05 11 2011

Volume 8: Issue 14 May 11 - 24, 2011

Street

Healing Smiles & Lives

donation $1 suggested

sense

Read more and get involved at www.streetsense.org | The D.C. Metro Area Street Newspaper | Please buy from badged vendors

At the SOME dental clinic, Larry Wiggins has been rethinking his life

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Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.

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Questions over the 2012 budget loom: What will it mean for the homeless community?

4-6

Good teeth are the key to not only a healthy life, but socioeconomic status

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Five years later: A look into the lawsuit that sprung from a Street Sense investigation into housing practices

8-9

Pics&Poems: On love in the springtime

Read stories online at www.streetsense.org Wilson showcases 10 Ivory his creative side with “Nina the Detective”

Op-Ed: We talk of 13 empowering people. Is that really the case?

WEB EXCLUSIVE

The psychology of victimhood

13

Comic Strip Barney & Clyde, Now at Street Sense!

Profile: 16Kwayera R.Vendor Dakari shows

off his harmonica skills

A new issue comes out every two weeks, but you can stay connected to Street Sense every day! /streetsense @streetsensedc /streetsensedc Cover art by Jane Cave

From the Executive Director

Five Feet High and Rising

I

By Douglas Knight Executive Director With thanks to Johnny Cash, the Man in Black

Tornadoes and now flood waters: this has been one of those seasons where you just have to ask yourself, “What is all THIS about?” It is amazing what Mother Nature can do when she puts her mind to something. Unfortunately, many Americans have found themselves directly in the paths of these natural disasters.

They are left with minimal possessions, no place to go, a sense of not knowing what to do next. They are homeless. It’s a condition we already see too often here in Washington, D.C. Two Feet High and Rising.

But in the midst of angst, worry and devastation you often also find unity, connection and cooperation. Gymnasiums are converted into shelters, donated food and emergency supplies are shipped in from around the country.

Citizens help their fellow citizens. As Americans, we see natural disasters and rally to assist.

We have a natural disaster in D.C., and flood waters are rising here, too.

Three Feet High and Rising.

With budgets being tightened in the city, essential services and support systems are on the verge of significant reductions. Cuts would put thousands of men, women and children at an even greater risk of being back on the streets and into more peril. We see the water rising, my friends, and it is time for us to rally to the cause.

Adding to the struggle is the fact that the area’s homeless population increased this year. As officials look to reduce services, the number of community members needing help is growing.

Four Feet High and Rising.

And while winter is over, D.C. summer is on its way, which means homeless people are more at risk for heat stroke and dehydration.

But just as neighbors rallying to one another’s support at the time of a flood or storm, we can address homelessness and build our community’s future. Five Feet High and Rising.

The men and women of Street Sense are moving themselves out from the cycle of homelessness each day. They are gaining independence through hard work. They are writing, telling stories, raising public awareness about poverty and homelessness and selling papers throughout the city. In the process, they are developing life skills and creating economic impact.

I like to think of Street Sense as something like a foundation of sandbags put in place for a storm. With some help from you we can make it strong enough to withstand the coming floods and to protect our fellow citizen from getting swept away.

Please consider a donation to Street Sense. We could use your help in helping others. Our community will be stronger for it, and that water will slowly recede.

Email Doug at Doug@streetsense. org or call him at 202-347-2006

ADDRESS 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 PHONE (202) 347 - 2006 FAX (202) 347 - 2166 E-MAIL info@streetsense.org WEB streetsense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Estrada, Ted Henson, Brad Scriber, Michael Stoops, Manas Mohapatra, Sommer Mathis, Kristal Dekleer, Robin Heller, Jeffery McNeil, Jordan Rummel, John Snellgrove, Dameon Philpotts EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Doug Knight EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mary Otto MANAGING EDITOR/NEW MEDIA DIRECTOR Lisa V. Gillespie VENDOR AND VOLUNTEER MANAGER Robert Fulton INTERNS Kelsey Osterman, Hannah Traverse, Mehreen Rasheed, Kelby Miller, Holly Ceasar VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Rhonda Brown, Margaret Chapman, Tracie Ching, James Clarke, Nikki Conyers, Bobby Corrigan, Irene Costigan, Sara Dimmitt, Joe Duffy, Lilly Dymond, Ashley Edwards, Garrett Epps, Rachel Estabrook, Sarah Ficenec, Andrew Gena, Steve Gilberg, Jane Goforth, Jonah Goodman, Roberta Haber, Elia Herman, Cherilyn Hansen, Adam Kampe, Trisha Knisely, Vicki Ann Lancaster, Elle Leech-Black, Lisa Leona, Sean Lishansky, Elsie Oldaker, Katinka Podmaniczky, Mike Plunkett, Willie Schatz, Jesse Smith, Lilly Smith, Mandy Toomey, Brett Topping, Melissa Hough, Kate Sheppard, Marian Wiseman, Kelly Stellrecht, J Deveaux, Jane Cave VENDORS Michael Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Jake Ashford, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Kenneth Belkosky, Tommy Bennett, Reginald Black, Deana Black, Harmon Bracey, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Floarea Caldaras, Conrad Cheek, Theresa Corbino, Avram Cornel, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Louise Davenport, James Davis, Charles Davis, Devon Dawkins, Michael Dawson, Chino Dean, Daivd Denny, Richardo Dickerson, Alvin Dixon El, Charles Eatmon, Richard Emden, Pieus Ennels, Betty Everett, Joshua Faison, Larry Garner, R. George, David Ger, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Shakaye Henry, Derian Hickman, Vennie Hill, Anne Holloway, Phillip Howard, James Hughes, Patricia Jefferson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Mark Jones, Evanson Kamau, Mike Leach, Michael Lyons, Johnnie Malloy, Kina Mathis, John C. Matthews, Authertimer Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Robert McGray, Marvin McFadden, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffrey McNeil, Kenneth Middleton, Gary Minter, L. Morrow, Jai Morton, Saleem Muhammad, Tyrone Murray, Darryl Neal, Charles Nelson, James Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Douglas Pangburn, Franklin Payne, Michael Pennycook, Ash-Shaheed Rabbil, Michael Reardon, Chris Shaw, Veda Simpson, J. Simpson, Patty Smith, Gwynette Smith, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, Leroy Sturdevant, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Paul Taylor, Archie Thomas, Larissa Thompson, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Joseph Walker, Martin Walker, Robert Warren, Terry Warren, Lawless Watson, Paul Watson, Wendell Williams, Edna Williams, Sherle Williams, Susan Wilshusen, Ivory Wilson, Mark Wolf, Charles Woods, Tina Wright

