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OUR STORY
CASE MANAGEMENT
people, including artists/vendors, used case management services in 2024,
of which were new clients.
THE TEAM
VENDORS
Abel Putu, Abraham Aly, Aida Peery, Akindele Akerejah, Amia Walker, Andre Baltimore, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Apollos Robinson, Bailey Green, Beverly Sutton, Brian Holsten, Brianna Butler, Cameé Lee, Carlos Carolina, Charles Armstrong, Chon Gotti, Conrad Cheek, Craig Thompson, Cynthia Herrion, Daniel Ball, Darlesha Joyner, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon Dovonou, Dominique Anthony, Don Gardner, Donald Davis, Donte Turner, Drake Brensul, Elizabeth Bowes, Eric Glover, Eric Thompson-Bey, Evelyn Nnam, Faith Winkler, Flegette Rippy, Frederic John, Frederick Walker, Gerald Anderson, Gloria Prinz, Gracias Garcias, Greta Christian, Henrieese Roberts, Henry Johnson, Invisible
people moved into housing using case management services
In 2013, we began offering case management services to help anyone, including vendors, with their needs — from obtaining identification cards and emergency cash for bills and food to accessing supportive programs and applying for housing vouchers. Our team builds long-term relationships with our vendors and other clients to understand their needs and help them create plans to achieve their goals.
Prophet, Isaiah Brookings, Ivory Wilson, Jacqueline Gale, Jacqueline Turner, James Davis, James Hughes, James Lyles III, Jay B. Williams, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jenkins Dalton, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Josie Brown, Juliene Kengnie, Kenneth Middleton, Kendarius Tucker, Kym Parker, L.Q. Peterson,
Laticia Brock, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Marc Grier, Marcus McCall, Maurice Carter, Melody Byrd, Melveon Harp, Micheal Pennycook, Michele Modica, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Paul Martin, Peggy Jackson Whitley, Phillip Black, Qaadir El-Amin, Queenie Featherstone, Rachelle Ellison, Rashawn Bowser, Reginald Black, Reginald
Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Vaughn, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Ronnell Wilson, S. Smith, Sasha Williams, Shawn Fenwick, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Starchild BLK, Sureyakanti Behera, Sybil Taylor, Tasha Savoy, Tim Holt, Tonya Williams, Victoria Green, Vincent Watts, Warren Stevens, Wayne Hall, Wendell Williams, Wendy Brown,
Physical and mental health services, emergency cash assistance and housing services were and are being provided hundreds of times throughout 2022 to 2025.
William Hargrove, William Shurford, Willie Futrelle, Zero
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ashley McMaster, Blake Androff, Clare Krupin, Chris Curry, Cole Ingraham, Jonquilyn Hill, Matt Perra, Michael Vaughan Cherubin, Michael Phillips, Nana-Sentuo Bonsu, Stanley Keeve
The Cover
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIST HOUSE, COVER DESIGN BY ANNEMARIE CUCCIA
The Cover
COVER DESIGN BY KEVIN AKAKPO
NEWS IN BRIEF
D.C. Library reinforces policies advocates believe harm people experiencing homelessness
JELINA LIU
Editorial Intern
On July 16, the D.C. Library Board of Trustees voted to adopt a new Code of Conduct policy for its buildings. While the code is largely similar to the rules previously in place, some community activists and library workers worry the code will mean people experiencing homelessness will find it harder to use library buildings as a refuge.
The new Code of Conduct, formerly known as the Rules of Behavior, now states not only is lying down, sleeping, or the appearance of sleeping prohibited, as it has been for years, but patrons also cannot take up space “intended for more than one person.” Additionally, though the previous rules said library patrons could not place personal belongings against buildings or leave them unattended, the new code says unattended items both inside and outside will be “searched and removed.”
While rules against sleeping outside of Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library have been around since at least 2014, according to the D.C. Register, the library began reinforcing those rules last summer, when it announced a ban on sleeping outside the library and implemented signage and overnight patrols. Many people experiencing homelessness use the MLK Library and other branches to stay safe from the elements, either spending time inside during the day or sleeping under the awning at night. Most people who sleep outside MLK Library do not set up tents, though they may pack their things up each day and leave them near the building.
During the D.C. Library Board of Trustees meeting, held at MLK Library, Castor Idae, a representative of Stop the Sweeps D.C., presented a petition with over 1,400 signatures from DMV residents opposing the new policies. Stop the Sweeps is a local group that organizes to oppose encampment closures.
“These rules will just further the hostility of D.C. towards unhoused residents,” Idae testified to the trustees. “Now, people will have to choose between accessing library services and their possessions and potentially vital survival supplies, should they be over the bag limit.”
While the process to update the policy has taken about a year, according to D.C. Library Board of Trustees executive member Richard Reyes-Gavilan, the vote to pass the policy happened quickly, with no discussion on the petition. The trustees present, Shanel O. Anthony, Roswell Encina, Maria Peace, and C. Brian Williams, voted unanimously to adopt the new code. Antonio Williams and Andrew Trueblood were not present.
Before voting on the new policy, Anthony said “We’re all citizens of the city, and we love the city, so we appreciate all the public comments. I think
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER
Brian Carome
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
Darick Brown
DIRECTOR OF VENDOR
EMPLOYMENT
Thomas Ratliff
VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES
Aida Peery, Chon Gotti, Nikila Smith
VENDOR PROGRAM
VOLUNTEERS Ann Herzog, Aiden Eisenschenk, Beverly Brown, Madeleine McCollough, Roberta Haber
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Annemarie Cuccia
DEPUTY EDITOR Donte Kirby
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Alaena Hunt, Jelina Liu, Jenna Lee, Mackenzie Konjoyan, Madi Koesler, Nina Calves, Sachini
we can have a code of conduct policy that supports everyone enjoying the library but also advocates for supporting the unhoused in this city.”
In addition to reinforcing the ban on sleeping, activists worry the library is taking other actions limiting access for people experiencing homelessness. In the spring, a sign was posted on the doors of MLK Library reading: “All unattended items will be removed daily from D.C. Public Library Property beginning April 14, 2025.” Then, in June, the city conducted two encampment sweeps, which displaced at least a dozen people and closed the area outside of MLK Library where people usually sleep.
“The focus on targeting marginalized people has nothing to do with safety,” testified William Reid, a librarian who has worked primarily at MLK Library for 13 years. “This is emphasized by the lack of action to address safety issues inside this building.”
In his testimonial to the Board of Trustees, Reid said that while policies like the code of conduct apply to everyone in the library, the rules are not enforced equally.
“Will a person who checks out a book and then lounges in front of the library to read be addressed, even though they are technically out of compliance with these policies?” said Reid.
Another librarian, who wished to remain anonymous, told Street Sense librarians feel unsupported by library police when they do enforce policies and try to bar individuals. He feels library staff are unheard and undermined.
“It frequently appears that library police and administrators are more concerned about getting sued than actual staff and patron safety,” he said.
Neither Stop the Sweeps nor the librarians see the new code as a solution for homelessness, and they anticipate increased police presence with its implementation.
“When there aren’t enough shelter beds, how can we be throwing people out in the rain at a building named Dr. King?” Reid said.
Adikari, Sam Belmar
WEB INTERN Zachi Elias
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN Kevin Akakpo
ARTISTS-INRESIDENCE Alexandra Silverthorne (Photography), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Leslie Jacobson (Theater), Roy Barber (Theater), Willie Schatz (Writing), Molly Pauker (Watercolor), Debbie Menke (Watercolor)
EVENTS AT SSM
ANNOUNCEMENTS
□ The July Sell-aThon winners will be announced Aug. 1. And the final month of the Sell-a-Thon has been postponed until later in the fall. Stay tuned!
□ Trying to stay cool? You can always pick up a bottle of cold water, or two, in the admin office!
BIRTHDAYS
James Davis Aug. 1
ARTIST/VENDOR
Akindele Akerejah
Aug. 4
ARTIST/VENDOR
Jay B Williams Aug. 4
ARTIST/VENDOR
Tim Holt Aug. 7
ARTIST/VENDOR
VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT
Read this democratically elected code of conduct, by vendors, for vendors!
1. I will support Street Sense Media’s mission statement and in so doing will work to support the Street Sense Media community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.
2. I will treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and fellow vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making donations, or engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.
3. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media but an independent contractor.
4. While distributing the Street Sense newspaper, I will not ask for more than $3 per issue or solicit donations by any other means.
5. I will only purchase the newspaper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not distribute newspapers to other vendors.
EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS
Abigail Chang, Alina Edwards, Chelsea Cirruzzo, Dan Goff, David Fucillo, Dhanya Addanki, Jillian Pincus, Kathryn Owens, Loren Kimmel, Nora Scully, Ryan Bacic, Sarah Eccleston, Virlly Chapple
6. I will not distribute copies of “Street Sense” on metro trains and buses or on private property.
7. I will abide by the Street Sense Media Vendor Territory Policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes with other vendors in a professional manner.
