09 15 2010

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September 15 - 28, 2010

Where the poor and homeless September 15 - 28, 2010

earn and give their two cents Volume 7 Issue 22

D STE GE ON G I S U N AT DO

65 cents for the Vendor

35 cents for production of the paper

A Fresh Start begins with a fresh plate See Page 4

See the great American pasttime in a whole new light Page 10

CCNV Celebrates 40th birthday and the life of Mitch Snyder See Page 4

Page 6

A sneak peak at Nancy Shia’s homeless photo exhibit Page 7

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September 15 - 28, 2010

Our Mission

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

Do you want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year?

Order a subscription today!

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

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense for just $40 a year for 26 issues. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ______________________________ Name:_________________________ Address:_______________________ City:____________State:__________ Zip: ___________________________ Phone: ________________________ E-mail: ________________________ Please make checks payable to: Street Sense.

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

The Story of Street Sense Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless individuals who sell it. About 28 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and dozens more exist throughout the world.

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

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space.

In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization.

In October 2005 Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November the organization hired its first employee, a full-time executive director.

A year later in November 2006, the organization hired its first vendor coordinator and began partnering with several service providers.

In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month and to support the increased production brought on its first full-time editor– in–chief in April.

As of January 2010 the paper had 72 active vendors and prints about 30,000 issues a month.

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

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

3. I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers.

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

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

6. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper.

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

8. I agree to stay a block away from another vendor and respect the space of all vendors.

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

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

We are

1317 G Street, NW proud Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347–2006 members Fax: (202) 347–2166 of: info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Estrada Ted Henson Brad Scriber Michael Stoops Manas Mohaptra Sommer Mathis Kristal DeKleer Robin Heller Jeffery McNeil Jordan Rummel North American John Snellgrove Dameon Philpotts Street Newspaper Martin Walker Association EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Abby Strunk EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Mary Otto MANAGING EDITOR Lisa V. Gillespie International COMMUNITY MANAGER Network of Amy Vokes Street Papers INTERNS Cynthia Ribas-Santos, Jennifer Steadman, Sam Giffin, Shadaye Hunnicut, Kimberly Kroll, Hayley Burgess Founders Ted Henson & Laura Thompson Osuri VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Rhonda Brown, Holly Ceasar, Margaret Chapman, Tracie Ching, Bobby Corrigan, Rachel Estabrook, Sarah Ficinec, Robert Fulton, Jane Goforth, Parisa Gropper, Roberta Haber, Elia Herman, Joy Hopkins, Sharon King, Trisha Knisely, Vicki-Ann Lancaster, Tim Mazzucca, Rachael Petterson, Mike Plunkett, Julia Sanders, David Shere, Jesse Smith, Maggie Smith, Mandy Toomey, Ellen Gilmer, Tim Young

VENDORS Michael Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Jake Ashford, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Donna Barber, Kenneth Belkosky, Patricia Benjamin, Tommy Bennett, Jimmy Bigelow, Reginald Black, Emily Bowe, Andre Brinson, Melody Byrd, Cliff Carle, Percy Carter, Peggy Cash, Conrad Cheek, Virginia Clegg, Aaron Conner, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Louise Davenport, James Davis, Charles Davis, David Denny, Richardo Dickerson, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon-El, Roger Dove, Deana Elder, Richard Emden, James Featherson, Craig Fleming, Tanya Franklin, Samuel Fullwood, Larry Garner, David Ger, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, John Harrison, Lorrie Hayes, Shakaye Henry, Patricia Henry, Shawn Herring, Derian Hickman, Phillip Howard, James Hughes, Richard Hutson, Margaret Jenkins, Donald Johnson, Mark Jones, Alicia Jones, Clinton Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, Brenda Lee-Wilson, Mary Lisenko, Michael Lyons, Johnnie Malloy, Kina Mathis, John C. Matthews, John Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Herman-Lee Mayse, Robert McCray, Marvin McFadden, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffrey McNeil, Kenneth Middleton, L. Morrow, Saleem Muhammad, Tyrone Murray, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Franklin Payne, Edward Perry, Gregory Phillips, Tracey Powell, Ash-Shaheed Rabbil, Michael Reardon, Ed Ross, Melania Scott, Chris Shaw, Ronald Simms, Veda Simpson, J. Simpson, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Leroy Studevant, Beverly Sutton, Paul Taylor, Sybil Taylor, Steve Thomas, Larissa Thompson, Louise Thundercloud, Deborah Tibbs, Ronald Turner, Carl Turner, Jeanette Walker, Christopher Walker, Martin Walker, Joseph Walker, Robert Warren, Lawless Watson, Paul Watson, Michael J. Welsh, Wendell Williams, Edna Williams, Sherle Williams, Susan Wilshusen, Ivory Wilson, Mark Wolf, Charles Woods, Tina Wright

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September 15 - 28, 2010

Number of Families in Shelters Rises Nationwide The New York Times reports that from 2007 to 2009, the number of families in homeless shelters, households with at least one adult and one minor child, jumped to 170,000, up from 131,000, according to numbers from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Figures for 2010 may show signs of slight improvement, however. At the end of last year, states began distributing $1.5 billion that has been made available over three years by the federal government as part of the stimulus package for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

Nationwide, more than 550,000 people have received aid as part of this program. But some worry that the program is too bogged down to keep pace with a continually sluggish economy.

Homeless Advocates Collect Supplies for Homeless The Fairfax-Falls Church Community partnership, which represents numerous homeless advocacy groups, partnered with Target to collect more than 500 baskets full of supplies to send to families and people without homes, the Washington Post reports.

Baskets were filled with cleaning supplies, hygiene products and other household ne-

cessities. They were then donated to clients of the various organizations. “This event with Target is an example of how we’ve had many seasoned organizations in our community for a while, but we’ve never worked together in the way that we’re starting to work as partners between government, faith and business,� said Dean Klein to The Washington Post, director of the Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Ireland Hit with High Homeless Numbers, Too The Irish Independent reports that the nation’s recession is to blame for the roughly 5,000 homeless men and women living on the streets there. Comparatively, there were 2,700 people living on the streets in 1991.