STREET SENSE May 11 - 24, 2011

3

NEWS

2012 Budget: Room for the Homeless?

By Mary Otto Editor-in-Chief When District Mayor Vincent Gray unveiled his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012, the administration offered assurances that in spite of a looming $322 million budget deficit, there would be enough money to keep emergency homeless shelters open year round.

But figures provided to city Councilmember Jim Graham at a grueling May 6 hearing on the human services budget raise doubts about the future of the city’s safety net for the homeless.

The spending plan, which still must be approved by the city council, contains roughly $59 million for homeless services. But largely due to the loss of millions in non-recurring federal funds in the coming year, shelters and other homeless programs “face a shortfall of $20.5 million,” acting human services director David Berns testified.

After paying for “priority services” such as keeping more than 1,000 homeless individuals and families in apartments provided through the city’s permanent supportive housing program

and maintaining a resource center for homeless families, there would be scant funds remaining for other needs.

“The biggest cuts would come in the shelters that operate in non-hypothermia season,“ Berns testified.

Closing beds for the more than 100 families normally housed at the former DC General Hospital at the end of next winter would save $7.1 million. Closing emergency shelters that serve more than 1,200 single men and women at winter’s end would save an additional $10.3 million, human services officials estimated.

Graham, who chairs the council’s human services committee, reacted with alarm.

“This is the devastation of the homeless programs of the District,” Graham said. “I don’t know how I can approve a budget that in order to save $7.1 million, as soon as hypothermia season is over, we empty DC General,” added Graham. “Little babies in stairwells, bus stations and cars. That will save us $7.1 million. Or that we won’t have non-hypothermia services for adults. That will save us $10.3 million.”

“This is incredible,” agreed District Councilmember Marion Barry, who stopped in for parts of the day-long hearing.

During hours of testimony, dozens of poor and homeless witnesses and social service providers spoke of the importance of preserving year-round services for the city’s poorest residents who have nowhere else to turn for help.

“If I had a plan B, I would have been there,” said Tanika Gyant, a homeless mother of three. She and her family had spent time sleeping in their car before being placed by the city in a motel room. She said that during the worst of their ordeal, she tried hard to protect

“I tried to make it an adventure so they didn’t feel like Mommy was feeling.”

-Tanika Gyant, describing how she cared for her children when her family had to sleep in their car

THE STORY OF STREET SENSE Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. They saw it as a means of empowering the area’s poor and homeless and desided the paper would cover homelessness and other social issues.

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies.

About a dozen vendors sold the first issue of the paper. For the next three years, it was

YOUR DOLLAR

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

In October 2005, Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November, the organization hired its first employee, a full-time executive director. A year later, Street Sense hired its first vendor coordinator and began partnering with several service providers.

In February 2007, the paper increased the frequency of publication to twice a month.

65%

Each vendor makes a personal investment in Street Sense, by purchasing is- Directly sues at a rate of 35 cents per copy. This aids the money helps cover our production and vendor printing costs for the paper, while still allowing the vendors to sell the paper at a low price and substantial profit.

her children from the despair she was experiencing.

“I tried to make it like an adventure so they didn’t feel like Mommy was feeling,” she said. The soft-spoken mother, who recently found a job, told Graham the city’s help has been a godsend.

“I plead with you to help families like mine in seasons other than hypothermia season,” she said.

As of March, more than 540 families with temporary sleeping arrangements were on the pending case list awaiting shelter. A shelter “is important in a crisis” added Alquanita Williams, of the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project.

“Your family is together.”

Teneisha Davall, also a mother of three, described “bouncing around from place to place” for four harrowing months before finally getting a room at DC General.

“I don’t know what is going to happen to the Teneisha Davalls,” said Graham.

“With the budget I suspect there will be more of them.”

The human services budget will receive a markup by the city council on Thursday, May 12.

Vendor Code of Conduct

In order to support the increased production, Street Sense brought on its first full-time editor-in-chief in April.

Today, Street Sense has four professionals, more than 100 active vendors and nearly 30,000 copies in circulation each month. The newspaper has become a major source of news for Washingtonians, providing content on issues which often go uncovered by the mainstream media.

Street Sense is a member of the National Association of Street Newspapers (NASNA).

35% Supports costs

1. I agree not to ask for more than $1 or to solicit donations for Street Sense by other means.

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

3. I agree to treat others respectfully. I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers.

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

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

6. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling Street Sense.

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

8. I will stay a block away from another vendor.

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

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

4

The U.S. has about 141,800 working dentists and 174,100 dental hygienists, but 4,230 federally designated dental health professional shortage areas.

Filling a Need for Dental Care

Dentists provide a wide range of services at the SOME clinic, including cleanings, fillings, root canal therapy, extractions and dentures.

Pictured, patient Janet Risper, 24, says she is grateful for the housing, drug counseling and dental care she has received through SOME and that she is happy to be rebuilding her life. “It’s working out real well,” she says.

JANE CAVE I STREET SENSE

For some low-income residents, SOME clinic offers a first-time visit to the dentist

By Mary Otto Editor-in-Chief If you want to know how tough someone’s life has been, look inside his mouth.

Teeth are made of the hardest substance in the human body. They can withstand floods, fires, death itself.