8. I will not sell additional goods or products while distributing “Street Sense.”
9. I will not distribute “Street Sense” un--der the influence of drugs or alcohol.
10. I understand that my badge and vest are property of Street Sense Media and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing “Street Sense” and will always display my badge when distributing “Street Sense.”
Members of the D.C. Library Board of Trustees at the meeting on July 16.
Photo by Jelina Liu
Final budget passes D.C. Council without increases to homeless services
JENNA LEE Editorial Intern
The D.C. Council approved the city’s final fiscal year 2026 budget on July 28 after an hours-long vote where lawmaker considered a myriad of last-minute amendments. The budget, which passed 10-2, largely left in proposed cuts to homeless services and social safety nets for low-income residents.
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker voted no, arguing the budget did not do enough for the city’s most vulnerable.
“I cannot in good conscience vote for a budget that does this much harm,” Lewis George said.
The final budget removed nearly $30 million from the budget the council initially approved on July 14, largely from reductions to the Housing Production Trust Fund, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and the Childcare Subsidy Program. The previous version of the budget relied on funds from an increase in the D.C. Chief Financial Officer’s revenue estimates, which Council Chairman Phil Mendelson insisted the council is allowed to spend. CFO Glen Lee disagreed and said he would not certify the budget without the change.
Before the vote, councilmembers debated a string of unsuccessful amendments, including one proposing a tax on the wealthy to raise revenue for programs and one pitting the Access to Justice Initiative and the Child Tax Credit against each other. During the meeting, community members continuously yelled “Shame” and other protests at councilmembers for cutting programs for low-income residents.
At the hearing, Parker, who voted no on the final budget, proposed implementing a graduated tax on “high amounts of wealth-generated income” in order to fund additional programs. The amendment would have instituted a 1% charge on capital gains over $150,000, 2% on gains over $350,000, and 3% on gains over $500,000, plus flat charges for some of the highest earners. The additional funds would have paid for 101 new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers for individuals and preserved the Child Tax Credit. The amendment failed 7-5, with Parker, Lewis-George, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, and At-large Councilmember Robert White voting yes.
Parker said the council needs to find a way to raise revenue to avoid choosing between funding critical programs that benefit low-income residents.
“This is a small ask for those that have the most among us to give a little so that we can extend a lifeline to those in greatest need,” Parker said in defense of his amendment.
Prior to the budget vote, some councilmembers and local community organizations had hoped the council would restore funding for programs benefitting low-income residents. In a newsletter following the first budget vote on July 14, Nadeau wrote she was glad the council added funds to provide 180 housing vouchers for families, but the council needed to provide vouchers to individuals as well. Parker’s failed amendment would have funded an additional 101 PSH vouchers for individuals.
The $30 million in cuts came as a result of an amendment proposed by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, which he said he did “under duress” from the CFO, who said the budget would be “unbalanced” without such an amendment. The amendment passed unanimously, with some council members decrying the CFO’s oversight over the council and others taking it as a sign the city needs to get serious about overspending.
“I think we are all in a position where we do not like the amendment we have in front of us, but we understand where it is coming from,” Allen said.
To make up the difference, Mendelson’s amendment cut $10 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund, $2.9 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), and $1 million from the Housing Preservation Fund. The previous version of the budget had infused the Department of Human Services with $30.6 million, with $6.6 million going to ERAP, $6.1 million in funding for 160 new Targeted Affordable Housing vouchers for families, and $941,000 in additional funds for 20 PSH family vouchers. While the vouchers remain intact, total funding for ERAP will only increase $3.7 million on top of the mayor’s original $5 million allocation.
During the vote, Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto and Parker also proposed an amendment to reallocate funds from the Access to Justice Initiative, which provides legal assistance to lowincome residents, to the Child Tax Credit, which is not funded in the budget. Pinto eventually withdrew the amendment after a lengthy discussion, as some council members derided the potential cuts to legal assistance, and Parker said the council needs to make tough spending decisions in a tight budget year.
“This body has not proven serious about cutting spending,” Parker said. “We can’t have it both ways. We can’t fund every pet project and say we are not going to raise revenue.”
Some community organizations expressed outrage the council did not do more to raise revenues — citing Parker’s failed amendment — in order to fund more programs. During the
budget vote, Mendelson ordered the chamber to be cleared of members of the public as they continuously interrupted proceedings, yelling that the council was “killing the poor” due to the lack of funding for social programs.
“Over and over again, we hear councilmembers say that ‘Now is not the time to raise taxes on the wealthy,’” Tazra Mitchell, chief policy and strategy officer at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, said in a press release. “If an unprecedented transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich is not the time, when is?”
The biggest change in the final version of the budget came from the passage of a “compromise” on Initiative 82, which, as passed by voters, would have gradually increased base wages for tipped workers to eventually match the city’s minimum wage of $17.95. Bowser’s budget would have effectively repealed the initiative.
At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson and Allen proposed the compromise, which would keep the base tipped minimum wage at $10 until July 2026 and then increase it slightly as a percentage of the regular minimum wage. On July 1, 2026, the tipped minimum wage will increase to 56% of the regular minimum wage, then to 60% in July 2028. After that, it will increase 5% every other year until it reaches 75% of the regular minimum wage. The amendment passed 7-5.
The original proposal in the budget would have set the tipped minimum wage at $8 per hour, down from $10 currently, and required employers to ensure employees make $20 per hour by covering what they don’t make in tips.
The budget will now go to Bowser’s desk for her signature.
Attendees at a June budget rally outside the D.C. Council building called for more investments in housing and social services. Photo by Jelina Liu
D.C. limits places homeless residents can obtain vouchers for free IDs
JENNA LEE Editorial Intern
The D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS) recently limited the locations where residents experiencing homelessness can get vouchers to receive free IDs, a move some service providers worry will create new barriers to identification.
D.C. residents need some form of identification to apply for housing, housing vouchers, benefits, and jobs.
The D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) allows people experiencing homelessness to get free non-driver ID cards, which normally cost $20, when they have a voucher from one of several centers in the area. Previously, at least 30 nonprofit centers could distribute these vouchers, but now, only three day centers and three youth drop-in centers can.
Adults experiencing homelessness are now only able to obtain ID vouchers at the Downtown Day Services Center, Adams Place Day Center, and 801 East Day Center, according to DHS spokesperson Kevin Carpenter. Youth can access the vouchers at Zoe’s Doors, Sasha Bruce, and the Latin American Youth Center. This is a sharp reduction from the dozens of locations like Miriam’s Kitchen and Georgetown Ministry Center that previously offered ID vouchers.
The new policy has been in place since April, according to Carpenter, but there’s been little public awareness of the rule change. Carpenter said DHS decided to limit the number of centers offering ID vouchers to “improve quality control” over eligibility determination for ID recipients.
Taylor Bush, outreach and advocacy manager at Georgetown Ministry Center, said she was not made aware of the change until she requested more vouchers from DHS, and the agency told her it would no longer provide them. She said the change was “very impactful,” as it has become harder for the center’s guests to obtain identification.
“I get calls almost every day for people looking for an ID voucher, and it’s upsetting that we can no longer provide that,” Bush said.
While the ID vouchers are still available, people may have to travel farther to get them. Many of the nonprofits that previously offered vouchers, like Georgetown Ministry Center, also offer case management or outreach services, meaning they may have closer relationships with more clients than staff at city day centers.
The number of vouchers given out by each site depends on demand, according to Carpenter. Slides from a recent meeting of the Interagency Council on Homelessness suggest the Downtown Day Services Center, for instance, has about 15 vouchers available per week.
“DHS is continuing to monitor the need for Proof of Residency forms and will make further adjustments as appropriate,” Carpenter wrote.
For those experiencing homelessness, an ID or a birth certificate can be the difference between completing job applications, getting into housing, and getting food stamps or being on the streets for another six months. These documents are necessary to provide proof of residency to open a bank account and to apply for housing or jobs.
Bush described the policy change as a “setback” for those who are trying to get access to housing, apply for a job, or access to documents.
“It’s hard when you limit or like create a barrier to access resources, and like an ID is crucial for a lot of things for our guests,” Bush said.
To obtain an ID, residents need to gather the required documents, like a birth certificate — which residents can acquire through the No-Fee Birth Certificate program — their social security number, and proof of residency. Then residents must obtain a voucher for a free ID at one of the centers offering the service, after which they can apply for a free ID at the D.C. DMV.
D.C. Council axes Mayor Bowser’s plans to put families back in congregate shelters
SACHINI ADIKARI Editorial Intern
The D.C. Council removed a provision allowing families experiencing homelessness to be housed in communal shelters from the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget ahead of the council’s final budget vote on July 28, temporarily settling fears from advocates who worried a return to congregate housing would set back progress in creating safe shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
When Mayor Muriel Bowser shared her $21.8 billion FY 2026 budget proposal in late May, it included a provision that would have permitted the District to temporarily house families experiencing homelessness in “congregate” shelters or communal, less private spaces where multiple families share rooms.
