09 07 2016

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Volume 13: Issue 22 September 7 - 20, 2016

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Ward 3 Residents Sue to Block Shelter

Prisoners’ Art Showcased at the Kennedy Center

Community Land Trusts Tackle Affordable Housing in D.C.

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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Margaret Chapman, Max Gaujean, Margaret Jenny, Robyn Kerr, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Annika Toenniessen, Martin Totaro, Anne Willis EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero SALES & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jeffrey Gray VENDOR & SALES MANAGER Josh Maxey COORDINATOR OF EVENTS & AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT Dani Gilmour INTERNS Elli Bloomberg, Jerome Dineen, Robyn Di Giacinto, Cassidy Jensen, Anna Riley WRITERS GROUP LEADERS Donna Daniels, Susan Orlins, Willie Schatz EDITORIAL BOARD Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL & PAPER SALES VOLUNTEERS Jane Cave, Cheryl Chevalier, Nathalia Cibotti, Pat Geiger, Roberta Haber, Mary Henkin, Karen Houston, Erum Jilani, Leonie Peterkin, Hannah Northey, Jesselyn Radack, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman, Eugene Versluysen, Alex Zielinski VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aida Basnight, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Melanie Black, Phillip Black Jr., Maryann Blackmon, Viktor Blokhine, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Joan Bryant, Elizabeth Bryant, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Conrad Cheek, Aaron Colbert, Anthony Crawford, Walter Crawley, Kwayera Dakari, James Davis, Clifton Davis, Charles Davis, David Denny, James DeVaughn, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Charles Eatmon, Deana Elder, Julie Ellis, Jemel Fleming, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Tyrone Hall, Richard Hart Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Jerry Hickerson, Ray Hicks, Sol Hicks, Rachel Higdon, Ibn Hipps, Leonard Hyater, Joseph Jackson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Harold Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Linda Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Juliene Kengnie, Kathlene Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, John Littlejohn, James Lott, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, Jimmy M. Ken Martin, Joseph Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Authertimer Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Jermale McKnight, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Cecil More, L. Morrow, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parkin, Lucifer Potter, Ash-Shaheed Rabil, Henrieese Roberts, Anthony Robinson, Doris Robinson, Raquel Rodriquez, Lawrence Rogers, Joseph Sam, Chris Shaw, Patty Smith, Smith Smith, Gwynette Smith, Ronald Smoot, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Craig Thompson, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sarah TurleyColin, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Leon Valentine, Grayla Vereen, Ron Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Angelyn Whitehurst, William Whitsett, Wendell Williams, Sasha Williams, Judson Williams III, Ivory Wilson, Denise Wilson, Charles Woods

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STREET SENSE September 7 - 20, 2016

3

FEATURE

VENDOR PROFILE: WILLIAM WOODSET

Food Bank Phases Out Junk Food

By Anna Riley, Editorial Intern

W

illiam Woodset has been homeless since he was six years old. He has been in and out of prison, married and divorced, an alcoholic, even shot in the head — which still causes frequent seizures that lead to blacking out. But he is determined to keep his life on track and be a good person.

Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1957, Woodset spent most of his childhood on the streets or living at relatives’ houses with his alcoholic father. He left his father’s house at 16 to live with an aunt. By age 17, he dropped out of high school, also suffering from addiction.

“When I was young, I got into track.

I was a good runner; I was real fast.

I could’ve been in the Olympics,” he said. “I went home and told my father about that and my father didn’t give

YES!

me any encouragement. He told me I wasn’t fast enough. That plagued me. Later, I got addicted to marijuana and alcohol.”

Despite these childhood situations, Woodset wanted to further his education.

He went to Breckinridge Job Corps in Morganfield, Kentucky in 1974 and became a certified welder. After graduating, he started working in an Alabama shipyard on oil rigs and a pipeline going to Alaska. “I proved that [my father] was wrong about me once I got working in Alabama shipyard,” Woodset said.

Although it took him many years before he sought help for his addiction — which left him unable to maintain a steady job or housing — Woodset ultimately started treatment because he was on parole and he was worried about going back to jail. “I’m still dealing with that now,” he said. “You can never overcome addiction; it’s a daily fight. I can’t look behind me, I’ve got to keep looking ahead.”

Eight years ago, Woodset unexpectedly found the role model he never saw in his father. “I was in treatment at the Gospel Ministry on 5th street, and I saw this Black guy running for president, Barack Obama,” he said. “I saw him come out on the stage with his wife and two daughters and I said to myself, ‘one day I want to be like that.’”

Woodset even credits President Obama with helping him overcome his situation.

“Once I saw him, it helped me. I said ‘look, if a Black guy like him can come from Chicago and have a good attitude and become president, so can I be a good guy,’” he said. “It changed my life. I realized I

could come out of homelessness and do the same thing."

Woodset admires the way that President Obama tried things during his presidency even though he faced countless setbacks and backlash. “Nothing beats a failure but a try.

That’s the way I am,” he said. “Don’t put yourself down because you failed, because you can keep trying. You can get back up.”

In August, Woodset did something he has never done before. He had a little bit of money, and he decided to send it to his nieces and nephews in Alabama for school.

“I just did it because I felt like I really should do something good,” he said. “And I did that, and they all called me on the phone this Sunday and they thanked me for it. That’s the first time they’ve ever called me. I wasn’t looking for a call, and then they told me that they loved me and that they wanted to see me. And it was kind of shocking, you know?”

Woodset says his current goals are getting himself a house with his own set of weights, writing an autobiography, visiting his family in Alabama and maybe even going back to school. Most of all, he wants to continue looking forward and making the world a better place.

“I don’t want to keep making myself feel miserable by doing miserable things and then thinking about the miserable things I’ve done. I’m tired of being miserable,” Woodset said. “I really just want to do something good for somebody; I want to do a good deed. That makes me feel good, that’s the passion that I have.”

The largest food bank in the D.C. area stopped accepting donations of candy, full-calorie soda and non-bread bakery items on September 1, according to a recent report from The Washington Post Express.

This is the Capital Area Food Bank’s latest policy change aimed at promoting healthy diets for the low-income communities it serves. The organization began phasing sheet cakes and fullcalorie sodas out of its inventory two and three years ago, respectively. President and Chief Executive Officer Nancy Roman told The Express that “the time had come for [the Capitol Area Food Bank] to follow the same journey which the rest of society has been on.”

At a July 19 news conference, Roman stated that almost half of food bank clients have or live with someone who has high blood pressure. A quarter of food bank clients have or live with someone who has diabetes.

Although the food bank will now have to turn away the influx of donated sweets that inevitably follows major holidays, many major donors are picking up the slack. Giant Food, for example, is set to increase its protein donations in light of the recent change.

The Capitol Area Food Bank works with 450 community organizations to serve over 540,000 low-income people in the D.C. area. Annually, it distributes 45 million pounds of food, one-third of which is produce.

—Robyn Di Giacinto

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Homeless D.C. High School Student Graduates in Two Years, Heads to College

By Samantha J. Gross , Spare Change News — Boston

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPARE CHANGE NEWS

While most teens are spending their summers pursuing a driver's license, hitting the beach and preparing for another year of high school, one Washington, D.C. native is headed down a different road - the one toward college.

Destyni Tyree, 16, graduated high school in just two years, was class president, successfully lobbied for the school's first prom and was accepted to Potomac State College to study secondary education. All while living in one of D.C.'s largest homeless shelters.

Tyree was not only an exceptionally young graduate, but young student at the school. Principal Eugenia Young wrote in an email that at Roosevelt STAY High School - an alternative D.C. Public School -- 98 percent of students are 18 years of age or older.

"Destyni is a fighter," Young said. "As a 16-year-old, Destyni was not the typical student walking the halls of Roosevelt STAY." The school offers the same curriculum as other DCPS [District of Columbia Public Schools] high schools, but additionally provides social-emotional learning support and increased guidance to help students make post-graduation plans, Young said.

She mentioned that Destyni was the one who made her graduation goals a reality.

"Destyni was the one to suggest her early graduation," Young said. "She went through the credit recovery program at DCPS and attended two sessions of nineweek Saturday courses to catch up. As she started doing well in her classes, she began asking for more, and passed every single class."

Young added that Tyree's confidence and self-assurance are what helped her not only adjust to Roosevelt STAY, but also thrive. She recalled the school prom and student government elections as specific moments when Tyree's confidence really shined through.

"One day, she came into my office to lobby for a school prom because she believed that all students should have that experience," she said. "I told her to write me a proposal explaining her argument.

She not only wrote the proposal, but also ran for student class president and won."

As for post-high school plans, Young said Tyree will be a resident advisor in her dorm at Potomac State, where she will enjoy a 24-to-1 student faculty ratio and opportunities to get involved with the college's dozens of clubs and extracurricular opportunities.

Rene Trezise, a spokesperson for Potomac State College, said the feeder school for West Virginia University will be a perfect fit for Tyree. She also added that in regard to Tyree's young age, the school is prepared to help her overcome

any academic challenges she may find.

"She's worked hard and is a tenacious woman and I think we can help her with her academics," Trezise said. "We offer an academic success center that offers free tutoring, free study help, that kind of thing."