But poverty, neglect and disease can crack them, break them, ruin them.

Homelessness can pound them down into stumps.

The patients at the SOME dental clinic on O Street NW have been through a lot. Their teeth tell the story.

“A lot of the things that go with homelessness also go with poor oral health,” says Jacqueline You, 34, a dentist here.

SOME, which stands for So Others Might Eat, was founded more than 40 years ago by a group of Washington priests and ministers who started feeding the hungry from the basement of a North Capitol Street church.The organization still offers meals, but has

expanded over the years to provide for many other basic needs as well, from clothing and showers to housing, counseling and medical services. SOME’s dental office, which opened in the late 1970s, was born out of the recognition that for many poor and homeless people, dental care can be the most difficult kind of help to find.

Now the small, friendly clinic, which handled 4,139 patient visits and 7,338 procedures last year, never sees a quiet moment. The clinic has a budget of about $700,000 a year, and funding

comes from donations, Medicaid reimbursements and a public health service grant.

Many of the patients have lacked care for years, if not for their entire lives.

“The first appointment I came in, I was scared. I’d never been to the dentist before,” says patient Kerry Jackson, 47. On an early visit, a half-dozen of his badly decayed teeth were extracted.

Now You is filling and repairing the rest.

Continued on Page 5

STREET SENSE May 11 - 24, 2011

Over 100 million American lack dental insurance.

5

LOCAL NEWS

“Stunned by the Need” Continued from Page 4

“Turn your right side a little bit towards me,” says You gently as she works. “Good job!”

Through SOME, Jackson has found a place to live and rebuild. And he has gotten over his dread of dental care.

“We are blessed to have these dentists in our lives,” Jackson says.

Bad teeth are emblematic of poverty. Middle and upper-class children and adults, covered by private health insurance and with money to pay for outof-pocket costs, get regular preventive care, while millions of poor and working poor Americans lack access to dental services.

Tooth decay, caused by bacteria and often passed on from mother to child, remains rampant in many poor families and communities. Dental pain distracts poor children in school and poor workers on the job. Ruined teeth hold people back from career and social advancement and prevent them from eating well. Oral infections and disease have been linked to illnesses throughout the body.

Medicaid, the national health insurance program for the poor, entitles children to dental care. But a shortage of dentists in poor communities remains a significant problem. In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver, a homeless boy living a few miles from Washington, D.C., in Prince George’s County, Md., died after bacteria from an untreated dental abscess spread to his brain. When Deamonte got sick, his mother was struggling to find a Medicaid dentist to treat his younger brother.

Poor adults are not entitled to dental care under Medicaid, and in many states, benefits are scant.

For homeless people, chronic illness, addiction, disabilities and transience can complicate the search for and pro-

Left, the busy four-chair dental clinic at SOME handled 4,139 patient visits last year. From left to right are dentist Jacqueline You, dental assistant Gustavo Sainz, dentist Jacqueline Williams, a resident from St. Elizabeths Hospital and longtime clinic volunteer Kerry O’Connor. Above, Dr. Jacqueline You, who has worked at the clinic since 2007, talks about the impact she’s made while working at SOME. JANE CAVE I STREET SENSE

vision of care.

A 2010 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that clinically significant dental problems were identified in two-thirds of the homeless individuals studied in a nationwide sampling. Together with eye

A lot of things that go with homelessness also go with poor oral health.

-Jacqueline You, dentist at SOME clinic

care, dental care topped the list of unmet medical needs.

While the District, unlike most states, offers good adult Medicaid dental benefits, here, too, there is a shortage of places to go for help. The SOME clinic is so stretched by demand it is currently not accepting new patients.

When You arrived at the clinic in 2007, fresh out of dental school and burdened with $260,000 in student loans, she was happy to learn she qualified for help paying off her educational debts through a city program

designed to attract doctors and dentists to clinics serving the poor.

She was also stunned by the need she found among her new patients. Their gratitude has kept her job satisfying, she says. And there is always a new challenge.

“Relax and close,” she tells James Bracey, 51. “Keep biting, keep biting.”

Bracey is trying on a model of the new dentures he has been hoping for.

You takes out the teeth and studies them in the articulator, a mechanical jaw.

Bracey says he used to print money

Continued on Page 6

6

In a nationwide survey, 41 percent of homeless respondents reported an unmet need for dental care, according to the American Journal of Public Health.

Continued from Page 5 at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Then he was disabled by an accident.

“A strap broke,” he says. “The metal went in my eyes.”

Getting hurt took a terrible toll upon his life. To make matters worse, dental disease runs in his family, he says. He watched his father, a shoemaker, lose his teeth to severe gum disease.

“I took after him,” says Bracey. Since he lost his own teeth, he has been boiling his food so he can manage to swallow it. Thanks to SOME, he hopes to have his new dentures by summer.

“We need to take your bite again,” You tells him. “It’s a little off.”

She works with the model of the lower denture to see how the bite needs to be adjusted. “Close and squeeze,” she says. “OK, perfect.”

Larry Wiggins says that his arrival at the SOME dental clinic marks an important moment in his efforts to recover from homelessness and substance abuse and reclaim his life.

Felled by a stroke last Thanksgiving, the former car detailer and furniture mover has been undergoing physical and occupational therapy.

“My mobility is coming back,” he says.

He has been staying at Christ House, a residential medical facility for homeless men and women, attending 12-step meetings and spending time in deep reflection.

The realization that he neglected his teeth has come to him as just more proof that somewhere along the way, he stopped valuing himself.

“I’ve been putting this off and putting this off. It’s time to get back to reality,” he says quietly, sitting in the dental chair.

Now he is ready to return to his life, and take care of himself again.

He remembers growing up, how he and his five sisters and his brother always got compliments on their high cheekbones and handsome smiles. Now, his siblings are all reminding him of those days.

“They are all saying ‘You gotta get that Wiggins look, that Larry Wiggins look back,’” he says.

