07 15 2007

Tenants’ protests against living conditions at the YWCA prompt city inspections, page 4

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Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents July 15, 2007 - July 31, 2007

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Volume 4, Issue 15

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Slow Progress on DC’s Homeless Plan District

Funds $2.8M for Legal Aid

By Sean P. O’Connor The ability to afford a lawyer can mean the difference between keeping a roof over your head and becoming homeless. Thanks to new funding from the city, more low-income District residents, especially those east of the Anacostia River, can access legal services for housing.

The D.C. Bar Foundation recently awarded 15 grants totaling $2.89 million to support civil legal services for D.C.’s poor. At least half of these grants were awarded to legal aid and service organizations that work directly with housing issues

David Benassi

The change in administration has led the District government to put its long-term plan to end homelessness “on the back burner,” advocates said.

By Daniel Johnson and Kaukab Jhumra Smith Three years into the District’s 10year strategy to end homelessness, interviews with public representatives and local advocates revealed that the plan has made little progress in its goal of adding 6,000 units of permanent housing with support services for the homeless.

“Right now [the plan’s] in limbo because we just haven’t had time to work on it,” said Cheryl Barnes, the only formerly homeless member of the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a council established

by Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2005 to implement the plan.

The District’s 10-year plan, drawn

up in 2004 by Williams, aimed to end chronic homelessness by adding 6,000 new units of affordable housing, increasing preventative efforts and providing support services to people on the streets.

More than 90 communities across the country have drawn up 10-year strategies to eradicate homelessness in their communities, encouraged by a blueprint released by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 2000 that focused on preventative measures and an increase in permanent affordable housing with mental health, medical and other support services for the chronically homeless.

Areas like Portland and Multnomah County, Ore., and Columbus,

Ohio, have dramatically reduced their Tasked by the mayor to create numbers of homeless as a result of strategies across agencies to end long-term strategic partnerships be- chronic homelessness, the Intertween public agencies, businesses agency Council on Homelessness and nonprofits. (See sidebar on Port- held no meetings during the transiland’s success on page 5.) tion between the Williams and Fenty However, the plan in Washington, administrations earlier this year and D.C., has not seen much progress in met under the Fenty administration part because of the change in ad- for the first time in June. ministrations from Williams to new “We need to be meeting every Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, advocates month,” Barnes said. The city’s 2014 said. Overwhelming concerns such as deadline to end homelessness may improving the city’s public education not be realistic, Barnes said. “I think system have led the city to put eradi- it might take another 10 years.” cating homelessness “on the back The D.C. Department of Housburner,” Barnes said. And the city is ing and Community Development losing affordable housing units every funded the rehabilitation and conyear to high-priced developers, push- struction of more than 4,000 affording the goal of 6,000 net additional See Plan, page 5 units farther out of reach.

INTERNATIONAL

EDITORIAL

The street paper in Scotland takes a unique look at the Glasgow terrorist attacks, page 7

Maurice King explains what homeless numbers show – and what they don’t, page 13

Street Church at Epiphany

MOVIE REVIEW

EDITOR NOTE

D.C. office workers and the homeless share food and prayer every Tuesday at Franklin Square Park, page 3

Formerly homeless David Pirtle on Moore’s take on health care in America, page 11

New editor Koki Smith finds Street Sense in a Walt Whitman poem, page 14

Inside This Issue PROFILE

Scots Unshaken by Attacks

Michael Moore’s ‘SiCKO’

Counting the Homeless

Do I Contradict Myself?

See

Legal Aid, page 5

Street Voice

Keep Drug Dealers Away From Shelters

By David Pirtle

I

n January, the Downtown Service Center closed its doors for the last time after the church where it was located sold its air rights – the right to use and develop the airspace above the property – to a condo developer.

Now I could write an entire op-ed about what kind of church would do such a thing, but that’s another topic entirely.

Known affectionately as the 9:30 Club, the breakfast program at the DSC was moved to Fourth and E streets, NW. It didn’t take long for the homeless to find it. Unfortunately, it

See Dealers, page 13

Street Sense . July 15 -31, 2007

ALL ABOUT US

Our Mission

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

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Egger Ted Henson Barbara Kagan David Pike John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Francine Triplett David Walker Kathy Whelpley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri VENDOR MANAGER Jesse Smith Jr. EDITOR IN CHIEF Kaukab Jhumra Smith ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond (volunteer) INTERN Daniel Johnson

VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Mia Boyd, Karen Brooks, Cliff Carle, Diana Cosgrove, Mary Cunningham, Rick Dahnke, Darcy Gallucio, Jake Geissinger, Genevieve Gill, Leo Gnawa, Cassie Good, Joanne Goodwin, Carol Hannaford, Annie Hill, Daniel Horner, Rafaelle Ieva, Jennifer Jett, Mary Lynn Jones, Jessica LeGarde, August Mallory, Rita Marjandaro, Mandy McAnally, Moria McLaughlin, Kent Mitchell, Sean O’Connor, Mike O’Neill, Swinitha Osuri, Jen Pearl, David Pike, Diane Rusignola, Sarah Schoolcraft, Eric Sheptock, Jennifer Singleton, Katie Smith, Francine Triplett, Linda Wang, Katie Wells, Michelle Williams, Brenda Karyl Lee-Wilson, Dan Winegarten, Marian Wiseman, Corrine Yu VENDORS Willie Alexander, Jake Ashford, George Atwater, Patricia Benjamin, Tommy Bennett, James Berthey, Corey Bridges, Bobby G. Buggs, Alice Carter, Conrad Cheek Jr., Elena Cirpaci, George Williams, Anthony Crawford, Louise Davenport, Yllama Davenport, James Davis, Bernard Dean, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon El, Michael Douglas, Don Gardner, Barron Hall, David Harris, Dewayne Harrison, John Harrison, Donna Hendricks, Donald Henry, Patricia Henry, Michael Higgs, Philip Howard, Joanne Jackson, Michael Jefferson, Patricia Jefferson, Allen Jones, DeRutter Jones,, Mark Jones, Brenda Karyl Lee- Wilson, Greg Lucas, Charlie Mayfield, Lee Mayse, Jennifer McLaughlin, Lawrence Miller, Charles Nelson, Moyo Onibuje, Therese Onyemenom, Kevin Robinson, Dennis Rutledge, Gerald Smith, Patty Smith,, Martin Walker, Henry Washington, Lawless Watless, George Williams, Wendell Williams, Ivory Wilson, Jason Wrightson

We are proud members of:

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

Our Editorial Policy

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

Street Sense reserves the right to edit any material.

North American Street Newspaper Association

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

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

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming an independent 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 in November 2006 , the organization hired its first vendor coordinator.

In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month as the network of vendors expanded to more than 50 homeless men and women.

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

July 15 - August 1 Donors Heather M. Cable Silvia J. Dominguez Jen Eun Lee Sharyn Meister Jen Pearl Theo and Sharmila Sitther Patricia Taylor Brad Terry

Thank You!

International Network of Street Papers

Street Sense Vendor Code of Conduct 1.

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

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 all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and 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 the paper.

7.

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

8.

There are no territories among vendors.

I will respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer.

9.

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

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.

WANNA HELP? If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or have a great article or feature idea, please contact Koki Smith at 202-347-2006 or at editor@streetsense.org.

If you are interested in becoming a vendor, contact Laura Thompson Osuri at the same number or come to a vendor training session on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. at our office (1317 G Street, NW, near Metro Center.)

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

PROFILE

Provider Profile

Street Church Unites District’s Homeless Downtown

By Daniel Johnson

Rev. Randolph C. Charles holds a weekly church service at Franklin Square Park. “Things like this are a blessing,” a homeless attendee said.

Street Sense vendor.

Street Church was inspired by the original outdoor Episcopalian service for the homeless: Boston’s Common Cathedral.

Rev. Deborah W. Little, the creator of Common Cathedral, contacted Charles and pushed him to start a street service that was geared for the District’s homeless. Franklin Square Park was chosen as the location because it is already filled with homeless people and downtown workers.

The church renews a permit from the U.S. Department of the Interior every four months in order to hold its service at Franklin, Charles said.

Street Church is also an outgrowth of the Welcome Table, a 40-year-old Sunday morning service at Epiphany that provides breakfast and a place to worship for the first 200 homeless men and women that sign up.

Many homeless people consistently attend Street Church, and Jeffery said she wished to see more non-homeless people actively involved but understands the conflict of time.

“We know it’s hard for business people to get away,” Jeffery said.

For more information on how to volunteer for Street Church, contact Rev. Anne-Marie Jeffery at (202) 347-2635.

Donate to Street Sense My Information

I will donate:

Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_______________________________________________ Phone:_______________________E-mail:_________________________ Please make checks payable to Street Sense Street Sense is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.