In terms of paying for college, Tyree is doing what most teens in her situation are not - crowdsourcing.

Her GoFundMe page has raised nearly $21,000 of her $50,000 goal, which will go toward her tuition, helping her reach her goal of being a high school principal or opening her own charter school. The money comes from 332 donors in just 27 days and has over 1,000 shares via social media, according to the page.

"I created this page so that I make sure that I continue my success," Tyree wrote on the page. "I can't wait to make you all proud of me."

And as her first name implies and her work ethic proves, Destyni Tyree's success is inevitable.

Courrtesy of Spare Change News/INSP.ngo

D.C. Council Considers Foster Care Bill of Rights

By Anna Riley, Editorial Intern News and conversation about the foster care system often centers on children and birth parent rights, but when it comes to foster parents, the conversation usually focuses on their responsibilities rather than their rights.

The Foster Parents Statements of Rights and Responsibilities Amendment Act of 2016 aims to change this reality for foster parents of D.C. youth. In February, Councilmembers Yvette Alexander, Anita Bonds, Brianne Nadeau and Mary M. Cheh introduced the act. The Council held a public hearing on the act in July and will vote on it this fall, after summer recess.

Margie Chalofsky, founding executive director of the Foster and Adoptive Parent Advocacy Center (FAPAC), said that because of high turnover among foster care workers, there is often inconsistency in what is said and implemented.

“The district has some really good policies, it’s just that not everybody knows them, so they’re implemented inconsistently,” Chalofsky said. “If I’m a new social worker or a new foster parent, and I come in and I want to know what the things are that guide my practice, there’s no one place to look. I have to look here and there, I’m told the wrong thing by somebody who came in before and I have to figure it out.” She thinks that creating a foster parent bill of rights that pulls together all relevant information would eliminate this confusion and inconsistency.

The system has a variety of rules and

regulations on topics such as hair cuts, sleepovers and tattoos for foster youth, which often depend on who you speak with, Chalofsky said.

Mindy Good, communications director at Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), explained that although all CFSA foster parents go through the exact same training, they may interpret the trainings differently. Additionally, the foster system’s answers to foster parents’ questions are often confusing and inconsistent based on who one talks to.

“One thing this is going to do is make a certain set of information widely available to all foster parents and it’s going to help consistency,” Good said, adding that CFSA wants to help clarify what is expected.

“There will always be some children who just can’t be safe at home and we need to remove them. When we do that, we have to have a safe place for them to be,” Good said. “So, foster parents are very valuable partners and anything we can do to strengthen that relationship with our foster parents, we’re willing to do it.”

Former foster youth Ashley Strange said that her foster mother did not know her rights when dealing with money and allowance in the foster system. Her foster mother spent much of her own money on Strange’s prom, graduation and more, things that the foster system is supposed to pay for. Strange hopes the foster parent statement of rights and responsibilities will help to answer financial questions

for foster parents and increase the foster parent retention rate.

“I think it would bring more foster parents in and current foster parents would probably take on more because they know that they have the money to do it,” Strange said.

According to Damon King, senior policy attorney at the Children’s Law Center, foster parent retention rate is a key issue in the foster system. “When you lose foster parents, you’re not only losing numbers, you’re losing people with experience and knowledge,” King said at a July public hearing on the act. He said that stakeholders need to ensure that foster parents feel supported.

Chalofsky thinks that a foster parent bill of rights might increase foster parent retention by resolving potential confusion and misunderstandings. One of her friends took her foster children on a family vacation to Disney World and all of the children slept in the living room. When her social worker said that foster children must have their own beds, the foster mother gave up because she couldn’t “have everything questioned anymore.”

“That type of quitting, I think [the foster parent bill of rights] would help,” Chalofsky explained.

Donna Flenory, FAPAC board member and foster parent of 16 years, hopes the foster parent bill of rights not only creates clarity and consistency for foster parents around certain rules and regulations, but

also informs foster children about foster parent rights.

“Regular birth children think their birth parents are just trying to ruin their life, but if a foster child says that [about their foster parents], they’ll be moved out,” Flenory said. She thinks the system should require foster children to go through some kind of training and hopes that a foster parents bill of rights will clarify the foster parents’ motivations.

“I’ve been told, ‘normally children don’t have to go to classes and things like that; they’re just at home with their parents.’

Well, these children are not at home,” Flenory said. “Their lives are not going to be normal, so you have to educate them. You’ve got to prepare them. I know you want them to have as normal [lives] as possible, but you have to take into consideration, their life isn’t normal.”

Chalofsky thinks the foster parent bill of rights could help to empower foster parents. “One of the things that foster parents have always struggled with is feeling that they are an equal member of the team,” she said. “Having a bill of rights says ‘oh, you’re a valid player here.’ You may not know everything about the family, but you’re important. We’re validating your role, to a certain degree.”

Currently CFSA is in the planning process for a working group to write the foster parents statement of rights and responsibilities, according to Heather D. Stowe, principle deputy director of CFSA.

STREET SENSE September 7 - 20, 2016

5

NEWS

Washingtonians Turn to Land Trusts to Preserve Affordability

By Anna Riley Editorial Intern D.C.’s first elevated park, The 11th Street Bridge Park, is expected to open in 2019 and connect Wards 6 and 8 across the Anacostia River. Project planners worry the development could price people out of surrounding neighborhoods and are working to avoid that potential by developing community land trusts in the impact area. Bridge Park Director Scott Kratz said that the community has been involved in every step of the process. A key question he asks is, “How do you invest in the neighborhood without displacing the people we’re trying to serve?”

A community land trust (CLT) is a body of people that, through a nonprofit organization, owns land — whether that be whole blocks or specific properties — and keeps it in trust for each other.

The purpose of a CLT is often to develop and preserve affordable housing, create gardens or other public areas, and maintain space for the community in a permanent way. “[CLTs are] a way of gaining control over our community,” said Peter Sabonis, a leading expert on CLTs in Baltimore and the director of legal strategies for the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative. “It’s also a way of getting off

of the crazy market stipulation in real estate that keeps on driving [rent and home ownership] prices way up.”

When it comes to affordable housing, CLTs divide the ownership of a property and the ownership of a structure on top of that property, such as a house, apartment building, or commercial building.

The nonprofit organization maintains ownership of the land under the structure, allowing the community to have a say in determining the housing re-sale price.

This ensures that regardless of housing values in the neighborhood, the houses on CLT land may be kept affordable. CLTs are typically governed by a democratic board comprised of one-third homeowners who live on the properties, one-third local community members and one third nonprofit or housing experts.

This model fills a gap between private and public housing, according to Sabonis.

The government runs public housing, which is often under-resourced; and the private housing market is governed by profit, so it does not serve the poor. “The big difference [with CLTs] is there’s a democracy, there’s participation, there’s resident involvement,” he said. “It’s this combination of doing what should be done, equity and justice, but also doing it in a way that’s democratic and participatory.”

The Bridge Park has partnered with City First Homes, which uses the CLT model to

create permanent affordable housing in the District, to do just that. President and CEO Robert Burns said that City First has a portfolio of more than 240 homes in D.C. and they are working closely with the 11th Street Bridge Park on an Equitable Development Plan to organize CLTs in the area that surrounds the park. “[The CLT model] incorporates one of the few tools out there that would allow affordability to be preserved for many years down the road, which is critical in a city where affordability is a significant concern,” Burns said.

Boundaries or properties around the Bridge Park that will fit in the CLT model have not yet been determined. That is what Burns and Kratz plan to focus on together over the next 18 months.

“There’s an urgency of now,” Kratz said.

“Properties east of the river, the prices are rising, there's a real urgency to start acquiring properties as soon as we can."

Details such as whether they are going to purchase properties outright or talk to the city about taking over blighted and foreclosed homes are still being worked out. Additionally, Kratz plans to start with homeowner properties for the CLT model, but may also consider rental and commercial properties.

The Bridge Park is raising funds for land acquisition to get started with the CLT model. They have more than a half million dollars in pending grants and hope

to acquire their first property within that next 18 months, according to Kratz.

“Community land trusts don’t solve the money problem at all,” Sabonis said.

“They’re just a tool that keeps properties affordable over time. They need public money and they need foundation money.

It’s not only to acquire the property, it’s to rehabilitate the property and also steward the property to keep it maintained over time.”

The community land trust model is not exclusively being applied to affordable housing in the District. Community advocacy Empower DC has submitted a proposal to make the Alexander Crummell School in Ivy City a CLT. “The community has always desired to keep Crummell a public property,” said Parisa Norouzi, Empower DC’s executive director.

“So when the city put out requests for proposals, it’s essentially inviting privatization of the land. Community land trust is another avenue for maintaining it as public space.”

Empower DC is working to assemble a forum with D.C. Council on housingrelated CLTs in September.

Kratz agrees that the CLT model is an excellent way to invest in the community.

“Community land trust is part of a larger series of strategies in how we’re investing in the local neighborhood,” he said. “This has become so much more than a park.”