In mid-July, the council shared its initial budget proposal, which instead suggested sending families to a semi-congregate shelter setting at Harbor Light, a facility that formerly served migrant families. That proposal would have allowed just two families to stay in one room, offering somewhat more privacy. But homelessness advocates expressed concerns that either proposal allowing shared shelter for families would have risked the progress the city has made since it closed megashelter D.C. General in 2018.
All provisions that would send families to congregate shelters were removed from the budget ahead of the council’s final vote.
The council has unanimously rejected a proposal to place homeless families in congregate shelters twice, once in 2010 and again in 2014. D.C. General’s closure was one of Bowser’s campaign promises when she ran for office in 2014, pledging to close the congregate space and open several smaller shelters across the city in its place. This time around, the mayor proposed the rule change because the city may soon see an increase in families seeking shelter that would put the current family short-term housing and shelter system under strain. Brit Ruffin, director of policy and advocacy at the Washington Legal Clinic, said the city may have attempted to prepare for an increase in homelessness through provisions like the transition to congregate housing.
“I think it’s evident that there’s an expectation that their current policies and lack of funding are going to result in increased homelessness,” Ruffin said. “It’s definitely an implicit admission that they know their policies are not helpful to ending homelessness.”
Bowser’s budget proposed cuts to many social services, including health care, welfare, and some housing programs. It included few new housing vouchers for people experiencing homelessness, which have been key to people exiting homelessness in the city, cut rental assistance, which can prevent homelessness, and reduced funding for the city’s Rapid Rehousing program, which many families use to exit homelessness.
Rachel Pierre, interim director of the Department of Human Services (DHS), wrote in a statement to Street Sense that, in place of Rapid Rehousing, the city is offering “different approaches” for families experiencing a housing crisis so each family can find a solution that works for them. As a result, some families will spend “more time” in short-term family housing, which may cause “space constraints,” according to Pierre.
“The Mayor’s proposal would have allowed us more flexibility to provide safe shelter to families,” Pierre wrote in the statement. “The District will continue to use all our resources approved in the final budget to help families to secure housing, and we will always focus on safety and dignity.”
Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, who chairs the council’s committee on human services, opposed the plan to transition to congregate shelters. After a visit to Harbor Light in early July, Frumin said he worked with Council Chairman Phil Mendelson to “impose guardrails” on how the space could safely house families, leading to the initial change allowing just two families to share a room.
“DHS’s experience supporting migrants at Harbor Light suggests the site can also safely house families in need,” Frumin wrote in an email. With that provision also removed from the budget, it is now unclear what the city plans to use the Harbor Light shelter for, if at all.
The council’s budget also added money for family shelters and slots in the D.C. Flex program for families experiencing homelessness who cannot access shelters. According to a fiscal impact statement, the city expects about 170 families to need another form of assistance with shelters full.
The city’s transition to congregate shelters would have been detrimental to the safety and health of children experiencing homelessness, advocates said ahead of the budget vote. When DHS maintained congregate shelters, families expressed concern about seeking shelter due to the fear of being placed in a congregate space, according to Makenna Osborn, a policy attorney at the Children’s Law Center.
“We saw all of the negative impacts on parents’ well-being, on children’s well-being, and their engagement in school, and everyone’s overall health,” Osborn said.
If Bowser wants a shift to congregate housing, she should follow the full legislative process rather than implementing it through the budget, Ruffin and Osborn said. The mayor could propose a bill to that effect, but it’s unclear if it would have support in the council.
“If that is going to be changed, that it is done through a full legislative process, where the public has an opportunity to give input, and the council can really give thoughtful consideration to any changes, versus through the budget process,” Osborn said.
D.C. auditor report validates long-standing concerns about Rapid Rehousing, finding 79% of families exit without increasing income
ALAENA HUNT Editorial Intern
Benita has run out of options. In July 2023, she entered the Rapid Rehousing Program (RRH) to help her and her two children move out of a toxic environment in transitional housing. Two years later, as her subsidy ends, Benita is facing eviction, which could make finding stable housing even harder before.
According to a new D.C. auditors’ brief on the Family Rehousing Stabilization Program (FRSP), D.C.’s name for RRH for families, Benita is far from the only person who has left the program unable to afford rent. While many families exit homelessness with the program’s help, the brief says only a fifth of participants increase their incomes, making it difficult to afford housing long-term.
RRH was created during a nationwide push for rapid exit programs for people experiencing homelessness amid the 2008 recession. It is a short-term subsidy program designed to help people experiencing homelessness increase their income, overcome temporary housing struggles, and afford safe and reliable housing. Participants are required to pay 30% of their monthly income towards rent and can use their subsidy at most apartments in the city. During the program, case managers help participants apply for benefits, further their education, and find new jobs.
Although Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration has framed FRSP as key in combating family homelessness, lawmakers and advocates have said for years the program doesn’t ensure families can live in their apartments long-term. Now, the city is signaling a shift away from the program, removing some families and reducing the budget, partially due to feedback the program doesn’t work for everyone.
When families enter FRSP, the program can help them find an apartment. But to continue to afford their rent after the program ends, most households need a significant increase in income.
However, between fiscal years 2022 and 2024, income remained the same for 64% of families while they were in the program, according to the auditor’s report. Another 15% of families saw their income decline. Only 21% of families saw their income increase, far below the agency’s goal of 60%. Just 2% of families raised their income enough to no longer be considered ‘very low income.’ The brief, released June 18, included data from over 3,000 families.
For families raising their income, the change isn’t always significant. In FY2024, the average family’s monthly income rose only $25.65, according to the brief, though an attached response from DHS said the average increase was closer to $100. Either way, income rose less than in past years, at $124.72 in FY2023 and $132.45 in FY2022.
“Everybody knows people can’t afford rent at the end of the time period,” said Amber Harding, the executive director at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, which works with families in FRSP.
Benita, whom Street Sense is identifying by only her first name due to her concerns about unstable housing, knows this firsthand. After her initial 12-month subsidy expired, she applied for an extension, and then an appeal. This enabled her to stay in the program until this spring, but now the subsidy has ended, and she said she still can’t afford rent.
“I was just let go of the program and basically told to figure it out,” Benita said. “And there’s not much to figure out when rent is $2,800 and you only have a certain amount of time to work if you have children.”
She currently works as an esthetician, but her job does not pay enough to cover the rising rent costs in D.C., she said. Redfin reported last year that, out of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S., D.C. rent prices rose the most.
For Dominique Anthony, RRH lasting only one year is a significant obstacle. Anthony was enrolled in the RRH program for singles, which was not included in the auditor’s report. Her one year of assistance ended in March, which she said hasn’t been enough time.
Anthony works part-time at HIPS and is a student at the Academy of Hope, studying project management in a two-year long program. RRH has helped her get her own place while she studies, paying for a portion of her rent and sometimes utilities and her phone bill. According to Harding, many people use the program to get their GED or enroll in a training program to help them increase their earning potential. But these programs can last longer than the subsidy.
“I feel that they should give people at least two years in this program so they could try to save more money and better themselves,” Anthony said.
Benita shared this sentiment. She said it was positive for her to have stable housing and access to case management services for a while, but it just wasn’t long enough.
“A year pretty much goes so fast that it’s not enough time to fix generations of poverty,” she
said. “From probably not having a job, or coming from domestic violence, or coming from a $0 income, to be able to afford apartments to live in for $3,000 a month is not realistic.”
The city doesn’t know how long people remain housed after leaving the program, but some families do become homeless again, according to the report. Over half the families leaving the program earned less than 10% of the area’s Median Family Income (MFI), or $15,470 for a family of four. Only 387 families, or 12%, had annual incomes between 20% and 30% of MFI, the income bracket that puts them just on the cusp of being able to afford housing with the lowest rent in the city. But the Department of Housing and Urban Development still considers anything below 30% MFI to be an “extremely low income,” a category fewer than 10% of families escaped.
This year, D.C. is beginning to roll back its reliance on RRH, partially due to concerns it doesn’t help families afford housing long-term. In July, Rachel Pierre, interim director of D.C.’s Department of Human Services, told the Washington Post the city hopes to diversify options for families because it received feedback the program was not working for everyone. RRH will now be targeted to people who have experienced a temporary crisis, Pierre said, instead of being offered in most cases.
On July 28, the D.C. Council approved a fiscal year 2026 budget with a 27.8% cut of $16.8 million to FRSP funding, reflecting this policy shift. This follows a $34.6 million decrease in funding from FY 2024 to 2025. The city is instead giving more funding to other programs that serve families experiencing homelessness, such as D.C. Flex.
The reductions mean fewer families will enter RRH, and some who have relied on it for years, like Benita, will no longer be able to get extensions to give them more time to get on their feet.
“For my case, I was removed off of Rapid Rehousing due to lack of funding. So because there’s no more funding, I was not able to stay in the program, and I was not offered any permanent housing options either,” Benita said.