There are about another 100,000 individuals on social housing waiting lists, up from 56,000 in 2008.

Ireland’s government has set a deadline at the end of the year for eliminating long-term homelessness, a goal that is looking increasingly difficult to reach.

MTV Show Delves into the Lives of the Homeless Documentary filmmaker Andrew Jenks, 24, is immersing himself in the lives of 12

different individuals as part of his new MTV show “World of Jenks.� His explorations include living the life of a homeless woman, TVGuide.com reports. According to his interview, the hardest part of filming his documentary-style show was living on the streets.

From the interview: “That was brutal.

When you’re on the streets and you’ve had a tough day and you can’t find food, people might be yelling at you or calling you names.

Most people who have a bad day can go to their rooms or apartment at night. When you’re homeless, you’re back to the woods or back to a street corner and at any point someone can wake you up, a cop, a robber, a rapist, it doesn’t matter. That was by far the most outlandish lifestyle I followed.�

The show airs Mondays on MTV.

‘Homeless Meters’ to be Installed in Downtown Orlando City leaders in Orlando, Fla., hope that people who want to help the homeless will toss change into old parking meters instead of a panhandler’s cup, WDBO reports.

The city will install 15 “homeless meters,� where people can donate change to help the homeless.

Executive Director of the Downtown Development Board Thomas Chatmon told WDBO that the meters give people an alter-

native to the sometimes aggressive panhandlers in downtown Orlando. “Those meters offer a very passive, secure, convenient way for pedestrians in downtown to donate if they wanted to help eradicate homelessness,� Chatmon said.

The total cost of the program should be no more than $10,000 and the money raised there will be given to a charity that helps the homeless.

Project Back to School Gives Supplies to Homeless Students As school is starting, there are record numbers of homeless children who are in need of school supplies. Organizations across the country are banding together to make sure these kids have what they need to succeed in school. Homeless kids are twice as likely to end up in special education classes due to the lack of stability in their lives, and Project: Back to School is doing what they can to put these kids ahead of the curve. They aim to make 3,000 backpacks full of school supplies for homeless children, double their output last year, so these kids can start the year off on track and have the same resources as every other student.

Compiled by Dianna Heitz, from previously published reports.

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September 15 - 28, 2010

More than Just Good Food

By Tim Young, volunteer

Fresh Start now provides contract food service for Next Step Public Charter School in Columbia Heights. Next Step joins Washington Jesuit Academy, which has contracted with Fresh Start for three years. Left, sous chef Howard Thomas prepares food for a charter school at DC Central Kitchen.

PHOTOs by Ezra Gregg

For executive chef Allison Sosna’s kitchen, 5:30 a.m. means lights up, ovens on,and Bob Marley’s greatest hits playing.

Sosna, whose specialty is French cuisine and who has had accomplishments at Dean & Deluca and the Inn at Little Washington, begins her workday by surveying her facilities, answering a few e-mails and monitoring the inventory of fresh produce. Her sous-chef, Howard Thomas, formerly of the Capital Grille, comes in shortly thereafter.

On this particular day they were preparing to meet their new culinary director, David Strong, who most recently was a top chef and caterer from the Capitol.

Where can you find this combination of amazing culinary skill? Your child’s school.

Sosna and her colleagues work together for DC Central Kitchen and Fresh Start Catering in order to provide fresh, madefrom-scratch food for children and adults around the District. She heads the kitchen located at the Washington Jesuit Academy, a Catholic school for disadvantaged boys, and she oversees the production of nearly 850 fresh school meals each day. Feeding school children is part of a new and growing initiative by DC Central Kitchen, which also prepares 4,500 meals each day for homeless shelters, social service programs and charitable institutions at its main facility on Second Street NW. In addition to feeding the kids at the Washington Jesuit Academy and Next Step Public Charter School, DC Central Kitchen was also chosen as one of two vendors recently contracted by D.C. Public Schools as part of a pilot program to provide wholesome meals to seven District public schools under the city’s new Healthy Schools Act. The act, which mandates strict nutritional standards and encourages the inclusion of fresh, locally-grown ingredients, comes in the wake of a larger national push, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, to combat childhood obesity and promote better eating habits among school children.

The school lunch initiative seems like a good fit for DC Central Kitchen, which since it was founded in 1989 by former nightclub owner Robert Egger, has made its mission to “use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds and build communities.”

The nonprofit collects 3,000 pounds of surplus food each day from area food services to provide its meals to the poor and homeless. In addition, the nonprofit works with local farmers to procure fresh produce and runs Fresh Start Catering, a full-service catering program to help gen-

erate revenue.

DC Central Kitchen’s culinary job training program enrolls unemployed adults overcoming homelessness, addiction and incarceration in a 12-week professional education course that helps prepare them for work in the food service industry. Students learn from top chefs about everything from how to run a kitchen to how to prepare the repertoire of sauces essential to many types of cuisine.

“It’s difficult for someone with a criminal record to get a job,” said 25-year-old Sosna. “We help these men and women get the training and work experience that they need so that they can move on with their lives successfully.”

When asked where they have been placed, Strong said, “Everywhere in D.C. We have a great network of restaurants in town. But recently, we have needed the people that we train. Our organization has grown so quickly that we have created over 40 jobs and employed the people that we have trained.”

Graduates of the program who work in schools do not have criminal records.

“Someone once told me that it’s amazing

that a girl from New Jersey and six ex-cons could make such beautiful food,” added Sosna, “but that never surprised me.”

Sosna’s passion to cook later in her young life led her to the L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, but now combines her love for people and food at her current job. “I take a holistic approach to food,” she says. “We teach adults in the kitchen to be incredible chefs, and we teach the children of the District to truly understand how to eat healthy.”

For his part, her colleague David Strong explains his passion by describing a recent incident. He had to make a quick stop to eat when running between meetings around Washington, and he chose to stop at Subway. There he watched his sandwich prepared for him from the opposite side of the thick glass. “It hit me like a ton of bricks,” said Strong. “This really is the closest [kids in some areas of Washington] can get to an assortment of fresh vegetables.

That is why we do what we do.”

Strong has made it his goal to do better.

