08 25 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE 30

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Real Stories

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EVENTS

// 3

NEWS IN BRIEF Turning point: Cities urged to act on lessons learned in pandemic

BY CAREY L. BIRON Reuters

When working, you would facilitate sales of the paper to Street Sense vendors in the lobby — including accounting for transactions with an iPad and handle cash. The associate would also work the Street Sense desk, taking incoming calls and assisting visitors. Pay is $15 per hour for 15-19 hours per week, including paid time off. Availability needed during weekday business hours.

From better hygiene to greater awareness of inequality and recognition of “essential workers,” lessons learned during the coronavirus pandemic could be harnessed to improve city life for years to come.

The health crisis has gutted urban economies, emptied offices and public transport, and shuttered communal spaces. But it might mark a watershed as cities seek to get back on their feet, the annual CityLab global summit heard earlier this year.

"One of the big headlines coming out of the pandemic is that the things we thought were impossible before are actually possible and really absolutely necessary," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told attendees of the threeday event, which was held virtually this year.

COVID-19 has laid bare "a lot of the economic fault lines around race, around class, gender and inequalities that people believed were intractable — too big to actually solve," Lightfoot said.

In the United States, the pandemic's economic effects have taken a far heavier toll on Black and Hispanic families, while federal data from December showed women have been disproportionately affected by job losses.

"The crises we face have made clear the inequity and injustice that persist," U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told attendees. "We want our cities and countries to thrive, not just survive."

There are hopeful signs, several participants said.

The pandemic creates an opening to tackle issues exposed over the past year, such as the financial struggles of low-paid workers and their lack of social protection, said Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

"Now we all see that some of the work that was least visible to us is actually essential — to our safety, health and our well-being," Poo said.

She noted advances made amid the pandemic for domestic workers, most of whom are women and from minorities, including a new "bill of rights" in Philadelphia and a push in Chicago to ensure fair wages, time off, and safe workplaces.

Such opportunities are not limited to rich countries, said Reuben Abraham, chief executive of the IDFC Foundation and IDFC Institute in Mumbai, suggesting the pandemic could be a "turning point" for cities in the developing world.

"Is there a way for us to embed the good behaviours that we've learned during COVID?" he said, noting the possibility of addressing "crowding" in cities through land use management, zoning, and the provision of affordable housing.

Diseases such as cholera and typhoid have dropped substantially in Mumbai due to COVID-related hygiene practices such as handwashing, Abraham said, while the wearing of face masks has had a significant effect on reducing spread of tuberculosis. "[The pandemic] has been a disaster for all of us," he said. "But if we do the right thing now, net-net we end up with a positive outcome."

Apply: Email resume and one professional reference to thomas@streetsensemedia.org.

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COURTESY OF THE D.C. DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

Employment outreach, DGS headquarters Wednesday, Aug. 25 // 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. // 3932 Minnesota Ave, NE (Former Dollar Tree)

Learn about employment opportunities with the new D.C. Department of General Services Headquarters project. The companies involved are eeking individuals who have experience working in the construction industry and reside in the District of Columbia. At the event, you can complete an application to be considered for employment. Employers will be available onsite to discuss job opportunities. (As Street Sense Media has previously reported, all companies that contract with D.C. government, are required to hire at least 51% of their workforce from among D.C. residents under the “First Source” law.) REGISTER: tinyurl.com/DGS-HQ-hire WEDNESDAY, AUG. 25

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

Public input session to help prioritize housing development 6:30 P.M. // Online via WebEx

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

The D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development invites feedback on a federally mandated state plan for the allocation of lowincome housing tax credits allotted to the District.

Strategic Emergency Response & Shelter Operations Committee Aug 25, 1 pm // Webex

ONLINE: tinyurl.com/DHCD-QAP-21 Event #: 180 105 5997 // Password: Qps6QyjCK54 or AUDIO CONFERENCE: 1-650-479-3208 (Access Code: 180 105 5997) Comments may be formally submitted via email to QAP.input@dc.gov or mailed to Department of Housing and Community Development, Attn: Danilo Pelletiere, Senior Advisor, 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington DC 20020. All comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

Housing Solutions Committee Aug 25, 2 pm // Webex ***For call-in information and other info, contact: ich.dmhhs@dc.gov.

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4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 5 - 3 1 , 2021

NEWS

Families in rapid rehousing will be given a minimum 6 months’ notice before they will be asked to leave

BY WILL SCHICK // will@streetsensemedia.org

More than 1,000 families who have stayed in the rapid rehousing program (RRH) beyond its usual time limit due to the pandemic are receiving an official extension — and some may get an extra reprieve along with job training.

No one in the RRH program will lose their rental subsidy until they are given a minimum of six months’ notice, according to Laura Zeilinger, director of the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS). Additionally, 300 families living in RRH will be selected in fiscal year 2022 to participate in a new career pilot program, which will allow them to stay in place for five years.

The news comes as the city’s latest approved budget contains hundreds of millions of additional dollars for a broad range of housing programs, but no increased funding for families living in RRH. RRH is a short-term subsidy that pays a portion of a family’s rent for a market-rate apartment over the course of a year, with the possibility of a six-month extension.

When the city enacted a moratorium on evictions at the start of the pandemic, it protected any families living in RRH who were unable to take over the full rent for their apartment when the RRH subsidy ran out. In fiscal years 2016 and 2017, only 60% of all families whose subsidy ended were able to maintain their housing independently, according to a 2017 report by the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

The District continued to pay its portion of the monthly rent for RRH recipients for the duration of the public health emergency — resulting in many more families in the program at once than the city had budgeted for in FY 2021.

But when Mayor Bowser ended the public health emergency order last month, families living in RRH began to ask when they would be required to leave the program. Jessica Crawford, for one, started to prepare for what she felt was an inevitable eviction, having lived in RRH for 30 months. She moved out of her bedroom, packed her belongings into big plastic containers and cardboard boxes, and took to sleeping in the living room with her infant daughter. With no news from her case manager, Crawford felt like it was only a matter of time.

The new guidance on six-month notices is meant to provide families with sufficient time for planning their next steps, whether it involves transitioning to another housing program or securing a home on their own without help from the city.

According to Zeilinger, the timeline for individual families may vary depending on their circumstances.

There is no fixed date as to when families should expect to receive their six-month notices.

“There is no one-size-fits-all or one answer to what people need,” Zeilinger explained.

Some families who have been in the program for

longer than 18 months may be eligible for another housing program such as permanent supportive housing.

To aid these families in their transition from RRH, case managers will be retrained to offer them the type of support and advice they will need, Zeilinger said. DHS will also provide case managers with a written guide that helps families identify the full set of available services.

“We want to be really clear about what families can expect from the program,” Zeilinger said, adding that the current draft includes information about access to job training, employment opportunities, and how to report issues with housing conditions.

A planned tax hike on high-income earners that is expected to raise hundreds of millions more for housing subsidy programs will expand the range of offerings available to people in search of housing — options that will be outlined in the new document.

In addition to creating the guide, Zeilinger said, DHS will also be piloting a new program that will allow 300 RRH participants to remain in place for five years — five times the traditional RRH time limit — as they develop skills for new careers.

While details about the training are still being worked out, the goal of the pilot is to give families the added security of not having to worry about losing benefits as they grow their earnings, a problem that is often described as a “benefits cliff.”

In income-based subsidy programs such as RRH, the portion that families pay toward their monthly rent rises as they earn more money. As a result, these programs don’t necessarily enable participants to save money as they stabilize or increase their income.

“So, it creates sometimes an impossible choice or a penalty for people when they earn because they will lose, for example, a housing subsidy or a child care subsidy,” Zeilinger said.

DHS will pay the initial value of the RRH subsidy for the duration of the pilot program so families will not experience a loss in benefits as they get on their feet.

The pilot program is set to launch during FY 2022, which starts Oct. 1. The new guide will also be completed by then to provide families and case managers with information about available resources.

Zeilinger added that ideas for the career pilot come directly from feedback DHS received from families in its housing programs.

Crawford, the single mother who has been in rapid rehousing since January 2019, has doubts as to whether she will actually receive the six-month notice, but believes the new career pilot program could work if implemented properly.

“The problem is not knowing what’s going on because there’s just so much lack of communication,” Crawford

said. “I just don’t see them letting everyone know or giving them six months’ notice.”

Despite having been in RRH for so long, Crawford said, she is still unclear who her case manager is and doesn’t expect to hear from anyone soon.

Early last year, the program stopped paying its portion of Crawford’s monthly rent, accusing her of moving to another state. The claim is disputed by both Crawford and her property manager, who argue that she never moved.

Recently, however, the city approved her application for help via STAY DC – an emergency financial relief program run by the District to help tenants stay current on rent – and paid off a large portion of her balance. She says her property management company is helping her try to resolve the issue with the city.