At first, he was not sure where to turn for help with his teeth.

“I have a friend who has a beautiful

JANE CAVE I STREET SENSE

Above, D.C. dentist Albert Cheek prides himself on his skill with extractions.

Left, this chart reflects the percentage of homeless adults in the U.S. who lack basic healthcare services. The data comes from a study published in the July 1, 2010 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study analyzed information gathered from 966 homeless adults who responded to the 2003 Health Care for the Homeless User Survey, a sample representing 436,000 individuals. appointment and says, “Let me live the second half of my life the correct way.”

KELBY MILLER I STREET SENSE

smile,” says Wiggins. “I asked him, and he said he went to SOME.” So here he is, waiting to see a dentist. You examines him and tells him

many of his teeth are beyond repair. The bad ones will need to be extracted, but he will be able to get dentures. Wiggins, 56, thanks her. He makes another dental

This story was produced with assistance from the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, which is endowed by the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, a program of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that 40 percent of families facing eviction due to foreclosure are renters. Seven million households living on very low incomes (31 - 50 percent of Area Median Income) are at risk of foreclosure.

STREET SENSE May 11 - 24, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

7

The Guilty Have Not Paid

By Mehreen Rasheed Editorial Intern Five years ago, Street Sense went undercover to expose two D.C. eviction companies that recruited homeless people as day-laborers. These homeless laborers, who spent their days removing other peoples’ belongings from their homes, worked for pay that turned out to be far below the minimum wage.

The story led to a lawsuit against those companies as well as others engaged in similar practices. Although the court has ruled in favor of the workers who are all homeless or formerly homeless, the case still remains open.

A final decision has not yet been reached on what the companies owe.

And the delay in justice is haunting the homeless workers and their advocates.

After reading the Street Sense article in April 2006, attorney Lee Berger was outraged at the account of exploitation of the homeless. His firm, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, took up the case pro bono and decided to dig deeper to see if there was enough evidence to sue the eviction companies.

“It’s the blatant nature of the violation, so clearly breaking the law and taking advantage of homeless [people] who are desperate,” Berger said. “Minimum wage law is designed to protect these kinds of people.”

Berger contacted the National Coalition for the Homeless’ Michael Stoops, then-acting executive director and current director of community organizing.

The firm teamed up with the Coalition to investigate the eviction companies and collect testimonies and affidavits from homeless people who had worked for less than $7 an hour, the minimum wage in 2006. The original Street Sense article estimated the companies’ average hourly pay to be between $1.25 and $7.50.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t difficult to find people to testify,” NCH Executive Director Neil Donovan said. “What I mean by unfortunately is that it means the practice is pervasive.”

The testimonies indicated a history of underpayment and that the companies violated anti-trust laws by collectively fixing wages, Berger said.

The investigation that Cleary Gottlieb

STREET SENSE ARCHIVES

Five years ago, homeless people helped to evict and move the belongings out of this apartment building on Tuckerman Street NW, much as they did at thousands of other apartments in D.C. conducted with NCH identified the companies involved as East Coast Express Evictions and All American Evictions, which were named in the Street Sense article, along with A1 Eviction Services, Butch Enterprises, Platinum Realtor Services and Crawford & Crawford. All American and A1 have since settled and are no longer part of the suit. Many individuals came forward as plaintiffs with the National Coalition for the Homeless as the official client for the case, which went to court in September 2006.

In 2010 the court issued an injunction against the remaining four companies requiring them to pay minimum wage and maintain wage records. However, Cleary Gottlieb did a follow-up investigation and found evidence that suggested the companies were continuing to underpay the workers. The plaintiffs moved for these companies to be held in contempt of the court’s order, meaning they could face additional consequences. The court granted the motion late last March against East Coast Express Evictions, Platinum Realtor Services and Crawford & Crawford.

However, the court has yet to decide

on the consequences or damages any of the defendants may owe.

“To wait so long for a ruling, it’s past the point of disrespect … even the courts have disregard for the homeless,” formerly homeless plaintiff Donald Brooks said. “I want some resolution. This case has been going on [about five] years. It’s frustrating—it’s past frustrating.”

Brooks, a former Street Sense vendor and contributor, carried out evictions until he became a case manager at the Community for Creative Non-Violence.

He now works as a residential counselor for Catholic Charities.

Berger said he understands the frustration of plaintiffs like Brooks. And he says support of eviction workers is necessary now more than ever. He also believes this case will not just affect the individuals and companies involved, but will “serve as a warning” to other companies, and, hopefully, prevent future exploitation.

“With the homeless community, you’re dealing with a group of people frequently taken advantage of, who frequently find themselves disempowered and disenfranchised,” Berger said.

“There aren’t a lot of lawsuits seeking to advance and protect the rights of homeless people...but the firm, and the clients would agree, believes that it should only be a method of last resort when non-litigious means fail.”

Donovan agrees this case goes beyond winning the money—which he says may end up being a small amount for each individual—and sends an important message to homeless workers to stand up for their rights.

“Instead of these victims having their rights violated and their experience being all for naught, in their name, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen to others in the future,” said Donovan, who plans to make this happen through promoting greater education as well as including the homeless in the planning of such efforts.

However, it’s still an indefinite wait before official victory comes from the court.

“It’s going to be a good day when the judge says enough is enough and [the eviction companies] need to face the consequences,” Donovan said. “I look forward to celebrating that day.”

8

How C

By Lawless Watson Vendor

So, if you’re not determined to put GOD in this mix Then let’s pack our bags, and to each other say, “Bye...”