“We have had fresh fruit and vegetables delivered directly from a farm at our door and had it prepared and on plates less than 15

minutes later,” he said.

“And we use everything,” continued Sosna. “If you look in our refrigerator, we have freshly prepared stocks [including fish, chicken and corn stock]. And with the excess tomatoes, we make and store our own sauces that will last us for a couple of months.”

Fresh food is delivered twice a week by local farms in order to provide what DC Central Kitchen likes to call “farm-totable fine dining.” As Sosna and Strong were talking, the sous-chef had begun to cut freshly roasted turkey for the school’s lunch that day.

DC Central Kitchen also works with schools so that they can create their own gardens. Walking behind the play fields of Washington Jesuit Academy, one can see and smell a garden full of herbs and vegetables that the students of the school has been growing. One of the planters, a boat, fortuitously reads “Destiny” on its side.

Good nutrition is not always an easy sell in schools, said Sosna.

“It can be a challenge [presenting a new culture of fresh foods], but we work with families and students to educate them on how to eat healthy and affordably,” said Sosna. “We have also occasionally run into staff who, after encouraging students to eat healthy, are found walking the halls with large fast food cups. Overall, though, we have had great success in really changing the culture of eating in D.C”.

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School Days Memories...

By Kimberly Kroll, intern As students around D.C. throw their backpacks onto their shoulders and clamber onto the school bus, some of our vendors reminisce about when they were students.

PATRICIA HENRY “I was very excited when school would start in the fall; I looked forward to it,” Patricia Henry said. “I loved the first days of school; finding where new classes were, seeing the kids again.”

Henry lived in the country and said there was nothing to do in the summer.

Occasionally she’d purchase paperback books from the nearby grocery store, but that became expensive.

But she couldn’t go back to school without new back-to-school clothes.

“One year my mother took me down to the dry goods store. There was very severe weather coming up, but I was complaining so my mother drove me anyway. On the way home, in front of an old folks home right at the stoplight, this big tree came crashing down! It must have been my punishment for complaining,” Henry said.

Henry always went to bed early, never slept past 7:30 a.m. and loved being awake early on cool summer mornings before a two-week church summer school and tennis lessons.

Although Henry loved school, she still loved to squeeze the last few rays of sun out of her summer. One year, Henry’s father took them to the beach the weekend before school. “I complained that I wanted to stay at the beach so we missed maybe the first day or two of school,” she said.

JEANETTE RICHARDSON Jeanette Richardson lived in the District until she was 9 years old, where she attended Bruce and Harriet Tubman elementary schools. Afterward, she went to a foster home in Baltimore, where she attended Schools 88, 89 and

Rock Glen Junior High, her favorite school of all.

Like most students, Richardson wasn’t such a fan of Monday mornings.

“My foster mom kept us in church from sun up ‘til sun down on Sundays,” Richardson said.

Physical education was Richardson’s favorite class at Rock Glen. She’d throw on her uniform T-shirt and shorts for her favorite sport: basketball.

“I played for a while [on the team] but I was a sore loser. I didn’t want to shake hands with anyone when we lost; I was just being a brat,” she recalled, laughing.

Richardson enjoys watching baseball now because of her time on the softball team as a catcher.

“Come on pitcher, put it right here!” said Richardson, squatting, with her hand held out like a glove.

Richardson’s favorite thing about Rock Glen was that there were “different units: A, B, and C in the building where the different grades would be; 7, 8, or 9,” she described. “I used to sneak out into all the other ones.”

One of her funniest memories was when her principal got hit in the face with a snowball. “He started fighting with my friend, so it was a big mess between white and black people, but my friend didn’t even throw it, and it got cleared up quick,” she said chuckling.

JEFF McNEIL Jeff McNeil was into sports when he wasn’t strategizing on the chess team or reading about history and current events, his favorite subjects. He ran cross country, everything from 400 meters to miles upon miles. “I always came in second, third, never broke any records, but I was pretty fast,” said McNeil.

Toms River High School East in New Jersey also had the best wrestling team, McNeil boasted. He wrestled on the team in the whopping 120-pound weight class.

And being an athlete was probably good for more than physical health.

“There were lots of pretty women, lots of girls in school,” said McNeil, who went to a lot of dances.

The only thing McNeil would change if he could go back to high school is that he would have dressed a little nicer, and been a little more sociable.

“I was the only minority, only black kid in the high school,” McNeil said. “I lived in

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a predominately white neighborhood.”

But after school, McNeil dabbled in card games with his friends, poker especially. McNeil even “gambled” on his arrival to the District on July 4, 2008. He was choosing between Chicago, Boston, New Orleans and D.C. “I threw a dart and decided by process of elimination,” he said.

McNeil’s advice to students: “Get an education so you don’t have to sell newspapers. Make sure you get good grades; it’s a tough world today.”

“I cannot count the amount of time spent playing with local and national superstars,” Watson said.

Watson later studied broadcasting and now does freelance broadcasting on Internet radio and television. He has worked with both local and national organizations. “Whoever needs my voice,” he said.

LAWLESS WATSON

Kwayera “Reggie” Dakari grew up in the District and in Maryland. He attended both Davis and Plumber elementary schools in the District. In Maryland, he attended Maryland Park and Walker Mill junior high schools and Bladensburg High School. Afterward, he attended Bowie State University where he studied art education. He graduated from the University of the District of Columbia.

Dakari’s favorite school of all was Bladensburg, where he ran track. He also wrestled at Maryland Park. “I would win all the time. I was the littlest dude out there, 98 pounds back then,” he said. He was also on the gymnastics team, which did circus shows for fun.

On the academic side, Dakari was in the French club at Bladensburg. “I don’t remember a lot of French; if you don’t use it, you lose it,” he said. His goal was to go to France, but he never made it. “Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix—I can still count though,” he said.

“The kids I met are my memories,” Dakari said. Like many teenage boys, he loved meeting girls. He also started bands with his friends; the first was the Young Sound when he was 13 years old. Now, after all the bands in between, he’s in a band called CoJo. “I was a musician since I was a kid,” he recalled. “See this harmonica? One of the baddest in the city,” he said, pointing to himself with one hand, harmonica in the other.