“From Prison to Stage” Showcases Prisoners’ Art Alongside Holocaust Images

By Cassidy Jensen cassidy.jensen@streetsense.org Footage of joyful families playing at the beach is not usually associated with the Holocaust. Nor are evocative art and poetry thought of in tandem with the stark reality of prison. However, “Prison to Stage: Holocaust Images and the Poetry and Art of American Prisoners” at the Kennedy Center brought such images together, linking art expressing the beauty of life with the tragedy of imprisonment in a show that demonstrated the close proximity of good and evil.

“A poem can be the language of a heart set free,” R. Hall wrote in a poem while imprisoned at Arkansas State Prison.

The search for physical and spiritual freedom from imprisonment played out in the language and artwork produced by prisoners in this 10th annual “Prison to Stage” production. The September 3 show, was part of the Kennedy Center’s 15th Annual Page-to-Stage New Play Festival, which features readings and rehearsals of D.C. theater groups’ plays in production and is free to the public.

With pre-Holocaust footage in the background, Frederic John and Dennis Sobin played original jazz guitar while

dramatists ShayREESE and Robert Harvey III performed readings of 41 inmates’ poetry. Sobin is a former phone-sex entrepreneur and mayoral candidate who, like the show’s other artists, has been incarcerated. His first original film alternated between family video footage of German Jews playing happily on vacation before the Holocaust and scenes of Nazi rallies and marches in sharp contrast. “From Prison to Stage” featured the work of over 70 incarcerated or formerly incarcerated artists.

One such artist, formerly incarcerated Larry Walker, created two complete paintings live on stage in front of the audience. His paintings, many featuring important Black historical figures, were available for sale after the performance.

“From Prison to Stage” was created

by Safe Streets Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization which provides incarcerated people with art materials and support to aid them in developing skills and confidence for a successful reentry into society.

The background film contrasted the harsh regimentation of incarceration with the beautiful self-expression of the poets and artists performing in front of it. The images of the “condemned” Jews and the

“condoned” Nazis served as a backdrop to poems that included declarations of love, reflections on past wrongdoings, and musings on the existence of hatred in the world. The last segment of the film was titled “The Outcome,” and featured pictures of the results of the Holocaust, including images of dead bodies and starving children. The theater fell silent during a break in the musical accompaniment, reflecting the horror of that era.

Sobin said that he intended the images of mass imprisonment of Jews to suggest where the harsh punishments of America’s criminal justice system could lead. “It’s a warning to the people of today,” said John. In addition to evoking general evil, Sobin sought to communicate how individual acts of evil led many of the incarcerated artists to prison by combining scenes of Adolf Hitler’s rallies with gangster poetry. “Stained concrete, smoking gun/”Oh god what have I done?” laments one such poem written by Jack Branch in Florida State Prison. Sobin plans to use jailhouse images from classic films for next year’s show.

“We’re headed towards destruction,” wrote Albert Kuck of Arizona State prison.

And yet, Prison to Stage suggested the

possibility of a different path toward life and liberation instead of incarceration and punishment.

Larry Walker displays one of his paintings.

PHOTO BY CASSIDY JENSEN

Homeward DC Check-in: Prevention of Homelessness

By Tyler Champine, Volunteer The D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) 5-year strategic plan contains five “action items” in the intervention strategy for preventing homelessness. A year after the plan’s development, Street Sense thought an annual check-up was in order. ICH provided a status update for each point: 1. Implement targeted homelessness prevention programming that i n c o r p o ra t e s t h e u s e o f p r e d i c t i v e analytics tools and strategies.

The D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS) Family Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) launched September 2015 with the goal to prevent families at risk of experiencing homelessness by providing services and resources that stabilize the family in the community. The four community based partners located in Wards 6, 7 and 8 are Capitol Hill Group Ministry, Community of Hope, MBI Health Services and Wheeler Creek Community Development Corp. Families are able to receive a variety of different services based on their individual needs, including mediation between the family and the landlord, housing search, case-coordination, linkages to employment and community services, budgeting, financial assistance, and utility assistance.

Since its inception, HPP has referred 1,579 families to one of the four communitybased prevention providers, and has helped to prevent homelessness for approximately 1,415 families. The District’s FY2017 budget included a $1,000,000 enhancement for prevention services for a total of $3 million.

DHS’ prevention predictive analytics tool was implemented on February 22, 2016. The purpose of the tool is to assist staff with identifying and prioritizing families who are most likely to request shelter placement.

From the data collection, HPP has identified multiple barriers that can contribute to housing instability for families which include: limited income, multiple evictions, criminal backgrounds and lack of affordable housing.

2. Identify tools and procedures to ensure households receiving D.C. Housing Authority assistance that are struggling with housing stability (e.g., nonpayment of rent, lease violence) are connected to existing community-based case management and supportive services.

Over the past seven months, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) have been working to identify households receiving DCHA assistance who are struggling with housing stability. As these households have been identified, they are targeted for existing services to help improve their housing stability and prevent eviction.

3. Evaluate effectiveness of models like Wayne's Place and Generations of Hope for assisting youth aging out of foster

care. Continue expansion of promising models and practices.

Over the past year, the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative has been developing an evaluation of Wayne Place case management services using client satisfaction surveys. The first cohort of youth who entered the program are scheduled to transition in October 2016. They will complete their satisfaction survey at that point and data on effectiveness will be analyzed.

Mi Casa, Inc, in collaboration with the Center for Study and Social Policy, is conducting an evaluation of Genesis’ intergenerational model involving young mothers and their children and seniors. The team is working on an evaluation process which will focus on the quality of life for the residents. As with Wayne Place because the youth have only been on site since November 2015, long-term effectiveness has yet to be measured.

4. Implement use of a common assessment tool to identify indiv iduals with the behavioral health conditions at greatest risk of homelessness to use as a factor in prioritizing housing resources.

The Vulnerability Index and Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) is the common assessment tool used nationally and in the District. To date, the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is piloting use of the VI-SPDAT at its in-person intake centers including the Assessment and Referral Center (ARC), the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) and at the Mental Health Services Division (35K). Intake staff at these sites have been trained to use the VI-SPDAT and the Health Management Information System (HMIS).

These systems promote coordinated entry enabling, all who have been assessed to be considered for city-wide housing resources.

Additionally, DBH program staff have been trained in the use of the VI-SPDAT and HMIS system so that an individual’s vulnerability index from the tool can be used as a factor in determining priority for available DBH housing resources. Once the VI-SPDAT has become integrated into all of the Department’s intake sites, providers will be trained to incorporate the results of the assessment for homeless individuals so that they may be added to the DBH Housing Eligibility Assessment List (HEAL) for DBH housing resources.

5. Conduct analysis of clients in shelter system with recent history of incarceration.

Review client discharge planning process and identify steps to improve process and targeting of assistance.

Over the past two years, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s re-entry steering committee has been developing a strategic plan. When completed, this plan will include a review the Department of Correction’s discharge planning process and steps to improve the process and target assistance.

Fighting For Shelter:

By Mark Rose Volunteer An appeal brought against the District government by a group of 42 homeless men who were evicted from the La Casa low-barrier shelter in 2010, has been summarily dismissed on all counts by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The men — overwhelmingly Black and Latino, many of whom had physical and/or mental disabilities — charged the District with discriminating against them. They claimed that disparate treatment and impact in housing accommodations occurred based on their race, in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), and based on their disabilities, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The men also charged the District with violating their rights to housing under the D.C. Human Rights Act. Attorneys for the homeless men, George Rickman and Jane Zara, have filed a petition for re-hearing to the same U.S. Court of Appeals, but are not optimistic it will be granted, they said in separate interviews with Street Sense.

Th e p e tition argues t hat t he Appeals Court’s dismissal relied on uncorroborated testimony from a single city official that showed the theory behind closure of La Casa and Franklin School low-barrier shelters to be a transition between models of care employed by the city, and that the number of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) beds being added to the system would be greater than the number of low-barrier shelter beds lost.

R i c k m a n a n d Z a r a ’s p e t i t i o n contested that these homeless men experience a different situation in practice: that low-barrier shelter residents are not necessarily the same people that will qualify or be awarded PSH. And when some of these men have gone to the remaining low-barrier shelters, they reported being turned away or being admitted only to discover overcrowded and unbearable conditions.

The men’s complaint also charges that the La Casa closure was a deliberate attempt by the District to clear all the remaining low-barrier shelters out of rapidly-gentrifying Columbia Heights and make them shift to other poorer and more heavily minority areas of town. Other PSH shelter sites are clustered in Wards 5-8. None of the judges at either the district or appellate court level said

there was any direct evidence of that.

However, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance website, the U.S. Supreme Court recently “recognized that discrimination is not always overt and that disparate impact is an important tool to permit “plaintiffs to counteract unconscious prejudices and disguised animus that escape easy classification as disparate treatment.”

Yet, assuming the petition fails, both attorneys said they plan to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General for the District, which represented the D.C. government in the case, declined to comment on “pending litigation” in an e-mail.

The four-page summary dismissal opinion said repeatedly that the homeless men’s arguments were not supported by any direct evidence in the form of signed declarations or other sworn statements that they were denied accommodations at La Casa; all that was presented was general statistics showing the percentage of African-American and Latino men in the District who are homeless, and that the District has a festering problem.

