OUR STORY
CASE MANAGEMENT
4 people moved into housing using case management services in 2023.
I
n 2013, we began offering case management services to help anyone, including vendors, with their needs — from obtaining identification cards and emergency cash for bills and food to accessing supportive programs and applying for housing vouchers. Our team builds longterm relationships with our vendors and other clients to understand their needs and help them create plans to achieve their goals.
117
people, including artists/vendors, used case management services in 2023,
28 of which were new clients.
THE TEAM
THE TEAM
VENDORS
Abel Putu, Abraham Aly, Aida Peery, Akindele Akerejah, Amia Walker, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Beverly Sutton, Brian Holsten, Brianna Butler, Cameé Lee, Carlos Carolina, Carlton Johnson, Charles Armstrong, Charles Woods, Chon Gotti, Chris Cole, Conrad Cheek, Corey Sanders, Darlesha Joyner, Daniel Ball, David
Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon Dovonou, Dominique Anthony, Don Gardner, Donald Davis, Donte Turner, Drake Brensul, Earl Parker, Elizabeth Bowes, Eric Thompson-Bey, Erica Downing, Evelyn Nnam, Faith Winkler, Floyd Carter, Frederic John, Frederick Walker, Gerald Anderson, George Gray, Gloria Prinz, Gracias Garcias, Greta Christian, Henrieese Roberts, Henry Johnson, Invisible
Prophet, Ibn Hipps, Ivory Wilson, Jacqueline Turner, Jacques Collier, James Davis, James Hughes, James Lyles III, Jay B. Williams, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jenkins Dalton, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jet Flegette, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Josie Brown, Juliene Kengnie, Kenneth Middleton, Kym Parker, L.Q. Peterson, Laticia Brock,
Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Marc Grier, Marcus McCall, Maurice Carter, Melody Byrd, Melveon Harp, Micheal Pennycook, Michele Modica, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Paul Martin, Peggy Jackson Whitley, Phillip Black, Qaadir El-Amin, Queenie Featherstone, Rachelle Ellison, Randall Smith, Rashawn Bowser, Reginald Black, Reginald
Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Vaughn, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Ronnell Wilson, S. Smith, Sasha Williams, Shawn Fenwick, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Starchild BLK, Sureyakanti Behera, Susan Wilshusen, Sybil Taylor, Tasha Savoy, Tim Holt, T.K. Hancock, Tonya Williams, Vincent Watts, Warren Stevens, Wayne Hall, Wendell Williams, Wendy
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER Brian Carome
The Cover
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIST HOUSE, COVER DESIGN BY ANNEMARIE CUCCIA
Brown, William Hargrove, William Mack, William Young, Willie Futrelle, Zero
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ashley McMaster, Blake Androff, Clare Krupin, Chris Curry, Cole Ingraham, Jonquilyn Hill, Matt Perra, Michael Vaughan Cherubin, Michael Phillips, Nana-Sentuo Bonsu, Stanley Keeve
The Cover
PHOTO BY MADI KOESLER, COVER DESIGN BY JOSH HONG/DONTE KIRBY
NEWS IN BRIEF
Homeless shelters nearly full as seasonal shelters close
FRANZISKA WILD
Editorial Intern
On April 15, Rachelle Ellison called the D.C. shelter hotline, hoping to find a bed for someone experiencing homelessness. When she reached an operator, she learned there were no more beds available in city-run shelters that night. So Ellison tried to take her client to the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), the city’s largest shelter, but learned that too was full.
In the end, the person Ellison was seeking shelter for had to spend the night at the George Washington University Hospital.
As hypothermia season ends and seasonal shelters close, year-round homeless shelters in D.C have begun facing capacity problems. Every year, the District opens beds over the winter and then closes them when temperatures begin to warm again.
This winter, the city opened over 700 beds, according to past reporting by Street Sense, and closed them by April 15. That night, low-barrier shelters for men were full.
On April 15, the city also closed Eve’s Place, a seasonal women’s shelter some thought would stay open year-round, removing 40 beds of shelter capacity.
Last year, Eve’s Place was closed after the end of hypothermia season, as it usually is, but then reopened when the city closed several large encampments in Foggy Bottom, according to Anthony Newman, a deputy administrator at D.C.’s Department of Human Services (DHS). Since the shelter had been open in the summer of 2024, some outreach workers and people experiencing homelessness thought it would stay open through the summer of 2025 as well.
But this year, DHS closed the shelter when hypothermia season ended on April 15. This was part of a “routine pattern” at the end of hypothermia season, when DHS brings on several hundred beds in November for the winter and then closes them in the spring, Newman said. According to a DHS spokesperson, “Eve’s Place is traditionally used to provide excess capacity when possible — not as a permanent shelter,” and is not funded to operate year-round.
Without the seasonal beds, demand for shelter beds has already exceeded the city’s supply this year. Since the city closed the last of its overflow beds and hypothermia shelters on April 15, there have been no beds or only one bed available for men each night. For women, there is slightly more availability, but there have been a few nights where the number of beds available has dropped into the single digits. Since April 15, there has not been a single night where there were available beds dedicated for queer individuals.
This is not the first time the closure of seasonal shelters has strained the system — in both 2023 and 2024, shelters were full or nearly full after hypothermia shelters closed in April.
Ellison is hoping DHS acts swiftly to bring more shelter beds online, especially as city officials have increased the pace of encampment closures while maintaining that residents can access shelter if necessary. Encampment residents were previously offered shelter at the Aston, but the shelter is nearly full, according to the GW Hatchet.
“It’s so sad,” Ellison said. “Because the mayor came on the television and said we absolutely have enough shelter beds for people who want to come in, but we don’t.”
EVENTS AT SSM
ANNOUNCEMENTS
□ Painter’s workshop is back! Make art with two artists-in-residence. Every Tuesday, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., starting April 22.
□ April vendor meeting is Friday, April 25, from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Come for business, community, and pizza.
□ The vendor survey is in full swing! $10 and 10 papers for just 10 minutes of your time. Sign up at the admin desk.
□ Find a list of vendor announcements and other useful information just for you at streetsensemedia.org/ vendor-info.
BIRTHDAYS
Reginald Denny April 29
ARTIST/VENDOR
VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT
Read this democratically elected code of conduct, by vendors, for vendors!
1. I will support Street Sense Media’s mission statement and in so doing will work to support the Street Sense Media community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.
2. I will treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and fellow vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making donations, or engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.
3. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media but an independent contractor.
4. While distributing the Street Sense newspaper, I will not ask for more than $3 per issue or solicit donations by any other means.
5. I will only purchase the newspaper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not distribute newspapers to other vendors.
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
Darick Brown
DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT
Thomas Ratliff
VENDOR PROGRAM
ASSOCIATES
Ann Herzog, Aiden Eisenschenk, Beverly Brown, Madeleine McCollough, Roberta Haber
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Annemarie Cuccia
Aida Peery, Chon Gotti, Nikila Smith VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS
DEPUTY EDITOR Donte Kirby
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Cara Halford, Ella Mitchell, Fiona Riley, Franziska Wild, Gabriel Zakaib, Katherine Wilkison, Madi Koesler
WEB INTERN Zachi Elias
SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN Matt Corpuz
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN Josh Hong
ARTISTS-INRESIDENCE Alexandra Silverthorne (Photography), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Leslie Jacobson (Theater), Roy Barber (Theater), Willie Schatz (Writing)
EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS
Alex Freeman, Anne Eigeman, Jelina Liu, Cari Shane, David Fucillo, Jack Walker, Jillian Pincus, Mark Rose, Candace Montague, Jessica Rich, Sarah Eccleston, Taylor Nichols
6. I will not distribute copies of “Street Sense” on metro trains and buses or on private property.
7. I will abide by the Street Sense Media Vendor Territory Policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes with other vendors in a professional manner.