Dakari uses his artistic skill to train others how to go out and do their crafts. “I set up a flea market for artists to sell their work so we can all make a little money,” he said.Dakari sets up at farmer’s markets, jazz festivals and other events around the city where he sells his oil painting portraits.

L a w l e s s Wa t s o n wanted to join the football team, but a pretty girl talked him out of it.

“The only thing that kept me in school from the seventh to the tenth grade was music,” said Watson.

Watson’s music teacher allowed him to take any instrument home for the weekend. He learned the basics of how to play about 16 different instruments as well as how to write and compose music.

If Watson could go back to D.C.’s McKinley Technical Vocational High School, it would be for the marching band and competitions, he said.

Watson mainly played the sousaphone in the band. Back then, before they became fiberglass, they used to be made of brass. At one time, he was the only sousaphone player in the band. He was also the line captain.

“I loved making the bigger, stronger guys in the sousaphone line sweat by making them learn how to twirl and do stunts and various maneuvers while we marched,” Watson said. “Two of them were actually members of the neighborhood gangs, and they actually left the gangs to become part of the school marching band.”

Although Watson was a brass major in the school band, he also played the drums very well.

“Even though I did not take drum lessons in school, I was the best drummer, so if they needed one I was always pulled in,” Watson said.

Watson learned to play the drums at church. He spent his extra time there after school also studying scripture when he wasn’t working. Watson had a fulltime after-school job at McDonald’s that he started at 13 years old.

Watson eventually made a living as a freelance studio recording drummer.

KWAYERA “REGGIE” DAKARI

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September 15 - 28, 2010

By Cynthia Ribas-Santos , intern Washington D.C.’s Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV) knows how to throw a party. On Saturday, Sept. 11, CCNV celebrated its own birthday, its 40th anniversary as an organization.

Amid the food and camaraderie, there were also memories of fierce and flamboyant Mitch Snyder, a leader of the community who has been gone 20 years now. And there was talk of a new beginning for CCNV, a restatement of the principles the organization stands for.

Richard Hor, member of CCNV’s board of directors, helped coordinate the event that included live entertainment, free food and drinks, raffle prizes and a health clinic for check-ups.

Though it took eight months to plan, CCNV organizers knew exactly what they wanted this celebration to look like: a simple, come-as-you-are affair, right at the sprawling homeless shelter located on D Street NW and Mitch Snyder Place.

“We didn’t want this in some fancy hotel ballroom where the homeless couldn’t be involved,” said Hor. “We actually have a shuttle bus running picking up homeless people from different shelters around the city and homeless people in the streets.”

After the death of homeless rights activist Snyder, CCNV suffered years of turbulent times, but Hor says the organization is turning a corner. “We’re trying to send a message out now that we’re a different organization under new management and we’re here to fight for homeless rights. We stand for

We didn’t want t h i s i n so me fa n c y ballroom where the homeless couldn’t be involved. We actually have a shuttle bus running picking up the homeless around the city and homeless people in the street.

-Richard Hor, Board of Directors

high integrity and ethics.”

CCNV could not have put on this celebration without the help of the volunteers from around the community. The purple-shirted volunteers were everywhere, often times easier to find than attendees of the event.

Some volunteers had long histories with CCNV, others just wanted a way to help out their community.

First-time volunteer Denise Naguib’s husband designed CCNV’s website and she decided to contribute some of her time as well.

“This city has a significant homeless population and CCNV impacts those most in need,” says Naguib.

“This event is bringing awareness to the community and reaching out to the homeless.”

Though CCNV started as an antiwar group, stemming from the Vietnam War, it evolved into something else, under Snyder’s charismatic leadership. Snyder fought for the building that CCNV currently calls home and the organization still lives by many of his ideals, said Hor. “Treat people like people no matter who they are or where they came from,” says Hor. “People are homeless for many different reasons. This building serves about 1,400 people; there are probably 1,400 different reasons why they are homeless. “ Willie Ferguson, who has been staying at the shelter, said that with the help he has been finding there, he has been getting back on his feet. He said he arrived at CCNV about seven months ago after coming to the District from Virginia.

Amid the festivities, Ferguson expressed gratitude for the basic things he has found through CCNV: the chance to eat every day, take a shower, and have health care at the clinic. But Ferguson said he has found something deeper at CCNV too: a sense of respect and humanity among the people who support the organization and who gathered to celebrate on Saturday.

“The best part [about the event] is the love they have for their fellow brothers and sisters because some people really need that love,” said Ferguson. “I must have a heart of thankfulness for every one of these people.”

PHOTOS by Cynthia ribas-santos

CCNV celebrates 40 years with street bash

After a day of dancing and live entertainment, attendees were fed Indian food from a local restaurant at the CCNV 40th anniversary.

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September 15 - 28, 2010

7

Poverty threatens environment in Malawi

By Omega Chanje, Street News Service

PHOTO by Omega Chanje

The sight of men stringing along bicycles heavily loaded with bags of charcoal has become an all too familiar sight on most Malawian roads, especially in rural surrounds.

These vast amounts of charcoal are not for your leisurely barbeque however. Instead they contribute as a major source of energy for 92 percent of the Southern African country’s 13 million inhabitants.

Like many other developing nations, Malawi has agreed to take the initiative on the Millennium Development Goals in the hope of reducing poverty, increasing education and the provision of basic health care.

Though the vast majority of the public are aware of the goals and how they contribute to the bigger picture, very few abide by the laws as they have little or no choice on how to sustain their livelihoods.

No electric cooker Christina is a mother of four and lives with her family in a rented hut in the outskirts of Malawi’s second city, Blantyre. In all of her 35 years, she has never had the privilege of turning on a light switch or A Malawian man transports charcoal ashes on his bicycle. Like many colleagues, he travels 30 kilometers into the city to sell the sacks at handling an electric cooker. Her hut has a local market for about $5. no facilities for electricity or running wawood and charcoal have become a major, if ful, practical technologies. By investing in unknown to Robert, who is one of the men ter. Immediately outside her hut though not the only means by which most people health, food production, education, access stinging along a bicycle heavily laden with are large steel poles that transfer electricity source energy for heating and food prepara- to clean water, and essential infrastructure, charcoal. Every morning Robert and a hoard to Blantyre bypassing her home and many tion. For lighting, most households use par- these community-led interventions will en- of other men gather charcoal that they burn of the other huts and settlements around affin that is not locally produced. Statistics able impoverished villages to escape the ex- through the night, and load the black ash hers. from the Electricity Supply Commission of treme poverty that currently confines over 1 into sacks and onto their bicycles. They As a result, Christina and her family rely Malawi show that only eight percent of Ma- billion people worldwide. travel 30 kilometers into the city to sell the heavily on wood from trees that are felled in lawians have access to electricity.

