” undercount, saying the PIT Count does not represent homelessness but rather how well the count was conducted.

According to Duffield, policy leaders should give more weight to the data the Department of Education collects on homelessness among schoolchildren because the methodology is more trustworthy than either the PIT count or the HMIS data. School systems are required by the Education Department to seek out homeless children, whereas service providers only count people who come to them and can be limited by their own capacity. Schools are located everywhere, unlike service providers. And schools are not punished or rewarded for what they find.

Duffield also criticized HUD’s definition of homelessness as too narrow. HUD does not prioritize children and families as much as it should, Duffield said, because they are more likely to be unofficially homeless — doubled up or staying in a motel — relative to other people experiencing homeless. Children and families are thus less represented in the PIT Count.

“People are giving HUD numbers way more credibility than they should,” Duffield said.

HUD has edited its definition of who counts as homeless over the years. In 2012, it expanded the definition to include “families with children or unaccompanied youth who are unstably housed and likely to continue in that state.” At the time, the Urban Institute predicted the expansion would not have much effect since no new programs or funds came with the change in wording.

In the same update, HUD acknowledged that it “limit[ed] the

eligibility of individuals and families living in unsanitary and unsafe living conditions.” But it countered that other programs exist to help people who are “at-risk” of homelessness, such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program and public housing. Both of those programs have been disinvested from over the years In 2016, HUD again acknowledged narrowing its definition of “chronic homelessness” for the purpose of targeting limited resources.

Duffield wants the data collected by the Education Department to play a more important role in forming a “composite” picture of homelessness in conjunction with HUD’s data. She said that ultimately the homeless services system as a whole pays the price for inaccurate counting.

As it is now, Duffield said, the current protocol “keeps faulty systems and faulty programs funded.”

The issue is that service providers want to demonstrate a decline in homelessness in the areas for which they’re responsible, creating an incentive to undercount.

CORRECTION NOTICE The wrong name for a program was printed in the article “Overloaded with landlords and realestate developers, Bowser’s ‘Saving D.C.’s Rental Housing Market Strike Force’ leaves out marginalized tenant voices” in our April 14 edition.

We mistakenly stated that the Latino Economic Development Center received 10 times more applicants than they could serve for Coronavirus Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) funds.

However, the program that statistic refers to is the Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program. LEDC did not receive or help provide CHAP funding. The article has been corrected online.

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NOTICE TO CLASS MEMBERS OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT A settlement has been proposed in LASHAWN A. v. BOWSER, Civil Action No. 89-1754 (TFH), in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, that may affect the rights of certain District of Columbia residents who were involved in the District’s child welfare system.

The settlement may affect the rights of certain people in the District who were in foster care or known to the District’s child welfare system because of reported abuse or neglect. The settlement is not final. In order for the settlement to be final, the judge in this case, the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan, will hear from different people and decide if the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. If this notice applies to you, you will have an opportunity to tell the judge what you think about the settlement before the judge decides whether to approve it.

The LaShawn A. lawsuit was brought in 1989 by a group of people (Plaintiffs) on behalf of a class of children who were in foster care or known to the District’s child welfare system because of reported abuse or neglect. The plaintiffs sued the District of Columbia officials responsible for the operation of the child-welfare and foster-care systems in the District. The people who were sued are called “defendants.” Today, the defendants are the Mayor and the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA).

The plaintiffs and defendants have reached a preliminary “Settlement Agreement.” The settlement is NOT FINAL. The settlement will be final only after the judge approves it after holding a public hearing called a “fairness hearing.” The Settlement Agreement requires the defendants to take several steps designed to improve the child-welfare foster-care systems. The defendants have roughly two years to meet their obligations under the agreement. Unless an enforcement action is filed, the Settlement Agreement will expire 6 months after the filing of CFSA’s final public performance report. The judge will retain jurisdiction over the case to decide any disputes about compliance with the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement contains more detail about the defendants’ commitments and includes an enforcement provision.

PLEASE READ THE NOTICE CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY.

The full Notice will help you determine if this notice applies to you, and will contain the key terms of the Settlement Agreement, instructions and key deadlines.

A final fairness hearing will be held on June 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse. The courthouse is located at 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. The hearing will be held in Courtroom 25A. At the final fairness hearing, the judge will consider whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate. The judge will consider any objections that were made according to the procedures described in the Notice. Plaintiffs’ and defendants’ lawyers will be available to answer any questions that the judge may have.

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The full Notice and a copy of the entire Settlement Agreement can be found on CFSA’s website at www.cfsa.dc.gov.

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DC reduces barriers to obtaining an ID during the pandemic for people experiencing homelessness. Will it continue?

BY ATHIYAH AZEEM athiyah.azeem@streetsensemedia.org

F

rom voter registration to unemployment benefits or food stamps, government-issued identification is critical for accessing local and federal services. However, retaining your ID and other vital documents is exceptionally difficult during homelessness, when many people face loss, theft, damage due to weather and other obstacles. And getting a DMV appointment to obtain or renew IDs during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a challenge — some residents have waited as long as 5 months.

“People experiencing homelessness can’t wait months and months to get an ID, because there were people we were actively trying to move into housing,” said Adam Rocap, deputy director at the nonprofit service provider Miriam’s Kitchen. In order to sign a lease for any type of housing in the District or receive a housing voucher, a person must have an ID with photographic identification.