But when it comes to rapid rehousing, Crawford said there is a disconnect between those who establish housing policies at DHS and those who implement them. While department staff may have good intentions, she said they don’t always deliver on their ideas.

For instance, Crawford said her current apartment didn’t meet code when she first moved in. This is despite the requirement that homes to be rented with the help of a rapid rehousing subsidy be inspected to ensure they meet HUD standards prior to families moving in.

Kevin Ratiff Jr., who is the father of Crawford’s daughter and is certified in building maintenance and refrigeration, said Crawford’s unit was far from meeting the standards for inspection when he helped her move in. Ratiff said he noticed multiple code violations, such as an electrical socket that was hanging out of a wall.

When asked about allegations regarding poor conditions of properties at RRH units, Zeilinger reiterated her department’s policy: “Everybody deserves to have adequate, safe, healthy housing conditions. And we’re paying for units with the expectation that that is what is being offered.”

RRH participants who have issues with the conditions of their units should address them with their case management, Zeillinger said.

Notwithstanding department policy regarding inspections, Jewel Stroman — a community housing activist who has worked with many families in rapid rehousing — said that poor housing conditions are a persistent problem for subsidy recipients.

She said she has long advocated for doing two housing inspections — one prior to moving in and another a few weeks after — to help with spotting problems that might not be immediately evident.

When asked about the new career pilot, Stroman said she is cautiously optimistic.

“I’m happy to hear of this — a lot of advocates have been pushing for this,” she said.

Since 2018, Stroman and other housing advocates and activists have lobbied DHS to give families in RRH more time in the program to work on career skills. “Five years was the timeframe that we specifically asked for,” she said.

Stressing the importance of adequate resources and proper case management, Stroman said the success of a new program like this will depend on how it’s structured, including decisions regarding eligibility and screening of potential participants.

During the pandemic, she’s seen programs like RRH deteriorate as an already-thin number of case managers struggle to support an ever-growing number of clients. “[Even] before the pandemic was going on, we had families that basically didn’t know who their caseworkers were for months,” Stroman said.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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Catholic Charities’ financial stability network set up at a resource fair outside of 801 East Men’s Shelter on Aug. 13 to help residents claim pandemic stimulus payments from the federal government.

PHOTO BY JARROD WARDWELL

Stimulus payments have been distributed nationwide, but low-income locals haven’t received them. Volunteers are uniting to solve the issue

BY JARROD WARDWELL jarrod.wardwell@streetsensemedia.org

F

ederal officials have sought to send emergency stimulus funding to millions of struggling Americans without jobs or basic necessities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But the money has failed to reach those who need it the most: low-income residents and members of the homeless community.

Local advocates and outreach volunteers have spent the last several months working to help the overlooked group file tax returns to provide the Internal Revenue Service with the information the agency requires for anyone to receive the emergency funding. Volunteers said many individuals have struggled to secure the cash because they have been unaware the stimulus existed or have never submitted tax records to the IRS. Some other residents who have filed their taxes to receive the stimulus have faced delays in receiving the checks from the government while continuing to live without a steady stream of income, local advocates said.

Individuals who earn less than $12,400 yearly are exempted from filing federal tax returns.

The federal government distributed three packages of stimulus checks to provide financial support during the health crisis. The first came at the pandemic’s onset last April through the CARES Act, which provided up to $1,200 to adult taxpayers. The second, part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, offered a check of up to $600 from late December to January. The American Rescue Plan came as the third and most recent round of stimulus this past March, with checks totaling as much as $1,400 for taxpayers.

Officials with the IRS said they’ve worked to alert members of the homeless community about the stimulus throughout the pandemic.

A release issued by the IRS in April states that officials have reminded people without a permanent address or bank account that they

can still qualify for stimulus payments, also urging community groups and employers to spread information. The IRS posts information about earned income tax credits on their website and hosted an awareness day back in January as a campaign to educate more than 2 million people about stimulus checks through live events, news releases, and articles.

IRS spokesperson Anthony Burke did not return a request for comment.

“The IRS has been continuing to work directly with groups inside and outside the tax community to get information directly to people experiencing homelessness and other groups to help them receive Economic Impact Payments,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in the release. “The IRS is working hard on this effort, enabling millions of people who don’t normally file a tax return to receive these payments.”

Catholic Charities D.C., an independent social services agency, has led similar efforts to help low-income and unhoused people file tax returns to receive stimulus payments.

Jim Shanahan, the director of the financial stability network at Catholic Charities, said most low-income locals haven’t received their stimulus payments.

The financial stability network, which was established nearly five years ago, helps individuals who earn less than $56,000 a year file tax returns in hopes of securing their stimulus funds. The service is offered through the agency’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which is operated by the IRS. Catholic Charities participated in a resource fair at 801 East Men’s Shelter in Southeast earlier this month, operating a table where residents could sign up for financial assistance, including help filing their taxes and receiving stimulus checks. The table saw few visitors in the morning hours of the fair, but after a staff member at the shelter announced available services and the chance to secure payments from the IRS, more than 10 people rushed to file in line. After setting up at 9:30 a.m., Catholic Charities registered about 20 residents in need of stimulus for

financial assistance.

Shanahan said most people who earn less than $12,000 haven’t filed their tax returns since they aren’t required to do so, meaning the IRS is missing their records and unable to send them any checks. He said some reasons for stimulus check delivery delays include deliveries to the wrong address, stolen social security numbers, individuals who don’t qualify for the checks, and debit cards that residents accidentally discarded in the mail. He said volunteers from Catholic Charities request the IRS to send checks for unhoused residents to family members, friends or nearby parishes if they don’t have a bank account set up.

“The IRS has no idea that these people exist,” Shanahan said. “The only way they’re going to learn that they exist for the two payments in 2020 is to actually file an income tax return.”

He said his network has helped file between about 100 to 200 tax returns through the IRS tax return form, known as Form 1040, or a non-filer tax portal for people who don’t qualify for the $12,000 taxpayer threshold during the first two rounds of stimulus. The IRS required tax return submissions for people to receive the third round of stimulus.

At the resource fair, Dornell Graves, a resident at the shelter in Southeast, said he filed his tax return forms three times earlier this year but never received any stimulus.

Graves, who spent the last 40 years in an Arizona penitentiary, said he would use the checks to secure a job and eventually housing after making enough money selling food to locals in the District, hoping to invest in his own startup business.

“If they put a check in there tomorrow, that’s where my check is going to — it’s going to a place where I can lay my head at,” Graves said.

According to federal stimulus data on the American Rescue Plan, the IRS doled out nearly $43,580,000 nationwide through 1.5 million payments as of early June to people earning $10,000 or less each year those with no income. That’s about 11% of the total

cash disbursements across all adjusted gross income levels in the country.

Individuals who didn’t have income data available accounted for an even larger pool of the rollout, totaling nearly 26.3 million payments and more than $38.4 million.

David, another resident of the men’s shelter who declined to share his last name, said he secured his first stimulus check earlier during the pandemic but never received his second and third rounds of checks. He said he tried calling the IRS for assistance but never spoke to a representative after spending two to three hours on hold.

David, who lost his job moving office furniture early in the pandemic, said the stimulus would place him in a much better position to access potential jobs that could continue to improve his financial standing.

“It’s a big difference because if they can help me get some money started it might get me motivated to get a vehicle where I can get around to different jobs,” he said.

To ensure that community members in need of financial support can receive stimulus payments, Shanahan said he wants to purchase a van equipped with computers and printers that volunteers can use to drive around the city to low-income neighborhoods and faith-based communities to offer help with tax filing.

Shanahan said he’s also working to educate the public, especially low-income and immigrant families, about another form of government aid: the child tax credit. He said immigrant families, even those with parents who don’t have a social security number, can still claim $1,400 per child through the government service.

“It’s really trying to reach people to explain to them the opportunity exists in the first place,” he said. “And we keep talking about the digital divide, and this divide is, it’s not digital, it’s just information divide. It’s just that there’s just the difficulty of getting this information in the hands of these families, to let them know about this opportunity to receive cash from the government — well deserved cash.

6 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 5 - 3 1 , 2021

NEWS

WRIT OF

RESTITUTI

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of th

f Columbia

NT BRANCH AND TENA LANDLORD N, O SI VI SUPERIOR COURT OF DI CIVIL THE DISTRICT OF COL UMBIA Civil Division-Landlord and __ __ Tenant Branch __ __ __ th __ __ 510 __ 4 Stree __ t, N.W., Room 110 ____ __ __ __ _ __ ____ington, D.C. 20001 Wash ntiff ______ __________ _____, Plai __________ Telephone: (202) 879-4879 L&T ______ __________ __________ __________ __ __ __ __ ____ __________ vs.