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

You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org

___ $50 for two vendor awards each month ___ $70 for one restaurant review ___ $100 for postage each month ___ $200 for vests for 15 new vendors ___ $500 for monthly rent and insurance ___ $1,200 for the printing of one issue ___ Another amount of $_______ ___ Another amount of $_______ for vendor: ________________

Additional items that Street Sense needs: * Messenger and tote bags and backpacks for vendors

* Office chairs

* Bottled water to hand out to vendors

* Laptop computers with at least Windows 2000

* Food for vendor meetings

Daniel Johnson

In between bites of lunch, downtown workers hear “Amazing Grace” ring out across Franklin Square Park every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The singers are a group of homeless worshipers and the song is the opening hymn of Street Church, an outdoor church service and lunch program at 14th and K streets NW sponsored by the Church of the Epiphany.

“We want to provide an environment where downtown workers and the poor can get together,” Rev. Randolph C. Charles said. “All we’re trying to do is say everybody is worthy in God’s eyes and everyone is loved by God.” The combination of worship, communion, food and fellowship is open to everyone and was created to eliminate the gap between the homeless and workers of downtown D.C. “We go out to people, because they can’t necessarily come [to Epiphany,]” said Rev. Anne-Marie Jeffery, Urban Missioner of Epiphany. “We hand out food, but some people need more than food sometimes. Sometimes, they need a place to pray.”

Street Church has met at Franklin Square Park every Tuesday, weather permitting, since February 2006. About 25 people attend the service every week, occasionally as many as 80, Charles said.

The worship service lasts up to one hour, and immediately after the service, volunteers hand out sack lunches filled with a sandwich, a bag of chips and dessert.

“Things like this are a blessing because not everyone has a dollar in their pocket,” Joe Nibes, a Street Church regular, said.

“The street is no joke.”

The songs and prayers of the service are taken directly from the Episcopal prayer book and include “Psalm 23,” “The Lord’s Prayer” and “The Serenity Prayer.” Like any other Episcopalian service, the Eucharist, a remembrance of the Last Supper, plays a central role in Street Church and participants can take communion.

“When you cannot attend church on a Sunday, it gives you a second chance to attend church,” said Patricia Jefferson, a

and 10 GB of storage space

Please call 202-347-2006 or send an e-mail to info@streetsense.org if you have any of these items to donate.

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . July 15 -31, 2007

Federal Bill Could Create 1.5 Million Affordable Homes

By Mia Boyd The nation’s supply of affordable housing could expand by 1.5 million units under a bill introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (DMass.), chairman of a congressional committee that addresses housing issues.

Introduced in late June, the bill, H.R. 2895, would establish a national affordable housing trust fund to “produce, preserve and rehabilitate” 1.5 million housing units for low-income citizens over the next 10 years.

“The growing shortage of affordable housing is one of the most serious social and economic problems facing our country,” Frank said. “Given our severely constrained

fiscal realities, we are today doing the best we can to address this — creating a low income housing trust fund that will be paid for in ways that do not draw from federal tax revenues.”

The bill has received bipartisan support in Congress as well as praise from national organizations such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition. It’s been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, where Frank serves as chairman.

“The issue of affordable housing has been ongoing for many years. It reflects a movement almost,” said Mary Brooks, Director of the Housing Trust Fund Project of the Center for Community Change, which provides information and technical assistance

to enable the success of housing trust fund campaigns.

The issue of affordable housing remains a large challenge. According to a 2007 Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies report, one out of seven U.S. households pays more than half its income for housing.

Seventy-five percent of the funds authorized in the legislation would be allocated for households that earn less than 30% of an area’s median income.

Most funds would be targeted directly to cities, although states and local jurisdictions would be required to serve rural areas in proportion to their need.

“A secure home is fundamental to family and personal well-being,” said Sheila

Crowley, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “Assuring a secure home for all its members is fundamental for a healthy society.”

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has joined with over 5,600 local and national organizations in the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign. Though such bills have been introduced in past congressional sessions, the coalition is pushing hard for the legislation to pass this time.

On July 10, during a keynote address at a national conference on ending homelessness, Frank said he hoped the bill would pass by this fall.

“I believe we’re going to make some real progress this year,” Frank said.

YWCA Protest Forces Building Inspections

By Ted Henson City inspections are underway at the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA in northwest Washington after residents held a widely-publicized demonstration on June 26 to protest poor living conditions and demand city action.

Last April, Street Sense reported that tenants of the women’s low-priced housing unit on 901 Rhode Island Ave., NW, were complaining of bedbugs, leaky plumbing, mold and dilapidated bathrooms. The building is not affiliated with the national YWCA network.

In addition, 54 residents had received legal notices demanding back rent, although most of the cases were later dismissed. With the help of community organizations, outraged residents launched the Phyllis Wheatley Cares Tenants’ Association to voice concerns to building management.

“We’re trying to educate women about their rights at the YWCA,” said Sharon Rohner, a resident and tenant association member.

The June 26 demonstration by about 20 women in the group was widely covered on local television news and newspapers, includ-

Foundry

United Methodist Church

A Reconciling Congregation

Sign Interpretation at 11:00 Homeless Outreach Hospitality Fridays 9 AM

Foundry United Methodist Church

1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010 www.foundryumc.org

Ted Henson

Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM

ing The Washington Post.

Soon afterward, in the first week of July, federal and local agencies inspected the building. They included the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, and the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development.

Although results of the July inspections had not been released by the time Street Sense went to press, a representative from the Department of Housing and Community Development told Street Sense it is helping YWCA management find a new exterminator for bedbugs.

Some dispute remains over the timing and motivation of the city’s inspection process.

Tenants and their supporters maintain that the first building-wide inspections didn’t occur until after their demonstration and the subsequent unflattering media coverage.

Residents sent their first formal request for building inspections to the city’s Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs on May 29, according to Rebecca Lindhurst, a nonprofit attorney assisting the tenants’ association.

Shortly before the protest, a city inspector looked at the common areas of the building but not their individual rooms, tenants told Lindhurst. Advocates then e-mailed government officials, including D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), asking for a full building inspection. That inspection did not occur until July 3.

Spokeswoman Karyn Robinson of the regulatory affairs department confirmed the first correspondence received from the tenants was sent on May 29. In June alone, her department held four meetings or inspections with YWCA building management, and

by June 16, notices of violations had been issued to YWCA management, she said.

While awaiting results of the city inspections, YWCA tenant Rohner said minor improvements have been made to the facility and stored furniture has been moved out of the first-floor common room.

But the majority of the problems originally raised still have not been remedied, she and other tenants said.

“I was thrilled to see all of the furniture come out of the lounge area,” Rohner said, “But when I left, people called me to tell that they haven’t received beds.”

Sharon Rohner, a resident of the YWCA women’s shelter, protests unsanitary living conditions.

Rohner said that the beds were donated from an unknown source shortly after the media coverage but have since been kept in storage.

“The beds went to empty rooms,” Rohner said. “There are still women sleeping on the floor.”

According to Rohner, the problems at the YWCA ultimately are health concerns.

“I’m concerned about their health,” Rohner said. “A 67-year-old woman is still without heat or air-conditioning after three years.

I am not at the Y right now because I don’t

have good living conditions.”

Patty Smith, a Street Sense vendor who lives at the Y, said that although the situation is still tough, it is getting better thanks to the tenants’ association and the support it received.

“Things that we fought so hard for are finally coming to fruition,” Smith said. “Us women are sticking together.”

The YWCA board of directors did not return calls for comment.

David Hammond contributed to this story.

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

LOCAL NEWS

Portland’s Results Win National Recognition

Plan, from page 1 able housing units in the last two years. But this funding was not the result of inter-agency collaboration under the 10-year plan, department spokeswoman Najuma Thorpe said.

“We certainly work with the plans that are dictated to us but we are always looking for more ways to increase affordable housing,” Thorpe said.

However, the department has set aside $12.5 million for building permanent housing as a result of long-term planning with the Deputy Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, which oversees the 10-year strategy, Thorpe said.

But that earmark does not include funds for any support services like medical or mental health, Thorpe said. Under the 10-year plan, the 6,000 new affordable units must offer permanent supportive housing.

“The city’s commitment to dollars is definitely a good step forward in the right direction, and shows that the city believes in the concept of preventing people from becoming homeless,” said Michael Ferrell, director of the nonprofit D.C. Coalition for the Homeless. “The responsibility lies with the District government.”

Ferrell said that bringing affordable housing is the biggest challenge D.C.’s government faces and that the plan will take time to implement.

“That’s why it’s a 10-year plan and not a five-year plan,” Ferrell said.

Father Jon Adams, the director of one of the largest providers of homeless services in the District, said he believes the plan is making progress. As head of So Others Might Eat (SOME), he noted that providing funds for housing is a step in the right direction to ending homelessness.