Last summer, D.C. DMV announced that all DMV documents expiring on or after March 2020 would still be valid until 45 days after the end of the public health emergency. But this change only benefits people seeking to renew their IDs, not people who have no ID. D.C. DMV centers have been operating at a reduced capacity for almost a year. On March 25, 2020, all D.C. DMV centers were closed for any in-person visits. They resumed in-person operations on an appointment-only basis on June 23 as part of D.C.’s Phase II reopening plan. A backlog of appointment requests amassed during the period when they were closed. In November, people were still waiting anywhere between two to six months to get an appointment, according to a Washington Post report.

A search by Street Sense Media revealed that three out of the four DMV centers in D.C. that provide noncommercial ID, driver’s license and other vehicle related services have no available appointment times. Only the Southwest Service Center on 9th M St. SW had appointment times, and only for the week starting May 17. This search was also conducted after 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, when the DMV released new appointment times for this week.

One reason behind the scarcity is that appointments are not being scheduled for beyond the end of the public health emergency (when service centers would likely re-open for walk-ins), the DMV told ABC7 last month. Mayor Bowser again extended her public health emergency order, which had been set to expire on March 31. The new end date is May 20, meaning that all DMV documents will be valid through July 4 unless it is extended again. A DMV spokesperson told Street Sense Media that more appointment times had been released in line with this extension. Since none remain, they were likely booked rapidly.

A solution, if you have a case manager Rocap said the DMV moved swiftly to develop a way for people experiencing homelessness to temporarily avoid the need for in-person appointments to obtain an ID. In May 2020, the DMV, D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness, D.C. Department of Human Services, and D.C. Department of Health announced a modified COVID-19 protocol, where case

The D.C. DMV Benning Ridge Service Center. PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

managers for people experiencing homelessness can apply for IDs for them through an online form.

While the DMV was completely closed for in-person appointments, this system enabled individuals who had never had a D.C. ID to obtain a photo-less ID that was valid for six months. The D.C. Housing Authority agreed to accept photo-less IDs on housing applications for the time being, and individuals would have to go to the Downtown Day Services Center to obtain a real ID after the six-month period.

When the DMV began offering limited appointments in June, this photo-less ID protocol was abandoned, but a process to expedite photo IDs took its place.

“Once D.C. DMV is contacted by an agency/community partner with an ID request, a D.C. DMV representative follows up to communicate next steps and schedule an appointment for the homeless individual at a service center,” a spokesperson for the D.C. DMV said in an email.

William Doyle, director of housing operations at Pathways to Housing, confirmed the current process is much faster than the general ID applicant pool.

“It takes about three to four weeks, and you’re guaranteed the appointment,” Doyle said. “Whereas, for the general public, they’re overloaded — you may not even get one.”

Reducing barriers to housing Obtaining an ID is the last in a three-step process required to accept housing assistance, preceded by first getting proof of identification, then a social security card.

Proof of identification can be a passport, visa, employment authorization card, or — most commonly used — a birth certificate. If the person is born in D.C., a copy of a birth certificate can be obtained by requesting it from the D.C. Vital Records Division, part of the Department of Health. Doyle said this can take up to two weeks.

Both Rocap and Doyle say the pandemic has inadvertently expedited the process to receive birth certificates. Instead of requiring the individual to go to the vital records office, case managers can now apply on behalf of their clients online, and receive the certificate in the mail. This is especially faster for people born outside of D.C., according to Rocap. People may

have had to travel to their state-of-birth’s vital records office in person to receive their certificate, but are now allowed to have it mailed directly to the service provider’s office.

“We’ve had several people where we have not met face to face, but we’ve already completed the process to obtain their birth certificate because it’s remote,” Doyle said.

Doyle said that uniquely among these processes, no changes were made to the process of obtaining social security numbers during the pandemic, but you can still request appointments online and receive social security cards by mail. Pathways to Housing and Miriam’s Kitchen are in contact with a representative at the Washington Social Security Office, and process requests directly with them.

“It actually made the process smoother than before the pandemic,” Rocap said. “Because just having to go to the office, and bring your paperwork and get there can be a big barrier for people.” People already coming to Miriam’s Kitchen for a meal can now work with case managers to apply for social security numbers onsite and receive their cards in the mail.

Only after obtaining a proof of identity and social security number can a person or their case manager contact the DMV to apply for an ID through the expedited process for people experiencing homelessness.

Compared to before the pandemic, there is not much of a difference in how long it takes to get birth certificates, social security cards and a photo ID from the DMV, according to Doyle. However, there is a marked difference in how easy it is to obtain those documents.

Case managers with organizations like Pathways and Miriam’s often accompanied their clients to the DMV to help overcome the costs of transportation and the fees associated with obtaining documents. And if there are any documents that are rejected or missing, you would have to leave and come back.

Applying online for appointments in a separate pool from housed applicants means that people experiencing homelessness could have a higher chance at successfully applying for IDs within a short period of time.

“IDs are more important than ever in the pandemic. And it’s always a hard thing for people to get,” Rocap said. “I hope we take a lot of the ways we made virtual and easier, and continue after the pandemic is over.”

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NEWS

In Ward 8, a mobile grocery store is helping to close gaps in food access

BY AJA BECKHAM WAMU/DCist

A bright green truck painted with fruits and vegetables is hitting the road, stocked with fresh foods for Ward 8 families who have only one grocery store to serve 80,000 residents.

Curbside Groceries, a mobile grocer, commutes to seven designated locations in Ward 8 each week to provide residents with more than 100 produce, meat, fish, baking, and condiment options. The grocer seeks to create access to fresh and quality food at an affordable price and address transportation barriers by bringing those groceries to convenient locations in the community. Shoppers may pay with cash, debit, credit and electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards.