James Lusuntha is a team member for sacks at a local market for about $5. Accordtheir rural surrounds. This has consequently In recognition of this problem, the gov- one of two Millennium Village Projects in ing to Robert, this is the only way he can culminated in large scale deforestation in ernment has set aside a full month every Malawi. He believes there has been signifi- fend for his family. “People need to eat and large areas of the country. Poverty and the year, where a tree planting campaign will cant change in the way village inhabitants heat up,” he says. “As long as electricity redegradation of the environment seem to take place. During this month, every Ma- plan for their lives. Village inhabitants better mains scarce, we will always have a job”. go hand in hand here and both are directly lawian is encouraged to plant at least one understand the importance of looking after An evening in Christina’s home ends linked to the other. tree. The trees will be planted by school- themselves and their environment. with the family gathering around a lit fire “Firewood collection is a part of our rou- children at all levels as well as social clubs The Mwandama cluster is in the world’s from the firewood brought in by the chiltine,” says Christina. “I do not earn enough and groups. It is hoped they will not only only region that has seen both a rise in dren earlier. The warmth in this little hut money to move into a house with electricity replenish what has been lost but also as- temperature and a drop in rainfall in re- is a far cry from the heat you might expect so my girls and I have to get up early every sist in countering flooding during the rainy cent years. These changes have led to com- from a radiator, the lighting faint; but there morning to fetch some firewood.” Asked season. mon recurrent famines. Nearly 90 percent is something very comforting about a family whether she is planting anymore trees to of people in the Mwandama Millennium that gets by through meager resources and replenish the ones she cuts, she says, “we Setting the example: Millenium Villages Village cluster live in extreme poverty. The knows that they may perhaps never afford plant vegetables and herbs that help us get One successful way of addressing the inhabitants of Mwandama are being used electricity. through the months.” sustainable energy issue is through the so- as a prototype for Malawians to learn to use While measuring carbon footprints and Her youngest daughter then adds in the called Millennium Villages. They are based resources available to them without deplet- curbing global warming is on the agenda for local language, “if we plant a tree, we’ll only on a single powerful idea: impoverished ing the earth’s natural resources. many in the West, Malawians are still trying come back after it’s grown to cut it again.” villages can transform themselves and to find a way to switch a light bulb for evWith over 80 percent of Malawi’s popu- meet the Millennium Development Goals Black ash ery household in a country called the warm lation living in the rural countryside, fire- if they are empowered with proven, powerThe activities at Mwandama Village are heart of Africa.© www.streetnewsservice.org

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Nancy Shia’s latest photography exhibit will only be on display for one night, September 19. But her images of homeless men in D.C., have been informed by three decades of thoughtful observation.

Shia, a former reporter for the Federal News Service and now an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for Ward 1C, has been capturing images of homeless people and their lives since the 1980s. She started with the Cuban and Salvadorean refugees who took up residence in abandoned buildings near her Columbia Road home. She continues with the men who wait in line for cots in large low-barrier city shelters, such as La Casa in Northwest and the New York Avenue and Adams Place shelters in Northeast.

Shia says she was drawn to photog school by the Depression-era work of D whose searing photographs of migrant placed farm families and homeless pe both their suffering and their humanity “Social commentary photographs ha terested me,” said Shia. She titled the on of photographs she placed on the wal ghetti Garden restaurant in Adams Mo Up With DC’s Homeless?”

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graphy in high Dorothea Lange, t workers, diseople captured y. ave always inne-night exhibit lls of the Spaorgan “What’s

September 15 - 28, 2010

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Shia’s pictures speak of “the warehousing of the homeless.” Yet she also finds wit, wisdom and humanity in the faces of the men who allow her to take their photographs. “There is a lot of spirit there,” she says.

The exhibit will be up from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Spaghetti Garden, 2317 18th St. NW.

Photos by Nancy Shia

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Tis’ the Season for Baseball

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Galaxy Baseball: Part 1

By Ivory Wilson, vendor At night we light up our baseball fields with bright lights that can be seen from space. Tim and Matt are brothers who love baseball. Matt is a pitcher for his high school team, the Bobcats. Matt hopes to get a college baseball scholarship. Matt is a very good big brother. He takes Tim along with him to all his practices and games. Tim dreams and dreams of becoming able to play the game of baseball that he loves so much, but that dream may never come true. You see, Tim is disabled.

Paralyzed. He was born that way. It’s very difficult for Tim to move with metal braces on his legs and metal crutches. Tim is in elementary school but his dreams are big.

He collects baseball cards and has over 500. Tim lies in bed every night, looking out his window at the stars. Closing his eyes, he prays to God to grant his wish. He falls asleep seeing himself hitting a home run. Running from base to base, smiling and waving to all the fans.

Tomorrow is the first game of the season. The boys’ mom, Nanette, is very, very proud of Matt and how he takes time with Tim each and every day. Nanette bought a walkie-talkie set for Tim so he can call his big brother at the games when he needs a cold drink or food because it’s hard for him to keep getting up and moving around

the ballpark with all the people there.

Game night arrives and it is a beautiful warm summer night. People are filling up the bleachers. Matt makes sure Tim gets a seat in the first seat on the end so Tim can be close to the restrooms. Matt gives his little brother a big hug. Tim smiles and says, “Strike them all out, Matt!”

Matt smiles and says, “I will try, Tim.” Matt takes one of the walkie-talkies and heads to the field.

Tim is sitting, eating a hot dog and drinking a Coke, when he feels a tingle in his legs. He feels like he’s rising from the bleachers. Before Matt can release the ball, all the lights at the stadium go out.