“I think [the plan] is going [forward] and I think for one thing the city itself has had enough foresight to have established the Housing Production Trust Fund,” Adams said.

The trust fund was established in the late 1980s to fund the building and rehabilitation of affordable housing. More than 5,000 affordable housing units have been completed or are under development from direct support from the Housing Production Trust Fund, according to a joint report by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute and the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development.

The number of affordable housing units added to D.C. under the trust fund has “grown dramatically” since 2001 to more than 1,500 units in the 2006 fiscal year, the report said.

However, these additions may not include supportive services for mental and medical health and are not the result of inter-agency collaboration for more permanent supportive housing under the city’s 10-year plan. Most alarmingly, these

Legal Aid, from page 1 in the District, including an expansion of services east of the river in the often-disenfranchised wards 7 and 8.

The boost in civil legal aid comes at a time when D.C. residents are increasingly struggling with housing costs. Obtaining representation or advice in civil legal matters – landlord-tenant disputes, access to public benefits and housing discrimination, to name a few – are out of reach for many.

The grants are funded by a landmark D.C. City Council appropriation aimed at increasing the number of lawyers handling housing issues for the poor and working in under-served communities.

The funding was pushed through the City Council with the help of the D.C. Access to Justice Commission, a commission established by the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2005 to assure quality access to civil legal services for low- and moderate-income city residents. The earmarked 2007 fiscal year appropriation was recently renewed in full for the upcoming 2008 fiscal year, which begins in October.

In D.C., civil legal aid is provided by nonprofits, law school clinics, and pro bono assistance from the D.C.’s many lawyers and law firms. Historically, it has been funded by grants and donations, and by the federally funded Legal Services Corporation, created in 1974 to promote equal access to justice and provide legal assistance to low-income Americans.

In 2006, D.C. legal aid organizations received $910,499 from the Legal Services Corporation. But that amount was not

additional units coincide with the District’s loss of thousands of affordable rentals and homes each year.

The city has also not met its own deadlines under the 10year plan for rehabilitating various homeless shelters. Although the 10-year plan called for mass renovations at Parcel 26/La Casa, Gales School and an unidentified men’s shelter by October 2006, no major renovations have taken place and no men’s shelter has been selected for renovation.

Meanwhile, Franklin School Shelter for men, located downtown, does not have air conditioning for the summer and is scheduled to shut down at the end of the year.

With funds available for construction and further implementation of the 10-year plan, progress should be on the horizon. But the patience of some of District’s homeless and their advocates is wearing thin.

“I’m appalled. They don’t understand the importance of this issue,” Barnes said, expressing her frustration at the pace of work at the Interagency Council. “There are folks who have been in the shelter system for the last seven to 10 years. We’re tired of waiting for our piece of the pie.”

Despite numerous attempts to contact representatives from the mayor’s office, they were unavailable for comment on the status of the 10-year plan by press time. enough – legal aid organizations have to turn away thousands of aid-seekers each year.

With the $638,200 it recently received in new grants, the District’s Legal Aid Society plans to add eight new attorneys across three community-based offices, bringing its total number of lawyers to 26.

“We are thrilled to receive these generous grants, which will enable us to further our mission and bring more comprehensive civil legal services closer to where our clients live,” Jonathan Smith, the society’s executive director, said.

In addition, the Legal Aid Society will provide three lawyers for a court-based legal services project in conjunction with Bread for the City and the Neighborhood Legal Services Program. The lawyers will be available on-site at the D.C. Landlord-Tenant Court to assist with critical needs for representation. Litigants at the Landlord-Tenant court often face eviction and need immediate assistance.

The Neighborhood Legal Services Program, another award recipient, plans to open two new offices by 2008 and expand its current office in southeast Washington with its new grants of $674,638.

“By adding offices and lawyers we will substantially expand our capacity to help residents in underserved neighborhoods understand and assert their legal rights,” said Brenda Harding, the program’s executive director.

For more information, District residents can visit www.

LawHelp.org/DC, a project of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program.

Chronic homelessness has dropped by 70% over the past two years in the Portland, Ore., region, a result of the area’s 10-year plan to end homelessness by increasing permanent affordable housing and access to social services, according to a national group that advises local governments on such plans.

A chronically homeless person is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as an “unaccompanied disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for over one year.”

Beginning in December 2004, Portland and Multnomah County adopted a “Housing First” approach which quickly moves the region’s homeless into permanent affordable housing linked to supportive services, including medical care and mental health services.

This approach allows the homeless to bypass stays at temporary shelters and secure a stable foundation and network of support to manage their condition. Portland’s plan included the support of the nonprofit, public and business sectors.

“We knew we were doing the right thing by adopting a plan to end homelessness in Portland, and we are thrilled to see such great results in the first two years,” said Portland Mayor Tom Potter in a July press release from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. “This is a true testament to our community’s effort to helping people end their homelessness every day,” Potter said.

The number of homeless people in Portland living without any form of shelter, on streets and in parks, dropped 39% in the last two years — from 2,355 in 2005 to 1,438 in 2007.

And Portland’s total numbers of homeless, including those in shelters and those without shelter, dropped 13% from 2005 to 2007, from 5,103 to 4,456, the National Alliance reported.

Apart from achieving dramatic results, Portland’s plan for permanent supportive housing also saves money. Central City Concern, a homeless services provider in Portland, reported cost savings of about $15,000 per individual after the first year of the approach’s implementation.

Other components of the area’s 10-year plan include improving outreach on the street, developing employment and income opportunities, helping people discharged from jails and hospitals make the transition to life outside, and preventing homelessness through short-term rental assistance.

In 2000, the National Alliance recommended that communities adopt 10-year plans to eliminate homelessness.

Since then, its emphasis on securing permanent housing for the homeless as the backbone for all other initiatives has influenced more than 200 communities in their own 10-year planning process.

“Cities across the nation can learn from the success that Portland has achieved. Reducing homelessness is a very achievable goal,” Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance, said.

“But to really end homelessness, we also need increased federal attention to the affordable housing crisis faced by communities across the country,” she said.

– Matt Johnson

Street Sense . July 15 -31, 2007

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

in other news By Mandy McAnally Arizona: Phoenix Shores Up Efforts to Hydrate Homeless The city of Phoenix is scaling up its efforts to provide water, food and shelter to the homeless during this summer’s record high temperatures after 30 people died in a similar heat wave in 2005. So far the city has opened a number of hydration stations and “low-demand centers” for women, men and families. The stations are large, cooled rooms with cots or mats on the floor to temporarily house people who can’t find places in permanent shelters (Bowers, Christian Science Monitor, 7/9).

California: Companies Buy Building for Homeless Shelter Two Oakland, Calif.-based development companies have purchased a 97-year-old YMCA building in San Francisco to convert it into a homeless shelter. The $12.2 million deal was funded by the Mayor’s Office of Housing. The complex will have affordable apartments with support services for homeless men and women.

The facility also will have a holistic health clinic and wellness center with 25 exam rooms that will serve residents and other low-income and homeless people. The project is scheduled to be finished in 2010.

California: Bill on Homeless Patient ‘Dumping’ Advances A state Assembly committee has passed a bill that seeks to criminalize the “dumping” of homeless hospital patients.

The bill would make it a misdemeanor to leave patients at a facility without their permission and would punish hospitals with criminal charges after a third dumping offense.

Three alleged dumpings have been reported on Los Angeles’ Skid Row since the bill was passed in May by the state Senate (Los Angeles Downtown News, 7/9).

Georgia: Homeless Services to Get $7M in Gov’t Funds Various advocacy organizations are scheduled to receive more than $7 million in state and federal funds to provide housing and other services for the homeless. The commissioner for Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs said 181 agencies throughout the state have been selected to receive funding to support operational costs, technical assistance and other related housing support services (WTVM, 7/6).

Massachusetts: City Orders Closure of Homeless Shelter Springfield officials have issued a “cease and desist” order to close a homeless shelter at a former city jail. About 55 to 60 homeless will be affected by the closure, advocates say.

The city solicitor said the order was issued because the jail site does not comply with state building codes. He added that the site is marked for demolition to allow development in the area (Goonan, Springfield Republican, 7/9).

Washington: City Councils May Regulate Tent Cities The Olympia and Tumwater city councils are considering two ordinances that would legally recognize and regulate tent cities for the homeless.

Under the proposed ordinance, tent cities would be required to give 30 days’ notice to potential neighbors and address concerns in a public meeting. They would have to adopt rules against violence, theft or alcohol and would be limited to 90 days in one location with a certain number of residents and charged a small or no fee by the city (Batcheldor, Olympian, 7/7).

W. Virginia: City Agencies Dismantle Homeless ‘Tent City’ Huntington city agencies have begun dismantling a large homeless tent encampment near a local park as part of an effort to make a recreational space for Tri-State residents.

Workers estimate 20 to 30 people living in the tent city will be displaced as a result of the effort.