The mobile grocer started in January 2020, but manager of Curbside Groceries DeJuan Mason says the service is even more essential during the pandemic, because of cuts to Metrobus service. Many residents don’t have a car to drive to the grocery store and have had to take public transportation.

Curbside wants to shorten that commute time by parking near schools, recreation centers, and housing complexes.

“The sites that we go to, we provide you better access so you don’t have to get on the A2 or the W1 [buses] and carry 12 bags of groceries to get home,” says Mason.

The Capital Area Food Bank created Curbside Groceries — which the organization has dubbed “the food store that comes to you” — with money from a sizable 2019 grant. The organization asked 2,000 D.C.-area residents about food access, desired food options, shopping experiences at local grocers, and commute times. Ninety percent of respondents were interested in buying groceries and cooking if the store were within walking distance from home or school, and if options were affordable. From the survey and data in this hunger heat map (tinyurl.com/cafb-hunger-heat-map), Curbside Groceries was formed.

Since January 2020, Curbside Groceries has seen almost 1,300 customers, Mason said. On a busy day, Curbside Groceries sees about 20 to 25 customers at each Ward 8 site, according to Radha Muthiah, CEO and president of the Capital Area Food Bank.

The truck has had to make some adjustments over the past year. For a few months during the earlier months of the pandemic, the truck temporarily stopped running to follow farmers market guidelines. Also, shoppers now stand outside the truck while Curbside employees retrieve their items from inside, to avoid crowding.

One of Curbside Groceries’ regular stops is Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School. The school reopened for in-person learning last week, allowing 150 students in Pre-K through 4th grade to return to school, said Will Stoetzer, CEO of the school.

One parent picking up their child, Hazen Harris, had not heard about the mobile grocer until she received a flyer from one of the Curbside staff who canvass the area where the truck is parked to inform residents about the service.

Harris is vegan and typically orders her groceries online because she doesn’t have a car to commute. She noted that the local grocer is usually out of stock because so many people shop there.

“When you go in, there’s a lot of stuff they don’t have and half of the time it’s not fresh and it doesn’t last long,” said Harris, 35. “[The produce] is damaged [and] it doesn’t look like it’s worth buying.”

She plans to shop on the truck in the future and thinks the community needs it.

“Having the truck here is a good thing, especially for this area. This area needs different stuff, so it’s a good thing, and I’m looking forward to going to it,” said Harris.

Curbside Groceries, a mobile grocer, commutes to seven designated locations in Ward 8 each week to provide residents with more than 100 produce, meat, fish, baking, and condiment options. The Curbside Groceries staff, DeJuan Mason and Gerald Williams, help shoppers with fulfill their orders. PHOTO COURTESY OF AJA BECKHAM, WAMU/DCIST

A screenshot of the Capital Area Food Bank’s hunger heat map.

Darker red census tracts have greater food insecure populations.

IMAGE COURTESY OF CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK TINYURL.COM/CAFB-HUNGER-HEAT-MAP

Another mom of two boys, Tajea Banks, 32, said that it’s her first time seeing the truck and she plans to shop there in the future. Banks said it’s typical for her shopping trip to include driving to two different grocers — one in Southeast and another in Maryland — because items are often out of stock at one store or the other.

Banks, who uses an EBT card to pay for groceries, was laid off by Busboys and Poets in Anacostia last June, due to the pandemic. She said that she hasn’t gone back to work because she did not have anyone to look after her children during virtual learning.

She commented that stores may be out of stock because many residents also use EBT. “It might be that everybody gets their food stamps at the same time, so they all go [to the store] at the same time,” said Banks.

One teacher, Patrick Bentley, said that when the truck first came to Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School last year, there were lines wrapped around the truck.

“There would be lines after school of students trying to get something from the truck, whether it was an apple. Just something to take home,” he said.

Muthiah said she’s glad that children and families are buying healthy options from the truck.

“I was very heartened when we reviewed our data on what’s sold each week off of Curbside, we see that consistently fruits and vegetables topped the charts,” said Muthiah. “And that’s really terrific because the intent is to provide healthy, nutritious food as a real viable alternative when people decide where to spend a dollar or two.”

Muthiah said she hopes to see the same in other areas as Curbside Groceries expands to other locations.

This summer, there will be another Curbside truck to reach Prince George’s County shoppers. Currently, Curbside does not have plans to expand to Ward 7. Muthiah said there is greater need in Prince George’s County, based on data from the survey and hunger heat map.

This article was originally published in DCist. Aja Beckham is a staff writer for DCist.

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Unique settlement agreement creates hope for change to rampant housing discrimination in DC

BY BEN GUTMAN ben.gutman@streetnsensemedia.org

A

source-of-income complaint that local housing nonprofit Housing Counseling Services and their client, Robert Evans, brought against Bozzuto Management Company ended in a settlement last month.

Evans alleged that Bozzuto quoted him a rent price but after they learned he was planning to pay with a voucher quoted him a higher price that fell outside the maximum value of his voucher. Bozzuto effectively denied Evans housing because his rental subsidy would not have been able to cover the higher rent he was quoted plus utilities, said Mirela Missova, counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee. A lawsuit filed against the owner of the property is ongoing.

While Bozzuto has denied the allegations of the complaint and any liability, evidence favorable to Evans led to a settlement that may have broad implications for future voucher discrimination cases and local housing-related legislation. At a minimum, attorneys involved in the case say settlements like this show property management companies that there are consequences for housing discrimination.