L&T____________________ ________ ___________ ______ ________________________ __________ __ __ __ ____ __ ____ __ ____ vs. __ Plain tiff __ (Lan ____ _, dlord __ ____ __ ) __ ______________________ __ ____ __________ __________ Defendant (Tenant) __________ __________ __ __ APP LICA __ TION __ TO __ REDUCE PAYMENT REQ UIRED TO AVOID EVIC D on of TION saidLand ve possessi shall for The to ha lord filed a Notic plaienttoiffTena s to the Mar e nt of Payment Required te th ta __ e S __ us d ca __ te ____ to Avoid Eviction in this case ____ ni to____, I must pay $_______ __ U y, __ e la __ th de __ t of statin __ ou nt g ____ that, as of (date)____________ ___________ to avoid eviction. I am asking the Cour ED, with reason(s) (Check all__that ____ _ The Preside ____ apply t to review the Notice for the __ ): OMMAND following __________ __________ HEREBY C YOU ARE __________ __________ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __  I believe that __nts listed on ____ amou ________ __________ __Paym the Notice to__ ________the Tenan ____ t of ent Required to Avoid Evict o. ________ _________ __________on the form, because _____ _________ ion are incorrect, as the premises N _________ _______ _______________ _______ date ____________ __________ __ __ _____ __ __ _____ OV __ .G uted it, ___________________________________of_____ __ _____ ec __ TS __ _____ ex _____ __ _______________ ____ ve _____ CO UR __ _____ __ ha _____ __ _________________ DC u _____ __ __ _________________________ yo __ OF r __ __ te _____ af____________________ _____ ly te _________________________ ______ FO RM S CO URTE SY ______________ ia ed m e _____ im th _________________________ _____ _________ rt ed __ ou ut __ C ec is __ ex th __ _________________________ ve to e that the correc __ ha rit __ I believ u w __ yo is __ th w ____ __ n t ho amou nt is: and$________________________.

Retur ______ show when this action. to in as ry ed ve rs co do ugh I agree s re in hi so  , Altho to of g re in rd that I owed the amount listed acco the date he on the Notic__ rent or other costs have come e as__of, the date on the form e days from , my landlord and I disagree due since __ the date __________ seventy-fiv on how much ______ __ on the Notice. and within of y da _ __ __requiring  Thert, __ Land according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s other public health policies that would have been in place at is lord th is me to pay fees that are not Cou id sa of listed e. e on m the Notic dg sa hief Ju le Ctell tracker. We asked Leifheit us moreabout study, the same time as these e.eviction moratoriums were expiring.

Other (explthe e Honorabto ain) ____ ________________________ Witness, th ________________T ________________________ ________________________ ____ COURmight ____ published in the____ American Journal of Epidemiology, and For example, worry that eviction ________ ____________moratoriums ____ THE you __________ ____________________ .

CLERK OF________________________________________ ________________ A.D. 20 __

ourt Superior C

When evictions rose, so did COVID-19

BY SARAH KLEINER Center for Public Integrity

This article was first published on Aug. 13 by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Washington, D.C.

M

ore people died from the COVID-19 virus in places where protection against eviction either didn’t exist or lapsed in 2020, according to new research.

Seven experts from five universities crossreferenced coronavirus cases and deaths with data about where eviction moratoriums existed between March 13 and Sept. 3 of last year.

During that time period, a federal eviction moratorium was in place for a few months, but it only applied to people in certain types of properties, leaving many renters vulnerable.

At the time, states and local governments provided most of the protections for tenants, said Kathryn M. Leifheit, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in health policy and management at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health.

________________________ __________________ ________ what will happen if the eviction moratorium expires before were expiring around the____same time as____ they were reopening ________ ________ ___, I am asking the __________ Ther efore ____ __ __ Cour __ t to deter __ mine __ the correctand $ e amou on ar the nt that heari te widespread rent relief reaches tenants.

I restaurants that could potentially infl uence the association ng shou da date ld have I must bring any witness or to to pay to avoid being evict thing that I want the court ed. I understand that of this case to consider.

Total costs that we’re studying. So what we do is, we include those other ________________________ ________ bia___ Tenant’s Name – Printed of Colum____ ____in ____the ____model ____________ How broad was your study? public health measures to ____ try____ and, best we can, ____as ________ CH the DistrictNANT BRAN Tenant’s Signature rt of ou C TE or D ri ____ ____ AN pe ____ isolate the eviction moratoriums.

RD____________________to Su LO ND ____ LA ___ ________________________ L DIVISION,Tenant’s Address CIVIan ____________________ We studied 44 states that ever had eviction moratorium and Tena__ _ Telephone Number __ nt’s __ iff nt __ ai __ Pl , __ __ ____ __ __ __ __ __ T among those, 27 of the states allowed their moratoriums to __ Did your study fi nd anything related to race and ethnicity __ L& NOTICE OF HEA ________ RING __________ ______the __ __ The expire and 17 maintained moratorium.

So the way we do the or income levels?

Clerk __ will __ please set this application __ vs. for a hearing on ________ and Tenant Cour ________________________ ___ . troom ____ ___ at 10:00 a.m. in the Land ______ study is by comparing those states that their moratoriums ________ lord __lifted __ __ nt __ da __ en ef ____ D __ _, __ __ __ __ __ __ ____ them in place. __________ to the statesNathat We weren’t able to do that in our study, and the major me __kept CERTIFICATE OF SER __ __ __ __ __ VIC E , ed __________ limitation toissu the public health survey data we were using On (date) ________________ on has been Address __ essi poss ____ rit of____ ____, I mailed this appli all,nifto all of the e a w____ directly if the Land D.C. I shcatio causdoes n, at d lord to th le d tit ng lawyers in this case, not an hi have en What did you fi nd? as a e, is that oftentimes the demographic information elawy er, ov below: ov as or to the Landlordlike race listed ab ab e d City: W te th ca in di at in as d th _, 20 ___, u ie __ tif yo __ no by __ by __ ed ____________ __ weren’t well captured, especially early in the cupi __ oc ____ __ ____ es __ and ethnicity ____ is You are here ____ __ em ____ of _____ e pre y ____ any________ on of thNam ove____ ____ the ____ da , rem ________________________ ke possessiwe see rly asuptick id writthen as ea ____ me to taexpire, ____ ____ kday____ After evictioncomoratoriums this steady pandemic. like class are super important in execute saAnd Namthings ________ e wee e to ________an anyAddr mmanding tim ____ y on ____ d __ ee at oc _, pr ess ________________________ iff, 20 __ nt _, ai __ pl e __ th __ ________ ________ in COVID cases time, terms of exposure risk to COVID, but again, a lot of states ____ which makes red bydeaths. It takes a__little ____ __ __ ordeand Addr ess __ ises. day of __ ________________________ of the prem the ____ as these sionthrough lateof sense because in states folks have to the aren’t reporting out that information, so ____ for____ this ssesgo ________ andaaslot ____ study we n and take po eo er th d un ty fothey ultimately might be displaced. er ____ op ____ pr ____ entire eviction process before al weren’t able to break it down, unfortunately. ________ ________________________ person E. C TI O Tenant’s Signa R LAST N IS IS YOUwe But after seven to 10 see a significant increase in I say unfortunately becauseturewe know Black and Latinx renters THweeks, filing of this form will not, ____ 20The , by itself, stop an eviction. __ __ __ cases and deaths. We find these cases deaths ______ could have face disproportionate risk of eviction, so we have every reason ______ __and of ________ _ daykept ______had L been prevented Th if isstates their moratoriums in place. to believe that theTEassociations we see here are particularly S MARSHA ____ ED STA UNIT __________ salient for Black and Latinx families and potentially may have $ e ar te da case to l cost of thiswhat happens when families are Tota Can you walk us through exacerbated disparities in__COVID-19. __ __ __ __ ______ evicted? How does that increase the likelihood of COVID________________________ by __ al sh ar sickness and death?

WhatDepisutyaMsolution to this problem? What steps should politicians be taking to prevent more deaths resulting When you think about COVID specifically, when people get from evictions? evicted, they often don’t have many options about where they go next. They might move in with friends and family, they It was super important that the federal government extend the might move into a shelter. Any of those things increase their eviction moratorium at least to give states time to get rental opportunity for exposure to COVID-19, and it’s going to limit relief out the door and into the hands of the renters who need their ability to socially distance and take the kinds of precautions it. I think that was an important stopgap measure. that in general can prevent the spread of COVID-19.

I think we all know, though, that the federal moratorium is There also are another couple of things that might be going facing a number of threats. So I think it’s important to highlight on. It’s possible that the threat of an eviction leads people the fact that our study shows that local and state protections are to take on work that could involve higher levels of exposure also effective public health measures, so states can be thinking to COVID-19, and another thing we know is that evictions about stepping in and instituting their own moratoriums. and the threat of evictions increase stress levels. In general In the intermediate term, it’s important that we get this when people’s stress levels are higher, their ability to maintain emergency rental assistance out and that we help tenants and immune defenses are lower. landlords settle their debts so that we’re not just kicking the can down the road and pushing this wave of evictions off by How did you reach these conclusions? In layperson’s terms, a couple months at a time. what data did you look at?