Although RRH has long faced criticism, some advocates and participants are concerned the cuts could make things worse, as people lose access to support.
“This budget increases homelessness because it allows for terminating people from their housing. It terminates more people from their housing than it serves with housing,” Harding said.
Benita now doesn’t know what she is going to do. “The fact that I need it because I don’t have any options and it’s not available is what breaks me, because this is not something that I want to take advantage of or anything like that, but it’s something that’s needed for me and my children to survive,” she said.
Editor’s Note: Dominique Anthony is also a Street Sense artist and vendor.
Data from D.C. auditor’s brief, chart by Kevin Akakpo.
Federal, local Medicaid cuts put thousands of D.C. residents at risk of losing coverage
JENNA LEE Editorial Intern
Acombination of local and federal budget cuts is threatening to take thousands of D.C. residents off Medicaid assistance over the next several years.
The D.C. budget, approved July 28, will remove about 25,000 District residents from Medicaid at the same time congressional Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” adds work requirements and other cuts to Medicaid, which are estimated to put about 95,000 D.C. beneficiaries at risk of losing coverage.
About 257,000 residents, or 38% of the District’s population, rely on Medicaid. Most of these residents live in Wards 7 and 8, majority-Black wards where 46% and 52% of residents, respectively, rely on the program.
The city budget makes residents whose income is $21,597 or above — 138% of the federal poverty line — ineligible for Medicaid. The mayor’s office estimates the change will affect 25,000 people, most of whom the city will move to the Basic Health Plan under the Health Benefit Exchange Authority, said At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson, who chairs the D.C. Council’s health committee. But local advocates warn changes in eligibility and services provided by the plan will leave many residents with less coverage.
The residents who will face the biggest changes under the new policies will be those with incomes over 200% of the poverty line, who will no longer be eligible for Medicaid and will not be moved to the Basic Health Plan, as well as lawfully present migrants, whom the GOP’s bill make ineligible for Medicaid, according to Mark LeVota, executive director of the D.C. Behavioral Health Association.
Migrants in the District already face obstacles to health care coverage as the D.C. budget also cuts the D.C. Healthcare Alliance, which provides care to 28,000 adults who do not qualify for Medicaid, including many migrants. The D.C. budget would phase adults 21 and older out of the program by 2027.
Both groups, LeVota said, “will be subject to premiums, they will be subject to copays, and so that is a new and, for some of those folks, a substantial new expense that they’re not used to managing.”
health insurance to low-income residents, but the services covered can differ. Though Medicaid is required to cover adult dental and vision care, the Basic Health Plan is not. The Health Benefit Exchange Authority has said enrollees will not have to pay premiums or copays for the coverage, but that will likely need to be reassessed yearly, according to LeVota.
Apart from losing some services not designated as “essential” by the ACA, like dental and vision care, LeVota said, residents should maintain access to most services under the Basic Health Plan.
“It’s way better than nothing, even if around the edges, they may be losing some Medicaid benefits,” LeVota said.
But larger changes are in store for those making over 200% of the federal poverty line. Nicole Dooley, a supervising attorney with Legal Aid DC, said she wished the council had expanded the eligibility for the Basic Health Plan to that group to match previous Medicaid eligibility. While these residents will be given the option to purchase marketplace coverage, those plans can be “prohibitively expensive,” Dooley said
“Health care is a human right that we should all have access to, and it is connected to every other part of people’s lives,” she said.
The District’s previous eligibility requirements enabled some residents with incomes up to 216% of the federal poverty line to receive benefits, Henderson explained, which was higher than many states. The cuts put the District in line with the federal standard for Medicaid eligibility. The District’s expanded Medicaid eligibility had contributed to its low uninsured rate of 2.7%, compared to the national rate of 8%.
“D.C. eligibility requirements for Medicaid have been far and apart more generous than anyone across the country in terms of the income levels that we allow for folks to be on Medicaid,” Henderson said. “And unfortunately, given some changes in economics, that is not necessarily sustainable.”
D.C. will reassign residents whose income falls above 138% and below 200% of the federal poverty line, representing about 90% of the 25,000 people expected to be removed from Medicaid, to the Basic Health Plan, according to the Department of Health Care Finance. The remaining 10% will have to find commercial coverage.
“So we’re doing that to ensure that 25,000 individuals can continue to receive affordable health care in some way, shape, or form,” Henderson said.
The Basic Health Plan, which most residents would be moved to, is a federal program available since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Like Medicaid, it provides affordable
Even for D.C. residents still on Medicaid, it could get harder to keep coverage. Nationally, the One Big Beautiful Bill implements about $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, including new work requirements mandating recipients between the ages of 19 and 64 — excluding caregivers — document 80 hours of work or service each month to remain eligible for the program starting in 2027. LeVota said the biggest threat these cuts pose is causing Medicaid beneficiaries to slip through the cracks by not being able to keep up with the paperwork required to prove they have been working.
When Arkansas became the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements in 2018, thousands of its residents lost coverage because they didn’t understand the paperwork requirements, did not receive notices they needed to fill out paperwork in the mail, or were confused about how often they needed to submit the paperwork.
“This is not really a policy that will primarily lead to people losing coverage because they don’t meet the requirements, and will be primarily because they didn’t manage to keep up with the documentation to show that they meet the requirements,” LeVota said.
The planned local and federal Medicaid cuts follow a recent report by Tzedek DC. that found nearly 20% of District residents have medical debt. Medical debt “disproportionately” affects Black and Latino families, the report said, often leading these communities to delay necessary medical care. LeVota said the combination of cuts ultimately means more people will become uninsured in the District, worsening medical debt as residents have to pay for more services out of pocket.
The financial impact of the Medicaid shrinkage comes in tandem with other local and federal cuts to social services, including to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and housing services. All of that, Dooley said, adds a significant burden on the city’s most financially vulnerable.
“You have to choose between, say, paying for your insulin and paying for food for your family,” Dooley said. “Nobody should have to make that choice, and a lot of these changes will be requiring that.”
Thousands of D.C. residents’ access to health care will be impacted by the changes. Photo by Nina Calves
Homeward 3.0, D.C.’s next strategic plan to end chronic homelessness, delayed amid staffing constraints
SAM BELMAR Editoral Intern
The development of Homeward D.C. 3.0, D.C.’s next strategic plan to address homelessness, is facing delays, leaving the city’s key framework for ending homelessness in limbo.
Since the start of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration, the “Homeward” plans have governed the city’s response to homelessness.
The current plan, Homeward D.C. 2.0, was adopted in 2021 with the goal to make homelessness “rare, brief and non-recurring” among the city’s nearly 700,000 residents. Homeward D.C. 2.0 expires on Sept. 30, at the end of FY 2025, when it would normally be replaced by Homeward D.C. 3.0. But now, it’s unclear when that new plan will be ready, as a key agency is down to just one staff member.
The strategic plans are developed by the District of Columbia’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), a group of representatives from several key departments in the city government, advocates, homeless service providers, and community members with lived experience of homelessness.
The ICH, which is designed to have up to seven employees, has seen its personnel severely reduced due to an inability to fill vacant positions. The body was about to hire several people before the mayor enacted a city-wide government hiring freeze in late May, which Bowser anticipates will save $63 million in personnel costs and help counteract the hole Congress left in the city’s budget. As a result, the ICH will only have one full-time employee, Director Theresa Silla, starting in August, and has been forced to scale back its monthly committee and workgroup meetings, where community members could discuss the plan.
Staffing shortages have delayed the drafting of the 2024 annual progress report, performance reviews of Homeward D.C. 2.0, and ultimately the development of Homeward D.C. 3.0, according to Silla. Once the ICH has both onboarded a new team member and evaluated the success of Homeward 2.0, the agency plans to “establish new strategies for Homeward DC 3.0,” Silla wrote in an email to Street Sense.
Under normal circumstances, the ICH is legally mandated to have the new strategic plan completed before the end of September, so it can take effect in fiscal year 2026, which starts on Oct. 1. However, Silla said the body will need extra time to evaluate federal and local financial constraints, while also awaiting the end of the hiring freeze. While Silla said she did not have an estimated date for the plan’s release, it seems unlikely it would be completed before the end of the calendar year.
The current plan, Homeward D.C. 2.0, is a sweeping document, setting goals to bring down homelessness among single adults, make it easier for people to move into housing with subsidies, improve the quality of services, help people experiencing homelessness grow their income, and work with other jurisdictions to create a right to housing in the country. The plan highlighted the racial inequities in homelessness in the city — Black Washingtonians experience homelessness at disproportionately high rates — and called for the city to place special attention on preserving affordable housing.
That plan took about a year to create, with the ICH hosting over 45 opportunities for community input, and included 12 goals and more than 160 activities.
But for Homeward D.C. 3.0, given the current fiscal outlook, Silla said it no longer makes sense to propose such a lengthy plan. Instead, the ICH will need to streamline and focus its approach based on what is “funded and sustainable,” she wrote.