The settlement agreement reaffirms that Bozzuto will follow the law: not charging higher rates for tenants based on their source of income (such as a housing voucher). But it goes farther to clarify common unregulated practices used to discriminate against poor tenants. Bozzuto has agreed not to consider a prospective tenant’s credit score if they are using an income based subsidy to pay rent, since the government is responsible for the subsidy. Furthermore, Bozzuto has agreed that it will not impose minimum income requirements on applicants using an income-based subsidy, since they are receiving the subsidy explicitly to compensate for an income that is too low to cover the District’s astronomical market rent. Bozzuto will also make a monetary payment to Housing Counseling Services and Evans to cover costs, attorney fees, and damages.

The forces behind the agreement D.C. housing providers’ systemic refusal to rent to voucherholders keeps some housing voucher recipients homeless and steers others into low-income neighborhoods, fueling the city’s intense income-based and racial housing segregation. This pervasive denial of housing for both federal and local housing voucher holders constitutes unlawful “source of income” discrimination under the D.C. Human Rights Act, which is enforced by the Office of Human Rights. However, while some source of income discrimination stems from blatantly illegal advertising, other forms of discrimination are not as easy to root out.

Over the past several years, the Neighborhood Legal Services Program (NLSP), a civil legal services organization serving low-income D.C. residents, has utilized a “stabilizing

A 2019 visualization of data collected by the Equal Rights Center. GRAPHIC BRIANNA BILTER

communities” outreach project to train pro bono attorneys, partner organizations, and voucher recipients on the intricacies of source of income discrimination. This tactic was implemented in part due to Managing Attorney of the NLSP housing unit Lori Leibowitz’s experience at an annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day event.

“A number of years ago I learned that people with vouchers were dying on the streets,” Leibowitz said. At the December 2016 memorial, Street Sense Media vendor Kanell Washington was remembered. He had been approved for housing 24 hours after his death.

The “stabilizing communities” outreach project included pre-pandemic presentations at the D.C. Housing Authority to everyone who got either a new voucher or transfer voucher to let them know that voucher discrimination is illegal.

Housing Counseling Services has also made outreach, tenant education, and the formation of partnerships with organizations that can take legal action on behalf of its clients a priority.

“We make protections against and support for individuals who feel they’ve been discriminated against available in all of our programs and service areas and it’s something that we have in every one of our workshops or webinars to remind people not to accept discrimination as a fact of life, but to fight discrimination at every level,” said Marian Siegel, executive director of Housing Counseling Services.

This outreach effort sparked a close relationship between Housing Counseling Services and NLSP, eventually resulting in a cooperative push to secure reparations and justice for Evans and future voucher-holding residents of Bozzuto-managed properties in the District.

A lack of education on the illegality of voucher discrimination and the daunting process of taking action against discrimination make efforts like Evans’s uncommon.

“At the beginning of most of our workshops, one of the questions we ask in our survey is, ‘Have you ever been a victim of housing discrimination?’ And the vast majority of participants have said ‘yes,’” Siegel explained. “The next question is, ‘Have you taken action about that discrimination?’

And the vast majority of respondents say ‘no.’”

However, Evans’s initiative serves as an example to other D.C. renters on the potential collective benefits that legal action can produce for the community as a whole, Leibowitz said.

Evans’s case became a chance to attack the less obvious issue of landlords charging more for voucher holders than nonvoucher holders.

NLSP sees a lot of landlords raising the rent when voucher holders apply. Sometimes landlords raise the rent to the highest rent that the housing authority will allow to make more money, but other times they’ll raise the rent above the payment standard because they don’t want to rent to the voucher holder and it’s a way to keep them out, Leibowitz said. Unfortunately, oftentimes legal representatives do not have enough documentation to prove source of income discrimination.

“There was a piece of paper that said that the rent was

$1250 and then later, when they found out that Mr. Evans had a voucher, they said for people with vouchers the rent is $1360,” Leibowitz said. “There was actually a recorded phone call where someone on staff was very clear that it is their policy to charge voucher holders more than people who don’t have vouchers, so for us it was a very cut and dry clear case.”

Both Siegel and Leibowitz were adamant in their praise for Evans as the primary force behind the successful settlement agreement. Evans’s insistence that his main goal was for nothing like this to happen to anybody else helped center justice for the community at large in the plaintiff’s demands.

Future implications The Bozzuto settlement is impactful in several different ways, according to Leibowitz and Siegel. First, it is something that housing advocates and tenants can point to in order to discourage similar actions by other management companies or property owners. The settlement is also proof for struggling renters that fighting against discrimination can yield concrete results that benefit not just the plaintiff, but the community as a whole. Siegel added that in cases where landlords use voucher discrimination as a technique to reap higher rents, this decreases the number of available vouchers and inhibits other struggling D.C. residents from accessing housing subsidies.

Second, during the negotiations, Bozzuto was clear that they wanted to be a partner in stopping voucher discrimination, according to Leibowitz.

“This settlement is unique in that Bozzuto has agreed to affirmatively do more than the law requires. They’re not just agreeing to not discriminate, but they’re agreeing to make things easier and more fair in ways that are beyond the literal requirements of the law,” Leibowitz said.

As one of the largest management companies in D.C., Bozzuto’s proactive attitude towards the protection of District voucher-holder’s rights serves as an example that may encourage other housing providers to do the same.