INTRO: So many people play mental and emotional games with each other And quite often we don’t even see the damage that we cause So please, let me take a moment to ask you this…

We must sit down and trust that each other won’t lie So now think, pray and tell me, be honest, be sure Do we give us to GOD, or do we head for the door We have both been crushed by an ex-lover’s cry But no more, Baby, no more, how could you, HOW CAN

I can read your words on paper, so sweet And anticipate the day when both of our pens meet As I smell beaded sweat on your warm skin at night Feeling the silkiness of your body as your limbs hold me tight You tell me to let go, saying, “There’s no reason to cry…”

I hear you, I feel you, but c’mon, HOW CAN I? Run past my bed, jump into my head And with such a short start you take over my heart My soul starts to sing, as you run through my blood Girl, back- up and get real, I’m a man you must feel And if you can’t get to that, then you know the deal I refuse to come out of the side of my mouth Just to calm all your fears and relieve all your doubts We’ve got time, win my all, make me know that you’re mine, girl You know my words are true; I’ll go right to the point If you really want me, take me past this joint Take me to places that I’ve never known Take me to places that few, GOD has shown Take me to places that I didn’t know could exist Eve, come get your Adam, and take him from this But this time, my helpmate, when that snake rears its head Let’s put our ands in GOD’s and stomp ‘til its dead For you see Queen, with me, it must be more than just fun My soul-mate, my whole-mate, and I must be one Theres much more to it, we must do it, in and out of our beds To satisfy and keep the eye of both of my heads No relationship can last just by riding the bone

PHOTOS BY KELSEY OSTERMAN

How Can I?

By Lawless Watson Vendor

So, if you’re not determined to put GOD in this mix Then let’s pack our bags, and to each other say, “Bye...”

INTRO: So many people play mental and emotional games with each other And quite often we don’t even see the damage that we cause So please, let me take a moment to ask you this…

We must sit down and trust that each other won’t lie So now think, pray and tell me, be honest, be sure Do we give us to GOD, or do we head for the door We have both been crushed by an ex-lover’s cry But no more, Baby, no more, how could you, HOW CAN I?

I can read your words on paper, so sweet And anticipate the day when both of our pens meet As I smell beaded sweat on your warm skin at night Feeling the silkiness of your body as your limbs hold me tight You tell me to let go, saying, “There’s no reason to cry…”

I hear you, I feel you, but c’mon, HOW CAN I? Run past my bed, jump into my head And with such a short start you take over my heart My soul starts to sing, as you run through my blood Girl, back- up and get real, I’m a man you must feel And if you can’t get to that, then you know the deal I refuse to come out of the side of my mouth Just to calm all your fears and relieve all your doubts We’ve got time, win my all, make me know that you’re mine, girl You know my words are true; I’ll go right to the point If you really want me, take me past this joint Take me to places that I’ve never known Take me to places that few, GOD has shown Take me to places that I didn’t know could exist Eve, come get your Adam, and take him from this But this time, my helpmate, when that snake rears its head Let’s put our ands in GOD’s and stomp ‘til its dead For you see Queen, with me, it must be more than just fun My soul-mate, my whole-mate, and I must be one Theres much more to it, we must do it, in and out of our beds To satisfy and keep the eye of both of my heads No relationship can last just by riding the bone

PHOTOS BY KELSEY OSTERMAN

10 10

Fiction

NINA THE DETECTIVE: PART 1

Hot Detective Reopens Chicago Cold Case

By Ivory Wilson Vendor Nina was born in Chicago. Her father, Thomas, was a Vietnam vet.

Thomas used to teach Nina judo, the art of fighting. Nina learned kicks, flips, chops and punches. Thomas died of cancer when Nina was 15 years old.

Nina’s mother, Stephanie, became a stripper and was murdered. Her killer was never found.

Nina moved in with her grandparents. She finished high school and went to college. After college, Nina joined the police academy. She wanted to be a kick-ass-and-take-their-names-later detective. A crime fighter. When Nina graduated from the Chicago Police Academy, she wrote tickets as a traffic cop. Nina worked traffic for two years and then moved up to vice cop, kicking in doors and pulling raids. She busted drug dealers, con men and car thieves.

The cops on the force said Nina got her mean streak from Thomas, her father, but if you asked some of the criminals whose heads she busted open, they would tell you Nina is just a downright mean woman. Nina, tall and beautiful with red hair, ocean blue eyes, a sexy sounding voice and a sexy way of walking, was a criminal’s worst nightmare. Nina, at the age of 30, moved up to detective in homicide, where she wanted to be.

Warren had been a detective for years, during decades of Chicago crime and corruption. He took Nina under his wing and showed her many of the tricks the department used on crooks to get confessions out of them.

After being a detective for five years, Nina was one of the best in the department. She solved many homicide cases. One evening, she was sitting behind her desk cleaning the longbarreled revolver she called Harry. She was getting ready to go home to her grandparents’ house, where she still lived. Captain Newton walked up and

KELBY MILLER I STREET SENSE

dropped some cold case files from the ’70s on her desk. He asked, “Would you take a look at some of these files, Nina? With your sharp eyes you may see something my detectives missed back then.”

Nina read the files for a couple of hours, looking at each one carefully.

One file she came across was about a woman pushed from an upstairs window

at the Motel 6 on 3127 Clark St. Nina felt she knew the woman from somewhere.

Nina read the dead woman’s file and found there was no name for her. She was Jane Doe. Nina looked at the picture and the woman’s file.

She had red hair and no next of kin. Her body was cremated after she was dead for six days, and no fingerprints were in the file. Nina found that to be odd. It was sloppy detective work by whoever did the case.

Warren came in and hung up his coat and hat on a coat rack. He walked over to Nina’s desk and said, “What are you doing, hot-shot detective?”

Nina smiled. She said, “Just some cold cases Captain Newton dropped here, wanting me to take a look.”

Warren looked over Nina’s shoulder and saw the file of the dead woman with the name listed as Jane Doe. He quickly said, “Forget this one. She committed suicide.

I worked this case 20 years ago. I turned in my report to Captain Newton.”

Nina asked, “Why was her body cremated so soon, without trying to find next of kin? And where are her fingerprints, Warren?”

Warren said again, “Let this one go, Nina.”