Once released, Homeward D.C. 3.0 will outline a comprehensive framework to address the District’s ongoing homelessness-related challenges, from connecting voucher holders to permanent housing in a more timely manner to revitalizing shelter stock, improving service quality, and garnering public and private capital to develop new affordable housing.
Although the 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count found homelessness in D.C. decreased by 9% over the past year, signaling progress, family homelessness is actually slightly up from 2021, and the decline in homelessness among single adults over the duration of Homeward D.C. 2.0 was small. While the pandemic, which began just before the release of Homeward D.C. 2.0, complicated many aspects of homeless services, homelessness in the city actually increased between 2022 and 2024 before coming down this year, according to PIT Count data. This was despite the city’s record investments in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers, one of the main resources people use to exit homelessness.
Despite the recent decrease in homelessness, Silla said continued reductions will depend on the city’s ability to continue funding programs, as well as the impacts of changes at the federal level.
“While the PIT Count is an important metric, it does not capture and is not a measure of the risks and challenges that must be considered for future planning purposes,” Silla wrote. “There are new and evolving pressures to homeless services, including the federal job losses and congressionally imposed cuts to the District’s budget.”
Federal cuts to food assistance, health care, and housing programs, as well as a tight D.C. budget in the coming year, worry many advocates, who told Street Sense in early July that they expect to see homelessness increase unless the city can fund more vouchers and other resources for people experiencing homelessness. While the strategic plan lays out a vision for how the city should address the issue, it does not guarantee funding, so its success is partially based on the will to fund homelessness interventions over the next several years.
Donald Whitehead, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, worked to support the D.C. government and nonprofit service providers during the first two renditions of the Homeward plan. In an interview with Street Sense, he said D.C.’s financial investments leading up to Homeward D.C. 3.0 have been primarily focused on growth rather than on meaningfully tackling homelessness. He argued there must be a fundamental change in the approach toward resource allocation for Homeward D.C. 3.0 to transition from short-term damage control to long-term systemic reform.
“We have never provided the resources to the level of need,” Whitehead said. “So we keep providing emergency, myopic responses when we need comprehensive responses that address the structural issues that cause homelessness in the first place.”
Homeward D.C. 2.0 touted the success the city made in reducing family homelessness between 2016 and 2021, and suggested the next step is to focus on housing for singles, proposing three potential levels of funding. The city has funded just over 3,000 new PSH vouchers for individuals experiencing homelessness since 2021, which was most in line with the conservative funding level. While it took longer than anticipated for people to move into housing with the vouchers, they helped hundreds of people exit homelessness, many of whom had been homeless for several years.
“We have never provided the resources to the level of need [...]
long-term stability. The city seems poised to redevelop parts of the family homelessness system, changing which programs people are directed towards.
“Given the current fiscal context (flat or declining revenues, escalating programmatic and operation costs), our strategies for meeting family system needs are not sustainable,” Silla wrote. “We likely need to right-size our approach to the available funding and partner with our families to innovate solutions that are both transformational and sustainable – for our families
While the city is still reviewing its progress under Homeward D.C. 2.0, Silla said that some changes were not implemented over the past five years. For example, Homeward 2.0 proposed a tiered system for evaluating levels of need for PSH to ensure those who needed assistance most were served first. However, Silla said the ICH’s goal of transitioning to billing Medicaid for eligible residents to save the city money did not require the tiered system, leading the ICH
In February and March, the ICH’s working committees convened to assess the progress made by Homeward 2.0. A central focus in the Strategic Planning Committee were the delays experienced in the housing lease-up process, which have often forced voucher holders to wait over a year before matching with permanent housing units, though times have improved in the last year. To alleviate pressure on the District’s capacity while also developing more affordable housing, Homeward 2.0 proposed the launch of a pilot program to enable Washingtonians
Silla said that this pilot program, and others mentioned in Homeward 2.0, were not able to be fully executed as envisioned, but that smaller initiatives like the expansion of services for D.C. veterans across the region have proven to be successful.
“Many of the pilots that are mentioned in the current plan (HWDC 2.0) are
While the city waits for the development of a new plan, Homeward 2.0’s major goals — from growing shelter stock to developing new permanent supportive housing and improving service quality — are still operational priorities for the ICH, Silla said. Goal six of Homeward 2.0, which focused on expanding service provider capacity and ensuring proper compensation for case workers, remains an ongoing focus area.
“There were several efforts to increase provider capacity and ensure providers have the capacity to pay robust salaries, including the transition to billing Medicaid for PSH services,” Silla wrote. “However, given staffing challenges, the ICH has not
Pending the end of the hiring freeze, Silla hopes the ICH will be able to restaff its office to seven full-time employees within the next few months, starting work on the new strategic plan at the beginning of fiscal year 26 in October. However, she highlighted the necessity for private investments in ending homelessness to increase substantially in light of local budget cuts, recognizing that making homelessness “rare, brief, and non-recurring” in D.C. will be exceedingly challenging over the next five years without the necessary
“All of the funding challenges are concerning, especially given that private investments have historically not been anywhere close in magnitude to the investments by the local and federal government,”
Illustration design by Kevin Akakpo
The hunters become hunted
INVISIBLE PROPHET
emote viewing could be a useful tool for many governments for national intelligence. Remote viewing involves a human seeking information about an object, event, person, or location that is hidden from physical view and separated by distance.
Parapsychology researchers Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the 1970s used the term to distinguish remote viewing from clairvoyance; however, what is used in the process are the senses of clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, clairempathy, claircognizance, clairalience, clairgustance, and clairtangency. It verifies the ability to attempt to imprint from a distance or seek a hidden subject using only the mind, supposedly sensing without physical senses.
According to a former CIA officer, Joe McMoneagle, the ability allows perception of a remote location, and has allowed him to do great things for the government. Remote viewing has been claimed to be used in psychic warfare, notably during the Cold War. With bias, many elite scientists suggest it is a pseudoscience, as there is no scientific evidence to support its existence. Well, it could be the lack of supportive truths about the possibility of others having greater control than the incomplete tools of societal norms.
Fair opinions would constitute the control of individuals lacking the ability to think for themselves, or disliking an individual because they are manipulated under abusive tactics to think an individual is a threat under false pretenses. So, pseudoscience would be a made-up, plausible construct to debunk an actual being on earth who has power over “elite” groups without even recognizing their immediate downfall within their clusters of “friends.” Without failure, the hunters can be hunted using remote viewing, but if they haven’t been caught or shut down, the assumption is all of this is made up, and every government has secret agents in all parts of the world leaking intelligence.
According to unclassified CIA documents dated Sept. 22, 1995, remote viewing has not been proven to be a great success. Part of the CIA article concludes pseudoscience is far-fetched because it’s a poorly funded program demonstrating an unequivocal paranormal phenomenon occurs under the conditions present in the laboratory paradigm, but these conditions have limited applicability and utility for intelligence gathering operations. The information provided by remote viewing is vague and ambiguous, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the techniques to yield information of sufficient quality and accuracy.
However, what if individuals have a keen sense of presence, and they have shown up to court during a trial against someone without due process? Or, remote viewing can suggest that when a woman shows up somewhere, an individual could be present without her knowledge. They become present with their secret. Is this really a secret under false pretenses? These abilities can be hidden in someone who has been targeted all their life. Their parents shouldn’t make up lies about their own child because this child is capable of many things without violence. The clusters of psychological issues within a supposed elite that billions
of people discuss every day have been a barrier to societal constructs. Control is a subjective theory under a court order without due process.
People who have the ability of clairvoyance hidden in plain sight have been unjustly targeted with cruel intentions by the popular. With remote viewing, any elite secret can be uncovered with a view and the presence of clairvoyance. This power could unravel the control of the elites over the masses. This would be a supposed theory as suggested by a Discovery Channel documentary.
The Monroe Institute is a resource for individuals to go beyond consciousness using bilateral sound waves and other means of science. The Monroe Institute site reads: “Our nondogmatic experiential approach allows you to pursue your own personal exploration of human consciousness with Monroe sound science exercises that targets specific states of consciousness.” This either could be true or just another way for the government to fund experiments. Of course, this is mere speculation.
In conclusion, remote viewing would be a sense of knowing without government technology, elite money, and their supposed power. Whether this is true or some hoax, I do not know. Any government can fabricate information about individuals by claiming a threat to national security.
Who says no one is able to use remote viewing? That would be speculation. What have you been told about assuming? Don’t assume no one on earth can be a chosen one. CIA documents to suggest otherwise. Maybe start reading all unclassified and classified documents because it may hint at who these hidden gems are on earth. Perhaps an ancient alien in a secret underground bunker, ready to return home to his family after conducting an informative probe of his kind and alien technology. But this could be folklore as well.
Who knows what the truth about remote viewing? Maybe classified government documents exist that haven’t been made public about someone on earth who has been made immortal and has become a weapon of mass destruction to heal the impurities of societal toxicity. I feel the CIA should have better research on what entities possess remote viewing abilities. There is also an International Remote Viewing Association that seems to have a better-organized system to research and record multiple cases. The association was established on March 18, 1990, to keep a balance between ethical and social norms when using remote viewing.
