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STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Council, Mayor Grapple with Violent Crime

By Victoria Jones and Alexandra Pamias Editorial Interns On September 16, the first day that the D.C. Council reconvened, a roundtable meeting was held to find solutions to the alarming increase in violent crime in the District and prevent things from worsening.

While the meeting was in session, another murder occurred on the 4200 block of East Capitol Street NE at about 8:20 p.m.; D.C. officially has a murder epidemic.

The murder rate of the nation’s capital is 40.5 percent higher than last year around this time. The East Capitol Street killing brought the year’s total murders to 111 so far, compared to 105 for all of 2014.

The roundtable was hosted by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie from Ward 5.

People and organizations from the District came to voice their concerns and suggestions. For periods of time throughout the meeting, there was only standing room.

“Our families are afraid, our communities are trying to heal, and our residents are searching for answers,” McDuffie said.

The meeting began at 5 p.m. and lasted until after 3 a.m., making it over 10 hours.

Many people addressed crime as a public health issue born from a lack of jobs, housing and social services, as well as a police issue. However, little to none was said on violent crimes against homeless people,

such as Joel Johnson’s homicide.

Johnson was stabbed while asleep outside in Georgetown, and his case remains unsolved. Homeless people are some of the most vulnerable people living in D.C. McDuffie used the hearing as a platform to outline his new violent crime response bill. The meeting was also used to address the usage and selling of synthetic drugs in D.C. and to have the council consider Bill 21-0261, “The Sale of Synthetic Drugs Emergency Amendment Act of 2015,” which was introduced

by Mayor Bowser in July of this year.

The day before the meeting, Mayor Bowser announced a supplemental budget request that would allocate $326,000 to synthetic drug testing. This program, instituted through the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Department of Health, will allow the District to collect data needed to understand the level and location of drug usage. Officials plan to use this data to educate people on the dangers of synthetic drugs and help those who have already been effected.

The supplemental budget request included other measures to fight crime in the District; including enhancing security cameras and lighting, supporting the District’s crime lab, putting more police on the streets and fully implementing body-worn cameras for law enforcement.

Adding synthetic drug testing to that list brings the total number of resources to fight crime to about $13.6 million.

Mayor Bowser also aims to offer “minigrants” for non-profit organizations and individuals that work in communities hard hit by crime.

Our families are afraid, our c o m m u n i t i e s a re trying to heal, and o u r re s i d e n t s a re searching for answers.

-Kenyan McDuffie Ward 5 Councilmember The Mayor pointed out that police officers were at work in the crime lab doing analysis. Bowser also pointed out that, “We are going to hire civilians to do that work at the crime lab and we are going to send 50 police officers back to the streets.”

McDuffie introduced the Neighborhood

Engagement Achieves Results Act of 2015 on September 22. This bill aims to use collaboration of human service organizations and neighborhood organizations to tackle the surge in continuing surge in crime.

The creation of an Office of Neighborhood Engagement and Safety is an important aspect of the bill. The office would identifying teenagers and young adults who are at a higher risk of committing a crime.

After identification, the office would work with these individuals to help them seek and execute a successful life plan so that they don’t fall through the cracks.

The act would also increase transparency for the community by requiring the Metropolitan Police Department to collect stop-and-frisk and use-of-force data.

Lastly, he bill aims to further expand the cooperation between law enforcement and health and service agencies.

A “Community Crime Prevention Team” pilot program would be established to embed Department of Behavioral Health and Department of Human Services social workers with law enforcement in three high-crime neighborhoods. The social workers will serve as advisors to law enforcement on how best to deal with people experiencing homelessness, suffering from a mental disorder, and/or dealing with substance abuse issues.

New Report Quantifies Family Cost for Loved Ones in Prison

By Jonas Schau, Editorial Intern

Ex-convicts gathered for a Congressional briefing on September 17, 2015 to discuss the financial and emotional cost of incarceration for poor families.