Nina could pick up the anger in Warren’s voice. She smiled and said, “OK, Warren. You’re right. We have plenty of new cases to solve, without looking into the past.” But she knew she was not going to let that case go unsolved.

Arctic Ice Hockey: The Final Chapter

By Ivory Wilson Vendor

Arctic Ice Hockey: Epilogue The story so far: The polar bears and Kodiak bears try to have a friendly game of ice hockey, but the game devolves into a big ball of bears rolling, biting and punching each other.

When the fight is finished, everyone has cuts and bruises, but no serious injuries. The wind is blowing snow flurries so bad that the Kodiak bears can hardly see the polar bears. The hockey game is over. The Kodiak bears turn, walking away back home. They have lost.

Riely shouts out to them, “Hey, guys.Wait. It was just a game. We can’t let y’all leave here without knowing the way. We’ll show you the right way home.” Riely looks at his friends and says, “Let’s show our new friends the way off the ice and to the green grass.”

The Kodiak bears stop at the green grass, turn, and give the polar bears great big bear hugs. They say, “Keep the hockey sticks and puck. They’re a gift from us to you.”

(To be continued…)

THE END

Street Sense offers our vendors the chance to share their stories and poetry every Monday from 10 to 11 a.m.

STREET SENSE May 11 - 24, 2011

Writers’ Group

LIVE BY THE SWORD

By Chris Shaw

So, what’s the Word!

Check it out: Obama one, Osama zero.

e Cave of Mind

By Robert Warren

We all cheered-

In the cave of the mind,

But what for?

Where a light does shine

Why live by the sword

Through the ages of time.

When a pen would do?

They took Ted Bundy down,

A place clean, well-lighted where peace is pure and free.

And Jeff Dahmer, too.

Justice is truth we see, where the light of love is all that can be.

Why did I gulp so hard?

When the Lord sets it free, amazing things come to be.

Many folk they slew!

Things you never thought you would see,

Yet calling for an eye

To the angels they’re plain as can be.

For another Eye taken,

Things that the mind keeps, in the cave of the mind,

Seems like rooting for

Where light does shine.

The ugly old Kraken!

Where life is just a blink of the Lord’s eye

When I think of Arabians,

Set in the records of time

I call out the names

To all living things he gave a word, and set a light within.

Of favorite steeds.

“Onward OMAS JOSH, Ran Char Bar, Sidi Bou Said!

Rassam, Joxa, Jassam.” I loved them

These days we wonder where did these youth come from?

They were born to you and me.

So well.

The word of the Lord will be

Their galloping is what my heart requires;

In the cave of our mind where a light does shine free.

Rather than pinioning the heads of foes

Into being the guiding light.

‘Pon our local spires.

The youth of today are shining free out of the caves

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STREET SENSE May 11 - May 24, 2011

Op-Ed

COLUMN

Self-reliance is Not Enough

Keeping the Homeless in Their Place

By Jeffery McNeil Vendor

By Maurice King Editorial Volunteer

I have heard all the common wisdom and stereotypes about the homeless. I often hear people say that many poor people are crackheads waiting for the first and 15th of the month so they can use their Social Security checks to buy drugs. I also hear complaints about immigrants draining the welfare system.

Sometimes I’ll hear comments that the poor are lazy and don’t want to work.

But the best quote is “the homeless choose to be homeless.”

That remark is the most disturbing because blaming the homeless for being homeless is like blaming a cancer victim for getting cancer.

Sometimes, customers will tell me about their own experiences being homeless. They talk about how they got out of homelessness by pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. I myself had passed judgment about the homeless and even published articles like the one I wrote for the Dec. 12, 2007 issue of Street Sense about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. I did not realize that some people literally do not have boots.

While there are some people who abuse government programs, simply doing away with them entirely is similar to amputating your leg because you scraped your knee.

Through my own experience, I have used government programs like Medicaid and unemployment, and I am currently looking for government assistance to pursue some form of higher learning. If I could pay out of pocket instead of using government assistance, I would.

It’s frustrating to wait in long lines and be interrogated by social workers who sometimes treat you like an adversary rather than someone who needs help. And to top it off, sometimes you have to appear at multiple appointments and review boards, only to see your request rejected or delayed for many months.

The most I ever received in unem-

It is very hard to read the news these days. The headlines seem to be filled with gloom and doom about the economy and the way that the political parties in Congress prefer to promote their ideologies rather than find solutions to the problems at hand. In entertainment headlines, Charlie Sheen, more than anyone else, seems to grab a lot of media attention for outlandish behavior, which makes a reader wonder why he merits so much coverage for doing questionable things. So much negativity gets attention that when a story appears about a homeless person who has been made into a target for some adverse action, it barely creates a blip.

However, one such story did appear recently about a homeless single mother, Tanya McDowell, in Bridgeport, Conn., who registered her child for school using the address of a friend in neighboring Norwalk. Ms. McDowell had actually stayed from time to time in a shelter in Norwalk but failed to register there, which would have entitled her son to go to school in Norwalk, where the schools are allegedly better than those in Bridgeport.

She used the address of a friend living in public housing in Norwalk to register her son for school. The results of this action on her part are particularly startling. First, her friend was evicted from her house for allowing Ms. McDowell to use her address for this purpose. Second, Ms. McDowell is being prosecuted in criminal court for her actions. Significant sums of taxpayer dollars will now go not to helping a woman who only wanted to give her son a better education, but to prosecuting her. If found guilty, Ms. McDowell could face up to 20 years in jail and a fine of $15,000.

Ms. McDowell claims she did not know her action would be considered a crime. Of course, ignorance of the

ployment was $800 a month—without food stamps—when my rent was $700 a month. Is it any wonder people go out and sell drugs or do other illegal activities to supplement their income?