Invisible Prophet is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
Drama
FREDERICK WALKER Artist/Vendor
I have anger problems. That anger makes it hard for me to focus. I know I need to learn how to be kinder to other people. But I’m tired of those other people talking about me so much. I don’t like them doing that. They need to stop doing that. It’s way too much drama.
Creating a databank on the activities of the FBI and police, part two
SHUHRATJON AHMADJONOV
Editor’s Note: Part one of this piece appeared in issue 14 and can be read on streetsensemedia.org.
ear President Donald Trump! Dear senators and representatives of the United States!
In a previous issue of the Street Sense newspaper, we examined the FBI’s work and how to prove crimes committed by the FBI and the police. Let’s continue. A serious and comprehensive approach to the study and regulation of the work of the FBI and the police, through creating a data bank, will lead to the following results:
First, the illegal interference of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the police, in the private lives of citizens and residents of the United States will cease.
Second, the number of mass murders and suicides will sharply decrease. Third, the ranks of the FBI and the police will be cleared of lawbreaking agents, officers, and leaders.
Fourth, as a result, the legitimacy of the president, congresspeople, the existing government, and the FBI and police among U.S. citizens will rise. Another question arises: where, in what government structure, should a data bank on the activities of FBI agents and police officers be created? Such a data bank should be under the leadership of a special department in the U.S. National Guard, which is “a state-based military force that becomes part of the U.S. military’s reserve components of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force when activated for federal missions,” according to Wikipedia.
I will list some positive aspects of opening a data bank under a special department in the structure of the U.S. National Guard.
Firstly, the U.S. National Guard is a military reserve with units in each state and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and D.C., making a total of 54 separate organizations.
Secondly, the U.S. National Guard is in dual subordination, that is, it is subordinate to the president of the U.S. and the governor of the state.
Thirdly, most soldiers and airmen of the National Guard work in the civilian service. They are very interested in the safety of citizens and compliance with the laws by all, including the leaders and agents of the FBI.
Fourthly, the guards will reliably protect the accumulated information about the activities of the leaders and agents of the FBI, as well as the leaders and officers of the police. They will not allow the leakage of classified information.
Fifthly, the data bank establishes control over the leaders and agents of the FBI, as well as the leaders and police officers. When a threat to the lives of citizens is identified, the state governor may decide to arrest some of the leaders and even groups of FBI and police officers with the help of the guards.
Sixth, the FBI and police can offer armed resistance to arrest. In such cases, the governor can send a sufficient number of well-armed guards.
Dear President Donald Trump, I suggest you take the initiative to create a data bank on the work of the FBI and the police. This will ultimately solve many problems around the illegal interference of the FBI and the police in the private lives of citizens, and dramatically reduce the country’s crime level.
Shuhratjohn Ahmadjonov is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Becoming the Johnny Appleseed of books
WENDELL WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor
The Catholic grade school I attended gave me a foundation in American literature that still serves me well today. (It’s on what’s now considered Capitol Hill, and the building is still there at the corner of 15th and East Capitol Street, operating as a charter school.)
Some of the nonfiction I’ve created or true-life stories I’ve shared with our readers are filtered through one nun. Sister Margaret Marie was strict as hell, and oh boy, was she a tough cookie who tolerated no nonsense, I mean ZERO, and would “jack you up” in a heartbeat. And if you went to a Catholic school during the 50s and 60s, you know what I’m talking about. Mind you, she seemed larger than life; even now, I still have difficulty remembering how tall she was. But back then, we would have sworn she could dunk on Wilt Chamberlain; she was so tall to us. And she believed in discipline and order.
At the end of my first year in her class, I couldn’t wait to go across the hall to Sister Marie Francis. She was everyone’s favorite, and it seemed they were having so much fun over there, but like the hurricane in the movie “The Perfect Storm,” Sister Margaret wouldn’t let me out, as she kept me in her classes all the way through eighth grade. I never asked, but I bet moms had something to do with that.
Looking back, I owe a lot of my business sense and money management skills to that nun out of Philly who seemed to put me in charge (or volunt-told me) of the distribution of everything around the school to raise funds. And I had a big key ring to show it. I would have to leave class to meet the soda man to fill our two soda machines and pay him. She also put me in charge of candy and ice cream sales on the playground during summer school sessions, so my sales career started in the 60s.
All I wanted to do was to get the hell out from under her, but there was a softer side of Sister that came out when she started to read. She read the classic American writers’ stories each day, right after we’d come in off the playground. The lights would go off, and all heads went down on desks as we listened to her voice bringing each of the various characters to life. Having been with her so long, I had favorite stories and authors.
One I never forgot was the legend of Johnny Appleseed and his quest to bring fruit trees to the western territories of America, which at the time were Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, all opened by settlers. Unlike the larger-than-life Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman from Massachusetts who did extraordinary things to bring about a major change in a new part of America. When listening, then, it sounded so hokey, thinking that there’s no way one person could have made that much of a difference. But he did make a difference, one tree at a time, knowing he’d never have the chance to sit under any of those trees’ shade or enjoy the fruit they would bear. Remembering that reading by an old nun may have sent me off to become a recovery version of Johnny Appleseed.
I didn’t start out with a conscious plan to be like this mythical figure or turn it into something grand. I just hated seeing good information go to waste. In my family, we never threw away books; we were taught to find someone to give them to. In the summer, I’d be embarrassed to tell the fellas about my mom’s requirement to check out so many books and read them by September. A library card was mandatory in our house of would-be jocks with the Langston branch right up the street. We also had to read the Post each day, without the sports section, because my mom hated the image of the dumb jock, not her boys. We had two sets of World Books, the Google of my generation. To her, books were important.
Most of my first jobs in my attempts to recover from addiction and the usually accompanied homelessness were at shelters and the all-but-forgotten transitional programs around D.C. in the early 90s that required sobriety. It was my task to clean out and turn over sleeping spaces there. Most of the time, that action was due to the misfortune of a person’s relapse, and part of said clean-up involved throwing out their belongings, including the abandoned recovery books. A lot of times, those books were brand new, some with the person’s name written down the side, but I couldn’t just toss them. Before I had a car, I’d just stuff them in my backpack. Later, I’d put them in the trunk of whatever “bucket” I was driving. It became well known within my circle of recovering friends that if there was a new person, “Check with Wendell, maybe he has that book.” Still, I had no conscious designs on having an impact on the recovery of people I’d never get to meet. As I came back to the fellowship of recovery after 12 years in the wilderness of addiction and homelessness, a change in approach led me to attend gatherings at recovery clubs near where I lived or worked. It was through those associations that I started to commit myself to being of service to those clubs, which opened me up to the idea of being a book resource. Because from time to time, at my two clubs that hosted meetings based on a particular book, there would be a need to trade out damaged or worn books. And once again, I’d ask for the older books without knowing who the recipients would be, and they’d go in my trunk.
Meanwhile, a longtime friend and I had been searching thrift stores from our earliest days sober, attempting to recover materially from homelessness and addiction. Since we lacked money or good jobs, we couldn’t afford retail purchases, so we became experienced thrift shoppers. We both liked to read, so the book section was part of our ritual. And to our surprise, it was always stocked with a recovery book or two, so I’d buy them even if I already had several copies, knowing the need. They were usually less than $2 each, and with a discount day, I averaged about a buck per book, and they went in the trunk. It got to the point where I had those plastic containers in my trunk of books to give away to those who couldn’t pay for them. It was kind of like my own ministry, but funded from my own thin pockets because of the kind things people had done for me.
How this effort spread across the world was kind of complicated, yet simple. Even when I was down and out, I would often feel depressed, feeling that the universe had something very important that it was waiting for me to do, and only I could do it. For years, I felt worthless, even during times of material prosperity, because I hadn’t identified my mission, let alone started on it. Looking back, I may have missed opportunities to accomplish something due to thinking too big.
The years sober and jobs kept passing by, and so did the collecting of books. I got a job at a luxury rehab that gave its clients eight new books each, and most left them; we couldn’t reissue them, so I moved to collecting and gifting new books.
Right at the beginning of the pandemic, I was starting to travel, go figure. And in a Random Act of Kindness, my old friend couldn’t make her tour to Ghana, West Africa, and with less than 30 days’ notice, I was on my way, with no idea what the universe had in store for me and my connection to books.
Getting to Ghana, I still needed to recover, and knowing no one in my group shared my need to attend recovery gatherings, I went online to locate where I could find my crowd. Not a lot of options were available, but I did have a great conversation with a recovering person, which would lead to a place where I could connect with others like me, and a center that hosted recovery meetings in person and now online. I made my way to that center on an off day of the tour and met the priest in charge. They had a great facility, and I promised him the next time I was in Ghana, I could bring some things that were hard to get there, knowing how hard it must be with limited resources to fight against the deadly disease of addiction.