In the bigger picture, the research demonstrates that unaffordable housing made the pandemic worse in the U.S. The data on COVID cases and deaths comes from Johns We had this longstanding housing affordability crisis in our Hopkins’ dashboard, which has been monitoring COVID cases country, in which far too many families are unable to afford and deaths throughout the pandemic. We use a policy database their rent, which is why so many people were in the precarious compiled by my co-author Emily Benfer. She’s been working situation where they faced the risk of eviction overnight when with a team of lawyers to determine when these eviction this pandemic hit. And we saw that this economic crisis from moratoriums were going into place at the state and local level.

COVID-19 became a housing crisis, which in turn exacerbated They have an incredibly detailed database that breaks down the health crisis, so there’s this kind of cyclicality between the kinds of protections that were in place. housing and health. It’s a cycle that’s really difficult for lowAnd we also use data compiled by my co-author Julia income families to get out of.

Raifman, who’s been working with a large team to track other Sarah Kleiner is a senior reporter at the Center for Public Integrity. social and public health policies that have been going on during She can be reached at skleiner@publicintegrity.org. Follow her on the pandemic. And the reason we use those data is because we Twitter at @bysarahkleiner. were trying as much as possible to control for or account for filled in by the (Dates to be

9 CV-458/Nov.9

COURTESY OF KATHRYN M. LEIFHEIT VIA CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention enacted a more robust federal eviction moratorium in early September 2020.

Before then, the researchers found 433,700 additional COVID-19 cases and 10,700 excess deaths in places where eviction moratoriums either didn’t exist or lapsed. As of September 2020, there were 6.3 million cases and 193,000 deaths across the country.

“We’re talking about a significant share of those cases and deaths that we found were associated with these expiring moratoriums,” Leifheit said.

Meanwhile, financial assistance has been slow to reach tenants who fell behind on rent because of the pandemic. Nationwide, state leaders set aside at least $2.6 billion from the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund to prop up struggling renters, but a year later, more than $425 million of that — or 16% — hadn’t made it to renters or their landlords, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and The Associated Press.

And less than 20% of the $25 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance allocated in 2021 had been spent as of Aug. 9,

’s Office) U.S. Marshal

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 7

AT A GLANCE

A pilot program offering “flexible subsidies” to DC renters shows promise, report says

BY LIBBY SOLOMON Greater Greater Washington

This article was first published on Aug. 13 by Greater Greater Washington.

In late 2017, D.C. launched a pilot program, D.C. Flex, to try giving families a smaller, more flexible rent subsidy than a standard voucher. Now, a new report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) evaluating the program’s first year has found that it shows promise.

Voucher programs such as HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (colloquially, Section 8) and D.C.’s Local Rent Supplement Program tend to follow the same formula: the tenant rents a unit on the private market, pays a given portion of their income in rent, and the voucher program pays the rest.

But those vouchers are in short supply. D.C.’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, for instance, hasn’t opened its waitlist since 2013. And many other available programs are either short-term (like the Emergency Rental Assistance Program) or designed for people with intensive case management needs (Permanent Supportive Housing).

D.C. Flex was designed to fill a specific gap those other programs don’t address. The program offers households a smaller, or “shallow,” annual subsidy of $7,200 (about half of Housing Choice Voucher annual subsidies in 2017) and allows them to choose how much of it to use throughout the year.

The program was designed for low-income families who have experienced housing instability but currently have employment and housing. The initial participants often had steady, low-paying jobs and were supporting children with an average income of $18,505 per year.

It works like this: Participants get two bank accounts, an escrow account and a checking account. Every year, the escrow account gets $7,200. Every month, enough money is moved from the escrow account to the checking account to cover a full month’s rent for that household.

Then, the household can decide how much money to take out of the account that month (it must be used on rent). One month, a household might have enough cash to cover most of their rent and only take out a few hundred dollars. The next month, they might need the subsidy to cover the whole rent check. Money left over at the end of the year rolls over into

the next; the pilot program lasts four years.

The Lab @ D.C., a District government research arm, worked with the Urban Institute to evaluate the program’s first year, a period ending September 2019. One hundred and two households received subsidies in that period.

The verdict: It’s too soon to tell what effect the program has on long-term housing stability, but the results look promising.

The study selected a group for the program and compared them to a control group. It found that the groups experienced homelessness at similar rates (1.8% for participants, 2% for the control group) in the first year. But researchers wrote that those differences could grow in subsequent years, particularly as one of the main differences between D.C. Flex and other available housing programs is its promise of more long-term assistance.

That stability was a major draw for participants, who had to choose between enrolling in D.C. Flex and using other assistance programs.

“Participants who chose D.C. Flex over rapid rehousing cited the predictability of knowing that they could receive assistance for 4 years as long as they remained eligible and the lack of required case management meetings as major factors in their decision,” the report says.

The $600 per month average subsidy wasn’t always enough to make ends meet for every participant.

“Both participants and stakeholders indicated that the value of the subsidy … was too low for many households with extremely low incomes to afford rent in Washington, D.C.,” the report says. “They recommended either increasing the subsidy amount or allowing participants to use their subsidy in Maryland suburbs with lower rents.”

Still, about a third of participants didn’t use the full $7,200 by the end of the first year. And almost all of the participants researchers surveyed said they were satisfied with the program, according to the report.

Researchers are preparing to study further years of the program, though they caution that the COVID-19 pandemic complicates those findings. So far, they write, the program shows promise and could take on particular importance in a time of financial instability.

“This is the moment for trying and testing flexible subsidies more broadly, and the D.C. Flex program is a promising example of how these programs can be structured,” the researchers wrote.

COURTESY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

BIRTHDAYS Levester Green Aug. 27 ARTIST/VENDOR

Derian Hickman Aug. 28 ARTIST/VENDOR

Queenie Featherstone Aug. 29 ARTIST/VENDOR

Louise Davenport Aug. 31 ARTIST/VENDOR

VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • Aug. 31 is the last day to apply for the open Street Sense Media VPA position • The next Vendor Meeting is this Friday, Aug. 27, 2-3 p.m.

• The Street Sense Media office will be closed Monday, Sept. 6, for Labor Day • Anthony Crawford’s memorial service will be held in the Church of the Epiphany on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 1 p.m.

• Vendors can bring in a complete CDC vaccination card for 15 free papers

8 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 5 - 3 1 , 2021

NEWS

BY WILL SCHICK will@streetsensemedia.org

M

arlena Childs has had enough of conditions at the Kelly Miller complex, a public housing property in LeDroit Park managed by the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA). She’s tired of the bedbugs, the near-constant ringing of fire alarms, the periodic sounds of gunshots that send her careening to the floor. She’s had enough of mice coming in and out of her home — she had caught 83 by June, midway through her third summer in the apartment. To make matters worse, Childs says her building’s boiler releases toxicsmelling fumes, and the stairways throughout the complex don’t have nearly enough railings. She has a disability that makes it hard for her to walk down stairs.

Other residents at DCHA properties expressed similar concerns when they joined Childs in testifying about the conditions of their homes at a July public hearing of the D.C. Council’s Committee on Housing and Executive Administration. Many talked at length about how difficult it is to reach administrators for help with both routine and sudden maintenance needs. For people with disabilities like Childs, navigating DCHA’s complex bureaucracy can be doubly difficult — all the more so because of a lack of accessible housing, according to accounts shared by disability rights advocates and residents of DCHA’s properties.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) notes that, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, entities that receive funding from the federal government may not discriminate against people who have disabilities and must provide them with equal access to programs or activities.

In 1988, the Fair Housing Act expanded those protections to include all housing providers regardless of source of funding.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990, broadened protections for people with disabilities into areas such as employment and education. The landmark law also laid out updated standards for accessibility within government properties.

There are 255 households living in DCHA properties who are waiting for ADA-compliant housing, according to the agency.

For over a month, Street Sense Media and The DC Line attempted to secure an interview with someone at the housing authority to discuss the issue of accessibility in its public housing portfolio. Despite repeated requests by phone and email, DCHA did not agree to an interview for this story, stating at times that the agency’s interim director was the sole person authorized to speak on the record to the media, and at other times that scheduling conflicts prevented anyone from its ADA Section 504 office from doing an interview.

The agency agreed, however, to correspond over email and selectively responded to questions. It did not answer questions related to the number of ADA-accessible units in its current housing inventory, or about how much of the $50 million allocated for housing repairs in D.C.’s fiscal year 2022 capital budget will go toward adding more ADA-accessible units.