The public debate on self-reliance and the appropriate governmental role in helping the poor and needy is coming to a head with the recent natural disasters that hit the South and Midwest. What is happening in those regions shows how easily people can lose their homes. Some people will recover through self-reliance. But there will be others who become bankrupt and need government assistance.

What happened in Alabama and the Midwest is just another example of why the government should play a vital part in helping our most vulnerable people.

Imagine how much more tragic these events would be if the government didn’t help out when disasters like these occur. I hope politicians realize that, while cutting social services may reduce the debt, adverse events often not only have economic effects but also physiological and sociological ones.

Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, which is akin to sleeping on a tightrope. Any misstep can have you sleeping overnight in your car. Maybe the victims of the recent natural disasters in the South and Midwest will become advocates who can change perceptions and stereotypes about homelessness.

law never passes in court as an acceptable excuse for committing a crime. An education advocacy group, Connecticut Parents Union, is now taking up a collection to help her pay legal expenses for her defense in court.

It is surprising that the Connecticut school district chose to make an example of this homeless woman who gave a false address to get her child into a better school. It is not as if this trick has not been done before by families that are better off financially than she is. Of course, that may not make it right, but it does raise the question as to why a homeless mother should be the scapegoat in this case.

Had Ms. McDowell registered as a resident of the Norwalk shelter where she sometimes stays, the case never would have gone to court.

Another question that arises has to do with Ms. McDowell’s desire to give her son a better education. A good education goes a long way in this world, and it should not be that children of the homeless are confined to inferior schools because of their homeless status. Without a good education, the children of homeless parents are likely themselves to end up homeless in the future. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken somehow.

When the story of this mother was published on the Internet, one person made this comment: “What happened to this country?” That comment raises the serious question as to whether the principles upon which the country was founded have not eroded seriously over time.

Today, it can easily be argued that a class system based upon personal wealth has taken over. In such a system, the homeless cannot compete.

Ms. McDowell and persons like her find that breaking the cycle of homelessness is much more difficult than it seems to those on the other side of the issue.

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The Funnies

BARNEY & CLYDE IS A COMIC STRIP ABOUT AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN A HOMELESS MAN AND A TYCOON. IT’S ABOUT OUR MODERN, POLARIZED ECONOMY OF HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS. IT RE-EXAMINES TRADITIONAL MEASURES OF SUCCESS, FAILURE, AND THE NATURE OF HAPPINESS.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: GENE WEINGARTEN IS A COLLEGE DROPOUT AND THE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED HUMOR COLUMNIST FOR THE WASHINGTON POST. 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 WRITER’S GROUP FOR ALLOWING STREET SENSE TO RUN BARNEY & CLYDE.

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Solution

By David Rubin Vendor

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all people are

Would you like to continue support of Street Sense throughout the year?

Homeless Outreach Hospitality Fridays at 9:00 _____________________________

Would you like to continue support of Street Sense throughout the year?

Foundry United Methodist Church A Reconciling Congregation

1500 16th Street NW | Washington DC | 20036 202.332.4010 | foundryumc.@foundryumc.org

www.foundryumc.org

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Not only will you recieve 26 issues with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also help raise awareness about poverty in the D.C. area.

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14

Happy Birthday to Conrad Cheek, Jeff McNeil, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Reginald Black, Franklin Payne, Mary Lisenko and Christopher Walker!

VENDOR WORDS

In My Mirror

By David Denny Vendor

The eyes in my Mirror show the Depth of the soul, reflect the Honesty and sincerity of the spirit And reveal vivid memories of Cherished yesterdays. My Mirror Shows a love that will never Dissipate, a love that withstands The challenges of fate.

When I look at my Mirror, I’m Transported to another place in Time. A place where love is the Air that we breath. Trust, the System that we live by.

Esteem, the currency that we Use to purchase joy. And hope

The sustenance that we cultivate.

When I look at my Mirror I see The possibilities of this special place. But the image in my Mirror Is not the reflection of me but One that I’ve always aspired to be.

Mirror (actually Mira) Is a beautiful spirit that I met At the Foggy Bottom Metro station.

If there are truly guardian angels, She is mine.

STREET SENSE May 11 - 24, 2011

Service Spotlight: The Church of the Pilgrims

By Maria Stoyadinova Editorial Volunteer A core outreach initiative provided by the church is The Pilgrimage, a service-learning hostel functioning in the greater D.C. area that caters to groups from all over the country coming to perform socially-targeted activities. It has 40 beds that are allocated to groups of at least 10 people (15 people during the summer months) for a stay of at least two days, with no limit on the overall length. The only requirement for The Pilgrimage’s guests is that the group’s purpose in visiting D.C. matches the hostel’s mission, which is to help people of various ages and walks of life “connect their faith with social awareness and action.”

The hostel is open 365 days a year and charges $31 per person per night.

Reservations are made in advance only over the phone (202-387-6615) allowing The Pilgrimage staff to assess the reasons for the visit and begin working on the programming schedule. While it is not mandatory for groups to participate

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS HOTLINE 1-888-7WE HELP (1-888-793-4357) www.dcfoodfinder.org

SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 110 Maryland Avenue, NE (202) 289-0596 (office) (202) 289-2111 (shelter) www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118, www.missiondc.org Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 www.newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356,www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE (202) 610–9600, www.covenanthousedc.org John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469, www.catholiccharitiesdc.org

in The Pilgrimage’s organized activities, many choose to do so, as the staff has relationships with a broad array of D.C. nonprofits.

One of the church’s outreach programs to the D.C. homeless community is Open Table, where church members and volunteers serve meals to 50 people each Sunday between 1 and 1:30 p.m. at Dupont Circle.

The Pilgrimage also offers a writing reflection workshop with its poet-inresidence, David Harris. To allow the groups to live through real stories and put a face to a problem that may have seemed distant beforehand, the organization partners with the National Coalition for the Homeless.

As The Pilgrimage’s Program Manager, Karina Saunders, says, “Our hope is that the week or weekend experience at The Pilgrimage will not be an isolated one, but the beginning of a longer journey to promote change in the world.”