8. I will not sell additional goods or products while distributing “Street Sense.”
9. I will not distribute “Street Sense” under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
10. I understand that my badge and vest are property of Street Sense Media and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing “Street Sense” and will always display my badge when distributing “Street Sense.”
As unpaid rent mounts, D.C. Council says rental assistance is for “emergencies,” not a cure for high housing costs
FIONA RILEY Editorial Intern
he D.C. Council advanced an act to prevent tenants’ pending Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) applications from stalling their evictions in an effort to quell mounting unpaid rent in the District. The proposed legislation passed on first reading April 1 and is the council’s attempt at ensuring the program is used to support rent during one-time emergencies, and not to combat the high cost of housing or continually pay rent tenants can’t afford.
TThe Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Amendment Act of 2025, introduced by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Jan. 13, would implement structural changes to grant judges the discretion to evict tenants with pending ERAP applications and penalize landlords who fail to cooperate with the ERAP process. The proposed legislation comes after the D.C. Council passed a temporary amendment in September to make the requirements for ERAP — a government program that offers one-time financial assistance to tenants who are unable to pay rent — stricter and prevent tenants from automatically avoiding eviction by applying for ERAP.
The legislation allows, rather than requires, courts to grant stays in eviction cases for tenants who have applied for ERAP, which councilmembers say will prevent situations when tenants file applications just to delay eviction, even if ERAP would not cover all their past-due rent. The legislation also grants families who didn’t have the opportunity to apply for ERAP before their eviction cases the ability to reschedule their eviction one time to apply.
“We all want to avoid evictions, but without a working eviction process that encourages landlords and tenants to work together where they can, the system cannot function, and there are many victims,” Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin said at a March 25 committee markup of the bill.
Some residents see ERAP as an “end-all be-all measure” to help all housing needs in the District, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker said at the committee markup, when in reality, the program can only help in emergency situations. He said the District still has a lot of work to do to help residents secure housing, but this act will prevent affordable housing options from shrinking due to unpaid rent.
“I think unfairly the council has been characterized by some as wanting to make evictions easier, and instead I’d reframe that and say we’re trying to right-size the relationship between tenants and landlords in an effort to save our affordable housing stock,” Parker said.
The legislation would require applicants to document their eligibility and revise the definition of “emergency situation” to clarify ERAP should be used only in “unforeseen” circumstances, like sudden job loss or an unexpected medical cost, rather than as a response to the high costs of housing. Frumin said the revision “realigns the policy incentives” of ERAP to ensure evictions aren’t infinitely delayed. “ERAP was always intended to prevent eviction for families experiencing time-limited emergencies, not to delay evictions for families for whom rent is chronically unaffordable,” Frumin said.
The proposed legislation mirrors the Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Temporary Amendment Act of 2024, which expires on July 30, and first established judges could evict tenants with pending ERAP applications. The temporary legislation was a response to landlord concerns that delaying evictions was leading to mounting unpaid rent, threatening the ability of affordable housing providers to continue to operate.
Tenant advocates counter that the number of pending applications reflects the genuine struggle people face to pay their rent. After the District reopened ERAP applications in November, applications closed in half a day, with residents applying for more than $20 million in rent assistance in just a few hours.
But councilmembers say ERAP can’t, or shouldn’t, help in all those cases. The bill stipulates tenants must show ERAP funds would cover everything they owe their landlords, or that they’ve reached a repayment plan to delay their evictions after applying for ERAP.
“The only way in which an ERAP application can save the day is if it can cover the full amount, that’s just the fact,” Frumin said.
Additionally, the legislation says the courts can punish landlords by holding them in contempt or waiving rent owed if they fail to cooperate with the ERAP process, Frumin said.
Councilmembers don’t expect the legislation will fix all their ERAP concerns. Parker said while he supported the legislation, he would like the Department of Human Services, which runs the program, to consider implementing multiple ERAP application portals at different times, or a lottery system. He said the current portal isn’t the most “equitable application,” because people may not be facing eviction at the exact moment it’s open, and then miss the opportunity to apply.
“It is a first-come, first-serve process that is often exhausted within hours, and that leaves many individuals who rightly have emergencies without the opportunity to provide,” Parker said.
At-large Councilmember Robert White said at the March 25 markup while he also supports the legislation, he has “some concerns” with the provision that allows people who missed the portal to apply for ERAP to delay their eviction so they can apply in the future, as this could continue to increase unpaid rent and harm the affordable housing market. It’s currently not clear how long evictions would be delayed, and in the past few years, ERAP has opened either once a year or once every three months.
“I want to make sure that’s a real defense and not something that anybody could claim as a blanket defense,” White said.
The D.C. Council passed the bill on its first reading, and will vote on it a second time in the coming months.
In an April 1 statement, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she will not support the act “in its current form” because it introduces “bureaucratic requirements” that will delay the courts. She said her Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords (RENTAL) Act, which she introduced on Feb. 12, would better reform the ERAP process to ensure the program maintains its purpose.
If approved in its original form by the D.C. Council, the RENTAL act would permanently reinstate the quicker eviction timelines in effect before the COVID-19 pandemic, roll back some protections for tenants seeking rental assistance, speed up evictions for individuals arrested or charged with violent crimes near the property and exclude certain buildings from the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.
The John Wilson Building, where the D.C. Council meets. Photo by Kaela Roeder
Nearly 40% of child abuse investigations “incomplete” last fiscal year as agency faces staffing shortages
JESSICA RICH Volunteer Freelance Reporter
The District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) is facing renewed scrutiny following a rise in incomplete investigations into reports of abuse and neglect and a simultaneous increase in foster care placements in fiscal year 2024, two trends observers worry are the result of a lack of staffing at the agency.
CFSA reported 1,442 incomplete investigations in FY 2024, which ended Sept. 30, 2024, nearly tripling the 525 investigations left incomplete at the end of FY 2023. Cases are marked as incomplete when there are “barriers to being able to complete every aspect of the investigation,” such as not being able to get records or contact families, according to the agency. According to data from CFSA’s dashboard, these incomplete cases accounted for 38% of the total investigations in FY 2024, up from just 15% the year prior. In the first quarter of FY 2025, 579 investigations, or 60%, were marked as incomplete.
Total referrals have increased for the second year in a row, from 16,899 in FY22 to 20,246 in FY2023, and then to 20,978 in 2024.
“We need transparency to gauge the seriousness of the situation, especially regarding whether the incomplete investigations signify systemic failures to address child safety vulnerabilities or merely reflect backlogs in documentation,” a former CFSA social worker who asked to remain anonymous for fear of hindering future job prospects said.
Adding to the concern, FY 2024 marked the first time in more than a decade the number of children entering foster care in the District increased. According to CFSA data, 510 children entered foster care in FY 2024, compared with 454 in FY 2023 and 425 in FY 2022. Until FY 2024, the number had steadily declined each year since FY 2010, when 803 children entered care.