When the lights come back on, Tim is gone but his crutches are still there.

People look around at each other and try to figure out what happened. They look at all the players on the field and even the ones in the dugout. The players in the dugout are missing their uniforms.

All they have on is their T-shirts and boxers. Their caps, gloves, bases, bats and balls are all gone. People start looking up at the night sky.

Matt calls Tim on the walkie-talkie. Tim doesn’t answer. Matt runs to the bleachers and sees that Tim is gone.

To Be Continued…

FROM THE COSMIC SPORTS PAGE: A Shift in Para-Dimes

By Chris 'Sky' Shaw, the 'Cowboy Poet' & vendor Ahh. We dodged another bullet, so the news anchor (and the weather lady) say.

A mere quarter million miles up in our galaxy, 'Twixt Gaea and her moon, An asteroid and its twin, Seventy square miles was it, Barely grazed our aura, 'tis told.

Are we so very old We then need Cosmologists (and, cosmetologists?)

To show the way?

Hey. The Nats just passed sixty In wins. And the new kid just his fifth? At-bat, Hit a two-run homer, though We still lost that game

And there was not a cloud in the whole doggone Firmament of blue.

You could hear gum crack, or a single beefy red guy yell "RAMOS!" With only 16,000 And two Souls present in the house, Who could tell. (Is that Ramos like a Ramos fizz Like they mix up down on O'Keefe Street, In New Orleans, oh so very neat?)

Now comes football Don't even get me started On an entirely new reason to make for temporary Widowhood due to TV. FROM THE COSMIC SPORTS PAGE:

War On Drugs or Us

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By Kwayera “Reggie” Dakari, vendor We’re at war: the draft is on The war against drugs has just begun They said World War III would be the atom bomb But we were getting high while they sang that song High off heroin, herb, and crack coke And messing up our minds with the love boat It’s messing up our mind; it’s keeping us blind We’re all going to die in just a matter of time The enemy plans to destabilize the nation With drugs to destroy our future generations Their strategy is to create an illusion It makes you feel good but in a state of confusion You sell the drugs then buy weapons and guns And terrorize and threaten all your loved ones The death toll is rising up, dope dealers making big bucks And you’re walking around with your head in a rut Then while you’re trippin’ and funnin’ and doin’ the town You have nothing to show for it once you come down Your progress is stopped; your goals are lost You become an addict; the drugs become your boss You get thrown in jail; it’s a living hell You end up sleeping in a funky crowded cell What’s wrong is now right; you always fuss and fight You can’t even get enough sleep at night You kick it cold turkey; you holler and scream And wake up wishing it was all a damn dream War on drugs: hell, that’s a damn lie It’s war on us, so wake up or die And stay off drugs, and keep your mind clear Listen to this poem; there’s a message here Thank God above for the life you love And get high off life! It’s his gift of love

WHAT WOULD IT FEEL LIKE?

Poem commemorating the 5th anniversary of Katrina descending on New Orleans

By Chris Shaw, vendor What would it feel like For you to wake up in a cold sweat, Wet just from the fear, not the flooding -To have seen a twunny-foot wall Of black-gray greasy oil-soaked water From three lakes and the ribbah and the gulf Coming atcha home in Gentilly And all the cats and the roosters And the little ole neighbors, elders and babies And it was just a big bad, horrible Dream? Yes, you just had an awful nightmare, and it was real dark Gray in this dread vision, wet with fear, Not as Montana LeBlanc, who, when the levees blew, Had to wade thru gator-, mad dog-, and dead body-infested deep sludge For real. The nightmare was happenin’!

Not in a dry bedroom up in D.C., but in dear, dangerous and beautiful New Orleans.

“Do ya know what it means, to miss New Orleans?

And missin’ it night and day, I know I'm not wrong: The feelin's gettin’ strong Longer I stay away...”

-Louis Armstrong, 1946, from Alter & DeLange lyrics & music

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Democracy and Votes Should Not be For Sale

By Jeffery McNeil, vendor “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” -Luke 23: 34 After selling papers for a period of years, the key to my success is a simple formula: Smile, never go negative about a customer or a vendor, and never discuss anything controversial.

Still, I have decided to break my neutrality and give my view on the midterm election.

I considered myself a moderate American. I embrace and tolerate all points of view whether I agree or disagree. I do not believe that all Republicans are greedy capitalists who don’t care about anything but the all mighty dollar, and I don’t believe that all Democrats are for the working class.

Ye t a s a n o u t sider, it appears to me that American politics has become nothing more than high-stakes panhandling. It’s all about raising money to stay in office, or using the office as a platform to advance higher ambitions. Even though I sell newspapers, many of the people I share the streets with are bankers, highpowered attorneys and lobbyists. They are here in Washington because this is the place to get government handouts. I am not against capitalism. But how is this so much different than begging?

In my opinion, politics is a necessary evil. Without government there would be lawlessness and anarchy, so some semblance of a government is needed.

The beautiful thing about America is that we get a chance to vote. Many who came before us valiantly died so all Americans could go to the polls and vote for someone who spoke for the majority of

Americans.

Two years ago it was wonderful to see democracy in action.

We elected someone so different from the presidents who preceded him.

Now we have the midterm elections and we again will test the democratic process. But thanks to growing corporate influence and a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that opened a floodgate for new corporate spending on elections, it will be harder than ever for the process to work. It seems like corporations influence everything from how we live to how we think. Even the news we read is created by corporations.

It’s hard to believe it’s not shaped by the interests of shareholders and advertisers.

I f y o u a re re a l l y cynical you can even wonder whether any of these corporations are helping fan the flames of division and hate. It is one thing to oppose the policies of a sitting president; you have four years to vote for another president. But it is another thing to ratchet up the contempt for a president because he wants to implement policies you don’t agree with.

To question Obama’s citizenship or imply he is Hitler because he wants to change the health care systems so all Americans can get reasonable treatment is beyond malicious.

Using corporate money to encourage polarizing figures as Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck brings out the worst in this country. It makes me remember the days when fear and intimidation were directed against people who held the “wrong” point-of-view.