Panelists from Washington, D.C., Chicago, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and San Francisco discussed the brand new report “Who Pays?,” which was released the day before by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in collaboration with Forward Together and 20 other community organizations.

Some speakers had been incarcerated, while others for relatives inside prison walls. Also represented were volunteers and staff from organizations that help families and incarcerated people.

“Who Pays?” surveyed 1500 incarcerated people, family members of formerlyincarcerated people, employers and other individuals affected by incarceration. The hidden costs for families was the focus of the report.

Seventy percent of families surveyed included children under the age of 18 when a member became incarcerated.

Most of the panelists had struggled financially and even gone into debt to travel the distance from their homes to prison for visitation. According to the report, families that regularly visit a relative in prison

often have to reprioritize their finances to make the visits possible. In the end, this becomes a spiral of deeper problems for poor families who already choose between rent, food and education.

“Incarceration is both a predictor and a consequence of poverty,” states the report. It references a Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report showing more than half of people entering the criminal justice system live at or below the poverty line for an individual: $11,770 annual income.

The panel discussed how reforms related to housing and school could make it easier for these families, who have often lost a wage earner to incarceration.

Providing more support during re-entry was also suggested to help get returning citizens back on track. When someone has a prison record, it is more difficult to find a job or to qualify for government-sponsored housing. Sherman Justice, a Washingtonian who was incarcerated for five years, said he received more support in prison than he did during re-entry.

In prison, Justice had help obtaining an email address, making a resume and cover letter, and obtaining other computer skills.

Once back in society, he felt that no one cared to help him pursue opportunities.

“The natural thing to do is to return to your comfort zone. Rather than engaging in the same activities that would inevitably lead me back in handcuffs, I made a conscious decision to change my life around,” Justice was quoted in “Who Pays?”

He stressed the importance of returning to church, working with a personal mentor and the kindness of his grandmother. Today Justice empowers others through The Re-

entry Network for Returning Citizens.

When the discussion was over it was clear that there is a strong link between incarceration and poverty. One aspect of that link is that the criminal justice system punishes more than just those people inside the prison walls.

Read more about the importance of mentorships for returning citizens. on page 6.

Rally Seeks to Change Perception of Addiction

By Victoria Jones Editorial Intern On Sunday, October 4, tens of thousands of people will come together on the National Mall to face one of America’s biggest health crises: drug addiction. The UNITE to Face Addiction Rally will demand solutions for the nation’s addiction crisis.

Drug addiction affects approximately 22 million Americans. More than 350 lives are lost each day to alcohol and other drug problems, making it one of the most significant health issues of our time. Twenty-three million more Americans are in recovery.

“The ultimate goal [of the rally] is to transform the conversation about the disease of addiction,” stated Janice Ferebee, Field Organizer/DC & African American Outreach Leader for UNITED to Face Addiction.

This is not the first time that an event like UNITE to Face Addiction has been organized. Recovery marches have been around for a long time. But according to Ferebee, this is the first rally of this magnitude.

By convening such a large group of supporters in the nation’s capital, organizers aim for addiction to become recognized as a national health crisis — not just a criminal justice issue.

Sheryl Crow, Steven Tyler with his Nashville-based band, Loving Mary and other artists will perform live at the ral-

ly. Throughout the day, speakers from all walks of life will share stories of how addiction has affected them.

Ferebee is driven to make the most out of UNITE to Face Addiction because she struggled with and overcame addiction herself. Ferebee emphasized the importance of getting support from others when facing addiction.

“Pray to whatever spirit or creator you believe in and reach out to someone, because silence is death,” Ferebee said. “Recovery is possible. Pray and find someone who you can call and talk to and get help.”

Originally from the Long Island, Ferebee was a straight-A student and involved in extracurriculars such as pre-med club and fashion board. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and ended up working in fashion, where she became the first models editor of African descent for Seventeen Magazine in 1979. While working her way up the corporate ladder, Ferebee also ventured into real estate.