The rise in foster care placements, incomplete investigations, and total referrals together may suggest mounting pressure on the agency’s capacity to provide timely and thorough services, according to Marie Cohen, who runs watchdog blog Child Welfare Monitor.
“Prominent child welfare scholars have concluded that referrals are the best available indicator of actual maltreatment due to the strong correlation between referrals and future reports…thus, the increase in referrals may well be a sign of increasing maltreatment,” Cohen wrote.
CFSA has not issued a public statement addressing the surge in incomplete cases or the increase in foster care placements, or responded to multiple requests for comment.
However, one contributor to trouble at the agency may be the staffing shortage at CFSA, a trend found in the child welfare profession across the United States. In oversight responses submitted in February, the agency wrote it continues to have a social worker staffing shortage and, as a result, has asked all social workers in the agency to help with abuse and neglect investigations, in addition to their other duties. According to the responses, there were 51 vacancies in the Child Protective Services division, which handles investigations.
Generally, national standards recommend no more than 12 to 15 active cases per child protection worker. But the oversight responses indicate that many D.C. social workers are now managing upwards of 30 to 40 cases, more than double the recommended caseload.
“[CFSA] basically say, hey, it’s not our fault. There’s a social worker shortage in the whole United States. Every agency has this problem,” said Marla Spindel, executive director of DC KinCare Alliance, which often works with CFSA. “But maybe there are some jurisdictions that are doing better with that, and if so, why? Like, is it because they’re giving them more incentives? Is it a better place to work?”
The effects of these increased workloads go beyond paperwork. Overstretched caseworkers are more likely to miss signs of ongoing abuse, misjudge risk levels, and leave vulnerable children without support. Increased workloads may also be to blame for quick turnover in the field.
“Social workers are overloaded with cases, and it is impossible to properly service children in these circumstances,” the former CFSA social worker said. “When you’re that overwhelmed, corners get cut. Not because we don’t care, but because we physically cannot be everywhere we need to be.”
D.C.’s problems are far from unique. Across the United States, child welfare agencies are grappling with staff shortages, backlogged investigations, and an increase in complex cases.
In West Virginia, there are consistent investigations into the foster care system, as children are at times being housed in shelters, hotels, and even cars due to a lack of placements and personnel. A 2024 hearing by the West Virginia House Health Committee revealed the state had over 7,000 children in care, but not nearly enough foster homes for them, leading to, at times, the most vulnerable of children in precarious situations.
In Connecticut, the Department of Children and Families came under fire after a state audit revealed multiple failures to follow investigative protocols, raising concerns about the adequacy of child safety assessments. These lapses were linked to child neglect and child fatalities in the state in recent years.
Nationally, a November 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General noted that more than half of state child welfare agencies lack sufficient data to monitor maltreatment in residential facilities. The report urged stronger federal oversight and better data collection on child safety outcomes.
Until 2022, D.C.’s child welfare system was under federal court oversight as part of the LaShawn A. v. Bowser settlement, a decades-long class action lawsuit originally filed in 1989 to force improvements in child safety and permanency outcomes. The latest court monitoring report under the settlement found CFSA missed multiple performance benchmarks in FY 2023, including timelines for completing investigations and placing children in permanent homes.
“Ensuring children’s safety and well-being is a shared responsibility,” said Spindel. “But the government must lead with urgency, accountability, and resources.
D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency headquarters. Photo by Jessica Rich
Potential cuts to Medicaid threaten D.C.’s homeless and formerly homeless populations
CARA HALFORD Editorial Intern
Shelby Wallington is seeing her clients and staff begin to panic as President Donald Trump’s administration proposes historic budget cuts that could impact Medicaid, a service on which nearly a quarter of Washington, D.C. residents depend.
“If those funds are not allocated, there’s a huge chance that we won’t be able to recover from homelessness,” Wallington, who is the director at Housing for Community Family Life Services, said in reference to efforts to reduce homelessness.
Many D.C. organizations like Community Family Life Services, which helps clients experiencing homelessness find housing and consistent health care, are at least partially funded through Medicaid or refer clients to services that rely on Medicaid funding. The benefits program, which ensures access to health care for low-income and disabled adults, helps fund both medical services and some voucher programs for people experiencing homelessness in the city. Providers worry any cuts will put the city’s most vulnerable at risk, and potentially even lead to increases in homelessness.
For Wallington, who helps people with HIV and AIDS, any cuts to Medicaid could be devastating. Besides covering basic physical care, Medicaid also helps to cover mental health services, which Wallington said are essential for people facing housing insecurity.
“Some of these communities already face tremendous barriers to facing life, and they will only increase if Medicaid is cut,” Wallington said.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent health policy nonprofit, approximately 79 million people in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid. Congress’s proposed budget for the next year would cut $880 billion, or half of Medicaid’s budget, which makes up the majority of the $1.9 trillion the government spends on health care services.
The House budget resolution, which passed April 10, calls on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to propose the cuts, and while some Republican officials say they can find savings through fraud and waste without cutting benefits to most recipients, experts are skeptical. According to Politico, the committee is expected to begin meeting to discuss the cuts in early May.
Even if Congress does not go through with promises to cull Medicaid, proposed legislation in both the House and the Senate could make benefits more difficult to access, as eligibility requirements could change, requiring recipients to work a minimum number of hours each week and verify their place of work.
And besides federal threats of funding cuts, Medicaid funding in D.C. is already at risk. According to a public notice issued in early March, the D.C. Medicaid program is facing “unprecedented challenges” due to program growth requiring an additional $173 million in funding and a projected $1 billion decline in city revenue over the next four years due to federal job losses. The statement was issued before Congress declined to fix the $1.1 billion hole federal legislation left in D.C.’s budget, further threatening local programs. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a city government-wide freeze on spending in mid-April.
“Taking away health care from a large population will, in fact, hurt that population, and it will lead to death, plain and simple. People will die.”
- Dorian Warren, Community Change
D.C. Medicaid by the numbers
264,332
PEOPLE ENROLLED IN D.C. MEDICAID
24% OF D.C.’S POPULATION IS COVERED BY MEDICAID/ CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
95% OF NON-ELDERLY MEDICAID ENROLLEES IN D.C. ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR
70% OF THE COST OF TRADITIONAL MEDICAID IS PAID BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Data from Kaiser Family Foundation in August 2024.
The Department of Health Care Finance said in the notice the upcoming budget, the release of which has been delayed due to the $1.1 billion hole, is attempting to take into account these financial hits, but the agency has no plan for how to cover any federal funding removed from the city’s Medicaid budget. The city would have to consider changing eligibility, benefits, and the amount it pays providers, the notice says, adding “everything is on the table.”
Dorian Warren, the co-president of Community Change, a grassroots organization focused on uniting low-income individuals across the country to address anti-poverty concerns, said the rollout of these potential cuts could have severe consequences.
“Taking away health care from a large population will, in fact, hurt that population, and it will lead to death, plain and simple. People will die,” Warren said.
Community Change marched to Capitol Hill on April 8, demanding Congress and Trump preserve federal Medicaid funding. Along with the immediate health concerns associated with cutting Medicaid, Warren said longer-term impacts could wreck the D.C. community, causing more people to fall into homelessness.
If Medicaid is cut, low-income Washingtonians could rack up increasing medical debt, making it more difficult to pay housing and utility bills, and placing them at a greater risk of eviction, Warren said. In addition, the services Medicaid offers to homeless individuals, which help them achieve a more stable place of residency, could go away if the program is cut.