Third, some of the provisions in the Bozzuto agreement are also provided in the Fairness in Renting Emergency Act of 2020 — specifically, Sec. 510, which outlines the appropriate steps housing providers must take when screening tenants. Due to its status as an emergency act that was passed in response to the pandemic, those protections expired on Feb. 7. While the emergency act required housing providers to notify prospective tenants of information needed in the screening process, there is no amendment that prohibits housing providers from considering the credit score of a prospective tenant who will use an income-based subsidy to pay the rent. If the D.C. Council moves to make the bill permanent, Bozzuto’s actions could provide data to show that the legislation’s content could provide further protections for voucher holders.

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OPINION

There is no silver bullet for affordable housing in Ward 3

BY BENJAMIN BERGMANN, JANELL PAGATS, BOB WARD, TOM QUINN, DAVID CRISTEAL AND SAULEH SIDDIQUI

At the start of her second term, Mayor Bowser declared a goal of creating 36,000 new housing units by 2025.

One third of these units would be affordable to Washingtonians earning less than 80% of the District’s median family income, which is $126,000 per year. For many — including the authors of this letter — both numbers are woefully insufficient to truly address the scale of the District’s affordable housing crisis. Only 36,000 permits for new housing were issued between 2010 and 2019, even though Washington’s population grew by nearly three times that many people during that same period, driving up rents and pushing lower income people out of the city. In other words, the 36,000 target by 2025 must be the floor rather than the ceiling of our ambitions.

It is worth reflecting on how much and how little progress has been made towards the goal, particularly as the Council prepares to debate amendments to the District’s Comprehensive Plan that would allow for taller residential buildings in some areas of the city.

According to the city, 14,613 units — 2,099 of which were affordable — have been built since the Mayor’s announcement. This means that the District is already about 41% of its way towards the overall goal of building 36,000 units, but only 17% of its way to building 12,000 new affordable units.

The numbers get more concerning when one looks at where the units have been built — and where they haven’t.

Exclusionary zoning rules that essentially prevent construction of apartment buildings, as well as the lingering effects of racial covenants and redlining, have long limited the availability of affordable housing in the city’s wealthier and whiter areas, particularly west of Rock Creek Park. In addition, litigious homeowners have fought proposals that would build more apartments even where it is legal to do so. The results are predictable — limited housing supply has driven the cost of renting and

buying higher and higher each year. A search of Redfin for a home in the Wilson High School attendance zone, which covers Ward 3, turns up not a single choice for less than $1.2 million. Condominium and co-op units are more affordable for homebuyers, but still out of reach for most Washingtonians — the cheapest two-bedroom apartment is just under $400,000.

Recognizing that different parts of the city have historically hosted more affordable housing than others, the District set specific sub-targets for affordable housing production in different parts of the city, including 1,990 units in the Rock Creek West planning area, which encompasses most of Ward 3. But in the two years since the Mayor announced her big housing push, zero — zero — affordable units have been built in Rock Creek West.

In the two years since the Mayor announced her big housing push, zero — zero — affordable units have been built in Rock Creek West.

Ward 3 residents love to complain about developers and their plans to build “more, more, more.” So you might expect that during this same period, Rock Creek West saw a surge in market-rate development. But you would be wrong — only 271 of the 14,613 units built since the Mayor’s announcement were located in Rock Creek West.

Much more needs to be done, particularly in Ward 3,

if we are to meet the Mayor’s housing goals by 2025.

So how can we get there? In a recent piece in these pages, Meg Maguire argues that having the District purchase the defunct Marriott Wardman hotel and convert it to affordable housing could make a huge dent in the city’s goal. We echo calls to seriously explore the possibility of leveraging this dormant asset to add a large amount of housing in an area that sorely needs it.

However, we strongly object to those framing Wardman as a replacement for encouraging more development of multifamily housing in Ward 3. This false choice should be rejected.

Opponents of development in Ward 3 have been on the defensive in recent months. Many in Ward 3 are eager to address the housing crisis and end the exclusionary status quo. In the face of that change in sentiment, density skeptics have latched onto the Wardman as an alternative to constructing more apartments in a transit- and opportunity-rich part of the District. Let’s be clear: While converting the Wardman to apartments would contribute significantly to the District’s supply of affordable housing, the hotel is not a “get-out-of-jail-free card” for Ward 3 NIMBYs opposed to building more apartments near their homes. Moreover, one must be clear-eyed about the obstacles to such a project. Most importantly, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, who would likely need to champion the project for it to come to fruition, has expressed concerns about the cost.

“Silver bullet” projects that never come to fruition will not solve the housing crisis. Even if all of the 1,100 hotel rooms at Wardman are converted to affordable housing, we will still be far short of the Mayor’s goal. Given that the goal is even less than what we truly need, we see no reason why the push for more multifamily housing elsewhere in Ward 3 should let up.

The authors are Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners in Ward 3.

How censorship will backfire against cancel culture

BY JEFFERY MCNEIL

When Twitter, Facebook, and Big Tech oligarchs made the conscientious decision to de-platform Donald Trump, they played right into the hands of his millions of supporters. Cancel culture did Republicans a favor by censoring dissenting voices. Instead of being politically correct, conservatives can be more provocative and test the limits of free speech. While some media outlets have avoided questions about President Joe Biden’s health and are not adequately addressing what’s happening at the border, conservatives can cut right through the spin and propaganda on platforms that are cancellation-proof.

Large conservative investors have pulled their money out of Wall Street and put their money in gold and cryptocurrency. My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and Trump plan to launch their own platforms that rival the major news networks and Big Tech oligarchs. Instead of succumbing to liberal bias, liberal media will go the way of AM radio. Establishment media are like the dodo birds who don’t see the Ice Age.