Most discrimination cases are proven by showing direct statistical proof of either disproportionate treatment or impact on members of the protected group. The appeals court said that the men kicked out of this shelter had neither.

However, in earlier versions of the same complaint that were heard in the U.S. District Court for D.C., the lawyers said they had submitted declarations from several of the men saying they had been turned away from other low-barrier shelters after the La Casa closing because of overcrowding, or that the other housing options available were sub-standard or even dangerous.

Additionally, a Greater D.C. Cares fact sheet provided in the re-hearing petition said 71 percent of homeless people and more than 50 percent of people in homeless families in D.C. suffer from either substance abuse or a mental illness. The Boykin appeal brief for the homeless men went on to cite the Greater D.C. Cares fact sheet as saying that only nine percent of D.C.’s homeless people do NOT have a disability and that according to D.C.’s FY2006 Consolidated Plan, 82 percent of the District’s homeless community are African-American and eight percent are Hispanic.

While Greater D.C. Cares filed for bankruptcy in 2013, these demographics are echoed in the more recent Metropolitan Council

STREET SENSE September 7 - 20, 2016r

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NEWS

Discrimination Suit Dismissed, NIMBY Suit Filed of Government’s 2016 homeless census report that showed 72 percent of homeless single adults and 90 percent of homeless adults in families in the DMV region self-identified as Black or AfricanAmerican, even though only 25 percent of the region’s total population is Black or African-American. The report also acknowledged that “a significant number of the region’s homeless population suffers from physical disabilities, substance use disorders, severe mental illness, or were formerly institutionalized and discharged directly into homelessness.”

Nobody knows where all the La Casa men went, though interviews with several done at a free breakfast program for homeless men in the basement of a church in Columbia Heights suggest that most elected to stay in their home neighborhood and find living accommodations where they could get them, as opposed to taking long bus rides to other shelters in far-flung, overcrowded, unfamiliar, usually poorer and possibly dangerous, parts of the city.

There were about 40 PSH units built as part of the high-end apartments that replaced the La Casa shelter, but nobody knows whether any of the La Casa men were among those accommodated there.

Only one man interviewed at the breakfast program had successfully obtained a PSH bed at the new La Casa.

Zara and Rickman are angry with the Court and see themselves as fighting for the rights and quality of life of a large, neglected group. They think District government is ignoring or giving lip service to a serious and growing problem. “This is a crisis and it isn’t going anywhere,” said Rickman in a phone interview. “Where’s all the additional shelter space?” It doesn’t take too much to see as you walk around downtown that D.C. has a serious problem.

It should be fairly obvious to you as a casual observer that something’s very wrong. [The Bowser administration] is claiming they’re creating all these new spaces, but the men in reality are being turned away from them with no place else to go.”

Rickman commented that the District needs to have a realistic plan. He complained that the Appeals Court did not address the issue of where these men went after the shelter they were depending on was closed. Some faced with that situation will still not choose to go into a shelter because they think they’re over-crowded and dangerous, so they will stay on the street and pitch a tent.

He does think PSH is a good idea if it’s done right. “It’s an important part of the puzzle. You have to take immediate steps; you can’t just get rid of low-barrier shelters without having something to replace them,” Rickman said.

He and Zara made it clear the battle is

not over – legally or otherwise. “The door is still open,” Rickman said. “We may have lost this battle, but we haven’t lost the war.” Both would like to see more citizen awareness and activism.

“You’ve got to get in [public officials’] faces and demand better,” Rickman said.

“I’m very optimistic that if people knew what was going on in this city, more would be done; they wouldn’t just fret about their property values going down.”

The Boykin suit first began against former-Mayor Adrian Fenty’s administration, when the shelter first closed. It was renamed when Vincent Gray took office and is now inherited again by the Bowser administration.

A spokeswoman for the D.C. Department of Human Services countered that the Bowser administration has made big strides toward dealing with homelessness, but obviously has work to do. “The mayor’s administration has made historic strides toward housing homeless people,” Dora Taylor told Street Sense in a telephone interview. “We’ve drastically increased investments in PSH so that we can move people out of shelters.” Taylor said the District’s stock of PSH space has greatly increased since Bowser took over.

Taylor said that more than 1,300 D.C. singles are now supported in governmentrun PSH units. These are often done as units in existing apartment buildings;

a certain number are set aside for subsidized housing. She noted that housing the homeless is a long, timeconsuming process; for example it took three years to build the new supportive housing units now at the La Casa shelter site. Because PSH units offer “wraparound” services to those they house, such as visits by social workers, nurses and mental health providers in addition to the housing, it takes time and money to get the services the resident needs in place.

There are still several other low-barrier shelters open to homeless men in the District: 801 East on the campus of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Adam’s Place shelter at Adams Place NE, and the New York Avenue shelter, according to Taylor.

She is not surprised by the apparent evidence that the La Casa men stayed in the same neighborhood. “We have to get people what they need where we can. I would bet a number of the men who were housed in La Casa have been permanently housed, too.”

A large part of the homeless services team’s job is gaining the trust of the people they aim to serve. “You could still walk downtown and see people experiencing homelessness,” she agreed with Rickman. “We have outreach. It’s a process of gaining trust and assuring folks their needs can be met if they come inside. Sometimes it takes an extended period of time to build that trust.”

Taylor said DHS is looking for landlords to work with them to make affordable housing choices more available.

As Zara and Rickman’s efforts continue, a citizens group in affluent Ward 3 filed a lawsuit August 23 to oppose the proposed building of a 50-unit temporary shelter on the parking lot of a police station on Idaho Ave, NW. The shelter residents are expected to be families — mostly mothers with young children — coming in the wake of the planned closing and replacement of the large, debilitated family shelter at the repurposed D.C. General Hospital before 2020. The proposed shelter is one of seven going in every ward of the city except for Ward 2. It would be designed for short stays until the families could get back on their feet.

The citizens group’s concerns are common “not in my back yard” (NIMBY) themes: declining property values, school over-crowding and an influx of criminals. The Ward 3 suit hinges on the same technicality Ivy City residents used to successfully delay construction of a bus depot for years: an injunction based on failure to properly notify the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC).

A recent Washington Post editorial said the city’s most prosperous ward should be able to handle a share of the responsibility for housing their homeless neighbors.

behind Prophets of Rag the music: disparity center

By Ronald Dudley & Eric Falquero

T

Tom Morello

PHOTO BY CRAIG HUNTER ROSS

o say that Prophets of Rage is political doesn’t quite cover it. When reporters or pundits — from ABC to Bill Maher to Rolling Stone — call this combination of musicians from Cypress Hill (1988), Rage Against the Machine (RATM - 1991) and Public Enemy (PE - 1982) a “supergroup,” guitarist Tom Morello is quick to counter them. “We’re an elite task force of revolutionary musicians determined to confront this mountain of election year bull****,” he says.

While the group’s “Make America Rage Again” tour overtly criticizes Republican candidate Donald Trump, the band doesn’t show any love for Hillary Clinton either, and has only admitted to respecting Bernie Sanders’ attempts to hijack the Democratic party. Prophets of Rage is old school: they say the system is broken and can’t be fixed from within; change has to come from the bottom, from the people, through culture.

They believe that many lyrics from their combined catalogs of revolutionary music are more relevant today than ever before.

This can seem like empty rhetoric from a band that dropped their first single on the day of a protest show at the Republican National Convention (RNC), yet won’t choose a side in the most divisive U.S. election to date. But that is their stance: that the corresponding levels of dissatisfaction in each camp should be bipartisan motivation for radical change rather than polarizing society and perpetuating the status quo.

When he’s not rocking the mic, PE’s frontman Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour) is a national representative for Rock the Vote as well as a university-level motivational speaker. He and Morello agree that no matter who moves into the oval office, they will be only one person and it is not enough for citizens to cast their vote every four years and hope the elected individual can or will fix everything. You have to help your brothers and sisters on a daily basis, you have to take the power back.

With that philosophy in mind, the group puts economic inequality at the forefront of their work. Before playing pop-up shows to bookend Cleveland’s End Poverty Now march during the RNC, the band could be found on a rooftop in Los Angeles playing an unadvertised free show

exclusively for the people on Skid Row. Several banners hung below them, saying “Keys, Not Handcuffs,” and “They Say ‘Get Back,’ We Say ‘Fight Back.’”

“By most accounts, Skid Row residents loved having the Prophets of Rage join them in the community,” wrote Eric Ares in an e-mail to Street Sense. Ares is a community organizer and communications coordinator for Los Angeles Community Action Network’s (LA CAN), which includes helping produce their street paper, The Community Connection. LA CAN’s logo could be spotted on one of the Skid Row show’s banners.

“More than just a concert, this was an opportunity for homeless and/or extremely poor residents to unite in a call for an end to the criminalization of homelessness.” Ares said.

“This wasn’t about a publicity stunt, this was about solidarity and putting the issues facing Skid Row at the forefront. But, of course, the music was awesome too.”