Karen Cunningham, the executive director of Everyone Home DC, said cuts could also affect the city’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs, which Medicaid has partially funded since 2022, by reducing the number of clients they can serve. Through PSH, people experiencing homelessness with chronic health concerns or disabilities are able to move into housing at little to no cost. Any cuts to the program’s funding could make it more difficult for those with disabilities to achieve stable housing and would threaten one of the main resources the city uses to end homelessness.
“It’s hard because we just don’t have a lot of answers right now, we are living through quite a bit of uncertainty,” Cunningham said.
But increased homelessness is not the only risk of a weakened Medicaid system. Those with disabilities are particularly in danger, said Shawn Ullman, the CEO of Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, which helps to advocate for those with mental and physical disabilities. Without Medicaid, many of her clients who live on their own would be in institutions or family care, as they could not live independently without the services Medicaid offers, Ullman said.
“When funding is cut, these are where the choices of the District make us nervous,” Ullman said, in reference to the potential that any Medicaid cuts lead the city to reduce funding to disability-centered programs. The increased institutionalization of those with disabilities that might result from such cuts would “set us back 40 years,” Ullman said.
But Cunningham encouraged people not to lose hope. While organizations wait for the federal government to decide what the cuts will look like, Cunningham said organizing must begin so nonprofits can turn to each other instead of the government for help.
“A lot of us are ready and willing to fight,” Cunningham said. “We’re going to try really, really hard to hang on to the funding and the support for the most essential programs that people rely on.”
Encampment Updates: Closures continue as residents shuffle around the city
FRANZISKA WILD AND MADI KOESLER Editorial Interns
By the time I pushed Z, in her wheelchair, back to their encampment on April 10, city officials had already used a knife to slash their tent open, searched through their belongings, and thrown their furniture into garbage trucks. The couple, who asked to be identified by their initials for their safety while living outside, had just left the hospital to try to save their belongings.
But they were too late. After waiting an hour and 47 minutes for the couple to return, staff from D.C.’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) began removing the encampment at the 1000 block of Howard Road in Anacostia.
The couple was not present when the closure began because Z, who is seven months pregnant, had been in the hospital for the previous few days for a severe infection in a bone in her leg. Knowing the closure was that day, they left the hospital before the infection was fully treated.
The city closed three encampments since Street Sense’s last update was published on April 8, including the encampment where I and Z lived. These encampments were among the first closed under DMHHS’s new encampment protocol, which decreased the mandatory notice given to residents before a closure from 14 days to seven. In addition to the city-led closures, the National Park Service closed an encampment at Massachusetts Avenue and G Streets on April 14. As the city continues to consistently close encampments, clearings remain difficult and, at times, traumatic for residents.
At the closure near Howard Road, in addition to I and Z, the city displaced a third resident, Mikey. As DMHHS delayed the closure, he moved most of his belongings and saved anything he thought his friends might need, including a baby carrier. At the time of the closure, Mikey, who is a young adult, said he was not connected to homeless services, but outreach staff from Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless helped him connect to a youth service provider. A spokesperson from DMHHS said he had been offered services before.
“The Community Connections and DHS outreach teams engaged this site several times before a DMHHS protocol engagement was initiated. Community Connections and DHS provided resources for youth services and Virginia Williams. Transportation was offered, along with other resources such as case management connection and harm reduction services,” a DMHHS spokesperson wrote to Street Sense.
Community Connections, the service provider for the area, did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
DMHHS also closed an encampment at 198 and Southeast Blvd SE on April 10 “due to scheduled DDOT and DPR maintenance and repairs” as well as “health and safety hazards,” according to an agency spokesperson. According to the spokesperson, three residents were identified at the encampment, and two tents were disposed of. Street Sense was not able to attend the closure.
The Howard Road closure was also conducted due to “health and safety hazards” which included “ongoing construction” and “fire hazards.”
(Left to right) Mikey, I, and Z lived at an encampment in Anacostia until the city closed it on April 10. Photo by Madi Koesler
On April 9, the day before, one resident, Charles, was displaced when the city closed his encampment at North Capitol Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW. After speaking at length with outreach workers before the clearing, Charles allowed the city to dispose of all his possessions. He said he had moved some of his things before the clearing and wasn’t attached to what was left. The site was closed for “health and safety” reasons, according to a DMHHS spokesperson, including blocking a sidewalk.
“ He wasn’t hurting anyone,” Cecilia D’Arms told Street Sense, as she watched DMHHS officials close the encampment. D’Arms regularly passes Charles on her way to law school. They chat a bit every day, and D’Arms considers those interactions a “lovely part” of her day.
“ I think it’s evil and disgusting, and it’s not saving anyone any money,” D’Arms said. “ People are human beings, and I just think there are bigger concerns to be worried about.”
D’Arms is not alone in her concerns. As the city continues to close encampments, advocates worry closures are doing more harm than good.
“An encampment is like a community, really. And it’s safety in numbers,” Wesley Thomas, who spent nearly three decades homeless himself, and now serves as a Guest Advisory Board member at Miriam’s Kitchen, told Street Sense as he watched an April 8 clearing in Foggy Bottom. In his eyes, encampment clearings erode trust between residents and outreach workers and city staff.
The city was also scheduled to close an encampment on April 22 near the White House, but Street Sense did not see anyone at the site.
In addition to closing three encampments, the city also sent its 16th encampment closure notice to Heather Bernard, who was profiled in the previous edition of Street Sense, at her encampment in Mount Pleasant.
But for the first time, no closure date was listed. Instead, “WARNING” was written on the sticker, a form of notice that does not fall under DMHHS protocol. Outreach workers
have only seen this type of notice once before, ahead of an immediate disposition on March 14 at a District Department of Transportation lot. Bernard has previously told Street
Sense closures leave her upset and frustrated.
After four more days, Bernard received her 17th notice, this time with a time and date for the next morning, April 16. But there was no closure that day. An outreach worker from Miriam’s Kitchen arrived about 20 minutes before the scheduled closure, with an email alerting outreach organizations the closure was rescheduled again, this time for April 30.
While city officials often say people whose encampments have been closed can move into shelters, men’s shelters have been full several nights in April, and women’s shelters regularly have between just five and 15 vacancies, according to recent daily shelter reports.
“In D.C., there’s nowhere to go. They’re going from camp to camp across the street here, park to park. Like I explained before, the shelters are overcrowded,” Thomas said. “What is the District going to do? What are the city workers going to do? What is the mayor going to do?”
The same day, Street Sense reporters asked Jamal Weldon, who leads the city’s encampments team, a similar question.
“We can’t force anyone into services,” Weldon said, when asked about DMHHS’s long-term plan as encampment closures increase, but seem to have little success convincing residents to move into housing or low-barrier shelters. “We’re going to keep going, hope we can turn ‘Nos’ into ‘Yeses.’”
Gabriel Zakaib, Katherine Wilkison, and Cara Halford contributed
ANC Commissioner Robin McKinney and her friend Mikey pose in front of his encampment before it was cleared on April 10.
Photo by Madi Koesler
An outreach workers helps an encampment resident move his belongings during a close in Foggy Bottom on April 8. Photo by Madi Koesler
A new mindset inspired by Authority Magazine
ANGIE WHITEHURST AND LISA ULLVEN
Chad Silverstein, strategic advisor and lead writer at Authority Magazine, reached out to my co-writer to ask her some thought-provoking questions about “purpose,” so I naturally did a follow-up interview. While the values are the same as my initial behind-the-scenes interview with Lisa Ullven, the recent Authority Magazine interview vibe was quite different as it invites us to explore “a new mindset.”