Liberals who spout nonsensical dribble about conservative America have hijacked establishment newspapers. But they never leave the country for their socialist models of Sweden and Denmark. It’s futile to argue with people who espouse social justice and also shill for the establishment they claim to loathe. They align with Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey for kicking Trump off Facebook and Twitter, but neither men is the struggling Joe they claim to speak for.

Freedom means telling the truth, not sugarcoating lies.

The good news is we no longer have to be sensitive to people who are easily offended by a different viewpoint. De-platforming Trump cleared the path to build our own platforms. Conservatives have options and the actual people being canceled are CNN and MSNBC. Conservatives know where to find Candace Owens, X22 report, or Salty Cracker, who pull in tons of views, sometimes more than left-wing platforms. We are becoming more refined; we know how to play like the cultural Marxist in winning the soul of Middle America.

Democrats like moral victories; Trump supporters are playing for majorities for the next hundred years.

Defending Biden is like defending the Titanic. The conservatives have the life rafts, and the Democratic shills are in the steam room taking on water fast. By the time the radical Left realizes the ship is sinking, there will be no life rafts to save them. It’s embarrassing seeing radical Leftists rally behind a 50-year career politician who voted for every bad trade deal and disastrous war.

Let liberals and progressives die on the hill for a career politician who has to be ushered away the minute the press asks questions.

Conservatives have quit being the left’s customers.

Have them subscribe to conservative sites and platforms.

Never interrupt elites as they self implode. These arrogant elites will learn the hard way. Let the establishment keep believing they will bring Middle America to heal or else.

We are winning!

Jeffery McNeil is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

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ART

My power is from God

BY MARCUS GREEN Artist/Vendor

The Promises

BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor

The dawn, another day Begins to slip away As the sun slips Between the mountain, edges its way Toward another day If the clouds would allow the sun to return For the promises that would come And the hopes of tomorrow will bring on It wouldn’t matter if it rained It could just be a better day

I turned 60 on April 7. I’m thankful, focused and humbled. God has stepped in, in life and death situations, for me. When life throws a curve, it could be a test from God. Power also comes from self, and helping in the mission, like Michael J says.

In life you should have a plan of goal-setting in the short term, mid-range, and long term. Then you act and stick to your plan and your faith should never waiver. Believe in what you are working on and stay the course. Surround yourself with people who have your best interests at heart. You have associates, and friends. Your associates are people that’s around for the ride. Friends love you no matter what. Keep your circle small because family will betray you also. Never put your all in people. They will let you down and throw you under the bus.

Having power can blow your head off. No matter what, stay the course and always do good. Put God first, yourself second, and everybody comes after that. Once again, stay the course, love hard and play fair always.

I have a new mission: kids cancer and dog rescue, considering my skill level with dogs and passion for the care of them. At present, my girl’s cats give a lot of power, peace, and joy. Their names are Max and Cura.

Cats usually are playful, lazy, and scratching stuff up. I look forward to seeing them always. My goal is to get a rescue dog that’s rather young and teachable. Being 60 is a blessed milestone. I live every day to the fullest.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so love yourself and God. Be the best person you can be.

Thanks for your support and be safe.

The release of fear

BY JOHN LITTLEJOHN Artist/Vendor

Things ain’t always what they seem

BY CARLOS CAROLINA-BEY Artist/Vendor

Life seems crazy, Things feel strange Is this a new way of life, or is life playing games…

What she take you for a ride?

Is it meant for you to cry?

Or is it meant for you to rise over time?

And when life makes you fall, are you gonna sit and just fall?

Or wipe your tears, and get up and stand tall...

First of all what is the definition of fear of God? Well one definition is, “Fear of God refers to fear or a specific sense of respect, awe, and submission to a deity.”

The Bible says in the Book of John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Our bodies react to our feeling of dread and fear.

A weight in the pit of our stomach, along with our hearts pounding as we gulp for breaths, signals our sense of anxiety. Our physical nature keeps us from ignoring these feelings of unease.

The Holy Bible talks about fear in 2 Timothy 1:7 and it says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

The disciples felt shockwaves of fear one night after Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding more than 5,000 people. The Lord had sent them ahead to Bethsaida so he could be alone to pray. During the night, they were rowing against the wind when suddenly they saw him walking on the water. Thinking he was a ghost, they were terrified.

But Jesus reassured them, telling them not to be afraid and to take courage. As he entered their vessel, the wind died down and they made it to the shore.

I imagine that their feelings of dread calmed as they embraced the peace he bestowed.

The Holy Bible also talks about fear in 1 John 4:18 and it says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth

out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Did you know that there’s no pain, no sorrow, no sickness, no suffering, or fear on Earth that Heaven can’t heal?

You say, what is Heaven? Heaven is love, peace, kindness and happiness. It rules and it regulates. It is a paradise of your wildest dreams.

It is where Jesus is at the right hand seat of the Father God in Heaven. Amen.

When we’re feeling breathless with anxiety, we can rest assured in Jesus and his powers. Whether he calms our waves or strengthens us to face them, he will give us the gift of his peace that transcends all understanding.

And as he releases us from our fears, our spirits and our bodies can return to a state of rest.

Lord Jesus Christ, help me when the dread seems to cling to me. Release me from my fear and give me your peace. Amen!

The Lord releases me from fear.

It is truly a blessing when we can give cheerfully to those in need and receive cheerfully from those who just might have more than they need.