By the time you read this, the votes in the midterm elections will have been cast. I hope they were not cast in anger for closed-minded people who want to turn back the clock.

Using corporate money to encourage polarizing figures as Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck brings out the worst in this country. It makes me remember the days when fear and intimidation were directed toward people who held the “wrong” point-ofview.

New to the City, New to Street Sense By: Hayley Burgess, intern I’ve been thrown into life as a college freshman at The George Washington University, a resident of the District and an intern at Street Sense. My first few days were spent adjusting to the humidity and running around on the Metro with my mom, trying to get everything in order for my first semester of college. I haven’t stopped running since.

Just three days after my cross-country trip, I found myself sitting alone in my whitewalled, unfamiliar dorm room wondering what in the world I had been thinking by deciding to leave everything I know for a school thousands of miles from home.

Three weeks later, I am not only slightly more overwhelmed, but extremely excited about and well aware of the wealth of opportunities that await me in this city.

My first few days at school were spent with a program called Community Building Community, where I was shuffled around different neighborhood doing various community service projects. Two days later I was officially jolted out of my summer state of mind with an 8 a.m. alarm and the reality of

college classes – and the workload to go with it. But what I hadn’t realized was that my opportunities to get out into the city had only just begun.

In addition to my hours spent studying in various locales around the city: the Lincoln Memorial (which I have shamelessly bragged about to my friends back home in L.A.), the duck pond on the National Mall, and of course in a study nook at the school library, I’ve been contacting local organizations for internship opportunities and trying desperately to familiarize myself with the Metro so that I don’t have to leave over half an hour early for an internship merely three stops away.

I’m not sure I will ever feel as though I have seen all of the different sides of this incredibly diverse city. But I know now that I will by no means be confined to classrooms and the library at school.Getting an education in D.C. means more than hitting the books, it means getting out of my comfort zone and taking every opportunity that comes your way. Though I know it won’t be easy, I can’t wait to see all that my next four years in D.C. will bring.

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A Strategy Both Parties Can Get on Board

By Douglas E. Schoen, contributing writer We're nearly three years into the recession, and our economy still shows few signs of life. The Department of Labor just announced that the country shed 131,000 jobs in July. Unemployment now stands at 9.5 percent. It's not surprising that Democrats and Republicans agree that something must be done, soon, to stem the loss of jobs.

Neither side, though, has offered a creative or comprehensive jobs strategy to turn the economy around. One strategy could create jobs and generate support from both sides of the aisle: Biotech Innovation. “Over the long run, few issues are as important to a nation's long-term economic security and global standing as being a leader in moving life sciences forward," says Lawrence Summers, director of the White House's National Economic Council. He's right. Innovation in biotechnology is the engine that could get our economy back on track.

Yet neither party has forcefully championed this idea, even though it's one of the few ideas that would elicit bipartisan support. Enacting policies that will help this industry thrive is a painless way to create the jobs Americans desperately need. It's also a strategy on which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle can cooperate. Biotechnology is racing along while the rest of the economy sputters.

During the first year of the recession, private-sector employment declined by 0.7 percent. Employment in the biosciences, however, increased by 1.4 percent. It's not just PhDs who are finding jobs in the industry. Research, testing and medicals labs employed 2.1 percent more people in that time.

The medical devices and equipment sector increased its workforce by 2.4 percent.

The area of agricultural feedstock and

chemicals did even better. Emp l oy m e n t r o s e there by 4.6 percent from 2007 to 2008. All told, the biotechnology industry employs more than 700,000 Americans. These aren't just scientists - the industr y depends on administrative assistants, business managers, computer professionals, groundskeepers and engineers.

Even better, the industry creates a powerful ripple effect. Biotech firms utilize construction workers, accountants, IT workers, daycare operators and others.

These people are transforming the world.

The cutting-edge medicines that the sector develops are making our lives healthier and longer. Pharmaceuticals have reduced heart attack mortality by more than half. Agricultural biotech is increasing crop yields, lowering food costs and reducing disease.

These technologies help millions across the world.

So what can lawmakers do to foster innovation? First, Congress could make the R&D tax credit permanent. This provision was included in the president's budget last year, but didn't make it through. This is something on which Democrats and Republicans see eye-to-eye because politicians from both parties have voted regularly to extend the temporary tax.

Making it permanent would provide a long-term incentive for investors to put more money into the sector. A growing industry could explode.Lawmakers should also enact a payroll tax holiday. This would encourage private-sector employers in the

biotech community to make new hires and retain current employees. Long term, we must ensure that the industry can fill the jobs thus created.

We need to foster the next generation of scientific researchers, perhaps the ones who will discover a cure for cancer, by improving math and science education in our nation's schools. The National Center for Education Statistics compared 15-year-olds around the world last year, and discovered that American students were below average in math and science.

Students in other countries are improving their performance in these crucial subjects, while ours simply stay steady.

American high school students are in the bottom quarter in math, trailing China. In future years, our country's thriving industry of innovation could find itself increasingly competing for investment dollars headed to Asia. Between 1986 and 2003, the U.S. share

of global R&D investment declined from 46 percent to 37 percent. Even more striking, our share of scientific researchers fell from 41 percent to just 29 percent.

We must stay competitive in the arena we've dominated. Biotechnology is the future of the American economy. Other industries are innovating, too, of course. But biotech is a rare bright spot in this gloomy recession. Passing consensus-driven, bipartisan policies to boost what might be our fastest growing sector will create jobs and save lives.

Douglas E. Schoen was a campaign consultant for more than 30 years and was President Clinton’s research and strategic consultant during the 1996 reelection. He has been widely credited with creating and effectively communicating the message that turned around the President’s political fortunes between 1994 and 1996.

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Thank You to the Readers and Staff of Street Sense

By Kenneth Belkosky, vendor

John Matthews

L. Morrow

Kenneth Middleton

Jeanette Walker

Wish Your Vendors a Happy September Birthday!