A wise colleague, Aron Thompson, recently said to me, “If you want change, you have to help make the change.” Lisa invites us to realize and reveal the “good” within each of us. When I asked her if she could solve the problems in the community, she answered, “WE can create solutions in our community.” She invites us to flip our mindset!
The interview has been edited for length and clarity
Angie Whitehurst: In the interview, you mention your then-five-year-old daughter asking if you could help fix problems in the community as you drove by a homeless man. How did that inspire your purposeful mission?
Lisa Ullven: As a parent, I was surprised at how even children’s animated movies with fun names like “Happy Feet” clearly illustrate the problems that we are currently passing on to our children. I say “currently” because my mission is to empower children and adults with small steps to achieve significant positive change.
AW: Even your “most interesting” story relates to people “uprooted” from their homes. Can you share how that experience with 1 million homeless women and children affected you?
LU: It is so easy to generalize people from afar, whether it is refugees, homeless people, or even movie stars who have lost their homes in a fire. As I get to know brilliant, kind, former college students forced out of their homes, I see how their energy is focused on escaping starvation, violence, and death. Imagine if they could redirect their incredible strengths to focus on adding “good” to our world.
AW: I was excited to see that Street Sense was featured at the top of the article – please tell me more?
LU: Being grateful to Street Sense, I mention how Washington D.C.’s Street Sense invited me to co-write Road Trip Stories to empower people to improve any part of their lives – personal, work, or community. In the 5 things video on purpose-driven business, I share how Street Sense’s far-reaching partners like the International Network of Street Papers position us to reach up to 35 countries in 25 languages.
AW: What prompted you to mention American University’s Humanities Truck and Oral History Project?
LU: In my interview and video, I suggest “Be open to a new path.” Who would have thought that stopping by to meet Dan Kerr and the American University Humanities Truck volunteers and graduate fellows would introduce us to ways to further magnify the “good” in our world via the Oral History Project?
AW: Speaking of adding “good,” can you share more on your ultimate vision of “organized kind?”
LU: If organized crime is possible, is organized kind possible? As leaders with a global influence reach out to us to learn ways to magnify their positive impact, we get closer to that ultimate vision. The Authority Magazine article was published on Medium, which has 100 million readers per month. Collectively and LSF invite me to speak on the global Project ECHO platform, reaching over 200 countries. Together, we are connecting to magnify the “kind” in communities.
AW: When you were interviewed by Authority Magazine, was there one question that stood out?
LU: Chad’s carefully designed questions were like a road map to discover the answer to the grand finale prompt on how we would add the most “good” for people. To ensure my reply was achievable versus a pipe dream, I shared how we could each take small steps for significant change. The “we” is key.
AW: What is next?
LU: Over the next two years, I plan to help people realize how enjoyable it is to be a part of positive change. Since I shared my plan to “co-design” a way to empower and mentor students and trainees, both business and community leaders are reaching out. They are on board! Stay tuned with us at linktr.ee/guidedresults.
Angie Whitehurst is a vendor/artist with Street Sense Media. Lisa Ullven is a community success coach and author of “Secrets to Sustainable Solutions – Tips from Business, Science, and Non-Profit Experts.”
Government chaos two
INVISIBLE PROPHET
y last opinion piece stated the facts of daily current events, suggesting government chaos theory along with the murder of women. When I write my thoughts, it is acknowledging historical womanhood and the strength of communities internationally fighting for us as an endangered species. The thing is, the right women (not “pick me” women, who lack self-worth) should be celebrated and protected as an endangered species. If the human male species lived life like male seahorses, after courtship, the female seahorses incubate on their tails with embryos.
MNational Geographic states “Male seahorses develop complex placental structures within their pouch, similar to human pregnancy, to support the growth and development of their babies. Seahorse fathers seem to rely on elaborate behaviors and their unique body structure to facilitate labor, including contractions of large skeletal muscles near the pouch opening.” Basically, male seahorses have something similar to a uterus, the science of human biology term would be “intersex.” Maybe you might recognize the outdated derogatory word, hermaphrodite.
If the human male species lived life like male seahorses, then a partial human women species of 49.5% would rule Mother Gaia. I honor female seahorses that rule the ocean and the male species. They are not tamed or targeted for their existence by male seahorses. I’m pretty sure there is no domestic violence between them, but there is the matter of irresponsible parenthood, a common occurrence between parent seahorses (which I do not agree with) because the baby’s life expectancy is low.
If the human male species carried a womb and birth children experiencing the brutal abuse and murderous evil killings of women in all communities, and were hunted by the right women, their psyche would be altered drastically. The human male would be the endangered species, and the death toll would be high because they would endure the same violence. To the 4,176,490,368 male population, where is your strength to protect the endangered human female species?
Honoring historic women
I did not see a lot of press around International Women’s Day, especially in the United States. The honoring of women historically began with the first wave of the 1848-1920 suffrage movement, which started in New York. Because of this movement, women internationally led to the 19th Amendment, which allowed women to vote, being passed. This powerful journey suggests women were heard on a magnitude of greater significance. This path led other women, especially of color, to support countries during WWII, where all men were drafted. During the war, 350,000 served, including the African American women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Some of their names were Charity Adams Early, Josephine Baker, and Jacqueline Cochran, among others. Factory workers worked building machinery, ships, and other items. Then there are the cryptographers, such as Winnie Breegle, who assisted in using languages she spoke to code messages. During the second wave, from 1963 to 1980, women were liberated and had the freedom to demonstrate the difference between motherhood and wifehood. Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and others founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. Key points of the second wave included the passage of the Equal Pay Act and landmark Supreme Court decisions for reproductive freedom, such as Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973).
The third wave in the 1990s acted as a catch-all for all the social ills that still befall women, such as sexual harassment in the workplace and the glass ceiling that results in a shortage of women in positions of power. Some other women to honor in history are the first female Ngoni chief of the Dedza district in Malawi to stop child marriage. She annulled hundreds of child marriage. Her father built her with education and support to fulfill her destiny as chief of her tribe. She began her journey with protecting young girls and women from being targeted by the atrocities of a cruel world. I hope she continues this great work and builds integrity for the young women she has saved.
And the fourth wave puts us in the present day…
In conclusion, we do not know the actual truth of Adam and Eve, but the load of bull that is psycho dominance from the human male species is out of control.
Invisible Prophet is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
Are you a sociopath?
ZERO
When walking down the street, do you avoid eye contact, not just with the homeless man, but with every human you come across? They certainly don’t belong in your bubble, and that most certainly does not make you a sociopath.
What about when you leave work for the day and rush home to decompress, without wanting to interact with anyone — does that make you a sociopath? Of course it doesn’t. Living in society can be difficult, and your time away from the constraints and responsibilities of being in said society is important.
What about not actively donating or giving to the less fortunate — does that make you a sociopath? I mean, it’s not great, but monetary stress, as well as uncertainty about where those funds actually go, can hinder the will to.
You were told daily, as an American citizen, that your birthright made you superior in every way, shape, and form compared to the rest of the world. Stand up and say — no, pray — the Pledge of Allegiance to this GOD’S COUNTRY. YOUR COUNTRY.
And to the Republic for which it stands — even though, I swear, they tell me it’s a democracy. One nation, divided by red and blue.