The Church of the Pilgrims is located at 2201 P St. N.W., near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596, Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-5261 (office) (202) 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060, www.nstreetvillage.org Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 801 East, St. 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplac Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612, www.churchofthepilgrims.org Thrive DC Breakfast served Mon.-Fri., 9:30-11 a.m.

Dinner for women and children, Mon.-Fri., 3-6 p.m.

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Community Service St. Stephens Parish Church 1525 Newton St, NW (202) 737–9311, www.thrivedc.org

www.georgetownministrycenter.org Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608, www.marthastable.org

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277, www.foodandfriends.org

Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005, www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8089, www.miriamskitchen.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340, www.sashabruce.org

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635, http://www.epiphanydc. org/ministry/welcometbl.htm

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES

Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood Street, NE (202) 269-6623, www.aohdc.org

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

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587, www.breadforthecity.org Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419, www.cchfp.org Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060, www.nstreetvillage.org Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112 Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050, www.friendshiphouse.net Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300, www.ccs–dc.org D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW (202) 347–8870, www.dccfh.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511, www.cflsdc.org Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010, www.foundryumc.org Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731, www.grm.org Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ JHP, Inc. 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 544–9126, www.jobshavepriority.org Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202) 889–7702, www.samaritanministry.org

SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252

VENDOR PROFILE: KWAYERA R. DAKARI

“Renaissance Man” Enjoys Music and Art

By Mandy Toomey Editorial Volunteer

THE LAST WORD

Insight into Poverty

By Holly Ceasar Editorial Intern

Sitting on a bench outside the Church of the Epiphany in the warm spring sun, Street Sense vendor Kwayera R. Dakari pulled out his harmonica and began to play the opening bars of “Isn’t She Lovely,” by Stevie Wonder. After humming a few bars, he followed this with “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” from The Wizard of Oz, and the grand finale, “Deck the Halls,” a guaranteed crowd-pleaser according to Kwayera.

A self-proclaimed Renaissance man who embraces music, poetry and art, Kwayera finds inspiration for his work from the world around him. “Beauty is in the universe and in nature. Just sitting here on this bench is inspiration for me, because I’m alive,” he said.

Even his name, changed in 1996 to connect with his African roots, points to that inspiration: “Dakari” is a word for happiness in Zimbabwe.

Kwayera described himself as a glasshalf-full kind of guy. In 2009, after a domestic conflict, he moved out of his apartment, where he had been living with his partner for seven years. From December 23, 2009, to June 20, 2010, Kwayera was living at the CCNV shelter until he could get back on his feet. He remembered the dates exactly and explained that he had given himself a six-month deadline to get his own place. It was while at the shelter that another vendor told Kwayera about the opportunities at Street Sense.

Kwayera now earns enough money to

pay the monthly rent on his basement apartment, making between $50 and $60 daily.

He says the best part of Street Sense is meeting different people every day: “It’s great to meet people and hear their stories.”

Spending time in the shelter taught Kwayera not to take anyone for granted.

“Everyone is just one paycheck away from being on the street,” he said.

Looking ahead, Kwayera has plans to build up his artistic presence both online and through teaching art classes.

He would like to promote his art more and hopes to one day make a living painting portraits of celebrities.

As our interview came to an end, Kwayera, always the charmer, invited me to lunch. I had to decline as I ran off to work, but as I left the office, “Isn’t She Lovely” echoed in my mind for the rest of the afternoon.

May 11 - 24, 2011• Volume 8 • Issue 14 Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

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vendors and do not give to those panhandling with one paper.

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Six years after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, many of us have lost sight of helping those who lost everything. Images of individuals clinging to their roofs and floating on tides of water from broken levees no longer saturate our television screens. It seems we’ve forgotten about those people, some survivors, some fallen victims. But many groups, organizations, and individuals still hear the cries of those impacted by Katrina.

Recently, one such group from George Washington University made it its mission to help restore New Orleans and the lives of those who suffered.

For spring break, more than a hundred of my peers abandoned the idea of suntanning on the beach and instead chose a George Washington University Alternative Break to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity at three d i ffe r e n t w or k sites in hurricanedamaged areas.

The mission was to build roofs, side panels and foundations.

The disaster happened nearly six years ago, and one might think it would have been cleaned up by now.

But that has not happened. If you were not directly impacted and do not live in that region, the event is filed away in memory, like an exhibit in the Newseum, not a day-to-day reality.

When I arrived in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans to work for Habitat, I was shocked by the devastation that still remains. Hurricane Katrina impacted 15 million people in the Gulf region, killed 1,836, and demolished an estimated 275,000 homes.

I noticed one house, surrounded by dilapidated homes, empty lots and a few

construction sites, still intact. The owners, pleading for their house to remain untouched, had left a sign in red paint that read, “DO NOT DEMO. OWNER WILL BE BACK PLEASE.” A common misconception of Hurricane Katrina is that the people who stayed “should” have left. But many of these families owned their homes, and their net financial worth was based on this one asset. Often with little to no financial savings, these residents had meager opportunities to escape New Orleans.

The horrors of August 2005 left working class Americans devastated more than any other group of people in the area. This begs the question: why were they so greatly impacted? The poorest neighborhoods remain the most vulnerable to severe flooding and destruction, often with insufficient personnel or governmental funds for evacuation.

Although the demolition of these homes represents the destruction of normalcy for many, their sense of community is still intact. Grassroots groups like Habitat for Humanity remain the most awe-inspiring efforts, bringing people together in order to empower and pursue change.

After this experience, I cannot help paralleling the passionate work of Habitat to Street Sense. After volunteering and interning at Street Sense this year, I am confident that a helping hand remains pivotal to leading individuals out of poverty and, instead, in the direction of economic security and independence.

When I signed up, the trip merely represented a week of my time, but it turned into an experience that gave me invaluable insight into the world of poverty as well as the strength of community.