Three weeks later, the band was scheduled to play for more than 700 inmates on good behavior at a California state prison. Plans to enter with the nonprofit Jail Guitar Doors were canceled last minute by the California Department of Corrections, reported the local CBS News affiliate. Working with what they had, Prophets of Rage set up a stage on the street outside of the prison walls and played a truncated 3-song set, loud enough to be heard inside. Plans were also made to donate equipment to Jail Guitar Doors, which supplies instruments to inmates.

Two weeks later, Prophets of Rage kicked off a whirlwind North American tour on August 19 at Fairfax’s Eagle Bank Arena, just outside of the nation’s capital. Between songs, Cypress Hill MC B-Real (Louis Freese) and Chuck D could be heard asking the crowd to “fight for your freedom,” “think for yourself,” and “throw your fists and your peace signs up in the air at the same d*** time.” The 10,000-seat arena erupted in cheers when Morello announced mid-set that a portion of the night’s proceeds would be donated to D.C.’s own Bread for the City, a nonprofit homeless service provider.

“Tomorrow, in your home, in your school, in your community, in your place of work, in

your country and in the world at large — it’s up to you, without apology or compromise, to fight for the world you really want to live in,” Morello said after describing Bread for the City’s mission and before diving into the last 5 songs of the night.

This donation structure will be repeated with local homeless charities at every stop on the arena and amphitheater-laden tour.

“Bread for the City is grateful to our community of partners who support us in countless, creative ways,” CEO George A. Jones wrote in an e-mail to Street Sense. “Funding our work is critical, and so is getting the word out about the many ways that we are fighting poverty here in D.C. We are delighted that Prophets of Rage selected us as their beneficiary and that they said such encouraging things about Bread for the City in front of thousands of people.”

This is not a new commitment for any of the bandmembers. In recent years, Public Enemy played L.A. Community Action Network’s Operation Skid Row event in 2012 and played for D.C.’s own Sasha Bruce Youthwork in 2009.

RATM is best known for raising over £162,000 in 2010 for the homeless charity Shelter, in the United Kingdom. Bassist Tim Commerford played a show overseas in July with his other band, Wakrat, to raise additional funds for Shelter. RATM also supported several homeless youth organizations over the years, according to looktothestars.org. Drummer Brad Wilk also participated in at least one benefit show outside of RATM, organized by Morello and Serj Tankian’s nonprofit Axis of Justice, to raise money for food banks, according to MTV. And in 2008 Cypress Hill played a benefit show for the Chicago Alliance to end Homelessness, according to AllAccess.com.

Hours before the August 19 Prophets of Rage gig, Street Sense vendor and writer Ronald Dudley — a self-produced rap-artist by the name Pookanu — sat down with Chuck D, Tom Morello and PE Turntabalist DJ Lord (Lord Aswod) to hear more about their motivation and views on homelessness: What inspires you guys?

MORELLO: I know I’ve been inspired by a couple

PHOTOS BY RODNEY CHOICE

Chuck D, DJ Lord, Tom Morello and Pookanu

ge puts economic r stage

things. I didn’t really choose to be a guitar player, that sort of chose me. Then once I was stuck being a guitar player I had to find a way to weave my thoughts and feelings about the world into what I do for a living.

So that’s been my path.

How has hip-hop changed since you first started?

CHUCK D: I think one thing that has affected hip-hop from being captivating in its original sense is the disappearance of groups in favor of individuals. In the beginning, hip-hop was a performance art as a priority and it was panoramically watched. I think record companies and business administrations have produced that because it’s easier to renegotiate with one person. And that’s kind of reduced it from being a “we” to a “me” type of thing. And that’s a little less attractive.

Another thing that has disappeared from the soundscape and the sight scape is that there’s more women today participating in rap music and hip-hop than ever, but they’re not in the higher realm of what’s going on, promoting and projecting-wise.

How do you guys feel about modern day homelessness?

Morello: It’s an issue that’s near and dear to our hearts. So far we’ve played eight shows. One of those shows was on Skid Row in Los Angeles for the residents there. And every show that we’ve charged any money for, we’ve given 100% of the money away, from the ticket sales and the t-shirt sales, to homeless organizations in those cities. And tonight we’ve got a partner, part of the proceeds will go to Bread for the City.

Have you or anyone close to you experienced homelessness?

MORELLO: I’ve worked for years with an organization called PATH in Los Angeles, People Assisting the Homeless, and I know many of the families there. That’s where my family spent all of our holidays.

CHUCK D: Black in America man, you’ll find out that 60 percent of your extended family is on the cusp of being out. Lose a

job and then you have unforgiving banks; you have empty buildings and houses — more empty buildings and houses than you have people that are outside of them on the street, that’s troubling.

[DJ LORD nods in agreement] What should whoever is chosen to be president do to end homelessness?

MORELLO: Well I can tell you, if I were president, I would make it job one to have zero tolerance for homelessness in the United States of America. Homelessness is not something that happens, homelessness is a crime. It’s almost a war crime, y’know, that there’s almost this kind of disposable part of humanity.

We spend money on battleships and we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on presidential and congressional campaigns while people live in the street. It’s outrageous. And I think that any decent society, any humane society, would first and foremost make sure that everyone has a place to stay, everyone has enough to eat, everyone has an education and that everyone has a chance.

You have said that you are “making America rage again” — what more can individuals do aside from vote?

CHUCK D: Making America Rage Again is making America think again and being concerned about everything outside of their individual self. And I think what each and every person can do is begin to think outside of themselves for what they can do to say something or do something to help somebody. Usually for a person to say something of enlightenment to somebody, it doesn’t take much. But in a time where perception and gadgets rule the roost, people feel that the currency of attention is low and that nobody is paying attention to them if they talk about helping somebody, especially if they’re not known for it or not famous or don’t get paid for it. “Each one teach one” is a real statement.

Do you guys have a favorite charity?

MORELLO: I’m not particular. The target

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COVER STORY

Chuck D | PHOTO BY CRAIG HUNTER ROSS for this entire tour has been homelessness and hunger in the United States - the people that have been left behind by globalization. The 62 wealthiest people on the planet have as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people. Half of the planet has as much money as 62 men and women. It’s an outrage.

DJ LORD: That doesn’t even sound right, that’s crazy.

How quickly did you pull the band together. What was the final push for Tom to call Chuck?

MORELLO: Part of it certainly was when I kept hearing the Donald Trump campaign being referred to as “raging against the machine” and I was like “no, no, no, no, no, no, no” — we will show you what it is to rage against the machine.

You all have crammed so many shows into this tour: you’re playing almost every night and ending a couple weeks before the election. Do you know what’s next?

MORELLO: We don’t have any election plans yet, but we’ll uh— CHUCK D: —Liniment. [laughter] MORELLO: A hot bath!

DJ LORD: Glucosamine!

What advice would you give homeless people to stay inspired?

MORELLO: I would just say that there is always a path. And sometimes homelessness has to do with things that may not be in people’s control, where that may be a mental illness or maybe some sort of drug or alcohol addiction that they need help for. So on the one hand, do not be shy about taking advantage of what services might be available. But my advice would be to people who are not homeless: to stop treating homeless people like another species, like some sort of subspecies of humanity. ‘Well there’s people, and then there’s homeless people.’ It’s ridiculous. We are all a human family and I think that we have a responsibility to look out for each other.

Tom’s guitar says “Arm the Homeless.”

What does that really mean to you?

MORELLO: If you knew half the thoughts that are in my head, they would put me in Guantanamo Bay… [shrugs]...I didn’t stutter.

DJ LORD: Next question please, ha ha MORELLO: I’m being sort of glib. But y’know, soldiers are armed and commit war crimes; police officers are armed and murder Black people right and left everywhere; this would sort of... even it up.

CHUCK D: You’ve got to arm the homeless because it’s already a harm the homeless [society]. The unfair thing about it: you have militia, police force, the military, who will arm up and murder people for the fact that they’re going to group up and ask can they have food, shelter and clothing. That’s troubling, depressing.

Who are you playing for, who needs to hear Prophets of Rage?

CHUCK D: There are a lot of people that feel they have no voice. Y’know, the homeless in the United States of America damn sure have less of a voice than banks. If a person’s homeless, what should their move be? To go to a state capital, city hall, state bank — to group up and be there. It’s a news story.

Prophets of Rage is touring with AWOLNATION and Wakrat. More info at ProphetsOfRage.com.

Chuck D and Pookanu | PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE

OPINION Every Day, Life Goes On

Human Needs First

By Marie-Louise Murville

By Michael Matthew There are three homeless men and women that are always on my mind. I know them well, I see them downtown almost daily. You probably do too. All three are in their 50s and 60s — senior citizens who are not that healthy.

The streets are hard, they wear on you. And there are cold months ahead.

These elderly neighbors of ours are barely making it. You may see them, you may exchange a smile with them.

They are good people.

But they’re out here. Every. Day. Suffering, trying to hold on. They are bleeding...but there's no blood. Their physical signs are not good at all. They are sinking. They are drowning. A little bit, every day.

And with all the resources in this city, no one is able to lift them up. No one is able to pull them up.

So, life goes on.

Last year we honored the lives of 53 people on Homeless Persons Memorial Day. Fifty-three people whose lives were cut short by homelessness. I pray to God and to Jesus that these three friends of mine do not join them.