Under God — but which one?
Indivisible — except by everything you can’t agree with.
With liberty — but not of the press or speech.
And justice for all — unless you don’t have the capital to defend yourself, in which case, “all” really just means those who do.
Every morning in school, this was the first thing drilled into you. Indoctrination disguised as patriotism, recited before you even knew what it meant. They never tell you about the fine print.
But of course, not knowing you signed a social contract at birth, and being either ambivalent or unaware as a young citizen to what you’re being told to say, does not make you a sociopath. How could it?
One day, you wake up, having spent your allocated time in textbooks selected for you, following a curriculum chosen for you, shown boundaries and limitations while being told you could be anything you wanted to be.
Your career, your path — none of it really matters, except for your future. Acquire your belongings, live a full life, and achieve the American Dream — just as promised. Sure, you’ve heard some murmurs about cracks in the system. The roads aren’t in perfect shape, but at least every corner isn’t a war zone (unless you’re in Chicago or Detroit). Your water isn’t completely toxic (unless you’re in Pensacola, Florida, or Riverside, California). Your family is in good health, but only because they avoid getting diagnosed, knowing they can’t afford treatment. Still, this is America, and being too self-aware about the state of things? Well, that’s practically un-American.
The only reason you even know any of this is because your favorite news source told you. But tomorrow, there will be different news, and why should you care? It’s only barely affecting you.
And what could you even do?
Not feeling like you can change things doesn’t make you a sociopath. But seeing reality for what it is and choosing to do nothing? Maybe that’s just slightly sociopathic.
Try not to hate Trump
QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE
Artist/Vendor
I can’t allow Trump
Even though I want to kick his rump
To control my mind
And not be kind
I really do strive for the pearly gates
But this won’t happen if I hate
President Trump
Your head is a tree stump
We will try as much as we can to not hate
Because we want to make it through the pearly gates
Manifest destiny — what a wonderful phrase. It means we can take without the burden of moral decay. The car, the phone, the latte, yeah, someone had to die for a small component of the larger product, but out of sight, out of mind. I saw those people being enslaved on the news. The Congo, right? But tomorrow it’ll be Peru. Did we arm the faction that will sell us those minerals the cheapest? Stay tuned.
But first, a word from our sponsors.
Let us sell you these antidepressants for only $9.99. “But if you die, it’s free,” I think to myself. Today, I realized I was a sociopath. But saying it out loud would put me in a box I really don’t want to be in. Still, knowing is half the battle. And knowing I won’t do anything to change means the war is over, at least in my mind.
But you? You couldn’t be like me. You aren’t a sociopath. I promise. Don’t worry about it. The medical definitions below? They don’t fit you. They don’t fit any of us.
Moral disengagement: The American citizen is taught to believe in their nation’s moral superiority, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. War, exploitation, and economic disparity are rationalized as necessary evils. Individual responsibility is overemphasized, so systemic failures such as poverty, inequality, and environmental destruction become someone else’s problem.
Lack of empathy: The emphasis on hyper-individualism discourages collective care. From childhood, people are conditioned to prioritize personal success over communal well-being. Compassion fatigue sets in as constant exposure to suffering, like homelessness, mass shootings, and medical bankruptcies, becomes part of the background noise of daily life.
Desensitization: Information overload and the 24-hour news cycle make tragedy feel routine. People become numb to injustice, scrolling past another crisis, another scandal, another war. The ability to ignore suffering isn’t just normalized — it’s a survival mechanism.
Manipulation and deception: The narratives fed through media and education reinforce compliance. Patriotism is equated with obedience. Dissent is labeled un-American. The illusion of meritocracy ensures those who struggle are blamed for their circumstances rather than the system that put them there.
At its core, systemic sociopathy is not about the pathology of individuals; it’s about a culture that conditions people to disengage, to prioritize self-preservation over moral responsibility, to normalize cruelty by making it seem inevitable.
And if you felt any pain or discomfort while reading this truthful opinion piece, guess what? I don’t care.
I’ve been engineered not to care. And I really don’t care that I don’t care, and neither should you. I mean, unless you want to. But why would you?
Your birthright, no matter how rigged the celestial lottery, makes you a winner in a world of losers.
USA! USA! The land of the free — but only for me.
The home of the brave — brave enough to look away.
Zero is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
MAURICE CARTER Artist/Vendor
Springtime hope
BRIAN HOLSTEN Artist/Vendor
Spring means it’s time to breathe fresh air after a winter of exhausting effort to endure and adapt to diseases. It’s the freshness of spring’s air, with its variety of smells from the area's flora. The tree sap flows out of the bark. The blossoms fill branches with various colors. The magnolia, the elm, the lilac, the cherry, the spruce, and the birch add their enticing hues and shades. Those trees’ smaller companions — violets, daffodils, buttercups, tiger lilies, and daisies — sprout above the fields. Unfortunately, this growth comes with pollen, which often feels as though it’s layered inches high on the streets.
The church garden features tulips and roses. We see wildflowers bursting all over a guardrail on a nearby hiker’s hill. Winged insects nestle on tree branches. The yellow jacket buzzes; the dragonfly rests. Children run, romp, and play kickball and dodgeball.
As we lie on our cloth blanket for a late spring picnic, a bumblebee visits us, and a ladybug lands on my hand. As a child, I always made a wish before the ladybug flew away. I wanted to live with healthy lungs, never sneeze or cough again after my bronchitis infection, and never miss school again because of winter’s air diseases.
To spring’s renewal of life!
I reminisce
LEVESTER GREEN
Artist/Vendor
In retrospect, I think back on a kind elderly white woman I had met while homeless. She had lost her ID and needed assistance cashing her check. She also needed dental assistance, for she had half a smile. All I could do was wonder at the time. Now I reflect on my own dental delays and other mishaps that have put me in need of my own ID renewal, retrieval, and replacements of cards through the faulty trap system we live in.
I kept my SSI payments on my cards to prevent any waylay of my frequent moves and snail mail delay. Yeah, I knew it was her check because she got it from her mail at Friendship Place. Believe it or not, they used to have a mail issue themselves, which Charley, a handyman, took notice of. He demonstrated how one could reach their arm in the door mail slot and open the door knob from the inside out. Needless to say, a new door design was ordered and installed immediately.
So, due to all of my procedural delays at the student dentist, I'm not getting my six month internal cleanings, and I have Medicaid! Go figure. I was getting the same run around from the Smile Dental chain. I was initially upset when my previous dentist gave me a crown, but I haven't had any issues with it since. Unlike the rest of my uncapped teeth. So, go figure! The vision just kind of fell into place.
Try harder! Don't get lost in the cracks! Stay just as keen, aware, and alert! Don't get jilted, jaded, nor duped!
Spring into action
L.Q. PETERSON Artist/Vendor
April showers bring May flowers
A windy March behind us
Bright blue skies, an early sunrise Time is moving forward
Sunlight beaming, fresh spring cleaning
Warm temperatures are upon us
Warmer clothes, colorful rainbows
Remind us of the grace he has placed upon us
Put your hands together
JEFFREY CARTER Artist/Vendor
Let us pray.
I try to show my loyalty to the Creator by praising him seven times a day: 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11 p.m. I keep it simple by saying the Lord’s Prayer each time. That helps me bond in my relationship with God. Then, I try to order my steps with him by watching my attitudes, my behavior, and how I treat people. My actions reflect my daily prayer and my meditation.