During this trip, something happened to me. My eyes started to see glimpses of the same issues challenging people everywhere, and that I was uniquely trained, experienced, and certified to assist in addressing addiction, homelessness, and mental health. But I’d have to change my thinking. Right then, I made the commitment to work a job, sell papers, and ask friends for donations to come back at least once each year to bring whatever expertise I could.
I had thought about bringing books over before. But I quickly dismissed the idea because of the baggage weight limits and the cost of shipping by airline. So, I concentrated on specific recovery topic pamphlets and a small magazine each trip. And on my last trip over in March of 2025, for Ghana’s 60th Independence Day, after talking to my friend for years on WhatsApp, we finally arranged to meet at the center. Lo and behold, we’d been attending the same Zoom recovery meeting that started during the pandemic for years without even knowing it.
That day, I also found out my Ghanaian friend was on the board of that nonprofit center that also functions as a bed and breakfast to help support its mission. (On occasion, I stay there to save money.) He took me to lunch at a Ghanaian buffet and explained the huge challenge that people recovering in Ghana faced. I asked if there was anything more I could do, and learned about the rehab he founded for 20 men. I considered how to get more people into recovery. But every solution I could think of that worked in America would be of no use in most of Africa. I had to come down out of the clouds of the high-tech problem-solving tools I’d used at my places of employment, eliminating them due to the lack of income for the average African who, if they are fortunate enough to have jobs, bring home less than $800 a month. So, during our lunch, my ideas were dismissed one by one, and I began to see myself as another American coming to Africa with the answers without understanding how they had to live. Which was arrogant and condescending to my friend, who was an electrical engineer and better educated than I. That’s when I began to get in touch with some humility, and the idea to mimic Johnny Appleseed’s mission came to mind. To be continued in part two....
The old grade school. Photo by Wendell Williams
Show me your face
NIKILA SMITH
Artist/Vendor
I'm sculpting an image with my eyes that's crafted for me and by me
I'm like Medusa. Instead of turning you to stone Looking at me turns you to love
Show me your face
Show me you
My perfect heart is here
For only you
There's a line that goes
“There is someone for everyone” Out of a billion
My pokeball only opens for you
My heart was paralyzed from the inside out
But I felt movement with you
Show me what lies beneath
The shadow is in front, not behind
Are you satisfied with how you are seen?
Show me your face
Let me hear that base
That I jam to
Making me move back and forth
When it's dark, the street lights still Follow to brighten a path
You can't see, but trust me, it's there
Show him your face
He gave it to you
Your thoughts are hidden, homemade armor
How can I know you
If I can't see your face?
Show me your face
It will show me the way
I'm broken
Clinging to many faces
To smile
But I'm stuck on you
showing me your face
You could be my remedy
Your smile is one I crave to duplicate
I don't demand but desire
The screen that's creating ASAP
Or over time
Show me your face
Show me your face
Share the weight
Share the title
I know you're a man
Who's not faceless
So I know your heart beats
Uncover
Remove
Your invisible khimar
I'm in your space
Pleased to unveil
A new image
But I need you to show me your face
From your neck up
Face to face
You're worth the wait
It’s enticing
Can't wait
But I'm silently begging
Show me your face
My perception of football
BRIAN HOLSTEN Artist/Vendor
After many years of watching television sports and news about brain-damaged football players who contract the degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the insights remain in my consciousness.
A graphic virtual examination of a damaged brain extracted from a man’s skull reveals a lot of information. It may be horrific to observe the scarred, deformed tissue of the central nervous system, but doing so is necessary to understand the truth about CTE. The reality is that, based upon the natural physics and physical impact of football, it truly becomes the cause of brain-damaged human beings forced to live their last years in agony.
Video footage showed a once-vibrant young man who was a scholar, an honored athlete, a father, and a pillar of his community struggling after he retired. Football turned him into someone incapable of seizing the opportunities for which he once was eminently qualified. This and other CTE examples remind television viewers it is a scientific mistake for any person to give up their life to materialism.
Every athlete has contractual responsibilities to the sports industry and its economy. But those responsibilities require enduring physical pain and stress for many decades. So, in the end, this former player died from malnutrition of his brain caused by his industrial slavery to the sport of football. I hope he rests in peace.
My story for the D.C. Council
DOMINIQUE
ANTHONY Artist/Vendor
My name is Dominique Anthony. When I was 25 years old, I was diagnosed with HIV, and I became HIV positive. I feel that D.C. needs more money for prevention services, linked care, harm reduction services, and D.C. Health. Please don’t take our funding for HIV prevention services. We need our services to prevent HIV in D.C., and D.C. has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the United States. If you cut funding, we will have a pandemic, and people will infect each other, harm each other, and people will die. People will not live long, and the city will be in crisis. We also won’t be able to treat the condition and save lives.
While working for a harm reduction nonprofit, and when I was a volunteer, I saw how harm reduction services and HIV prevention services save lives. When I was diagnosed, I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see my son Micah become a young man. Now he’s a college graduate. I didn’t think I’d be able to have more children, but I made a decision to have more children who are not HIV positive. I took my medication every day, and my children are well.
How Springfield, Missouri, used to help the homeless
I grew up in this city. But, when I became homeless in 2021, I had nowhere to go — other than One Door, which paid for hotels so my son, Zachariah, and I were not on the street. One Door also helped us get housing vouchers.
At one point, we had Safe to Sleep, a women's shelter, and Victory Mission, a men's shelter. Sadly, some of the programs that helped me don’t exist now. That's a symptom of there being no help for the homeless in Springfield because the local government forced shelters to close. Worse, some aspects of being homeless are Class C felonies, making criminals out of those who can't help being homeless.
VICTORIA GREEN
Artist/Vendor
GRACIAS GARCIAS Artist/Vendor
Still (still) standing, part 2
GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor
After the bike crash, when I was in the second hospital, George Washington Hospital, I didn’t want to be there. Even though I hurt so much, I knew my rights. I knew they had to let me out if I wanted, and I wanted out, even though I was still in a lot of pain. So I went to the people and said, “I want to sign the papers; I want to get out!” You all should have seen the pain and the crying I did. I cried like Michael Jackson. I hurt 24/7.
And it was funny when they were taking me from the hospital to the nursing home. The guy must have hit about 200 bumps. And I had broken my back and my spine, so they’d done a lot of work on me. But we made it there. Everyone in that nursing home who supported me kept me strong. It was a trip. But I tell people and I’ll tell anyone: Don't feel sorry for me. Because when I was in the street, I had no mercy, no mercy at all. So it all came back around when that accident happened to me.
So, you know, thank God, I'm still breathing, still moving. Just imagine I had fallen out, gone unconscious. It would have been worse. Thank God for the blessings, and I continue to be blessed and thankful to be back in the community with all my friends and support. You know, after the accident, the ambulance took me to Washington Hospital Center, and it took about 12 hours to see the doc. Then they ran me through a donut hole [MRI machine] and let me go.
The doctor said, “You a homeless man. You gotta find somewhere to sleep.” So, the first driver outside wouldn’t take me. The second one took me to my spot, outside Succotash on F Street NW.
Come Sunday morning, a guy came and said, “I don’t think that guy’s moving,” and he called 911. So they took me to the second hospital, to GW, and came to find out I had to have surgery. I didn't know what surgery was. I told the people, “I don't give a damn what y'all got to do. Just don't let me die.”
Support
SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor
It’s a hard struggle being on the verge of homelessness, struggling with losing my home. I’m selling papers to make a living and to survive the streets. My younger sister has no heart or feelings since my mom put her in charge as the trustee with the power of attorney. It's all about money. She wants to throw me and my sister out on the streets. She will not release my wealth and money. But she wants to sell our homes. I am seeking help. I’m full of heartache and pain. Since my mom passed away, it's been a lot of grief. Pray for us, and please support me and my sister. I am going through a lot. Support us because the pain is so real. I want my life back. I may smile, but I’m in pain and heartache
Playlist songs: Diana Ross’s “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To),” and Marvin Gaye’s “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” "Trouble Man," and “Sad Tomorrows.”
And it comes off rather selfishly!
LEVESTER GREEN Artist/Vendor
It’s like a blend of old and new “friends.” When I went through what I went through solo… How do they think they can eat with me now!?
They in the walls with it, so it’s like keep away in a sense…
It reminded me and still does, of that “Not I” story, where everybody was all like, not I, when asked who would help. Then all those bum ass farm animals and heathens wanted to eat with those hard working, diligent folks! Or geese or whatever! Same with the ant and the grasshopper!
When they were celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop, I had moved on to that good techno. After all those years of listening to midday mixes and being a hip-hop aficionado, I was burnt out. I was stuck in the nineties for so long that at least I did break free from that.
So this is recent and current events…
Everyone remembers and picks up with you from where you all last spoke or interacted, so time has passed, and all of the wrong assumptions are made because they haven’t been keeping up or brought up to speed, so they’re all stuck in the past, you see?