We can stop this! We MUST stop this!

I am trying my very best to understand how, in the names of God and Jesus, and in the richest and greatest country in the world, CAN THIS EXIST? All the churches, the government agencies and the corporate entities… All the unions, the academic institutions, the nonprofits.... All the not-for-profits, the philanthropic foundations, and the social scientists…

Can none of them do anything?

How do people so obviously slip through the cracks? In this day and age, here, how can we watch people die?

Every. Day. Michael Mathew is a vendor of and occasional contributor to Street Sense.

Metro

By Phillip Black Metro is getting tired of Metro.

General Manager, Paul Wiedefeld is fed up with the team he brought one to make Metro better. I feel he should go out of town. Maybe New York, to find some people who know how to get the job done.

All I can say is, Good Luck!

Phillip Black, a.k.a “The Cat in the Hat,” is a vendor of and occasional contributor to Street Sense.

Home is where the heart is. I can feel at home with the man I love; with my mother; with my friends who love me. Being in a place without love, safety and security is not “homey.” Even if there is a roof over my head, it’s a box. A trap. A source of anxiety and despair. A state of “less-ness.”

We need to reframe the conversation on homelessness. Instead of talking about what someone doesn’t have, let’s talk about what each person actually needs.

First, let’s define human “needs.” In the mid-1900s, American psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced his “hierarchy of needs.” Maslow’s framework of needs is a pillar of modern psychology, and it is also a theory commonly applied to business management. Maslow posited that of all the human needs, the most basic physiological needs must be met first.

for 2015-2020, the city spends over $53,000 annually per homeless unit, and it plans to continue to spend over $53,000 per year without committing to providing private bathrooms or kitchens, or transportation to schools and jobs.

There are multiple documented cases of assault, food borne illness and rodent infestations in D.C. shelters. For a cost to the D.C. taxpayer of $150 per day, I think we can do better.

Finally, let’s talk about what we can do better. Assuming we already have a budget of $145 per day for emergency shelter, the city can choose to provide emergency housing in a private mobile/ modular home with private bathrooms, kitchen and laundry for less than $50 per day. The additional $95 per day can go toward counseling, job training, child care

of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” There is “enough” money in the city budget. There is “enough” available land already owned by D.C. It is a choice how the money and the land are allocated. What is more important to our city: more luxury condos, more stadiums and parking lots or basic needs for 8,350 people experiencing homelessness?

Let ’s reframe homelessness and prioritize basic needs. Let’s talk about ensuring that our citizens’ basic needs are met. No one has a monopoly on the answers. But we can reframe the problem. How many shelters can address all basic needs, 24/7, 365 days a year in one location? How much time and money and energy is spent traveling to other sites for services? What is the gap in basic needs not being met? Let’s hold current and future D.C. contractors and

“There are multiple documented cases of assault, food borne illness and rodent infestations in D.C. shelters. For a cost to the D.C. taxpayer of $150 per day, I think we can do better.”

Second, let’s begin to look at how the well basic human needs are being met in Washington, D.C. According to the latest census in 2016, there are 8,350 people experiencing homelessness in D.C. Over 50 percent are children under 18. That is a 14.4 percent increase versus 2015.

All people don’t want or need a lease, at least temporarily. For a variety of reasons, many people need someone else to shoulder the responsibility of managing the day-to-day work of running a household. My 93-year-old mother, a marine, is just one example. If she didn’t live with me, where would she go? And if the only choice is a filthy, dangerous, crowded city shelter — outside actually sounds preferable.

Third, let’s look at the cost of providing these inadequate services. According to the District of Columbia Interagency Council for Homelessness Strategic Plan

and recreation. If we treated our current homelessness as an actual emergency, with the help of the U.S. National Guard, FEMA or other experienced professionals, short- and medium- term solutions that satisfy basic human needs can be implemented within seven days. Not weeks, not months, not years. To provide 4,000 modular homes (1,300 square feet of living space, plus 2,600 square feet/house surrounding), we would need 200 acres. In fact, there are two adjacent D.C.-owned sites slated for redevelopment totaling 257 acres that should be considered: the Hill East/Reservation 13/DC General site (67 acres) and adjacent the RFK StadiumArmory Complex (190 acres).

In the U.S. Constitution, the framers believed that the general welfare was so essential that it was in the preamble. To quote FDR, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance

elected officials accountable to servicing our citizens with dignity and respect.

Even for a well-educated, wellfed, well-rested adult, it is not easy to navigate and make sense of the city’s services and departments. But we do need to try harder to re-allocate and refocus; to summon the courage, determination and persistence to change the course of increasing poverty, despair and fear. Contact your ANC, city council member, the mayor and the deputy mayor of Health and Human Services.

Ask the hard questions, especially if you benefit from nonprofit time and money or city time and money. That means you.

Employers, employees and consumers.

Spread the word: Human needs first, not bureaucracy first.

Marie-Louise Murville is a D.C. native and Founder & CEO of Delight Me, Inc.

Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? Street Sense maintains an open submission policy and prides itself as a newspaper that elevates community voices and fosters healthy debate. Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.

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OP-ED

Discovering D.C.’s Job Oases

By James McGinley How could I not have known about this?

I pray I'm the only one, but I know that’s not the case.

On August 10, I was in a room full of people who run programs in the District that attempt to house and employ homeless and/or poor people. Many of them shared my breathless amazement at the resources being presented in the meeting.

This was the third so-called “mini clinic” held by the profoundly constructive D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness. It was hosted by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, located near Union Station and CNN. The clinic series is designed to inform, stimulate, network, educate and empower nonprofit and government organizations that serve the D.C. homeless population.

"Increasing Income" was the title and focus of this particular 3-hour clinic. There were presentations from one national think tank and two local organizations, Friendship Place and So

Others Might Eat or SOME. All three were outstanding, featuring leading edge research, thinking, practice, humanity and results. Friendship Place and SOME were the two most extraordinary.

You know all those guarantees we are given to have a great, meaningful, productive life? Yeah, me neither. But what we all need and deserve as human beings – as children of a Creator – is an excellent chance.

In our 2016 society, this is so rarely made available.

If I were someone that wanted to enter the D.C. workforce and grow surely and swiftly from entry or mid-level up through greatly increased responsibilities and income, based on what I saw yesterday, I would think I had died and gone to heaven if I walked through the doors at Friendship Place or SOME. These organizations’ job programs seemed extraordinarily well thought out, extraordinarily researched and proven in

On "On Food"

They Only Smear You When They Fear You

A few weeks ago, the article "On Food" discussed the aspect of kind, generous people buying food or drinks for vendors.

The author said he would prefer not to have people buy food for him. I want to make it very clear that was only the author's opinion. I think I believe I speak for the majority of vendors when I say we greatly appreciate people purchasing food and drinks for us.

Usually when someone wants to help a Street Sense vendor by buying food instead of purchasing a paper, it's for three reasons. First, the person only has a credit card and wants to be helpful.

Second, she is uncomfortable giving us cash because she doesn't know what we plan to purchase, e.g. whether the money will go to drugs or alcohol. Third, he simply cares and wants to help immediately.

I hope those who read "On Food" will recognize that he is one of very few vendors who does not appreciate donations of food and things other than money. At the same time, it is also more thoughtful to ask us whether we are hungry of thirsty before purchasing us food or drinks. That way we can inform you of any dietary restrictions we have.

But no matter which method people choose, God bless all who help us out, whether it's with money, food, water, clothes or just a simple smile or hello.

Keep up the LOVE!

I recently turned on my television to hear Hillary Clinton’s speech about racist Trump supporters. While she classifies me as a bigot, my heart goes out to her. She sounds cranky and miserable. She can’t stop coughing, nor can she consistently jog her memory. For her to label Trump supporters as conspiracy theorists spreading paranoia is a red flag, she doesn’t have the stamina to be commander in chief. Is it a conspiracy to say that the Clintons are crooked to the core?

Don’t take this from Breitbart or Alex Jones, listen to Jill Stein, Edward Snowden or Julian Assange. Hillary may be the most corrupt person ever to run for the Oval Office.

Maya Angelou once said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” I believe Hillary supporters have a demon in them. They are full of venom and hatred. I’ve been harassed — I’ve received death threats!

It’s a waste of time reasoning with them because they have an agenda. They are not interested in preserving America, they want to destroy it, because they believe America is the “Great Satan.” You can’t reason with people who believe that our “Founding Fathers” were a bunch of white men who raped women and slaves.

Make no mistake: when people smear you, that’s because they fear you. To the Trump supporters, take it as a badge of courage when people attack you because you are bringing them to their knees.

Jesus was persecuted not for lying, but for telling the truth. Don’t listen to the propaganda. They are afraid of Trump because he is taking on the old order that

By Greg Evans

Greg Evans is a vendor for Street Sense.

practice. The people were passionate, capable and often previously homeless themselves. They each offered huge support networks that include admirable living-wage employers.

These programs work for individuals that are looking for help – not for someone to hand them anything on a silver platter – but for really world-class help to gain meaningful employment, keep meaningful employment and advance solidly in one's career and income.