I love it
ROBERT WARREN
Artist/Vendor
I love it when we stand up
And fight against injustices Inflicted on the downtrodden
In plain sight
Word to the wise
Keep your eyes
To the sky
Keep hope alive
I love it when we stand up And fight, remembering everyone
Has a human right to live in peace
In the pursuit of happiness in this life
I love it when we stand up and fight
Justice is not free
For we who believe we must
Get up off our knees and Fight! Fight! Fight!
Even if things seem not to be changing
Many of us are still in the same positions but have never been in the same opposition. Yesterday, we didn’t want to accept that we’d fallen, but kept blaming others. The reality is, we were doing so bad, and people helped us.
Remember when you were there, right there on the street, living on the sidewalk? Many came to feed you without knowing you. Even if many people do not recognize what happened, the reality is we got help. Many of us are grateful to all those people who were there for us. Street Sense provided us employment where there was no hope and no way.
Remember the moments you were left behind by your own people? And yet you had to be grateful to the same people. Say yes to people who always consider you as a person. People who are willing to make an impact and cause change.
Continue believing in yourself, stand slowly, and do better. What you need to do is be careful not to fall back again. Recovery takes time. Even if things seem not to be changing, remember what point you came from.
Keep hoping until there is no more way to hope. Keep breathing as if it’s your last breath. Keep pushing until there is no more space or gap to cover.
Remember we were many, and while some have gone, you are still here. You are not here because you’re better than anyone, but because God decided it. Use each chance to make a better choice and have a better impact.
Remember many gave without expecting anything back. Some of those who gave yesterday need us today. Many fall into the same trap we did and need the same support they gave you yesterday. If you have the chance, please give back because they deserve it. I saw folks who gave to me yesterday fall on the same day. Homelessness is not a joke but a serious issue we need to work on together. The reality is many people need to understand homelessness could happen to anyone and impacts everyone. I hear folks saying they “have no chance,” but still, there is a chance to change.
If I had the chance, I would open a school to teach people how to live and avoid experiencing homelessness. Despite what people say, it is time to say thank you to all those organizations that support those experiencing homelessness day by day without giving up.
The price of a line-up
JAY B. WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor
I called the shop at 7:38 I asked, “Are you open?” and they said, “Great!”
I bought some DeeRugs after I dropped the call Thirty dollars was what I had in all
I said, “Sir, I have little funds, but my mustache you can see it’s way too long.”
Reluctantly, he said “Have a seat; you look like a bear.”
As he was clipping, we began to chat I shared that I, too, was a barbershop rat
Like the children, teenagers really He paused to clean, but really to keep off the street
When I was done, I left from the chair and paid a five-dollar tip for a twenty-five-dollar fare
DEGNON DOVONOU Artist/Vendor
Unsung
REGINALD BLACK
Artist/Vendor
To be them
To be among
Unsung
A breath through the Lung
Unsung
Another pun
Another club
Unsung
Filled with love
Above all else
Unsung
So hearts don’t melt
Is it for fun?
Honor, prestige
There is none
Just remain
Unsung
Among the fallen
Among the forgotten
The lot of them
Unsung
Why don’t they sing
What does
Unsung
Truly mean
From one to a hundred seem
Unsung
They climb up the ladder
Rung by rung
By rung
Totally and wholly
Unsung
Instincts
JACQUELINE TURNER
Artist/Vendor
I think. You think. We think.
They are built into the way you feel
Instincts make us think of our mortality
And how we live our lives
Whether we live fast
Or we live slow
None of us know
When we are going to go
Our instincts are
With us from birth
They tell us
What is good for us
What deal?
VINCENT WATTS Artist/Vendor
While the grand ole party and the laughing ass battle for white supremacy, what does our nation really see happening across the aisle? And when I say nation, I mean, the one and only: middle-class.
Is the societal spike interrupting, disrupting, or just complaining this country is just too easy to manage, or at least it thinks it's too easy to manage, occasionally?
When we get in this funk, how do we keep the conversation going: the roads built, the American hustle of the American dream? I feel we're all at the intellectual office of digestive efficiency, but white supremacy is at the helm of the political manufacturing machine.
So, does that mean we are peace phobes, and is everything done? A funny thought, but do we venture into purging corruption so new corruption can begin?
Financially, what do we have to lose? Let's check our metric of debt-to-wealth ratio, and is it clear and concise; does it need re-buffering?
I want to go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi this year, and maybe even stay for a little while, because the re-buffering of the New York and Philadelphia technology sector isn't inspiring, but rather just quite lame. Abu Dhabi and Qatar shift minds, money, and politics so they have technological infrastructure that has no rivals.
So what is the deal? If at complete boredom, we should sneak the next guy, or gal candidate, into the Senate, and then into the White House. Just to hint at them through their entire candidacy being some kind of president who is just content with building monuments and telling classy jokes at galas. All this, just so we can say things like: oh yeah, that monumental president. Hopefully, it doesn't turn racial, but it is that conversation. Who's to say what, and what about, if anything at all? I'm in the audience, the audience of the middle class, and we beg to differ.
Homelessness today
TASHA SAVOY Artist/Vendor
Why is the world full of homelessness?
The tents, the poverty, the less fortunate
No jobs, credentials, or education
Why is the world full of homelessness?
Do we have the motivation and the patience?
Do we have the knowledge and the understanding?
Why is the world full of homelessness?
The tents, the poverty, the less fortunate…
Thanks
Them type
CARLOS CAROLINA
Artist/Vendor
I want to thank Progress Place and Shepherds Table in Silver Spring for their ongoing help. They have helped for numerous years. Thank you to Sasha Bruce and Covenant House. I often talk to others who are served, and it helps because everyone gets along. Always strive for another level of success. Thanks again to the Street Sense co-vendors, who are talented people striving for better. Many have turned into friends, and for them, I am grateful.
Can't stand them type, Turn their nose up to you and me.
And you know what they say? They say, "We'll never be like them Because them the type that will die to be like us.”
And that's why we are all divided up.
Testimony of marriage
NIKILA SMITH
Artist/Vendor
It's been coming for a while now, I hate to sit still and think. I know you’re not doing well. Half of our beings were together. You can't erase me. I know I hurt a piece of the potato that feeds you, but now we eat off separate plates. It's hard to have twins, so how was it with a wife and the other one you were with at the same time? Man, that shit bothers me. Till death do us part wasn't on your agenda. Forgiveness hurts and does not make you weak; just a beautiful human. Babe was a household name. Now, I feel ashamed and shy to use the word in a loving way. Does this make sense? I don't need to be validated, I just miss my marriage. My family gave me a reason to move forward... I love my second half, surrounded by memories, my life has restarted from scrap. Every time I write, I want my pain to come out with every word; my spirit is dim, but others see me shine. So there is hope for this babe. Aww, once I knew what OMG really meant because my BABES kept me informed at the same time, laughing at me for not knowing. I'm a woman that's broke in half. Mom and wife are so far away since babe left me.
It took a second
For half of my life’s dreams to disappear I can't believe my ears
The pain wasn't minute
Better covered by shock
A second sucked my hugs, my hand holds, face rubs, and foot rubs
A second took my human contact away
Please, not another bad second
I'm a wimp for true love
I'm fading every minute that passes I need a second to take this all in
At the altar, you never spoke about this minute,
But you knew this minute was there
In that minute, the decision to exile you from my heart was written I promise this won't happen a second time
Buses
FREDERICK WALKER
Artist/Vendor
To Randy Clarke, WMATA General Manager and CEO: I have heard that Metro buses are changing routes in the District. In what areas is this happening? I’m already having a difficult time getting buses. Will these changes make getting a bus harder for me? I also wish you would do more to stop Metro subway riders from jumping the gates. And please don’t raise any fares.