Housing and disability rights advocates have long faulted DCHA for a lack of responsiveness to requests for information as well as to residents’ needs. The failings, they say, make it

even more difficult for people with disabilities and seniors to live in public housing as well as to navigate the system itself.

People with disabilities have a right to ‘reasonable accommodations’ Approximately 1 out of 4 people in the United States has a disability, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abby Volin, an attorney adviser with the D.C. Office of Disability Rights, said it’s not only important to understand that people with disabilities encompass a large range of people; it’s also critical that they themselves know their rights and how to assert them.

Under ADA and other federal laws such as the Fair Housing Act, people with disabilities are supposed to be afforded what are known as “reasonable accommodations.”

The term “reasonable accommodations” is not specific to housing and can encompass any form of assistance that is meant to help ensure that a person with a disability can participate in an activity or program just like anyone else. This includes a person’s ability to access a public space or their job and place of work.

“The point of the ADA and reasonable accommodations is not to bump somebody higher in the line. It’s to help them get in the line to make sure that they have equal access to the programs, activities, [and] services — just as anyone else does — and to prevent discrimination,” Volin said.

In housing, the term generally refers to the modifications made to a property that make life easier for the person living there. For instance, a reasonable accommodation for a person with a mobilityrelated disability could include the installation of grab bars next to a toilet or the conversion of a shower into a roll-in shower.

While these accommodations do not eliminate the need for homes that meet the full set of federally established standards for accessibility, they may make homes more habitable for people who have disabilities. An ADA-accessible home for someone who uses a wheelchair, for instance, would also have lower cabinets and countertop surfaces.

In data shared with Street Sense Media and The DC Line, DCHA said the oldest pending request it has for an ADAaccessible unit dates to March 31, 2010. HUD guidelines require public housing authorities to supply a sufficient number of accessible units to provide equal access to dwellings for all people seeking housing assistance. In the absence of fully accessible units, housing authorities like DCHA are charged with making reasonable accommodations as needed.

But, as the agency pointed out in an emailed statement, “DCHA’s aging portfolio does not include a sufficient number of readily available units to respond to the full demand for approved reasonable accommodations.”

That lack of accessible housing has led, in some cases, to people waiting years upon years for resolution of their requests to move into suitable public housing or relocate to a new unit or building.

DCHA’s “Moving to Work”annual planning document for FY 2022 shows a combined total of 72,136 households waiting for housing on lists that have been closed for years. In a June budget oversight hearing, DCHA reported having 1,800 vacant

PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

Navigating public housing is especially difficult for seniors and people with disabilities properties, amounting to about 20% of its portfolio. The agency’s interim director, Brenda Donald, said 614 of these units were “not rentable” due to poor conditions. Donald also said 357 of the 1,800 vacant units were being left vacant intentionally so they would be available to accommodate families who need to move while DCHA rehabilitates other properties.

Those already in public housing may request ADA-accessible units. Some people who have been offered the option to live in properties that are ADA-accessible have preferred to stay in their already modified units, but remain on the waiting list in case a more suitable unit becomes available. In an email, the housing authority said 22 of its 255 pending requests for ADA-accessible units are from residents living in such units.

A lawsuit filed in 2013 by the nonprofit Deaf-REACH alleged the agency repeatedly violated provisions of the Fair Housing Act and the ADA by failing to provide hearing-impaired participants in its program with access to an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter when accessing services. The case was settled in 2015, and DCHA agreed to require all of its employees to undergo disability rights training. Another lawsuit filed against the city in 2013 cited similar complaints that people with disabilities, including public housing residents, had not received legally required assistance. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and the city’s appeal was denied.

DCHA-managed properties rank among the lowest in the country Even as DCHA has modified the homes of some families who have members with disabilities, the agency suffers from an even broader problem: Public housing properties managed by DCHA rank lower than those of almost every other state and territory in the U.S., garnering an overall average inspection score of 68 out of 100, according to the latest data. Nearly one-third of public housing properties in D.C. score below 59, which designates them as “troubled,” according to HUD. The lowest score in D.C. is Hopkins Apartments, a property located at 1000 K St. SE, which scored 26 out of 100 during an inspection in

Some of the buildings at Kentucky Courts are not readily accessible to people who rely on a wheelchair or stroller to get around.

PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

2019. Property conditions determine how often the buildings are supposed to be inspected. While troubled properties are supposed to be reinspected every year, properties scoring over 90 are due for reinspection only every three years.

The HUD data shows that nearly all physical inspections of public properties across the country stopped in March of 2020.

Inspections resumed nationally this past June, according to HUD. But that data is not yet available, and the last inspections recorded for the District are from November and December of 2019.

The poor and sometimes dilapidated condition of public housing in the nation’s capital is a problem familiar to D.C. officials, who have long talked about the need to make improvements. DCHA has identified about $405 million worth of public housing repairs needed over the next six years. In the capital budget recently approved for FY 2022, the agency received $50 million for repairs.

At a June public hearing of the Committee on Housing and Executive Administration, At-large Councilmember Anita Bonds said it costs nearly $100,000 to bring a single vacant unit in disrepair back online.

Still, other members of the D.C. Council have expressed frustration with what they describe as DCHA’s lack of transparency and cited a need for greater oversight of the agency’s spending.

In recent council budget deliberations, At-large Councilmember Elissa Silverman tried reinstituting a rule that would require board approval for spending on projects in excess of $250,000.

The measure, she argued, was needed to ensure accountability over what she described as the agency’s hard-to-track spending.

Silverman was ultimately unable to garner enough support, with Council Chair Phil Mendelson warning the change might slow down the pace of needed repairs.

Inside the struggles of seniors who try to navigate housing in DC Gwendolyn Washington, an attorney with the Legal Counsel for the Elderly, said in an interview that seniors and people who have disabilities have been waiting years for accessible public housing units. Meanwhile, she added, seniors and other residents of DCHA properties have also contended with unsafe living conditions, including “severe mold.”

“I’ve heard concerns about the lack of maintenance or repairs … for a few years now. But it sounds like more and more units are in a more deteriorated state. And we’ve got to come up with the resources to improve this,” Bonds said during a June budget oversight hearing of the Committee on Housing and Executive Administration, which she chairs.

“This issue about ADA units is a very important issue that we have to look at,” Bonds said in response to Washington’s testimony about the waiting list for ADA-compliant units that day. Bonds then asked about the possibility of identifying ADAcompliant units on the open market as a way to meet the demand.

Washington said this option might work if DCHA offered vouchers for open market ADA-compliant units to those who are waiting for them.

Washington, who says she has a handful of clients waiting for an accessible home, described the lack of accessible public

housing as a serious problem within the District and called for more DCHA funding to go toward rehabilitating the 1,000-plus vacant units in the agency’s portfolio.

The scarcity of public housing, Washington argues, mirrors the District’s overall shortfall of affordable housing, an issue that disproportionately impacts seniors and people with disabilities.

Seniors account for one-third of all extremely low-income renters in D.C., according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Many are on fixed incomes and rely on Social Security payments to make ends meet, Washington noted.

“We’ve seen seniors who are spending as much as 90% of their income on rent. And so [for them], it becomes a choice between medication and food, or rent,” she said, adding that the soaring cost of housing has far exceeded many retirees’ original expectations as well as any cost-of-living adjustments they have received.

“These seniors may … never have imagined when they were working in 1979 that their rent would come to a place where it is now,” she said.

Washington added that many seniors living in buildings subject to rent control are not even aware of the D.C. program that allows them to restrict their rent increases to 2% a year after they turn 62.

// 9

HUD physical inspection scores for properties managed by DCHA

Silence can be discouraging Tiffani Johnson, a Ward 4 advisory neighborhood commissioner and rights and advocacy specialist for the D.C. Department of Disability Services, echoed Washington’s concerns. She says many of her clients who have disabilities face obstacles when trying to navigate the public housing system, even with the help of legal professionals.

“I have a client now that I’m assisting, she’s gotten nowhere with DCHA,” Johnson explained. “I’ve got a [law degree] and her daughter is a paralegal, and all we get is crickets.”

Johnson says that the problem is compounded by the severe lack of ADA-compliant public housing available to people who need it.

“I mean we’re still consistently seeing applications [for ADA units] being submitted, but no one’s moving anywhere,” Johnson said.

Based on her 15 years as a disability rights advocate in D.C., Johnson said that DCHA has always been a notoriously difficult agency to work with, taking a long time to respond to any requests for assistance.

“You have to, you know, consistently, email, email, email, call, call, call before you get a response to even one question.

So, I mean it makes it very, very frustrating and confusing,” Johnson said.

That lack of responsiveness places some seniors and people with disabilities in dire straits, Johnson added.