The agencies plan to find housing for those who will be displaced. City law enforcement agencies will scale up their patrolling in the park following the cleanup to prevent homeless from returning to the area, officials say (Chamber, Herald Dispatch, 7/6).

Scotland Weighs Fallout From Attacks

By Peter John Meiklem and Leanna MacLarty If the terrorist attack on Glasgow airport has changed Scotland, then most Scots haven’t noticed yet. From the images of Gordon Brown addressing the nation to the attitude of everyday people, the reaction to the attack has been calm, collected and, so far, considered. To find the most outraged reactions, however, one has to look to the Muslim community in Scotland.

The terrorists, armed with gas canisters and petrol bombs, were intent not just on taking innocent lives but on terrifying the country. But, luckily, they failed on both counts, meeting not their desired martyrdom but a punch in the face from baggage handler John Smeaton.

Scotland’s overall response to the botched attack has been similarly no-nonsense. Delays at the airport were kept to a minimum. First Minister Alex Salmond pledged the attacks wouldn’t affect the economy. And ordinary people, maybe a little more shaken than before but far from afraid, went about their everyday business without making too much fuss.

James Prior, from Glasgow, offered a typical response. “I was angry and shocked, but you can’t think about it too much and let it prey on your mind. If you do, you’re letting them win,” Prior said. “It doesn’t matter who it was that carried out the attack. For me, race or religion doesn’t come into it. I think they were just nutters.”

The Sun Newspaper, a good barometer of public opinion, was quick to laud the efforts of Stephen Clarkson, a second have-a-go hero, who helped police restrain the two men who emerged from the burning jeep, flailing their fists and throwing petrol bombs. Later, a Web site was set up to try and raise 1,000 pints of beer for baggage handler and local hero Smeaton.

Dr Jack Boyle, one of Scotland’s leading psychologists, says those heroic stories have shored up national confidence and kept people resilient against the temptation to submit to a climate of fear.

“This attack is no more than an inconvenience to most people,” Boyle said. “Let’s face it, it’s about as stupid and amateurish an attack as you can possibly imagine. They made an awful job of it.”

But there have been warnings against complacency, not least from the Prime Minister himself. Professor Paul Wilkinson, chairman of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews, urges people to stay on guard. He says the Glasgow attack bore all the hallmarks of a planned suicide attack.

“Most of the people involved in these kinds of activities are believers in extremist ideology,” Wilkinson said. “They really believe they are on a mission to become martyrs and carry

StreetFact In Portland, Ore., the number of people living without shelter has dropped 39% in the last two years. See story on page 5.

Source: National Alliance to End homelessness.

out their holy war.”

He says the extremist ideology driving the wannabe killers – “satanic abusers of our faith and social misfits” according to Muslim writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown – is still the main threat facing Scotland and Britain.

Osama Saeed, the spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain, was furious about the effects the attack may have on community relations. He called the terrorists “lunatics” on his Internet blog posted only hours after the attack.

“Muslims are expected to provide some kind of solution or provide some kind of light on this phenomenon but we’re in the dark as much as everyone else is,” Saeed said.

Saeed said he wasn’t surprised when he heard the attackers weren’t from the Scottish Muslim community. “We’ve never had a whisper of this in Scotland. You hear of groups espousing extremist ideology in London and elsewhere in England but we’ve never heard anything along those lines in Scotland,” he said.

But Aamer Anwar, one of Scotland’s most prominent human rights lawyers, urges a note of caution. “We should be very careful in terms of saying we don’t have problems in our midst,” he says. “There’s an element of denial that there’s a radicalization among some young Muslim males in particular. It’s only a matter of time before a Scottish-born radicalized Muslim comes to the media’s attention.”

Anwar, who has represented men accused of being Al-Qaeda terrorists in the past, agrees that the situation in Scotland is very different from that in London or other major English cities.

“The communities are particularly well integrated within Scotland. There have been no radical organizations making public speeches,” Anwar said. “But I suspect there’s already massive resentment in the young Muslim community, who feel that despite their protestations against these attacks, they are still being held accountable.”

Saeed said he didn’t think Scotland would be divided by the terrorist attacks. “Their intentions are to divide us into camps but the only camps are the terrorists versus the rest of us,” Saeed said. “And we will win.”

In Scotland, all signals seem to show business as usual.

But one thing has changed. Despite warnings from security sources that Scotland has been a potential “soft” target for years, most people had never really thought that it would happen here.

That fact, at least, has been altered forever.

Additional reporting by Omar Yassin. Reprinted from The Big Issue in Scotland © Street News Service www.street-papers.org

NEWS LOCAL PHOTOS & POETRY

The Married Woman My name is Roxie.

I get up every day, look in the mirror, comb my hair, brush my teeth, wash my face and say, “I’m his wife, why do he treat me this way?”

Street Sense . July 15 -31, 2007

Cliff’s Pics: Celebrate

He leaves me at eight, don’t come home until late.

I sit at home and wait.

When he come home, I ask, “Honey, how was your day?” wearing a sexy negligee.

He looks at me and say, “Woman, it’s late, go away.”

I go to my room and start to cry, asking myself, “Why do I try?”

When I’m gone, he will remember this night.

When he finds out that another man is squeezing, cuddling and holding me tight, he will be out looking for me, day and night, with a flashlight.

– Ivory Wilson

This Is My Life Like people watching Do they look out for me Or are they against me I’m taken advantage of At least it feels that way It feels that way to me So what is going on Who is in control of who Who’s taking advantage of who I’m not in control of my life And I’m the one who’s ‘sposed to be in charge Because I am the king I choose to be the queen You’re not in control of me So get your spies away from me ‘Cause I do not trust your people I didn’t say I didn’t trust you But you’re kind of shady, too This stuff really messes me up You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do ‘Cause I can do anything I want, dude So please, God, tell me who is running this show I thought I was in control Maybe it is time to go ‘Cause I ain’t beneath no one And that’s what’s making me mad It ain’t jealousy Because this did work Whoever’s responsible is a thief Pretty soon they’ll be among the diseased Once I get things in order Once I get my money right, keep faith in God And all is good I pray all the time This is important That’s why I don’t give up And nor will I ever God’s my boss. I can’t give up

– Baby Alice

This little boy was blowing his heart out. Look at his cheeks, they look like they are ready to explode with music and excitement.

I really liked these circle fireworks. They are a change of pace from the big explosion ones and remind me of the Circle of Life.

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

PHOTOS & POETRY

Wild and Precious Life

Here is the quintessential celebration. Even though I see it every year, the July 4 fireworks in D.C. still amaze me.

Washington didn’t let a little rainstorm ruin its chance to celebrate the country’s birthday. In this edition of Cliff ’s Pics, Cliff captures the Fourth of July with an explosion of music and fireworks in the sky.

I watch you in the mornings, you are an avalanche of motion, hustling through Mondays, Tuesdays, and yesterdays, counting your ticking minutes like coins of gold, rushing to your cubicle to perform Useful Things.

I am a still life, a cliche, a study in bags and rags, decoration for a park bench; you have no notion of my wild and vivid life.

I paint your universe and mine in pastel colors, put you under sapphire skies reflected in your cornflower eyes.

Minutes drift past me like feathers from angels’ wings.

If you notice me at all, you pity me, as I sit through eddies of a cold north wind; you have no notion of the Eden between my ears, tropical and mystical; if you would just sit still, I would invite you there.

Five minutes with me, talking, you could be sculpted in a portrait hewn of cardboard and lace.

You have your life of useful things; I, a still life, am as beautiful and useless as a jungle orchid – in my stillness, I have a wild a precious life.

– David Harris

I love how all these horns are crowded together as this band near DuPont Circle plays. You can almost hear the music that caused dozens of people to get up and dance.

10 FEATURES

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

Pretty REd’s Fiction By Ivory Wilson

About Town By Patricia Jefferson

Shaken and Stirred at the Spy Museum

I

Courtesy of the Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum at 9th and F streets, NW, is offering a $5 entry fee to celebrate its fifth anniversary on July 19.

I

f you thought of being, or wanted to become, an FBI agent, now there’s an opportunity to live in your dreams. The International Spy Museum will have a new and exciting adventure, “Operation Spy,” opening soon.

As reported by the museum, participants will be working in groups in the capacity of intelligence officers. You will be working from real cases and conducting certain tasks in the assignment so that a resolution can be accomplished in the mission. The experience will be different from the regular tour of the museum, and there will be a separate admission fee.

The International Spy Museum, which is located at 800 F Street NW, opened in July 2002. The museum has an array of espionage artifacts and other collections on public display. The museum is the only spy museum in the United States. The museum is relatively large and consists of hands-on components that make the tour enjoyable.

I observed the museum being built several years ago and walked past the construction site every morning after leaving the shelter where I reside. The building is in the midst of the tourist attractions in the downtown area, with the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery directly across the street. Also, the FBI building is a block away.