WENDY BROWN Artist/Vendor
When Nikila arrived at Union Station. Illustration by Nikila Smith
FUN & GAMES
Across
1. A group of those hailed as “jolly” and “good” in an old celebratory drinking song
8. Food Network icon seen ‘hiding’ in his observation that “Omelets are fluffier if whisked”
13. Like a sailor who’s failed to return to the ship or base at the required time (2 wds.) (4,4) (incls. abbr./initialism)
14. Of equal length (2 wds.) (2,4)
16. Test taker, in formal lingo
17. Hot under the ___
18. Silent screen star Naldi
19. “It’s a ___!”
21. Environmentalist’s prefix
22. ____ Mutant Ninja Turtles
26. Confidentiality contract, for short (abbr./ initialism)
27. Quid ___ quo
28. S.A.T. takers (abbr.)
29. Certain conical Native American structure
31. Grab (onto)
32. Video game pioneer
33. Bonny girl of Glasgow
34. Males with multi- skills, interests and abilities... or a description of, and hint to each answer around this puzzle’s perimeter (2 wds.) (3-6, 4)
39. Decree
40. “I call ‘em like I ____” (baseball ump’s assurance) (2 wds.) (3 2) (incls. elision/ contraction)
41. Operatic solo
42. Nautilus shell shape
44. Movie shooters’ org. (abbr./initialism)
47. Iraq War justification, for short (abbr./ initialism)
48. Royal insomnia cause
49. More thorough and exhaustive (2-5) (HIP DENT anagram)
51. Maker of the Soul, Sorento and Sportage
52. They’re often pressed for cash (abbr./ initialism)
54. “Heartburn” author Ephron
55. Mount ___ (second-highest continental U.S. peak)
57. Arrived on the beach, as driftwood (2 wds.) (6,2)
61. “It would ____ me as if... (2 wds.) (4,2) (EMOTES anagram)
62. Out-of-the-money finishers (4-4)
63. Some virile horses
64. Those in a family or community group who have reached manhood, colloquially (ELF MONK anagram)
Down
1. It means shrewder to a geezer, but hotter to the younger set
2. Relatives on one’s mother’s side
3. Lake ___ (Switzerland/France separator) (AN ELM anagram)
4. China’s Chou En-___
5. Have title to
6. Apt rhyming partner to both parts of “Oh, no!”
7. The object called “Rosebud” in “Citizen Kane,” for one
8. Veneer or other false front
9. Capri, e.g.
10. Building addition
11. What acting is, basically (POLAR LYE anagram)
12. How one displays their index fingers to ward off vampires (3 wds.) (2,1,5)
13. Some rest room signs
15. Some stable workers
20. WSW’s reverse
23. “___ boy!”
24. Reverse, e.g.
25. Gateway Arch architect Saarinen
30. First of 12 popes
31. Having a dour, mopey countenance
32. Ski resort near Snowbird
34. Frequent flier rewards (2 wds.) (3,5)
35. Placed a wager, say (3 wds.) (4,1,3) (A LATE BID anagram)
36. Italian saint (ERIN anagram)
37. Campus bigwig
38. Neuter, as a horse
39. 15th Century English figure imprisoned and executed for his leading role in a failed conspiracy to blow up Parliament
42. Scraps (3-3)
43. Actresses Dawber or Grier
44. Having no feet
45. White’s “The Elements of Style” coauthor
46. Cowboys’ & motorcyclists’ leg protectors
48. A, B and C follower, often (2 wds.) (4,1)
50. Spanish for “January”
53. Went from bank to bank, in a way
56. Australian runner
58. A pint, maybe
59. Nine-digit ID (abbr./initialism)
60. There’s one for baseball in Cooperstown, NY and one for football in Canton, OH (abbr./initialism)
This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.
ILLUSTRATION
by Patrick “Mac” McIntyre
SHAWN FENWICK Artist/Vendor
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Academy of Hope Public Charter School
202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE
202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org
Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., SE calvaryservices.org
Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org
Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org
Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach
Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org
Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 4 Atlantic St., NW communityofhopedc.org
Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org
Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 North Capitol St., NW fathermckennacenter.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 foundryumc.org/idministry
Identification services
Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org
Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org
Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9096 1526 Pennslyvania Ave., SE jobshavepriority.org
Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Rd, 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
N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
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 // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699
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, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE
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 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org
Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Store Associate
ALDI // Washington, D.C.
Full-time
As a store associate, you’ll be responsible for merchandising and stocking product, cashiering, and cleaning to keep the store looking its best. You’ll enhance the customer shopping experience by working collaboratively with the ALDI team and providing exceptional customer service
REQUIRED: Able to lift 45 lbs. or more and able to stand for long periods.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/AldiDC
Usher
George Washington Universuty // Foggy Bottom
Part-time
The ideal candidate possesses a pleasant demeanor and good communication skills. Has availability to work nights and weekends. Duties include, but are not limited to tearing or scanning tickets, directing patrons to their seats, keeping the house orderly during the event, directing patrons to the nearest exit at the end of the program.
REQUIRED: Must pass a background check.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/UsherGWU
Wait Staff
Donohoe Hospitality Services // Navy Yard
Part-time
Restaurant servers are responsible for providing exceptional service by taking orders, serving food and drinks, and fulfilling special requests. This role involves ensuring guests have a pleasant dining experience by being attentive, courteous, and efficient.
REQUIRED: Previous restaurant experience preferred.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/DonohoeServer
Help our vendors in this uncertain time
Dear readers,
Occasionally, the impact of our work is obvious, such as when a vendor finally breaks free from the depths of homelessness and secures a permanent housing placement. We like to celebrate these moments with a photograph of the vendor, apartment keys in their hands and a smile on their face.
More often, our impact is not so easily measured, but no less meaningful. Homelessness leaves people profoundly alone, robbed of the support and comfort of interpersonal relationships and the sense of self-confidence needed to succeed in a fast-paced, competitive world.
Through their interactions with customers as they sell the paper, and through their participation in multimedia workshops that provide transformative opportunities for self-expression, the men and women we work with restitch the fabric of their social networks and regain the confidence needed to navigate themselves forward.
Please know you share in each and every success here. Everything we do, the opportunities we are able to extend to men and women who are homeless, is made possible through the generosity of our donors. For that we are deeply grateful. Thank you for your past support.
These are very uncertain times. Our heart goes out to all of the local federal government employees whose lives have been turned upside down by sudden and unexpected job loss. If unemployment is affecting your household, please know you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. I imagine that at least some of our past donors are not able to donate this year because of such hardships. Such is the interconnectedness of this community that our own stability as an organization is threatened by forces out of our control that cause instability in the local economy. If you are able to support us again this year, we hope you will choose to do so generously. Individual donors are the life blood of everything we do. You are the driver of all our success. This annual spring appeal is critical to our ability to continue making a difference in the lives of the vendors we serve. Please consider making a generous, tax-deductible contribution today. You can contribute by check sent to Street Sense Media, 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005, or online at www.streetsensemedia.org.
Sincerely,
Brian Carome CEO
Photos by David Logan