Prove me wrong. Whether you're 16 or 65 like me, if you want help entering or advancing within the world of meaningful employment and gaining a respectable living-wage, then sprint – don’t walk – to the employment programs at Friendship Place or SOME! Expect hard work, expect tough requirements, expect incredible expertise, compassion and ongoing support. Expect obstacles too. You may have to wait in line, though the

extraordinarily capable director of SOME’s program said they have openings.

Find out if what I'm saying is correct, or incorrect, and let us both know.

Respectfully, prepared to do your part and with great hope, contact or visit: SOME Center for Employment Training: 2300 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast, 20020, www.Some.org. Chief Program Officer Emily price, 202 797 8806 x 1201.

Friendship Place AimHire job placement program: 4652 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, 20016, www.FriendshipPlace.org. Director Jermaine Hampton, 202-248 3537.

If I'm wrong, let me know. If I'm right, let me know. Dig in and spread the word to your sisters and brothers.

James McGinley is a local activist and occasional contributor for Street Sense.

By Jeffery McNeil

many in Washington want to preserve.

I had no intentions of voting for Donald Trump. What steered me toward him was the arrogant attitude of liberal granolacrats.

There’s something about Black men who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid of progressivism that makes liberals go mad. One lady said she won’t buy papers from me anymore because she disagrees with me. That’s absurd! Liberals would rather live in a bubble than have someone challenge them.

Is it a conspiracy to say that the Clintons are crooked to the core?

Don’t take this from Breitbart or Alex Jones, listen to Jill Stein, Edward Snowden or Julian Assange.

And they are nervous because Donald Trump is making headway in the Black community. Hillary Clinton needs a huge turnout of Black voters or she will lose. So liberals are using the old tired playbook of the race card. It won’t work, because many African-Americans see that Democratic policies have not been beneficial to African-Americans.

I thought in America you were free to believe and say what you want. Liberals don’t understand that you have a right to offend people. If you don’t like what

I write, there are 12 other pages to read and other opinions featured next to mine. I don’t have to agree or tolerate your ridiculous distorted worldview. I want to say “Merry Christmas.” I want Andrew Jackson on my money, not Harriet Tubman. Don’t tell me I’m a horrible person because I eat beef. If you hate America, do us a favor and leave!

If you don’t like Trump, then don’t vote for him. There is nothing in the Constitution that says African-Americans should only support Democrats. Nothing has changed with the Democratic Party.

They still see you as their property. When you get off the plantation and think for yourself, they try to intimidate you with names and insults. Today’s Democratic Party is no longer the party of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. It’s not even the party of Mario Cuomo and Marion Berry. The inmates are running the asylum. They’re not interested in justice and equality, they want power and control.

Blacks, Whites, Latinos and Muslims.

We love us some Donald Trump. Trying to paint Trump supporters as racists will backfire. The politics of smear will not work. Democrats’ policies have not worked, and The Mother of All Backlashes will happen November 8.

Those who live in the Beltway, you better get the scales off your eyes and get a clue. In 60 days, you’ll be saying the name President Trump.

Jeffery McNeil is a vendor and regular contributor to Street Sense.

The Street Sense Writers Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.

Stardust

By Greg Evans Vendor/Artist, “The Pokémon Guru” I did… I do… and I will continue… to exist.

I wasn't born on the streets. But I was born. I wasn't raised poorly, nor perfectly.

But I was raised. And I haven't lived a poorly managed life, nor a perfectly managed life. But I do live.

My story might come as a surprise to many, but it shouldn't. Anything can happen to anyone...even you. Do not take your blessings for granted. It didn't take much for me to end up on the streets, homeless. There was no long, drawn-out process. I never spent time in jail. I did struggle with an opiate addiction for several years, but I was already three years clean (and still am) when my life crashed down on me and I became homeless.

In fact, everything in my life finally seemed to be coming together. Less than a year ago, I was working at a music school, managing it in fact; I was leasing a brand new 2016 Scion TC; I was

renting a beautiful apartment in Virginia that ran over $1600 a month; I had somebody to love, whom I had planned on spending forever with. We were planning on building a family together. I was the happiest I had ever been.

Than the world came crashing down on me. It is truly unbelievable how abruptly, how easily the tides of life can turn — and so drastically.

Did that blink of a life i just described remind you of yourself? Your past? Your present? Maybe plans for our future? Again...I emphasize...it is truly unbelievable how quick and easy the tides of life can turn on you. All it takes is one abrupt or unplanned turn of events to set the spiral in motion, and you too — anybody —could end up in my shoes: homeless.

No matter where we come from, where we hope to go, whatever path of life we've chosen to walk, whomever we are - we are all equals. We are all made of flesh, blood, emotions, desires, mistakes,

Rest in Peace, Fingers

Things We Do for Our Children

Last month, just after we had spoken about trying to keep my new apartment together, I got news recently that my good friend Alvin, better known as Fingers, was in a coma.

He never came out of it. I was so hurt.

I had just gotten over losing Christopher Gross, another good friend. May they both rest in peace.

I have been going through a lot of pain lately, especially with my back hurting, my brother Jim's illness and my little sister Teresa, who is trying so hard to keep her health together and take care of her children.

I will always keep prayers in my heart for my special friend who I love so much.

I also would like to put prayers to those who have passed away, particularly Chris and Fingers. I am really going to miss them both and my heart will always stay with them. So, rest in peace, Fingers; I am going to miss your love and your smile. May the glory of God and Jesus Christ stay with you forever!

Recently, on a Sunday, a group of proud men gathered at My Girlfriend’s House in Capitol Heights, Maryland. We were served tea and entertained by our daughters, nieces and granddaughters. The activities were a secret – a deep dark secret. In fact, the planners were provided a license to kill: “If I tell you, I would have to kill you! (A quote from Justice Martin) We were instructed to wear white polo shirts, khaki shorts and sandals. (Again this was a secret.) The ladies introduced themselves to us as we mingled, networking and sharing at least two things about ourselves. That was followed by a dance mimicry during which Dad had to imitate the creature expressed by his offspring. Mine was “Candy Rain, by Soul For Real?” (Embarrassingly to be found on Facebook).

They then served a feast for the kids, followed by skits; sage wisdom from a round table of diverse life experience and collectively at least a century of parental survivorship.

Photos and the piece de resistance, or the piece I could have resisted… We were asked to go outside, remove a sandal and place our naked foot into a wading pool filled with ice to “mine for diamonds”. The diamonds were half marbles mixed in with the “real” ice. That explains the shorts and sandals! The diamond mining was a trick to handicap us for the next surprise – an ankle-holding relay race. Feminine wiles once again win!

But wait, fortunately, frozen feet was not enough: We beat them 460-37.

By Charles Davis, Vendor/Artist

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

imperfections...Stardust. And it is that connectedness we need to embrace. It seems with each passing day that our sense of community and brotherly (and sisterly) love is dwindling away. People have forgotten that no matter what we are triumphing with, or struggling with, we are all vulnerable to this thing called humanity.

So next time you are out and about, living your life, and you see somebody less fortunate out on the street, please take a second to think to yourself and reflect. It doesn't take much to make us (the homeless and less fortunate) happy.

Even if you can't buy a paper from us, or you can't spare any change, or even if you simply don't want to donate, please remember that we too are walking this path called humanity. All it takes is a response to our voice, a simple "hello," a "how are you?," even a "no, I can't help you," to make us feel like we exist, like we've been heard, that we are still connected. Because deep down, that's all we want: to exist, to be a part of the community, to be human, to be made from stardust.

STREET SENSE September 7 - 20, 2016

13

VENDOR WRITING

The Streets

By Don L. Gardner Volunteer Times have changed since I left home Wondering why I find myself so all alone Trials and tribulations abandon my way I know it’s time…I must pray.

As I walk up the church steps I can hear the choir singing Amazing Grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me.

For Skid Row is not a pleasant place to be Hustlin’, money, cars and women run free Running for your life is the streets decree.

Stop, I can hardly breathe.

As the sirens pass me by Another one laid to die at the hands of the gun And yes, that was her only son.

A young sixteen year old handcuffed No friend to trust…tears streaming down her face Lord knows I was touched…down on my knees I fall As “I give heed to the altar call.

It’s a blessing to be alive…

No envy, nor strife…

To the streets I owe that much But to God…I give my life!

Don L. Gardner is a former vendor of Street Sense and founded Real Love Ministries. He’ll be hosting a ministry service and and donation giveaway at Franlkin Park on on September 10 from 11am 5pm. He can be reached at gabriel1357@yahoo.com

A Negative into A Positive

By Donald Brown, Vendor/Artist

A close aunt of mine, who has been sick with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) for a number of years, finally decided to move from Annapolis, Maryland, closer to family and into a nursing home.

I was used to seeing her on a regular basis, until she moved to Annapolis, so I hadn’t seen her in about 3 years. She passed away on May 2 of this year.

I was staying with her for about two or three months, keeping her company. And I enjoyed having her company.

I was able to take showers and wash our clothes. They served 3 meals a day and had cable TV and internet.

All that was good, but I’m used to living without that stuff. It’s going to be hard living without my Aunt.