Before taking the tour of the museum, perhaps you can take advantage of the film in the lobby, which gives you information and insight about the museum.

I found several exhibits intriguing and interesting to view and capture. It will take you about an hour to take the tour, but it could take longer. Among the particular exhibits that caught my eye were recording devices in the spy business (it makes you wonder about the person next to you!), such as a briefcase recorder and wristwatch microphone recording device.

I was very much intrigued to view the exhibit of a disguise of a young woman in which she was made up to become an older woman and became an undetectable street person. This was an amazing transformation to capture.

These are just a few of the many authentic exhibits that are on display and astonishing to view. So, if you are a person who wants to know about the makings of the spy business and what it takes to be a spy, then this is the place to visit.

Please call 202-393-7798 for hours of operation and admission fees, and especially to find out when Operation Spy will open.

The International Spy Museum is offering a special $5 entry fee on July 19 in honor of its fifth anniversary. On any other day, the entry fee for the museum is $16.

Patricia has been a Street Sense vendor since August 2006 . She is saving up her Street Sense earnings to move into a place of her own .

Don’t Answer The Phone

n the middle of the desert, there’s a phone booth and it works. But if it rings, don’t answer it.

It was a very hot summer night, and Kelly, Bonnie, Susan, James, Ross and Sally were going to Las Vegas for the weekend in James’ camper. On their way, they stopped at a store for chips, beer and gas. Ross went into the store to get the things and to pay for the gas. James was pumping gas, and an old “bag lady” was pushing a cart along the sidewalk.

Ross came out of the store not paying attention. Not seeing the old lady, he knocked over her cart and started laughing. “Watch where you’re going, old lady,” he said.

In the cart were a lot of bags and an old dial telephone.

The old lady reached to pick up the telephone, but Ross was still laughing and kicked it. He kicked it again, and this time it went into the sewer. Bonnie said, “Stop it, Ross.”

She walked over to the old lady to help her gather her things and put them back in the cart.

Ross and James walked back to the camper and got in, laughing. The others in the camper were laughing, too.

Bonnie said to the lady, “Ma’am, I’m so sorry.” All of them in the camper were looking at her and the lady.

The old lady looked at the camper, and said to Bonnie, “They will pay with their souls for that telephone.” She then turned to Bonnie and said, “Little one, don’t go with them.”

James started blowing the horn, shouting, “Bonnie, would you please come on.” Bonnie said to the lady, “I have to go, I’m sorry.” Bonnie then walked away and got into the camper.

Traveling down the highway, the group was drinking beer and laughing. Then James said, “Let’s play a game.”

Susan asked what kind of word game. Ross said, “Yeah, I like games,” looking at Susan’s legs. Bonnie laughed and said, “Ross, you’re crazy.” They all laughed. Kelly also asked what kind of game. “Yeah, James, what kind of game,” Sally said. “I hope it’s not sex – that comes later.” They all laughed.

James said, “When you die, how would you like to die?”

They all asked what kind of stupid game is that. James then said, “OK, what way wouldn’t you want to die?”

Sally said, “I would not want to be burned alive.” Susan said, “OK, James, I’ll play your silly game. I wouldn’t want to fall into an endless pit alive.”

Ross said, “OK, I’m in. I wouldn’t want to be buried alive.”

Kelly said, “I wouldn’t want to be hanged alive.”

James said, “I would not want to be drowned alive.”

Susan said, “Bonnie, it’s your turn.” Before Bonnie could answer, James said, “Hey, guys, look out the window. There’s an old telephone booth, in the middle of nowhere.”

Everyone was wondering where it came from, who left it there and why. James, not paying attention to the highway sign, took a side road off the highway into the desert, 250 miles from Vegas. James drove to the telephone booth and stopped, saying, “Let’s get out, guys, and stretch our legs.”

Everyone was standing outside the camper, looking up at the stars in the sky. Bonnie said, “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it, guys?” Ross, Kelly and James walked over to the telephone booth, laughing at it.

Ross, joking, said, “Excuse me, I have to make a call,” and then closed the door behind him. He picked up the receiver and dialed. Ross, laughing, put the receiver back, saying, “There’s no one home.” As he turned to step out of the telephone booth, the telephone rang. He picked up the receiver again and asked who it was. Everyone was in shock that it rang, and they stared at him.

The voice on the line said, “You don’t want to be buried alive,” and sand started filling the booth from the bottom of the floor. Ross was pulling on the door trying to get out, but the sand was coming in so fast he could not open it. Ross’ eyes grew big and he was screaming, saying “Help me, guys!”

The guys tried to bust the glass, but it would not break.

The girls were screaming. James ran to the camper to try to find something to break the glass. When he came back, Ross was dead, with his eyes open.

The sand started to drain back the way it came. Kelly pushed the door open, and Ross fell out. The girls were crying in disbelief that this could be happening. Kelly and James picked Ross up and brought his body back to the camper.

James said, “Everybody get in, we’re going.” Everybody

got in the camper, when James tried to start the camper, but it would not start. James and Kelly got out and raised the hood to look at the engine, but they couldn’t find anything wrong.

Kelly walked to the camper door, stuck his head in and said, “Girls, we’re not going anywhere.”

Sally came out of the camper. Bonnie and Susan were still sitting inside, talking. Bonnie tried her cell phone, but it didn’t work. The others tried theirs too, but they didn’t work either.

Sally, looking at the telephone booth, noticed the phone receiver was off the hook. She walked into the booth, and hung up the receiver. It rang, and Sally, not thinking, picked it up.

The voice said, “You wouldn’t want to be burned alive,” and the door closed behind her. Bonnie and Susan came running out of the camper. The telephone booth burst into a hot flame inside. The guys were in shock. When the flames went out, there was nothing left of Sally but ashes. Susan screamed and cried. Bonnie, crying, thought about what had happened at the store.

Kelly and James gathered wood to make a campfire. They sat around the campfire, and Bonnie told them what she was thinking about why this was happening. They didn’t believe her. The telephone started ringing. They all looked at each other, saying, “I’m going to answer it.”

Susan ran to the telephone booth to pull the receiver from the phone. The voice on the line said, “You wouldn’t want to fall into an endless pit alive.” Susan screamed. The floor of the telephone booth opened and Susan fell through the opening, and it closed behind her. James and Kelly were lost for words and looked at Bonnie.

Bonnie said, “Now do you believe me? It’s the old lady.”

James and Kelly said, “Yes, Bonnie, we believe you.”

Kelly said, “It’s unbelievable, but it’s happening to us. We’re all going to die in this desert.”

The telephone started ringing again. Kelly said, “It can ring all night, I’m not going to answer it.” James said, “Me either, no way.” Bonnie took a deep breath, got up and walked to the telephone. They said, “Bonnie, have you lost your mind? ” She said to them: “I don’t think it wants me.” Bonnie walked into the booth and answered the telephone. It was the operator on the line. The guys ran to the telephone booth.

Bonnie told the operator where they were at and what was happening. Bonnie said to the guys, “She will send the sheriff.” She was jumping for joy, “They are sending help. They will call right back.”

Bonnie stepped out of the telephone booth and was talking to James and Kelly. They were standing by the telephone booth, waiting for the call back. The telephone rang. James was so excited he stepped into the telephone booth, and the door closed behind him. James answered the phone, saying, “Hello, hello.” The voice said, “You would not want to drown alive.” The telephone booth started filling from the bottom with water. Bonnie said, “This can’t be happening.” In a matter of minutes, James was dead.

When the water drained from the booth, Kelly pulled James out and said, “If it rings again, I won’t pick it up.”

The telephone rang. Bonnie answered it. The voice said, “It’s the Nevada sheriff on his way.” Bonnie hung up the telephone and said, “The sheriff’s on the way.”

The telephone rang again. Kelly was by the door. Bonnie stepped inside the booth, took the telephone receiver off the hook and walked out of the booth, leaving the receiver dangling. Kelly was close enough to hear the voice on the telephone. It said: “You wouldn’t want to die being hanged alive.” The receiver reached outside of the booth and its cord wrapped around Kelly’s neck, pulling him into the telephone booth and tightening around his neck.

Bonnie was screaming, “No, no, no. Stop it. Stop it!” The booth door closed behind Kelly. He was dead. Bonnie could see the sheriff coming down the road. The sheriff asked, “What happened here, Bonnie?” The sheriff thought she had lost her mind. He told Bonnie to get into the camper and to try starting the camper. When she did, it started.

The sheriff said he would lead her out to the station.

Bonnie, following the sheriff, looked out the windows of the camper. The sun was coming up. She thought she saw the old bag lady waving to her, pushing her cart across the desert.