Give and it should be given back to you. God gave his one and only begotten son. And it is better to give than to receive. Amen!

Once again, the Holy Bible talks about fear in the Book of Psalms 19:9 and it says: “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

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ART

2019 engulfed, swallowed, buried, and eradicated 2020

BY ANGIE WHITEHURST Artist/Vendor

Time of thought Past.

A war versus reality. Where did 2020 go?

Hope for what is not here yet: The future, 2021.

Wishful thinking avalanches the reality of the moment called now.

Probability gambling of risk is not predictable.

The rock of that thoughtful, wanton foundation and premise has no existence in a pandemical, COVIDed, twenty minus two equals an isolated true sum total momentarily, née COVID-19.

The time has lost a year. Do the atomic clock and NIST (National Institute of Standards) or Big Ben and the Swiss watchmakers know the time of the today?

Baffled, stunned, the clock stopped.

No running tick tock.

Curiosity died with the Wall Street cats.

Checks with balances were sanitized, diluted, refuted, and discarded in the battle of science versus politics versus global nation-state monetary corporate greed.

The war of no guns, only contagious disease.

Corner the market on the cure and A scary thought: who will rule the world?

Back to questions, digging for the facts.

Where is COVID-1 to COVID-18?

There is a whopping huge gap between the two, in the constantly updated, round-the-clock stream of news.

Explain the leap, loss of time.

Will errors and omissions insurance reimburse the world for the damage, pain, and loss of life— harm caused due to ordained misinformation?

And the culprits’ names, denials, retorts; there’s been no mention of any grade-school five “Ws”: Who? What?

When?

Where? and Why? Going to sprout pearly beads of truth? Yes? No? Maybe so???

Who knows.

The ABCs of mindless logic clearly washed away, replaced by the tie-dye of severely faded strength of truth with legacy lost within misled glory.

COVID 2020 slid right into 2021.

2019 engulfed, swallowed, buried, and eradicated 2020.

It is based on nothing known, seen, guaranteed, nor tangibly conceived.

2019 passed not, it stayed without an Einstein’s equation.

Could it be the quantum physics of time travel and metaphysics?

Nor could 2019 be 2020.

The delusion, loud as the church bells, rapping, knocking, waiting, boisterously enunciating, lip-syncing a thousand ways over and over again, rolls out nothing but words, brainwashing any true sense of things.

Deluded into losing a year to time zooming spatially into 2021.

Let us not let the thoughts be true of falling craggy waterfalls.

Nor let us keep rewinding time backward to a way of discriminately unwanted false imposition of lies over truth.

Let the past go, taking the lessons learned.

It’s not too late to make this a year of hope, faith, transformation, kindness, and love. Let this be a year of thoughtfulness with good time derived from John Lewis and his good trouble. Now is the right time for good thoughts.

IMAGE COURTESY OF PNGEGG

P.S. And by the way, let’s end homelessness and end food, job and education deserts!!!

for

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// 13

My biggest challenge

BY BROTHER JEFFREY CARTER Artist/Vendor

This is my biggest challenge right here — homelessness.

A lot of things I want to do right now, I can’t do because I’m homeless. Like getting my GED so I can further my education to get back into mainstream life. I want to be able to help other charity organizations, like SOME, Breadcoin, Street Sense Media, Martha’s Table and Miriam’s Kitchen.

My day-to-day life has changed since I came here to Street Sense Media. I’m getting more involved as far as dealing

with the public and learning how to be social and learning about other people out here who are talented and have gifts.

I thank God for America because we have so much support from our government. I think America’s one of the greatest countries in the world.

God bless you, my readers.

Image courtesy of Chris Liverani / Unspalsh.com.

Earth Day World

BY ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor

If this world was mine, I’d give the stars and heaven above.

If this world was mine, I’d give the peace that it take to live.

I’d teach how to live holy everyday. It’s your world.

There would be no sickness.

I would wipe all your tears away, no more pain.

I would give you what you want without any questions.

But guess what?

This world ain’t mine.

So let’s follow the authority from above.

EARTH DAY BIRTHDAY

Triggers

BY SASHA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor

T- Testing R- Reflecting I- Inspiring G- Gearing G- Goals E- Excitingly R- Real S- spectacular Life brings tests I reflect often Every achievement is inspiring When gearing my focus Writing to plan my goals 36 years now is excitingly refreshing Real stars Shining so spectacular

Chon Gotti April 22 AUTHOR/VENDOR

Wheelchair basketball should go pro!

BY ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor

I appreciate that since I’ve been with Street Sense Media, it’s helped me to meet a lot of good people, including lawyers, NBA players, and talented stylists.

I recently met this guy and he said he wanted to know what Street Sense Media is. I invited him to our next meeting and told him that Street Sense Media helps to get people off the streets through their stories in the paper. He said he’s very interested, so he and his wife are going to check it out.

I appreciate that Street Sense Media makes me busy and motivates me to do more things that I’ve been wanting to do. A lot of people I run into be like, “Hey, you’re doing a good job.”

For me, right now, I’m not gonna lie, there are people in West Africa, Liberia, that need more help. So I would be glad to see all different organizations help people in West Africa, Liberia, because people don’t have enough resources. The education sector in Liberia is weak because they don’t have no funding.

They don’t have no money to go to school. So that’s why I’m going to do the Street Sense Media, to help people in West

Africa, Liberia, and all over, like Sierra Leone, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and other countries.

And the United States, too. Because you’re all my people.