I still miss her. But she was in a lot of pain, so her passing might have been a blessing.

I’m back on the streets 24/7, riding the trains, trying to blend in while hanging out at Meridian Park, and stay out of trouble. I’m still working with my case worker from Catholic Charities. They are doing a good job, helping with my mental and physical health.

I want to thank my supporters for their help with donations and friendship.

Music is Limitless

By Darrell Heard Volunteer I am a composer and arranger in Washington D.C. with a sound very similar to Parliament, Funkadelic, and Rick James. My inspirations are probably Zapp Band and Funkadelic.

M y stag e n ame is "B l ac h Stock," it’s a cool sounding name. You can find me under that name on SoundCloud.com, where I publish deep funk and my specialty, instrumental rap. This is a kind of rap where the instruments are arranged to take the place of the vocals or the rap in the song. It’s a cool sounding stage name. My music can also be found under that name on SoundCloud.com.

I am also presently publishing R&B songs under the name "Muse Sic” and have designs to perform jazz and modern jazz under the name “Black Tow.” I often make my tracks outside, sitting in my SUV while

The Monkey and the Hippopotamus

By Michael Craig, Vendor/Artist

The Monkey was in child support court.

The Hippo, his wife, wouldn’t even look at him.

She was distraught.

And the judge, an orangutan, didn’t know what was going to happen.

The Monkey loved his wife. He loved his family. But he doesn’t know what’s going on.

He’s in a shelter, he can’t get a job. He doesn’t even have bus fare. The Monkey loves his wife, but he just doesn’t have the money. He doesn’t know what to do. Now he could face jail.

So he listened to the judge, with her robe and gavel. He doesn’t want to go to jail, and more importantly – he loves his family.

So he jumps up and starts serenading to his hippo wife.

“My love, pretty darling! Y’knowww darling my dear! Don’t you knowww…”

She glances at him and smiles. He wins her affections and they walk out arm in arm.

Case closed. And the Orangutan judge doesn’t know what to say.

Sometimes it’s better to solve your problems out of court rather than go through trials and tribulations in court. Sitting in there can make it worse.

Vortex Out of the Box

By Frederick John

Glomerula... Glyphoma... Glyburide... Gymnura... and Giardisis All ailments or sound-alikes; What ails you?

If a billion dollar buffoon strands your ducats at the “sands;” Are you sick at heart?

Time for a fresh start.

I dedicate this poem to our formerly struggling Washington Nationals.

observing a park scene or everyday traffic. I am basically at large in the environment, but housing isn't inescapable.

I live in downtown Northwest Washington, D.C. I came here in 2005 from Ohio because I always wanted to be in the nation' capital.

The shape of musical expressions themselves are as varied as the stars in the universe. And it is valued, uniquely, in virtually all cultures. I have been musically inclined sense grade school, but have only been composing for a few months now. I decided to start this musical chapter of my life because I felt music in my being that needed to come into existence. I’ve been drawn to music because it has no limitations.

"Blach Stock" is presently looking for promoters and individuals that can help him enter into mainstream from the realm of indie. If you are interested in promoting "Blach Stock," you can reach me via g-mail: “blachstock.”

In the meantime, please enjoy a listen of my music on Sound Cloud. Just go to the site and search “Blach Stock,” I have nine songs in the queue. Thank you!

PERCEPTION OR REALIT Y: Food Recomendation #1

By Robert Williams, USMC Vendor/Artist Well, the first thing I want to do is to say hello to my little angelic Princess LILA! I missed you over the summer.

It was really great seeing you this morning. Thank you again for your gift and your encouraging smile. Now, Good Day, to all my faithful readers. Please continue to follow me in Street Sense, as I don’t have a Twitter, ha ha.

I have some food for thought today, well, more like food for taste. Just as I am adamant about the plight of veterans, the eradication of homelessness and the acquisition of affordable housing —I am just as interested in food! I sometimes refer to my diet as a “see food” diet (all I see I eat!).

There are a number of places to find me digesting good food. Let’s start at Farragut Park between I St and K St. Both sides of 17th St. N.W. Now, if you like seafood (actual seafood), a must eatis the Boyds’ truck: The Seafood Boss.

Cecil, an awesome chef, and Theresa, would both be overjoyed to have you stop by and stimulate your palate with any of their delightful dishes. Look for the SEAFOOD BOSS FOOD TRUCK on Fridays at Farragut Park! Maybe I’ll see you there.

Check back with me next edtion for another great food recomendation. And please, let me know if you tried Seafood Boss. What did you think?

COMICS & GAMES de 8

episo

hole and stay there!

MICK: Okay, Larry. Any food for me to suck on?

LARRY: Sure, a fresh dead bird fell from it’s nest and is still warm! And remember, don’t come out!

INT. WHITE HOUSE LAWN NIGHT Larry brings medicine to Bill.

By Ivory Wilson Vendor/Artist

INT. WASHINGTON DC - DAY CAPITAL HILL Larry and his crew raid a clinic for AIDS medicine. Willie is dying. Others are dieing. Bill is in constant pain.

EXT. CAPITAL HILL - DAY LARRY: Willie, can you hear me up there?

The medicine is on it’s way.

WILLIE: Don’t think I’m going to make it I can’t see my hearing fading, Larry.

LARRY: It’s not too late! The medicine will be here soon.

Some of Larry’s crew get high jacked by Dean’s crew on their way back from the clinic raid. They manage to get some of the supplies from Larry crew. Willie dies and Larry cries.

LARRY: Willie! Don’t die! Please! Don’t die!

MICK: He’s dead.

LARRY: Mick, you came back!

MICK: Could not run anymore. This is my home and no two-bit gangster is going to run me out of town.

LARRY: You sure about this? Dean’s crew will kill you on sight! Quick! Get in my

LARRY: Hey, Bill! Sad news. Willie is dead.

BILL: No! How will his wife and kids survive without him? I caused all of this.

LARRY: No, Bill. You didn’t! Dean is a mad killer for the mob. He’s under orders from New York. Bill, take some of this medicine. It will help ease the pain.

BILL (reaching for the medicine): Okay, give it here.

LARRY: How you feel?

BILL: I don’t know! I just took it!

LARRY: We’re having Willie’s funeral tomorrow at 9 am.

BILL: I’ll be there.

LARRY: It’s getting late and I got to get back. Mick came back.

BILL: He did what?! Why?!

LARRY: Said he’s not running anymore.

BILL: That’s a good way to end up dead.

LARRY: I know he’s safe in my hole, for now. hinking of a way to contact the New York crime families, and tell them Dean is killing his own kind - rats! He is trying to take over.

BILL: Are you sure about this? It could be risky contacting them.

LARRY: I’ve got to try! Dean has to be stopped.

BILL: He’s killed my love, my friends. No respect for the law. Once I get better, I am going to put together a rat task force and then I will take Dean on again.

LARRY: Hope it don’t come to that, Bill.

His own will kill him, once this gets back to New York.

BILL: Sure it will work?

LARRY: Contacting them today. Bye, Bill!

Larry contacts the New York City crime family. They want Dean dead.

INT. UNION STATION - NIGHT Rags gets a phone call ... (to be concluded)

: r Logic & Sudoku e n r o C e lo ’s Puzzl

S

Curated by Sol Hicks Vendor/Artist >> Solutions on page 15.

1. The student who has been studying the Nyap culture will publish months after the person who has been working in Denmark..

2. Michael has been studying the Vorycia culture..

3. The person who has been studying the Vorycia culture, Yvette, the person who will publish in July and the student who will publish in March are all different students..

4. The student who has been working in Oman is either the student who will publish in January or the student who will publish in September..

5. Ollie hasn't been working in Yemen..

6. Neither Sonja nor the person who will publish in March is the person who has been studying the Eldang culture..

7. The person who has been studying the Nyap culture is either Terri or the student who will publish in May..

8. The person who has been studying the Vorycia culture will publish 2 months after the person who has been working in Romania..

9. The person who has been studying the Vorycia culture will publish sometime before Yvette..

10. Ollie hasn't been working in Denmark..

11. The person who will publish in July has been studying the Haleyito culture.

STREET SENSE September 7 - 20, 2016

15

COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Outreach

Medical/Healthcare

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org

Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org

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

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

Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org

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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission: 745-7118 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW missiondc.org

Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House: 328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd, NW christhouse.org

Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only) Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org

My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc)

N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org

Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities ID (FRIDAY 9-12 ONLY)

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

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

Sol’s Solutions:

New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE

Open Door Shelter: 639-8093 425 2nd St, NW newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html

Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW

Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

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

Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St NW | 328-5500 legalclinic.org The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

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

YOU ARE INVITED! Join us at this historic mansion overlooking Meridian Hill Park for a unique showcase of artistic displays created by our neighbors experiencing homelessness!

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

September 29, 2016 (6-9 pm)

Where?

September 7 - 20, 2016• Volume 13 • Issue 22

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

When?

Permit #568

Remember, buy only from badged vendors and do not give to those panhandling with one paper.

Interested in a subscription? Visit StreetSense.org/subscribe

Josephine Butler Parks Center 2437 15th St NW Washington, DC 20009

For Tickets go to:

streetsense.org/celebration2016