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

FEATURES & GAMES 11

SiCKO: Fixing U.S. Healthcare Michael Moore is notorious. The mere mention of his name elicits a reaction from just about anyone. So leave it to Mr. Moore to pick a topic to tackle in his new film, “SiCKO,” that is as notorious as he: health care.

Most people will agree that health care in America is not working. Our infant mortality rate is the highest in the Western world. Our average life span ranks below most eastern European nations.

While health care for America’s elite is second to none, a large percentage of the nation’s population has no health insurance and, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, poor health care is the second leading cause of homelessness behind the lack of affordable housing.

What most people won’t agree on is how to fix this problem. We’ve all heard the horror stories surrounding the idea of universal health care, the system provided by the governments of most industrialized nations.

So Michael Moore takes his half-humorous, half-dramatic show on the road to investigate the health care available in Canada, Great Britain, France and even Cuba.

As it turns out, it’s not as bad as Ronald Reagan would have led you to believe.

In England, the National Health Service pays for hospital stays and all prescriptions, no matter what size or number, cost $10. In France, American expatriates feel ashamed that they have such good health care, while

their parents back in the States continue to struggle. In Cuba, Moore brings 9/11 rescue workers to the hospital in Havana to receive the health care that was denied them in the States. And in Canada, most citizens don’t even understand the concept of paying for a visit to the emergency room.

Here in the U.S., however, it is a different story. People with health insurance are denied the procedures that could save their lives, while people who can’t pay for their health care are pushed out of cabs in front of homeless shelters.

In the richest nation on earth, a man has to make a decision about which finger he can afford to have reattached after a power tool accident, and a woman is told that the malignant tumor in her brain is “not a life threatening condition” by her insurer.

Throughout, Moore mixes laughter and tears in a way that keeps the viewer glued to the screen, and he makes an effort to avoid the editing tricks that have been cited by opponents of his last two films as proof of his lack of objectivity.

But Moore isn’t trying to be objective in his latest work. Health care in America is “SiCKO,” and Moore is the surgeon.

– Anthony David Pirtle David is formerly homeless and is a founding member of Until We Are Home, Inc. He is also a member of the National Coalition for the Homeless Speakers Bureau.

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

VKQ UKBMX GIL XBLQILQX IV TBOVK, LVOBUJQS GBVK I KQOQXBVIOE BMM VKIV WSME VKQ YWLV PBVIM YQS IOQ ITMQ VW LKIJQ WAA. B YQIS FWPQOVE -- VKQ YWLV XQIXME ISX FOQPIMQSV WA IMM XBLQILQL.

Hint: M = L

June Solution: Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor. – James A. Baldwin.

Our Su-Do-Ku puzzles were first put together by vendor Chris Sellman who said he is obsessed with this game.

Just fill in the numbers 1 through 9 without repeating a number in any column, row or box.

2 1 7 3 3

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Ingredients ▪6 to 8 sweet potatoes ▪3 eggs ▪½ c. milk ▪½ tsp. nutmeg ▪½ c. cinnamon ▪½ tsp. vanilla extract ▪1 tbsp. butter

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Want to read more poetry from Street Sense?

▪Peel and cut sweet potatoes ▪Boil sweet potatoes until soft. Let cool ▪Mash sweet potatoes until smooth M ▪ ix in milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla until combined ▪Put mixture in medium-sized baking dish ▪ Bake about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown

I learned this recipe a long time ago from my daughter’s grandmother. And last Thanksgiving, I put it to the test. My niece and I fixed sweet potato pies. I made three and she made two. Her pies ended up staying at home, because after she tasted mine, she knew they beat hers out. At the dinner of 15 guests, only two slices of my pie were left!

**If you want to make sweet potato pie, bake shell for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and put the potato mixture in the pie shell.**

Francine has been a vendor for Street Sense since 2004 and is also on the board of directors.

Preparation

1

Street Su-Do-Ku

Cook’s Corner By Francine Triplett

Sweet Potato Pudding

– QRHQSQ W’SQBMM

June’s Solution

Movie rEVIEW

Streetes Vers Poems by the Homeless Writers and Vendors of Street Sense

Then order your own copies of “Street Verses,” the first Street Sense poetry book, today.

Just $12.50 per book, including shipping and handling.

Order online at www.streetsense. org or mail in a check for $12.50 to: Street Sense, 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

12 EDITORIALS

Letters From SEattle By August Mallory Hello, dear Street Sense readers, As many of you probably already know, I was a Street Sense vendor for three years before coming to Seattle. I honestly have to say that the transition went very well, but as happy as I am to be a part of the Real Change street newspaper family here, I do miss Street Sense very much.

I am a part of the Real Change editorial board, and I am campaigning to get on the board of directors.

There is a lot of work to be done here in Seattle. I can see new things in store for Real Change but it will be an uphill battle because Real Change has been around for more than 12 years now. When a publication has been established for that long, new ideas get a strict review.

On the personal side, I recently heard from my sister who lives in California. She has been wondering what has happened to me during the years I had not contacted her. Oh, believe me, she was very upset – she really chewed me out. She demanded to know why the family hadn’t heard from me during the years I spent in the Washington, D.C., area.

But I managed to calm her down. I explained to her that there were a lot of issues with me. But it wasn’t until I joined the National Coalition for the Homeless that I saw an opportunity to notify my family about what I was doing. And when Street Sense came along, that was an even greater opportunity to come out of my hiding place about things. I can never express my gratitude enough to Michael Stoops, acting executive director, for allowing me to join NCH. And when I went to Seattle to join Real Change, I made it a priority to stay in touch with family about what I am doing. They seem quite proud now that I am working with the homeless and writing on homeless issues. I also own and operate my very own small business, called Division One International. It’s a project that I started around the time I got involved with the National Coalition for the Homeless.

To all of the Street Sense vendors, there were a lot of ups and downs on certain matters, and we didn’t always see eye to eye on certain things, but I want every one of you to know that you are one hell of a team. I am very proud of each and every one of you and I wouldn’t trade you in for anything in the world.

And once again my shout-out goes out to More Betterman at radio station WOLAM 1450 and to all of the WOL listeners. And my best wishes to Mary Hall, former host at WOL. I send her my shout-out as well. So from the Real Change newsroom in Seattle, this is my latest article on my transition from Street Sense to Real Change.

August was the first vendor for Street Sense and stayed with the organization for three years. He now lives in Seattle and is on the editorial board of Real Change News, Seattle’s street paper. He invites questions and comments on any of his stories and letters at carriergroup2009@yahoo.com or (206) 279-3884.

What our REaders are Saying...

I first would like to truly apologize for taking so long to write this letter, but things have been busy in my life. I met and talked with two Street Sense vendors and engaged myself in two inspiring conversations.

The first conversation took place with Mark Jones. We talked about various subjects in life and about life. We shared opinions and ideas as well as debated with one another. Mark was polite, courteous and kind but at the same time had strong points of view. I really enjoyed conversing with him.

The second Street Sense vendor that I spoke with was Charlie Mayfield.

Our conversation was brief but on point. Charlie told me to stay busy, that that was what he was doing with his life. He talked to me about staying alive, living longer than people that were younger than he was.

What Charlie said really touched my heart and soul.

In My Opinion By Eric Sheptock

Lonely Street of Dreams

P

eople often ask me if I am still at Franklin School Shelter. It is true that I have decreased my employability through prolonged homelessness and only intermittent employment.

Strangely, this is not my main reason for lacking employment or remaining homeless.

My reasons for remaining homeless begin with me being dissatisfied with much about the American way of life. My hopelessness and despair have nothing to do with an inability to land a job or maintain a residence.

I have had to ask myself a certain question that no one should ever have to ask: “What niche do I want to fill in a society whose ways I grossly disagree with?”

I’ve yet to answer that question.

More than once, I have gotten back on my feet only to have something else go wrong and fall back into homelessness. I first became homeless in February 1994, just days after my 25th birthday.

Oddly enough, I lost my job at the Shands hospital at the University of Florida as a result of trying to help a friend. She had indicated to me she was being raped by her stepfather but later got cold feet and portrayed me as a harasser. When my supervisor approached me, I got insulted and mad and walked out of that job.

I headed back to New Jersey, my birthplace. I stayed in motels until my money ran out and then went to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. That’s how I became homeless. I tied to help a hurting friend. I’ve been hurting ever since. No more Mr. Nice Guy! I returned to Florida in 1994 only to find Joyce, a long-time girlfriend and the love of my life, had died while receiving a liver transplant.

The next major heartbreak came in 1998.

I called my father to wish him a happy birthday. He’d always been my favorite parent. I had not gotten on that well with my mother.

For the last five years when I had lived with them she would remind me how she could not wait for me to turn 18 and leave.

In fairness, they had adopted me and 24 others, having had seven naturally for a total of 32 children. I realized then that I would never see eye-to-eye with her. I decided never to call her, though I knew she would not allow me to talk with my father if I did not want to talk to her. My siblings and I always met at Mom and Dad’s and by not calling Mom I, in effect, lost contact with my entire childhood family.