When I win the lottery, I’ll be willing to give back to Street Sense Media and Bread for the City and the NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association), so it can be professional like the NBA, so we can get paid for playing. Not only my team, but for all wheelchair basketball teams in the U.S. and its territories. In 2004, I told Kevin Durant and Lebron James about wheelchair basketball when I met them at the StadiumArmory Metro. I was interviewed by the Wizards point guard, John Wall. All the NBA players know me. I took our team and we did a wheelchair basketball demonstration during the Wizards’ halftime.

Right now, what is on my mind is to move and to get a job. My apartment is flooded. So now I’m waiting to see if the NBA will help me to get a new place because right now I’m still waiting for the D.C. Housing Authority to

relocate me at O St. Market, right down the street from Bread for the City. I’m still trying because a social worker did a conference call and they haven’t got back with her yet. So I’m trying to see if the NBA or ESPN, can hear my story because my apartment got flooded for a second time and they said because I didn’t have insurance to cover the water flow, I’m responsible for everything.

I want all the NBA players and all the people to hear my story on ESPN. I really, really want to move. Because my TV, my Xbox, everything is water damaged. All my clothes, everything. I had to trash most of it and put the rest in the living room chair above the water.

So I’m just praying for the NBA to hear my story, I hope the owner of the Wizards can hear my story, so I can get out.

While I’m there for now, I don’t want to live there anymore.

They can contact me through street Sense Media. Call Thomas at extension 103.

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Compassionate wolf

BY KYM PARKER // Artist/Vendor

Ah! the youngest heart has the same waves within it as the oldest; but without the plummet which can measure the depths.

-- Richter

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// ST REET SEN S E

4 8 7 2 6 9 1 3 5 3 5 6 9 1 2 4 8 7 9 1 8 7 4 5 3 2 6 ME DI A / / A P RI L 2 1 - 2 7 , 2021 7 4 2 6 8 3 9 5 1

IMAGE COURTESY OF ARTTOWER / PIXABAY.COM

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

4 6 3 9 7 2 2 5 1 3 9 8 6 7 5 4 8 1

Sudoku #8

If you use logicFill you in can solve the puzzle without guesswork.

SUDOKU: 6 2 3 7 5 8 4 9 1 the blank squares Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle. so each the row, Usethat it to identify next square 5should 7 solve.

1 2Or use 6 3 page 4 you 9 the 8 answers if you really get stuck. each column and 1 9 8 4 3 6 2 5 7 each 3-by-3 block contain all of the 5 3 1 8 4 2 6 7 9 digits 1-9.

2

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

9 6 7 5 7 6 4 3 9 1 9 1 5 2 8 4 3 4 6 5 1 7 8 7 2 9 6 3 8

3 1 4 5 2 8 7 3 6 9 8 2 1 4 5

She is the leader She feeds her pride She raised and she protects the cubs Until they learn how to hunt, run and play She shows them compassion

She shows them what true love is Compassionate wolf She is the truth Understanding right from wrong All wolves know

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

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COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

// 15

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

JOB BOARD Busser Cuba Libre Restaurant // Downtown The busser will clear away plates from tables, clean spills, moves tables and chairs when needed, and assist servers.

REQUIRED: Must have 6 months continuous work experience at any company and be 18 years or older.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/cuba-libre-busser

Server Aramark Flexible hours, including weekends and holidays The server is responsible for taking customer orders and serving food and beverage according to customer requests. The server should provide general customer service within the dining establishment as well as escalate and/or resolve any issues as necessary to ensure guest satisfaction.

REQUIRED: Must be able to obtain a food safety certification.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/aramark-server-job

Busser Cheesecake Factory // Downtown Full-time or part-time The busser will prepare tables for guests, bring out food, refill drinks and clear away plates between courses.

REQUIRED: None listed.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/cheesecake-factorybusser

Busser Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

Yours Truly Hotel // West End Part-time The busser will clear away dirty plates from tables at the hotel’s restaurant.

REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/yours-truly-busser

Host Corner Table Restaurants // West End The host’s responsibilities will be to greet guests when they enter, guide them to their tables, and answer the phone.

REQUIRED: None listed.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/corner-table-host Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

All about me

BY DARLESHA JOYNER Artist/Vendor

My life is springly like a flower. I started out as a seed and blossomed into a beautiful young lady.

Spring means new beginnings

BY CARLTON “INKFLOW” JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

New days are about to come with spring in bloom and hypothermia at an end, with weekly papers up and running, and Earth Day at hand. But COVID-19 needs to end off! The power of new beginnings is important for all right now. This is just part of the Street Sense Media Review from the streets of Washington, D.C.

The Jefferson Memorial photographed in 2012. PHOTO BY RON COGSWELL / FLICKR

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

From your vendor

Spring and cold snaps

First day of spring

BY REGGIE JONES Artist/Vendor

BY DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor

I’ve been looking forward to spring because people start to get nicer and kinder with each other when the weather gets warm. Maybe it would make my paper sales go up and put more money in my pocket. Then I could eat better because this year people have been stealing everything from me: money, clothes, food. If they could, they’d probably steal the drawers off my butt! (I guess you have to have a sense of humor in these times.)

Anyway, God is love.

Did you know the first day of Spring was March 20th? Some days it feels like it and some nights it’s hard to believe.

I try to stay warm. We don’t like cold weather when it come every year.

It is affecting me when I get a bad cold out in these streets.

Hypothermia season was very real to some people that live on the streets corners in D.C.

APRIL 21 - 27, 2021 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 14

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