“People get tired, you know? … So they just give up and they end up sleeping in an encampment or doing couch rotations with their friends and neighbors,” she said. “And that’s no way to live.”

Ronny Goodman, a 64-year-old D.C. resident who uses a stroller to walk and is on a fixed income, agreed with Johnson’s assessment.

Though Goodman is not seeking a spot in public housing, he says he’s long struggled with looking for stable housing for himself. He’s spent the past few months looking for an apartment to rent. But the process has been harder than he imagined.

“I can’t come up with the cash to pay for the application,” he explained.

Goodman said the application fee for the last apartment he looked at cost $92. And at another place he visited, it was $50.

Either way, it’s a big chunk of his monthly income, which he estimates at about $740.

He says he spends some nights with friends who live in public housing and other nights at nearby hotels. Goodman said that it’s not always easy for people his age to bring up issues or problems they’re having.

For one, “you got old people who don’t complain because they don’t know,” he said. And secondly, “they ain’t got anybody to do nothing for them,” he said.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

Data courtesy of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

TABLE BY WILL SCHICK

1 0 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 5 - 3 1 , 2021

OPINION

What it’s really like to be homeless

BY DONTÉ TURNER

Being homeless is a hassle.

For one, you might not always know where you will get your next meal from; whether it will be from the soup kitchen, Meals on Wheels, or whether the organizations we rely on are closed. Then you have those such as myself, who want meals that are worth eating. I know some people think folks like me should be grateful to have anything to eat, which is a fact. Any human being, however, would not want to keep eating the same thing over and over.

Before you say “Get a job,” you have to give us equal opportunity instead of judging, entrapping and discriminating against us. Businesses and non-profit organizations lie to the world and the Lord. You make these commercials that state you need help and would love for people to join your team, and that the doors are open to anyone who qualifies.

What a joke!

From my understanding, if you’re not attractive, or if you’re not a certain color, you’re out of luck. That’s

why some people are homeless -- because they’d rather die in the streets before they sell their souls to the devil.

Some of us still have morals and would not give that up for any amount of money.

We also get hassled trying to use the restrooms.

Businesses deny us service and try to make us pay to use the restrooms. We’ve been cursed at, had our rights violated, been yelled at, harassed, threatened, and worse.

We can’t go into certain places like libraries because they made a policy about the number and the size of bags we can and can’t bring in. That was intended for us specifically. Then they tell us we can’t go to sleep or we’ll be put out -- even in places where others sit down, like Whole Foods, Safeway, and Starbucks.

We don’t have enough port-o-potties and wash stations to wash our hands. Workers do not attend to them. The port-o-potties are overflowing with filth because they aren’t cleaned regularly, and the portable wash stations aren’t refilled.

The shelters are dangerous and dirty. There aren’t many places to sleep, wash clothes, take showers and things our tax dollars are supposed to be spent on. When we complain about it to the city, nothing happens. I’m not saying they’re not doing anything about it, but we see no results.

Hospitals and first responders have even denied us treatment, misdiagnosed our ailments, and violated our HIPAA rights.

According to the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, the city is supposed to give us two weeks’ notice before they destroy our property, but they don’t. They never have. I’ve noticed this even before

I started living on the streets. They “raid” tents. City workers will approach homeless citizens and tell them that they have to vacate the premises and whatever they can’t take with them will be disposed of. What’s the use of an oath if you don’t uphold it?

Homeless citizens like me have phones through the EBT/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but are unable to charge them because libraries, restaurants, and parks decide that they want to shut the power off so we don’t use the outlet, or cover and bolt the outlets so that we can’t use them. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library especially shouldn’t deny access to power. Some of us have medical appointments, case management appointments, court appointments, and psychiatrist appointments to arrange. We are also tax paying citizens. Our tax dollars helped put those outlets there.

The mayor says that there’s opportunity for us all, but where are they?

The president and the mayor adress all types of situations, from gay rights to abortion. But they don’t address how we homeless citizens are being robbed and lied to, sexually assaulted, falsely imprisoned, and most of all, how doors are being shut in our faces. But these are the same people who swore to American citizens that “all'' would be treated fairly.

Why aren’t we getting fair treatment and the opportunity the Constitution states that we’re entitled to? Where’s our help? Where’s our justice?

Donté Turner is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Those who won’t get vaccinated are making life harder for everyone else

The long wait for housing

I had to call in sick on Aug. 3 because I wasn’t feeling well.

I went to see my doctor that day, thinking I might have food poisoning after eating dinner with my cousin who I haven’t seen in-person in years. He came to D.C. to march with the Poor People’s Campaign on Aug. 2, because he was the marshal of the rally with Rev. Jesse Jackson and a few hundred other folks. All were from Chicago, Illinois.

The weekend before he came in, Mayor Muriel Bowser mandated all residents wear face masks again, regardless of whether you are fully vaccinated or not! Covid-19 cases were rising in D.C. as the delta variant arrived.

Why would she do that when they have lifted all travel restrictions regardless of whether people are vaccinated?

The D.C. Department of Health says anyone diagnosed with Covid-19, experiencing symptoms, or in close contact with those who are should quarantine before traveling. But that’s not enforceable. So why is Mayor Bowser continuing to allow tourism and rallies back in the city? It’s really defeating the purpose of wearing a mask while community spread is on the rise.

Shut down the city again! Or require vaccinated people to show proof before they can sightsee or hold rallies in the city, which won't pan out well.

The CDC has to stop flip-flopping on masks for people who are fully vaccinated, and people who aren’t immunized should wear a mask or get the damn shot!

Since the 1950s, every child born in the U.S. has had to

My first time applying for housing, I was 18 and in foster care. The process was very long, with lots of paperwork. Sign here, sign there. There were meetings for permanent housing and Section 8 vouchers. It can take a while to hear anything.

I was young and in and out of jail, so I never stayed still long enough at the time to follow-up and update my paperwork for housing.

The year is now 2021 and yes, I’m taking housing seriously because my health has been declining during cold winter seasons. Now I’m working with Catholic Charities on getting permanent supportive housing. It seems like it can get done by working with a support staffer and updating paperwork.

I am hopeful. But I’m doubtful, too, because of the process. It’s a waiting game.

BY AIDA PEERY

be vaccinated. A child can’t go to any private, public, or charter school unless they are up to date with their shots, and the same should go for adults.

Our government is following CDC recommendations.

It’s taxing everyone’s nerves, including mine -- especially since just two weeks ago, vaccinated people didn’t have to wear masks at all.

People, to beat this virus head-on, everyone needs to be vaccinated. I have a family member who lives in Washington state and is fully vaccinated but has to stay inside her home for 10 days because she tested positive. It could be a false positive, or a “breakthrough case” that would have been much worse if she hadn’t gotten the shot. The experts at the CDC aren’t gods with special powers. They are scientists who collect data to protect the public from getting the virus.

I have another family member that tried to get the shot and was told she needs to speak with her primary doctor first. Her doctor said that because of the medication she takes to stay alive, the vaccine would be useless if she had gotten it. She got a note from her doctor! But people who self-diagnose or don’t listen to their doctor can’t get an official exception like that.

Get the shot, please. So many lives depend on it. We all can beat this virus together!

Aida Peery is a vendor program associate, artist, and vendor with Street Sense Media.

BY MARCUS MCCALL

It can take a while to hear anything.

Marcus McCall is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 11

ART

Thank you, Doctors

BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE // Artist/Vendor

Just Breathe

D = Dedicated O = Outstanding C = Careful T = Truthful O = Optimistic

BY KYM PARKER // Artist/Vendor

Listening to the silence Feeling one and knowing God is love Just breathe We say it all the time The doctor says it when a woman is giving birth

R = Reliable

We all understand when that feeling comes

S = Sincere

Just breathe

Breathe Feel the breath of God’s love in us Just breathe

PHOTO BY GORDON CHAFFIN

Joy

BY DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor PHOTO COURTESY OF MYRIAM-ZILLES ON UNSPLASH.COM

Covid - Delta Variant

BY MARCUS MCCALL // Artist/Vendor

Hey, we are not out of the clear yet. There are plenty of people that need to take the shot. I have taken the COVID-19 shots; my first was May 17, 2021 (Pfizer). My second dose was June 7, 2021.

Vaccinated! I want people to take this seriously. D.C. reports that almost 1,200 residents have died from COVID-19. There are about 400,000 residentsfully vaccinated.

The Delta variant impacted the Olympic Games. This strain is stronger than its first one. I know a lot of people that don’t want the shot. So, I’m not arguing over who should get it and why. I don’t have time to go back and forth with health information. My city is heavy on mask mandates. I believe if the city goes back on lockdown, everyone is going to run and take them shots. Delta variant has takenlives already. Pease take the shot. Do it for your kids or your friends.Whoever you do it for, Just do it, please.

PART ONE

Joy? My joy comes from going to church on Sunday.