My father passed away about three-and-a -half years later. Being out of contact with my family, I didn’t hear about it until 2005 when a friend who told me about it. I was too embarrassed to ask about the details of his death.

Just days after speaking to my mother for the last time in 1998, I began to use crack cocaine. I was 29. I’d been homeless for most of the last four years. I would end up using for just over seven years. Of that time, I spent a total of about one-and -a -half years in jail.

I haven’t used since 2005. August 1 will mark two years since I quit.

I’m not proud of myself.

I know that it sounds a little hedonistic, but I’ve yet to replace the euphoric feeling with something that feels as good or better.

We a r e n’t a s f r e e as people say we are. You can be who you choose to be. People can cause you to suffer ill effects for it also. They can divorce you and take the kids and the house.

They can refuse to date or marry you in the first place. I will neither change my thinking nor lose my longing for meaningful relationship. As long as lasting relationships are not a lasting reality in my life, then I will not be getting back on my feet again.

I spend many a day just sitting in one of D.C.’s many parks for hours just thinking to myself. I imagine a much different world. I even plan my next move. I plan who or what I hope to influence next.

I am quite the activist both for the cause of the homeless and against Bush with his unrighteous war. It was my dislike for President Bush that brought me here in the first place.

Why else would anyone leave sunny Florida to come to this hell hole?

We aren’t as free as people say we are. You can be who you choose to be. People can cause you to suffer ill effects for it also.

Eric is a frequent contributor to Street Sense and a self-proclaimed advocate for the homeless. He currently resides at Franklin School Shelter.

May God bless all of the Street Sense vendors.

Thank you, Grace Odrick

If you are homeless, formerly homeless or in tune with poverty issues, your thoughts and editorials are welcome. Please e-mail content to editor@streetsense.org or mail it to 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Head Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

EDITORIALS 13

Dealers, from page 1

MAURICE SPEAKS

Looking Beyond the Numbers

A

s the July 1 issue of Street Sense reported, a report recently produced by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments announced that homelessness in the District of Columbia declined for the first time since 2004, down from 6,157 people in 2006 to 5,757 in 2007.

The decrease in homelessness happened at the same time that the number of permanent supportive housing units in the region increased.

What was even more revealing was that 25% of individuals and 43% of persons in families were homeless even though they were employed. The report also mentioned that those persons sleeping in places not meant for human habitation declined by over 11% from the previous year.

The facts of this report bring some good news and some bad news. The good news is that homelessness has declined in the District by slightly more than 6.4% in the past year.

The bad news is that the problem of affordable housing remains a factor to be dealt with because even persons who are gainfully employed still become homeless.

In short, while things may have gotten better, the problem is far from solved. Finding a solution to the problem of homelessness is far too large a project to leave to private organizations that might not be working toward a common goal.

A problem the District has already seen is the vanishing of affordable housing. More and more costly condominium buildings are being constructed, leaving the few rental properties that remain to skyrocket in price. As rents ascend beyond the means of the population, the causes for homelessness increase.

For those persons who have not succeeded in finding housing, the report brings little reason for cheer. The numbers may show a decline in homelessness but they do not show a disappearance. That would truly be the news that would make all persons who are presently homeless happy.

Behind the numbers lie true-life stories of people whose lives have hung in limbo as they have sought their way out of the trap of homelessness. It’s a trap that is all too easy to fall into and very difficult to escape without help. The report cannot reveal the suffering of these individuals or their hope for an end to the misery of homelessness.

The increase in permanent supportive housing units would seem to be the key to solving the problem, since their increase coincided with the decline in the number of homeless. It would make sense that this housing solution be implemented further. Employment alone is not the answer, as the report clearly indicates.

The report signaled good news indeed for those persons who have found their housing solution. But for the people who continue to languish in a homeless state, the question remains if one day they, too, will be among the people included in the happy news.

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

took only slightly longer for the dealers. Two weeks after the new breakfast program opened, there were drug dealers conducting business right outside the front door, directly across the street from Judiciary Square.

It got me wondering why exactly the police in D.C., aware that dealers prey on the homeless, don’t stop them a mere two blocks from police headquarters, let alone in front of every other District shelter and soup kitchen. It also got me wondering why the service providers don’t act. If they are purporting to help the homeless, many of whom have serious addiction problems, it would seem a good idea to keep dealers away from their facilities.

As a resident of Franklin School Shelter last year, I was amazed at the amount of dealing that was conducted in the courtyard of the facility. I had several friends who found themselves unable to beat their drug habit because of the fact that you can’t get off crack if you are living in a crack-house. Not that residents were dealers, only clients, mind you – just like the men from the office overlooking the courtyard who routinely came down to buy.

There was little done to curb this activity until earlier this year, when a man was stabbed in the courtyard. Neither the victim nor the attacker was a resident. Since the attack, the shelter has moved to lock its gates after intake in an attempt to create a more secure environment.

But George Jones, who runs Franklin for Catholic Community Services, told me that now dealers are actually trying to get a bed at the shelter in order to set up business inside the facility. As Franklin is a low-barrier shelter, there is little the staff can do to stop them unless they personally witness drug activity.

When I served on Mayor Adrian Fenty’s transition team with Sczerina Perot from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, we held a town hall meeting at One Judiciary Square that was attended by more than 80 homeless individuals from shelters and transitional housing throughout the city. The one recommendation that came out of every discussion group we held that day was the need to get the police to do something about dealers working homeless shelters.

My own organization, Until We Are Home, made up of current and former homeless individuals working to reform D.C.’s homeless services, set up a meeting with a Metropolitan Police representative to address this issue. Unfortunately, the officer in question was more interested in gathering information to make a few quick arrests rather than discussing a strategy for dealing with the problem.

So we sent an e-mail to the new chief of police, Catherine Lanier, who sent us this form-letter reply: “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am forwarding to Assistant Chief Robinson who will have the appropriate command official contact you. You will be hearing from one of my commanders shortly.” We are still waiting.

In the meantime, members of the homeless community, friends and strangers, continue to be victimized while the city turns a blind eye. If we want to end homelessness in D.C., as the new mayor has stated, we need to find a way to give homeless persons a fighting chance to get off the street by removing drugs from shelters, and we need to do it in a way that doesn’t further victimize addicts. This means focusing on the dealers.

Service providers know where and when the dealing takes place, and they need to be given the tools to stop it. They need help from the Metropolitan Police Department, and we should insist that the new chief of police provides it.

David is formerly homeless and is a founding member of Until We Are Home, Inc. He is also a member of the National Coalition for the Homeless Speakers Bureau.

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

14 STREET SENSE NEWS

VendorNotes

By Laura Thompson Osuri

Job for Jake Congratulations are in order for Jake Ashford, a veteran vendor of Street Sense, who has landed a job at Insight Global in Chantilly, Va. After a long and trying search, he will finally be starting fulltime employment. He will be helping out with warehouse shipping and receiving. He is excited to finally get into a work routine, and would like to thank all his customers for supporting him over the years. Even though he will be working 40 hours, he still plans on selling Street Sense at his favorite spot at Whole Foods on P Street.

Ivory the Writer Ivory Wilson, a Street Sense v e n d o r o f s i x m o n t h s, h a s caught the writing bug and is now writing about three stories a week for Street Sense. The first of his many stories, the comingof-age short story “Black and White,” ran in the last issue and this current issue includes the exciting thriller “Don’t Answer the Phone.” Others in the works include “Black Cowboy,” “The Fat Rat Under Union Station,” and “Stacy from Malibu.” He has also recently written several poems including an ode to his customers at 7 and E streets, NW. Street Sense is publishing a piece of Ivory’s fiction each issue, but he is well ahead of the game already. After self-publishing his first full-length book, “A Player’s World,” he is looking for a person or company to help publish his short stories in a compilation or someone to

Editor’s Note By Kaukab Jhumra Smith

help him flesh out one of the stories into a full-length book.

The Heat is On With the terribly hot weather in the past few weeks, please be mindful of the vendors that have to be out in the heat in order to earn an income. They do their best to find a shady spot and dress in lightweight clothes, but anything you as customers could do to help them stay cool would be much appreciated. The occasional bottle of water or cold drink is always welcome, as are a simple hand fan or sweat towel.

Goodbye Rita And all of us here at Street Sense would like to thank Rita Monjardino, an office volunteer at Street Sense for the last eight months, and wish her the best of luck as she heads back to her home in London. Not only was she a top-notch office volunteer on the dreaded Monday morning shift, but she was also the voice of vendor Martin Walker’s girlfriend on the first few episodes of StreetSense TV. As she cannot continue to lend her voice to StreeSense TV once back in London, Martin conveniently dumps Rita for another woman in episode four. But we here at Street Sense will never dump Rita and will always welcome her back!