Franklin Sterling

Lawless Watson

Melody Byrd

Ed Ross Tyrone Murray

Louise Davenport

This is a story to say thanks to all the readers and staff of the paper. I was voted vendor of the month for August. I could not have done it had it not been for the readers and staff support. I do try my best in all I do. I even sometimes walk from Virginia to D.C. when the new issues come out to help unload t h e m . I k n ow from reading the Sept. 1 issue that I do a lot of walking! I did hear from a lot of readers that so many of you are concerned about my health, but I am doing very well. The walks help me a lot.

I am sorry that I have not written anything in a while. I promise that as soon I get better housing, I will write more stories. I plan to write on how bad the mental health system is here in D.C. Like I said at the top of this story, thank you.

FOUNDRY A Reconciling Congregation Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM Homeless Outreach Hospitality: Fridays 9:00 AM

Foundry United Methodist Church

1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010

www.foundryumc.org

Need Help?

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s 2EFERRALS TO OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES s ()6 !)$3 SERVICES INCLUDING BEREAVE MENT SUPPORT BURIAL ASSISTANCE AND A RETREAT PROGRAM

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www.samaritanministry.org Samaritan Ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next Step Program helps people who are homeless, have HIV/AIDS, and others in need make changes for a better life. Program participants meet with staff members to set goals in employment, housing, health care and other areas. Goals are reached one step at a time with staff providing resources and offering encouragement and support. There are no religious requirements for participation.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 110 Maryland Ave, NE (202) 289-0596 (office) (202) 289-2111 (shelter) www.calvaryservices.org

Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356 www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave SE (202) 610–9600 www.covenanthousedc.org Housing, education, job prep

September 15 - 28, 2010 Thrive DC (breakfast Mon-Fri, 9:30-11, all welcome/dinner for women and children, Mon-Fri, 3-6 pm) St. Stephens Parish Church 1525 Newton St, NW (202) 737–9311 www.thrivedc.org Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277 www.foodandfriends.org Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8089 www.miriamskitchen.org The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635 http://www.epiphanydc.org/ ministry/welcometbl.htm

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100 www.christhouse.org

John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469 www,catholiccharitiesdc.org

Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300 www.unityhealthcare.org

My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596 Washington, DC 20017 office (202) 529-5261 24-hour hotline (202)-529-5991 shelter and other services for domestic violence victims

Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500; www.wwc.org

N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639–8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Thrive DC 1525 Newton Street NW (202) 737-9311 thrivedc.org Breakfast, showers, laundry, dinner for women and children Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419; www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treat-

ment Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112 Green Door (202) 464–9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive mental health services Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling, mentoring, education, youth services, clothing Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter. org laundry, counseling, psych care Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608 www.marthastable.org dinner, education, recreation, clothing, child/family services Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005 http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc. php hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social events Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340 www.sashabruce.org counseling, housing, family services So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org lunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 (202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300 www.ccs–dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.org

housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance

(202) 347–3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene

DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low cost resources. www.dcfoodfinder.org

Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.html emergency travel assistance

Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511 www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs Gospel Rescue Ministries drug, alcohol program (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731; www.grm.org Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW (202) 462–4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau National Student Partnerships (NSP) 128 M Street NW, Suite 320 (202) 289–2525 washingtondc@nspnet.org Job resource and referral agency Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202)889–7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/ alcohol addiction, healthcare St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667–4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org

WVSA Literacy for Life 1100 16th Street, NW (202) 296-9100 www.wvsarts.org GED preparation and work force education

MARYLAND SHELTER Interfaith Works 114 W. Montgomery Avenue Rockville (301) 762–8682 www.iworksmc.org The Samaritan Group Inc. P.O. Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480–3564 Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org

FOOD Bethesda Cares 7728 Woodmont Avenue Bethesda (301) 907–9244 www.bethesdacares.com Community Place Café 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319; www.cmpgc.org Manna Food Center 614–618 Lofstrand Lane, Rockville (301) 424–1130 www.mannafood.org

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

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Catholic Charities, Maryland 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring

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(301) 942–1790 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services Mission of Love 6180 Old Central Avenue, Capitol Heights (301)333–4440 www.molinc.org life skills classes, clothing, housewares Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless 600–B East Gude Drive, Rockville (301) 217–0314; www.mcch.net emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services

VIRGINIA SHELTER

Alexandria Community Shelter 2355 B-Mill Road, Alexandria (703) 838–4239 Carpenter’s Shelter 930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org The Arlington–Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless 3103 9th Road, North, Arlington (703) 525–7177 www.aachhomeless.org

FOOD ALIVE!, Inc. 2723 King Street, Alexandria (703) 836–2723 www.alive–inc.org Our Daily Bread 10777 Main Street #320, Fairfax (703) 273–8829 www.our–daily–bread.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Arlington Free Clinic 2921 11th Street South Arlington (703) 979–1400 www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Abundant Life Christian Outreach, 5154 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria (703) 823–4100 www.anchor–of–hope.net food, clothing, youth development, and medicines

Shelter Hotline: 1–800– 535–7252

S treetS ense.org

15 - 28, 2010 your country.

YouSeptember helped Now your country can help you.

Have you served your country in the military? You could qualify for no-cost health care, housing and employment

SIGN UP SPEAK OUT BE SEEN

assistance, and other benefits through

HELPING YOU CONNECT TO THE SOCIAL WORLD

the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

@Project5050 says:

Call 1-877-222-VETS (8387)

So often, elements of development work to silence the minorities in our communities. Be it poverty, oppression, circumstance, or decision, I want to know... Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to pull the tape off the mouths of those who truly understand struggle in America, and hand them the microphone of social media.

or visit one of these local VA facilities:

@gregstaffa says: VA Medical Center 50 Irving Street, NW Washington, DC 20422 Metro: Brookland/CUA or Columbia Heights (Free shuttle bus from both metros)

VA Community Outpatient Clinic 820 Chesapeake Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20032 Metrobus routes A6 and P12

Washington DC Vet Center 1250 Taylor St, NW Washington, DC 20011 Metro: Columbia Heights

I believe social media is a good tool for someone who is homeless because in many ways it gives them a voice. I can Twitter about a product that I did not like and often a company rep will write back. Unless you put it on there places like Twitter and Facebook donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care who you are. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made friends on facebook and Twitter based on my own writings or tweets and months would go by before they realized I was homeless.

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