And my other joy comes from my girlfriend Sybil Taylor when we sell our Street Sense papers on 19th St NW. And the word “Joy” reminded me of the word happiness.

And some turkey brings joy, too, on Thanksgiving Day every year.

And Christmas brings joy to my good friend Thomas who works for us at the Street Sense office.

And at last we love our writer group shop teacher, Thomas.

PART TWO

You know real joy come within a person’s soul.

Now I get my joy selling my Street Sense papers on 19th St NW. You know that Chris is one of my best friends on19th St NW. Why? Because he gave me $20 for one Street Sense newspaper.

Now, sometimes me and Sybil love to sell our Street Sense newspapers to all kinds of races.

Daniel and Sybil said that makes us real happy when we work together.

Now, I’ve been selling Street Sense for almost 10 years.

So, keep up your head out there Daniel P. Ball.

And, Thomas, keep on having your writer group every Wednesday, and may God bless us both.

1 2 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G . 2 5 - 3 1 , 2021

ART

Children reading Street Sense Came from where I’m from

BY DARLESHA JOYNER Artist/Vendor

It saddened me yesterday and also hurts me to see my friends in a tent and hear my friends’ experiences. It is dangerous for the women staying in the shelter and on the street. Women are being abused, raped, and violated as they sleep. Maybe I’ll invest in a 20-person tent. I just can’t wait to get a house, something bigger to get people off the street.

I’m ready to get a tent. I want to chill with my friends sometimes or be outside with them in general for a couple of hours. I want my friends to know I am here for them and I support them. I am no different from you. Never forget where you come from.

BY RONALD SMOOT Artist/Vendor

I would encourage parents to buy a copy of Street Sense because their children will learn a lot about what’s going on in their D.C. streets. Not only that COVID is killing our people, but also that gun violence has been killing people in our streets for a long time, since I was a kid. I learned not to be around those people that like to play with guns. The kids will learn to pick good people around so they can have a better life. How should we process these tragedies for our kids in our community? I had a few children buy my paper on Wisconsin Avenue and they told me that they enjoy the paper because they can learn something. I told them, “Thank you for being a good friend.” They liked the puzzles and games.

Some of these children will be good family members.

So, please keep reading Street Sense and you will learn a lot. Thank you.

The Struggle

BY REGINALD SCOTT Artist/Vendor

The struggle is real. I know there are people who know how I feel. The struggle is pain from family, friends, and the street. In the end, I end up getting beat. The struggle of trying to live and survive breaks my spirit and I feel I want to die. The struggle makes me cry and wonder why, why me lord, when all I do is try. The struggle of life isn’t a joke because of homelessness and being broke.

The struggle is real and no one hears it, so I count on my highest spirit. The struggle has me here for a purpose. I need to stay strong because I’m worth it. I will beat the struggle and not let the struggle beat me. Amen.

My experience applying for housing

BY AMIA WALKER Artist/Vendor

At the time I felt that I was not homeless if I had a clean and stable roof over my head. I lived with friends. Then, an associate I encountered told me that if I don’t have a lease, I am considered homeless. They suggested that I apply for help through housing assistance. I responded, “I’m healthy to work with no children nor disability. How will I qualify to just apply?”

I literally went and stayed in a shelter to get my name on the waiting list. The agency reached out after six months. I gathered all my required documents. Every morning at 5 a.m. I got myself dressed and prepared for apartment searching. It didn’t take long for me, because I had compiled a list of apartments while I was waiting. Once the voucher came through, I found one quickly.

PHOTO BY GORDON CHAFFIN

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Tread the Waters, Part 38

// 1 3

Tea and water

BY AYUB ABDUL // Artist/Vendor

BY GERALD ANDERSON // Artist/Vendor

This is what you do to me.

You make my body yearn to be with you.

So powerful are the cravings.

I must obey your every whim.

Like the water away from tea.

I’m nothing without you but tea waiting for the water.

So I can come alive.

Once our eyes will meet, the earth will shake, and our hearts won’t ever grow weary again.

The sunny sun will smile, and the moon will cry tears of joy.

As our bodies shall touch and hunger, as our thirst is quenched from the boiling water inside you.

Which allows the real aroma of the tea to filtrate our hearts.

When we were last with Gerald in New Orleans, he was rolling with his two closest friends, Greg and Minew, at his side...

Greg and Minew clink-clink, cause Greg a trigger man too. What I mean trigger man, he trigger happy. He bust you up.

When we all sit out and we talk, when we all get high, all of us reach for the gun and set ‘em out on our lap. Play with them, twirl them around. Crazy.

You might have a .9, you might have a .30, you might have a .44.

But we all ready. ‘Cause you can’t really trust nobody. That’s how fully the drug have your mind blinded. Even your own friends.

Like I say, Minew and Greg, couldn’t stop ‘em.

What I mean by couldn’t stop ‘em, don’t care what I say. Even though they suppose to respect me, they gonna do what they wanna do. That’s how dirty the game was.

We always listen to Run DMC, LL Cool J, the Fat Boys. Run was our man. And Erick B. & Rakim. That’s the shit that used to make us go crazy, me, Minew, and Greg.

But I’ll tell you some stuff that used to make us go real crazy. NWA, Straight Outta Compton, N**** With Attitude. Not calling nobody no ni***, but when N*** With Attitude came out, that was the hit there.

The music used to...not make us do it, exactly. But, it carried us with heart, gave us that motivation.

The main thing I used to want to tell people: stop being afraid of us.

That’s what make us do what we do.

Don’t be afraid. Whatever you doing, never be afraid of a robber. If he’s gonna rob you, he’s gonna rob you. When you show fear, that’s going to make him rob you. You don’t show no fear, he might not rob you.

Gerald Anderson’s first book, “Still Standing: how an ex-con found salvation in the floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHIRLEY TITTERMARY ON UNSPLASH.COM

TO: Frederic John, Street Sense Paper RE: ‘My buddy, my boss: The Unforgettable Jackie Mason’ My wife Sarah picked up a copy of Street Sense at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market this past Sunday in Washington, DC. We read your article several times, and it brought back many wonderful memories of our first planned date when we went to see Jackie Mason on Broadway in 1998. He was very funny. It was great fun, and we loved it. During the Covid lockdown last year we got to see some of his old Broadway shows again on Netflix. He was a one of a kind, and he could adlib better than anyone.

We both worked in NYC in the 80’s. Sarah was a graphic artist back in the days of typesetting, color separations, paste up and seemingly impossible deadlines. I was a printing salesman working with publishers, including some of her clients. The whole industry was crazy and fun in those days before the digital revolution. After reading your article we each started telling stories about NYC, that neighborhood, and the then vibrant marketplace of the printing and publishing industry. The reminiscing and stories of our lives and early dating made for a wonderful day.

We got married at City Hall in NYC and just celebrated our 31st anniversary.

I’m glad you’re still in the business, I wish I was. We both miss it.

Thanks for the memories, Rick and Sarah Cheetham Falls Church, VA PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY SIKKEMA ON UNSPLASH.COM

I love God

BY JACKIE TURNER // Artist/Vendor

Think about how the world was created. Its diversity of animals and people. The beauty of the flowers, the trees, and the green life.

And let’s not forget. the remarkable array of fish and all the other ocean life. The sun.

The moon. The stars. The solar system.

Could any human or any machine make all these things? No! Only God could. It doesn’t come better than that.

1 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G . 2 5 - 3 1, 2021

OnlineCrosswords.net This is the Daily Crossword Puzzle #3 for Aug 24, 2021

FUN & GAMES

Find the solution at https://onlinecrosswords.net/6978

Across Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 17, Book 49

Sudoku #3 8 2

1

9 3 2 4 8 1 5 6 5 3 7 6 2 4 8 7 9 6 1 7 5 2 © 2019 KrazyDad.com

Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 17, Book 49

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each Sudoku #2 all of the digits 1 thru 9.

3-by-3 block contain

7 use 1 logic 4 you 2 can8 solve 9 the 5 puzzle 6 3 If you without guesswork.

9 a 6little help?

7 shows 8 2a logical order to solve the puzzle.

5 3 The1 hints 4 page Need Use it to identify the next square you should solve.>>OrThis use the answers page crossword 3 get 8 stuck.

5 6 7 4 9 1 2 really if you 4 7 1 9 3 8 5 6 1 4 3 2 9 8 7 1 4 7 6 9 5 9 3 4 2 6 8 2 7 5

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

8

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

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

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

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

8

9

9 5

4 1 7 3 8

6 2

4

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

puzzle’s answers: https://tinyurl. com/SSMcross-08-25-2021

<< LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION

H. L. Mencken suffers from the hallucination that he is H. L. Mencken -- there is no cure for a disease of that magnitude.