Top Vendor Sales for June

Congrats, Conrad!

Conrad Cheek, Jr Anonymous Leo Gnawa Martin Walker James Davis Charles Nelson Bobby Buggs Jake Ashford Phillip Howard

1,204 1,036 613 562 554 550 455 424 424

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Celebrating Multitudes

T

he streets were deserted outside Union Station when I pulled up in a cab at 3 a.m. on a Thursday.

Inside, an Amtrak waiting lounge was crowded with travelers slumped in place or lying across several seats in unapologetic sleep. My train to New York for a journalism conference didn’t leave for another hour, but there were no empty seats here.

I rolled my little bag to the next lounge, my eyelids itching from too little sleep in a long week of deadlines.

Less than 40 feet away, another lounge looked emptier and somehow different. There were far fewer travelers but they were all in a deep, stretched-out slumber. They had surprisingly little luggage, if you could call their few plastic bags luggage. Where were these people going with their beat-up looking CVS bags?

I hesitated. An unwashed smell drifted by.

They weren’t catching a train. They were homeless. They were catching up on their sleep under these fluorescent lights, using their hands or a balled-up shirt for a pillow.

Less than a month ago, I would probably have sat somewhere else. This Thursday, two weeks after I took over as editor of Street Sense, I mentally shrugged and settled into a stretch of empty seats, taking care to avoid the source of the smell.

It made me think of “Gotta Go,” the pilot episode of Street Sense TV, a 13-part series put together by a homeless crew and due to air on District cable this fall. “Gotta Go” illustrates a devastatingly simple problem: where do you go to the bathroom if you’re homeless? And how do you avoid smelling bad if you don’t have a regular place to wash and change your clothes?

Less than a month ago, I would not have looked as deeply at the people stretched out around me and wondered about their daily rituals of survival. I’ve never been homeless. But since joining Street Sense, I’ve been doing some serious learning.

Some of the learning has been professional, like taking an intensive weekend class in New York City to learn our pagelayout program, or attending workshops on affordable housing at a homelessness conference on Capitol Hill.

But much of the learning has been based on personal interactions with the vendors and volunteers who frequent our little office in the Church of the Epiphany every day.

So far, I’ve found Street Sense to be a unique little animal, more challenging and multitudinous than any place I’ve worked in my 12 years in journalism. I’ve learned creative ways to survive when our computer network crashes and we have no technical help available in the face of a looming printer deadline. I’ve relearned that powerful storytelling and beautifully fragile poetry can come from unexpected sources.

I’ve understood that despite their best intentions, sometimes people will break promises and let each other down. But I’ve also seen them try to rise again.

I think of Walt Whitman when I think of Street Sense: I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume, you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you…

Do I contradict myself?

Very well, then, I contradict myself.

(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

FEATURES 15 SERVICE PROVIDERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

Community Service Index WASHINGTON, D.C. SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW (202) 783-6651 www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745-7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393-1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232-7356 www.communityofhopedc.org DC Village (Family) 2-A DC Village Lane, SW (202) 561-8090 www.dccfh.org/DCVillage.html Franklin School (Men) 13th and K streets, NW (202) 638-7424 Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842-1731 www.grm.org John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW (202) 639-8469 http://www.ccs-dc.org/find/services/ La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street, NW (202) 673-3592 N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939-2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeth Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561-4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355-57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832-2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639-8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232-3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387-6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Dinner Program for Homeless Women AND the “9:30 Club” Breakfast 309 E Street, NW (202) 737-9311 www.dphw.org Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842-1112

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

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328-1100 www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745-4300 www.unityhealthcare.org Whitman-Walker Clinic 1701 14th Street, NW (202) 797-3500 www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265-2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561-8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364-1419 www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939-2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treatment Green Door (202) 464-9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive mental health services Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675-9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling and mentoring, education, youth services, clothing Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338-8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org laundry, counseling, psych care Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328-6608

Shelter Hotline: 1-800-535-7252

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

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 (202) 842-9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services of D.C. 924 G Street, NW (202) 772-4300 www.ccs-dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347-8870 www.dccfh.org housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347-0511 www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332-4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332-2874 http://www.ccs-dc.org/find/services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing Jobs Have Priority, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544-9026 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667-8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW (202) 462-4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau available Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND

1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202) 889-7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/alcohol addiction, healthcare St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667-4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (202) 347-3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE (202) 371-1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.html national emergency travel assistance Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328-5500 www.legalclinic.org legal services

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

Mission of Love 6180 Old Central Avenue Capitol Heights (301)333-4440 www.molinc.org life skills classes, clothing, housewares Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless 600-B East Gude Drive, Rockville (301) 217-0314 www.mcch.net emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportiveservices

VIRGINIA SHELTER Alexandria Community Shelter 2355 B Mill Road, Alexandria (703) 838-4239 Carpenter’s Shelter 930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548-7500 www.carpentersshelter.org Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless 3103 Ninth Road North, Arlington (703) 525-7177 www.aachhomeless.org

FOOD

The Samaritan Group P.O. Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480-3564

Alive, Inc. 2723 King Street, Alexandria (703) 836-2723 www.alive-inc.org

Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499-2319 www.cmpgc.org

Our Daily Bread 10777 Main Street, Ste. 320, Fairfax (703) 273-8829 www.our-daily-bread.org

FOOD

MEDICAL RESOURCES

Bethesda Cares 7728 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda (301) 907-9244 www.bethesdacares.com

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

Community Place Café 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499-2319 www.cmpgc.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Manna Food Center 614-618 Lofstrand Lane, Rockville (301) 424-1130 www.mannafood.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Community Clinic, Inc. 8210 Colonial Lane, Silver Spring (301) 585-1250 www.cciweb.org Mobile Medical Care, Inc. 9309 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda (301) 493-2400 www.mobilemedicalcare.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Catholic Community Services 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring (301) 942-1790 www.css-dc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services

Abundant Life Christian Outreach, 5154 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria (703) 823-4100 www.anchor-of-hope.net food, clothing, youth development, and medicines David’s Place Day Shelter 930 North Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548-7500 www.carpentersshelter.org laundry, shower, workshops, hypothermia shelter Legal Services of Northern Virginia 6066 Leesburg Pike, Ste. 500 (703) 778-6800 www.lsnv.org civil legal services Samaritan Ministry 2924 Columbia Pike, Arlington (703) 271-0938 www.samaritanministry.com social services, employment services, HIV/AIDS services

Street Sense . July 15 - 31, 2007

PHOTO FINISH

A Mystical Clean Up

By David Benassi

Volunteer Photographer

DeLisha Milton Jones and Monique Currie of the Washington Mystics help out in the garden of the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter on July 11 as part of a city makeover of the 100-bed facility.

Gerald Smith

VENDOR PROFILE

Gerald Smith was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on Jan. 5, 1971. He grew up in Southeast Washington and has lived here his whole life. He has worked as a customer service professional, a furniture mover and a laborer. Earlier this year, Gerald worked as a food runner at RFK Stadium.

In 1999, while living with his mother, Gerald lost his job and couldn’t support himself or his mother anymore. He became homeless when she asked him to leave. In retrospect, Gerald attributes his unemployment to a lack of job skills and a shift in the Washington economy away from hiring local residents. He hopes to get more training and get a job in nursing or law enforcement. He lives off his income from Street Sense sales while looking for a full-time job.

Gerald moved back in with his mother in December 2006, and has worked to improve his life. He said he attends religious services regularly, tithes his income from Street Sense sales to the church and helps his mother with chores and household expenses.

How did you become homeless?

I became unemployable and unable to support myself. My mother asked me to leave.

Why do you sell Street Sense?

To keep out of trouble.

StreetFact

One out of seven families nationwide pays more than half its income in housing costs.

Favorite music?

Hip-hop. Favorite artist is Kanye West.

Favorite movie?

“The Recruit” starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell.

Favorite food?

Pizza.

Favorite book?

The Bible.

(For more info, see story on page 4.)

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

Source: Harvard university joint center for housing studies

PLACE YOUR AD HERE! July 15 - 31, 2007 • Volume 4 • Issue 15

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

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 14 for more information.

With Street Sense now coming out twice a month and reaching nearly 11,000 people each issue, now is the perfect time to promote your business with us.

DEMOGRAPHICS And who your business will be reaching can’t be beat.

Our typical reader is a 35year old woman who lives in D.C. and works for the government or a nonprofit

RATES Rates are about half the cost of the neighborhood monthlies and are as low as $57 for a 1/16 page ad that runs multiple times.

DISCOUNTS Discounts offered to nonprofits and to those that prepay for multiple ads.

Call Laura at 202-347-2006 or email info@streetsense.org for more information and to get a copy of our new advertising brochure. Or ask your local vendor, who can earn 20% commission from ads sales.