Clearly… I was getting all kinds of insight and revelations before being interrupted! I was on my Percy-ish because I was PERCEIVING A LOT! Which is why I had to get back in touch and tune with you to pick back up on your vibe and insightful administration ministering… Administering.
Why I’m here
WENDY BROWN
Artist/Vendor
I was called to Street Sense because I wanted to give back to the community with information and receive information in return. The paper keeps everybody together. We are waiting to hear the news on old plans to house all people, the mayor's promise. I have firsthand experience of how the homeless system in D.C. works. I will be surprised to see this problem abolished.
Moving people to the RFK site is good, but people need more things like food, medicine, family, friends, and any income. These things are still issues a case manager can not always solve, but it does not mean the case is hopeless. Additional resources are things like lines of communication and transportation, education and political involvement, and cultural investments like this paper.
Rare Breed
BAILEY GREEN Artist/Vendor
The Rare Breed in Springfield, Missouri, was a safe haven for underprivileged youth ages 14-25. Anyone qualified could come there anytime.
Sadly, it was forced to close in October along with several similar safe places and some homeless support programs in this city of 170,000. When my wife, Victoria, and I left the city, we saw things were going badly for the homeless.
Now, being homeless on public land in Missouri is a Class C misdemeanor. So, you can be charged for not having a home in the country where you were born. We didn't sign a contract when we were born, yet we are held to these harsh conditions.
Happy birthday, little Renee
CARLOS CAROLINA Artist/Vendor
To my little sister and niece, I wish you all the love and peace. I hope you prosper and succeed In everything that you believe. I hope you achieve the finer things, Like everything you have dreamed. "Stay focused" on your master plan, Because the future is in your hands. Peace and blessings, sis and niece, And all the cake that you can eat.
For the day that y'all were made, There is a very special saying, And though I know y'all know this saying, I'm gonna tell y'all anyway. Happy birthday!
Rain Day
Rainy days just ain’t the same I always feel like things will change
For a blade of grass
A leaf that grows so fast
A flower in fall
Bloom the seasons of raindrops
And what does it do to keep life anew
If we only knew
How much do I love the Lord
More than all these rainy days
How much do I love the Lord
More than a cool drink of water on a hot day
After the rainy days have passed
Just to say
Thank the Lord for the raindrops
And the next rainy day
We thank the Lord for these rain clouds
That bring in our rainy days
Yes, thank the Lord for the raindrops
On a rainy, rainy day
Bless the young, feed the poor, and walk with the blind. Sometimes, help needs help. Every day, a child needs help from loving, caring people with big hearts.
MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor
ROBERT WARREN
Artist/Vendor
FUN & GAMES
Across
1. “Shop ___ you drop”
4. Deplete (2 wds.) (3,2)
9. Casual conversations
14. “____ little teapot. Short and stout. Pick me...” (2 wds.) (2,1)
15. Newswoman Zahn or singer Abdul 16. Awaken
17. Word before “York” or “Zealand”
18. One who emulates Debbie Downer and other buzz kills (2 wds.) (5,6)
20. Movement that began with Stonewall, informally (2 wds.) (3,3)
22. Furry foot at the petting zoo
23. Money dispenser (abbr./initialism)
24. ____ a time (singly) (2 wds.) (3,2) (ATONE anagram)
25. Excellent, in modern slang
27. Japanese soup
28. Unethical, unfair or unsportsmanlike behavior, slangily (2 wds.) (5,4)
30. Firetruck or police vehicle alert
31. Good name for a cook?
32. Night school subj. for immigrants (abbr./ initialism/acron.)
33. Half a sawbuck
34. What fashion model beauties strive to strike (2 wds.) (6,5)
39. Island strings
40. “___ the fields we go”
41. Faux ___ (embarrassing remark or action) (Fr.)
44. Stockpile
47. Edward Lear, Ogden Nash or Shel Silverstein (2 wds.) (5,4)
50. Carbon monoxide’s lack
51. ___ monster
52. ‘Role’ played by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in the Fenway Pk. scenes of “Field of Dreams”
53. Mythical bird
54. Form 1040 org. (abbr./initial ism)
55. Illuminated, like Victorian London (I T GALS anagram)
56. Editor’s slip spotter... or a solver who finds the ‘mistakes’ contained in the answers to 18-, 28-, 34and 47-Across 60. Mer contents (Fr.)
61. Devour greedily, slangily (with “down”)
62. Ivy League sch. in Philly (1,4) (incls. abbrs.)
63. Camera type, briefly (abbr./initialism)
64. English exam finale, often
65. Cartoon skunk Le Pew, and others
66. U-turn from NNW Down
1. Common critical description of petty authoritarian tyrants (2 wds.) (3,4)
2. Parents’ “This isn’t an idle threat” (3 wds.) (1,4,2)
3. Secure legal counsel, in police/prosecutor lingo (2 wds.) (6,2)
4. Arrogant and snobbish, slangily
5. Bygone Swedish automaker
6. Part of E.U. (abbr.)
7. Final (abbr.)
8. Venmo’s parent company
9. Boast (about)
10. Boo follower, sadly
11. Household/child care aide from abroad (2 wds.) (2,4) (Fr.)
LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION
CROSSWORD
Close Reading Required
Puzzle by Patrick “Mac” McIntyre
12. ___ fly (African sleeping sickness transmitter)
13. Church speech
19. Bit of butter
21. Back muscle found near a trap? (abbr.)
25. Soldier’s station or a hitching place
26. Sacred anointing fluid (2 wds.) (4,3) (OOH, LILY anagram)
27. Ore site
29. Super Bowl XLVIII winning coach Carroll
30. Female sib (abbr.)
33. Dix or Knox
35. European coal area
36. Barely get, with “out”
37. Anti-fur org. (abbr./initialism)
38. Spick-and-span, in a word
42. Radio antennas
43. A person’s physical height or the high level of respect with which they are regarded
44. Body of work for authors Christie and Conan Doyle?
45. Makes more attractive by adding color, ornamentation, etc.
46. Hot winter beverages with whipped cream or marshmallows
47. “Get a clue!” (2 wds.) (4,2)
48. Longs (for)
49. Where GIs shop (abbr./initialism)
51. Watchdog’s warning
54. Highly questionable, briefly
55. Heredity carrier
57. “... man ___ mouse?” (2 wds,) (2,1)
58. Imitate
59. Passbook abbr.
This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Academy of Hope Public Charter School
202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE
202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org
Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., SE calvaryservices.org
Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org
Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org
Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach
Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org
Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 4 Atlantic St., NW communityofhopedc.org
Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org
Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 North Capitol St., NW fathermckennacenter.org
Food and Friends // 202-269-2277
(home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org
Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW foundryumc.org/idministry
Identification services
Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org
Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org
Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9096 1526 Pennslyvania Ave., SE jobshavepriority.org
Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Rd, SE
2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE
Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org
My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699
1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org
Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Target // Washington D.C.
Part-time
Greet and service guests as you complete workload with minimal guest disruption; work in all departments to ensure sales floor is full, zoned and in stock for guests; push and stock product to sales floor; execute adjacency changes, transitions, revisions and sales plans for all departments; conduct weekly price change workload and ensure regular and promotional signing is set accurately for all departments; complete scans and system audit functions to ensure inventory accuracy.
Required: N/A
Apply: tinyurl.com/TargetDCSeasonal
Restaurant host
Ned’s Club Washington // Downtown D.C.
Full-time
Restaurant hosts are the team of smiling faces providing a warm welcome and getting Ned’s Club members and their guests settled in. Building rapport with the members is crucial for this role, as the first point of contact in the club you and your teammates will set the tone for the rest of the experience by providing an excellent welcome and farewell.
Required: N/A
Apply: tinyurl.com/HostNedsClub
Concrete repair laborer
Structural Technologies // 1001 H St. NE and 1213 U St. NW
Full-time
Construction duties include concrete and posttension repair; rebar and post-tension installation and stressing; new construction, existing buildings, working at heights; formwork, carpentry and finishing; and attention to detail and safety
Required: Prior experience in construction. Ability to read and speak English. Spanish is a plus.
Apply: tinyurl.com/ConcreteLaborerDC
You're homeless?
1. Stranger 2. Me
1. You're not homeless!
2. Yes, I am.
1. Where do you sleep?
2. Outside
1. You can't do that.
2. Yes, I can.
1. You're joking, right?
One day, I was walking past a bench I normally sleep on at night. Someone was sitting there. I walked up to them and asked them not to fart and informed them I sleep there. The look on the gentleman’s face was priceless! This poem stems from that event. I like sleeping outside, but most don’t understand or agree.
2. No. To experience freedom, I sacrifice my night. Plus, this is a planet, and sleep is free, right?
1. Why, yes, sleep is free...
2. Okay, then, sir, that bench you're on is my bed, so please move without a fart and let me be.
ANDRE BRINSON Artist/Vendor
SHAWN FENWICK Artist/Vendor
WAYNE HALL
Artist/Vendor