-- Maxwell Bodenheim

3

Across 1. Hurried off 1. Hurried off5. "Told ya!"

5. “Told ya!”8. Maintained 8. Maintained14. Visiting Kenya, maybe 14. Visiting Kenya, maybe 16. Stick (to) 16. Stick (to)17. "The Winner Within" coach/author 17. “The Winner Within” coach/author18. Sharp pain 19. Toronto-to-Ottawa dir.

18. Sharp pain 20.

Viper'sdir. weapon 19. Toronto-to-Ottawa 22. Born earlier 20. Viper’s weapon 23. Most profound 22. Born earlier 25. ___ about (lawyer's 23. Most profound phrase) 25. ___ about (lawyer’s phrase) 27. Dexterous 27. Dexterous28. "Don't tell me ..."

28. “Don’t tell me ...” book 32.

Picture 32. Picture book 35. Ballroom maneuver 35. Ballroom36. maneuver Chaotic situations 36. Chaotic situations 37. Potato salad ingredient, 37. Potato salad ingredient, maybe maybe 38.

Spin docs, and puzzle 38. Spin docs, and puzzle theme 39. Distance theme runner Budd 39. Distance runner Budd 40. Tree spray Tree spray 41. Aberdeen40. toppers 41.

Aberdeen toppers 1. Had faith Down 42. Mill product?

31. Romanov ruler 42.

Mill product?

43. Cabinetry wood 2. Devoid intelligence 32. Sistine 1. of Had faith 42. Palmeiro at first 15. Happy hour Chapel figure 43. Cabinetry wood 2.of Devoid of intelligence 21. Dudley 44. Pointed beard and Roger Wallace 45. Pin cushion?

3. Lauder cosmetics 33. Philanthropist 45. Pin cushion?

3. Lauder of org. cosmetics 45. First name in talk TV 24. Star "Emperor 46. Fruit bowl selection 4. Patriotic women’s 34.ofYawn-inducing 46. Fruit bowl selection Jones" 35. Hypnotic state 47. Light color?

Patriotic 47. “Don’t hold back!”

5. In the4. best shape women's 47. "Don't hold back!"

26. Former senator Sam 48. TV exec Arledge 51. Euripides51. tragedy 6. Ain’t org. correct?

38. School orgs.

Euripides tragedy of Georgia 5.

In the best shape 54. ___ living54. ___ living (bring home 7. Lone Ranger cry 42. Palmeiro at first 49. "The stage ___" 28. "Delicious!"

Ain't correct? (bring homethe the bacon) bacon) 8. Krazy6.critter 44. Pointed beard 50. "We hold ___ truths 29. Gloom's partner 7. Lone Ranger cry 56. City in Kyrgyzstan 9.

1994 Martin Landau film 45. First name in talk..."

TV 56. City in Kyrgyzstan 30. ___ contendere 8. Krazy critter 51. Inedible Apples 57. Big record label 10. “The Scooter,” to baseball fans 47. Light color?

57.

Big record label 31. Romanov ruler 9. 1994 Martin Landau 52. QED's middle 59. 1963 NL59.

Rookie theRookie Year of the 11. Be inclined 48. TV exec Arledge 1963ofNL 32. Sistine Chapel figure 53. Animated Fred's pet film Year 61. Used a birchbark craft 12. Impulse 49. “The stage ___” 55. NYPD alerts 33. Philanthropist 10. "The Scooter," to 61. Used a birchbark craft 62. Direct routes 13. Jury baseball box member 50. “We hold ___ truths Wallace fans 58. ...”

Personal items?

Direct routes 63. Some are62. precious 15. Happy hour 51.

Inedible Apples 34. Yawn-inducing 11. Be inclined 60. Crater's edge 63. once Somehosted are precious 64. NBC show by 21. Dudley Roger 52. QED’s 35. Hypnotic statemiddle 12.and Impulse 64.

NBC show once hosted Al Gore 24. Star 13. of “Emperor Jones” 53. Animated Fred’s pet 38. School orgs.

Jury box member

by Al Gore 65. Ration (out) 26. Former senator Sam of Georgia 55. NYPD alerts 65. Ration (out)

Down

28. “Delicious!”

29. Gloom’s partner 30. ___ contendere

58. Personal items?

60. Crater’s edge

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

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SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

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

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

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

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

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

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D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV,

cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

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

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-888-793-4357

Laundry Lavandería

samaritanministry.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further information visit our online service guide: StreetSenseMedia.org/ service-guide

// 1 5

HELP! WE’RE LOOKING FOR

volunteers Become a Street Sense Media volunteer and help further our mission to empower people experiencing homelessness.

Get to know the vendors and make a difference in their lives and yours!

You’ll support hard-working newspaper vendors by volunteering your time, four hours a week, distributing newspapers at the Street Sense Media office.

If interested, please contact Thomas Ratliff thomas@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x103)

Vanessa, I will always love you...

8/19/21

I was told about an arrest made and I still want information It’s like being there, but I wasn’t

PHOTO BY SASHA WILLIAMS

I am thankful for the results of this investigation but I am still lost

O

n July 10, my sister Vanessa was murdered. It was shocking. I found out when I woke up the next day to see social media posts about her. One video had already been seen 30,000 times. It’s been an emotional roller coaster. No one should have to bury their sister. I wrote the following reflections as the situation developed and my family grieved.

I write ‘cause it’s my voice for my sister. I write because that’s how I am dealing with this situation.

7/21/21 Another sister and I was going to meet with MPD at 1 p.m.

It was 10 days after Vanessa’s tragic murder Before the meeting, I was trying to figure out a picture for the reward letter But before we even got to the police station, I received a text from the investigator, Tony: Call ASAP I called at 12:59 p.m. and was told he had to reschedule, the arrest was made for my sister’s case, so I took the news to my loved ones…

“It was exhilarating,” is what I told my mom I really want it to be an accurate arrest for justice Is this what it feels like to have justice?

It’s a mix of emotions in over a week’s time….

“Whoa” is what I say about the mayor.

She ain’t playing with D.C. Crime Lab I am hoping that the person charged takes full responsibility But the damage is done She ain’t coming back Yes, it’s bittersweet She definitely deserves justice I wish she was protected I wish I would have protected her Vanessa was brave and strong, and she lived life on her terms I am inspired to be calm and to keep pushing, and to live my life the best I can I don’t know if I can deal with what’s to come I want to make it through so much…

I have done it before But this is different; it hits differently This is still a devastating blow Being honest about this reality is, for me, courage to face everything I do get sad, but overall her soul is living She did not deserve that at all; I don’t care what the excuse is I question happiness in this situation, it’s tainted I was told about how she died, how it happened but no details leading up to the event It’s like being there, but I wasn’t

BY SASHA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor

I am being honest and calm I chose to deal with all the good and bad better than I dealt with situations in the past I am first and foremost thankful to the Universe and my ancestors to be able to help me deal and make things happen that I won’t understand…

Protection and guidance for the souls My sister is more than the 101st homicide in DC this year She had humor, she was a diva, a spectacular hair stylist, She loved to celebrate and enjoyed going to parties….

Daughter, mom, sister, woman….

She ain’t go down without a fight

I didn’t think I could make it with everything going on.

Like, flashback to my granddaddy’s funeral and him being buried in Quantico It was the flag salute — that was my first funeral, but I will never forget how it was being hit with different emotions.

So now with this past month and on….

The present may be that I didn’t see her, with it being a closed casket It’s definitely a hard hit She was taken and it was not her time…

Reality speaking: We were robbed I don’t know how I am getting through these days Other than wanting to be strong and live my life to its fullest knowing that her soul is living on It hit different to know the way she left, like seeing what happened but not being there

Her candlelight vigil is July

Dang…

“My sister is more than the 101st homicide in DC this year.”

8/8/2021 Getting myself together for a memorial dinner I am excited to pick a new hairstyle…

I am for the bonnets, my baby niece likes it too, maybe because the colors or flowers I can’t... But I am burying my sister Aug. 14 Rest In Power (RIP), Vanessa

8/10/2021 It will be a month tomorrow Waking up everyday knowing that my sister is….

Well her soul lives on She is my beloved Vanessa To be honest, I can bury you and it is not real Knowing your soul has left the body It still is a rough ordeal….

I am emotional

PHOTO BY EBONI WILLIAMS, MY DAUGHTER

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

From your vendor, AUG. 25 - 31, 2021 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 30 NO CASH? NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN APP! SEARCH “STREET SENSE” IN THE APP STORE

The pain is also physical Let’s talk about irrational It’s f****** with my mental…

WWW.INSP.NGO

I still am up and down That’s just me in general I have to own….

4 million

My feelings…. Own it Reality…. Own it But you’re free I see….

Your name means butterfly But the difference now is you’re an angel with wings….

READERS

PHOTO BY SASHA WILLIAMS

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