She married a man who convinced her to try hard drugs and became addicted to heroin, crack and alcohol. She began running the streets of New York at night and got involved with a dangerous South American cartel. She stopped working legally and began living near Willis Avenue in the Bronx, one of the most notorious drug havens in the country, according to Ferebee.

“The drugs were recreational at first, but when things got worse, we became our

Janice Ferebee best customers. That’s when the bottom fell out,” she said.

A couple of arrests for shoplifting later, Ferebee faced herself and did not like what she saw.

“I lost my dignity and respect and was brought in to the dark side of drugs,” Ferebee said. “It was not who I was and not how I grew up.”

Her mother gave her an ultimatum. Ferebee went through a treatment center in Maryland and on to Argyle Terrace Oxford House, an addiction recovery residence.

After Ferebee went through treatment, her life started to change and she “got the glow back.” Ferebee soon found a job, got a counselor and, eventually, a divorce.

She then began restoring the dignity, selfworth, and self-respect she lost from being on the wrong path.

She later founded Ferebee Enterprises International (FEI) and authored the popular “Got It Goin’ On” personal development handbook series for girls of color.

Ferebee has become a living testament that recovery works and is excited to bring awareness to the health crisis of drug addiction through the upcoming rally.

UNITED to Face Addiction Campaign Director Greg Williams told TheFix.com that the rally will not only create awareness around the addiction crisis, but — similar to the AIDS Quilt, or The People’s Climate March — it will bring together a grassroots constituency to demand action from policymakers.

The following Monday, UNITED to Face Addiction volunteers will spend the day lobbying congress in order to get a health response to addiction and to protect the civil liberties of those seeking recovery.

“Standing united we can at last end the silence around the public health solutions to addiction, and shift perceptions about addiction to help the country realize that we can no longer passively ignore this massive issue tearing millions of families and communities apart,” Williams said.

For more information on UNITE to Face Addiction, visit www.facingaddiction.org.

If you want to get involved, contact Janice Ferebee at 202-213-5646.

New Initiatives Plan to Connect Youth and Returning Citizens With Jobs

By Alexandra Pamias, Editorial Intern

Mayor Bowser has requested additional funding for the FY2015 budget to create jobs for District residents. The supplemental budget request, announced at a September 15 press conference, would introduce an extended Career Connections program and expand the L.E.A.P. (Learn Earn Advance Prosper) Academy Program.

As part of Career Connections, a total of $4.5 million will be allocated to help young adults ages 20 to 24. This segment of the population experiences a staggering 12.4 percent unemployment rate. Many within this age group are on a downward spiral of long-term unemployment and are gradually at a higher risk of engaging in criminal activity because of it.

“Career Connections will focus on young people up to the age of 24 and will provide on-the-job training and internships between the months of October and June,” Bowser said. “We will give up to 400 people the training, skills and wraparound services that they need to find success in their job and career.”

The Bowser Administration introduced the L.E.A.P. Academy to the District in March of this year to connect these youth

with jobs, concentrating on vacancies in District government.

“My philosophy is when government workers are closer to the people that they serve, they know the neighborhoods better and they’re more familiar with the issues,” Bowser said.

The Department of Public Works, with a budget of $805,000, will train and hire 25 individuals to work at jobs related to waste collection. The department will also train and hire people to maintain the District’s fleet of vehicles.

Young adults in the District: a staggering 12.4% unemployment.

Twenty-nine individuals will be trained and hired as customer service representatives in Department of Parks and Recreation facilities with a budget of $1.5 million, in order to maximize the experience for people visiting these recreational centers.

“What we know is that we have some

beautiful parks and recreation facilities all around the city and frequently our residents don’t engage enough in every aspect that they can, because we don’t have the right entrance staff at the parks and recreation facilities,” Bowser said, “So we want to change that.”

Currently the percentage of District government employees that are residents of the area is 43 percent. While it is at the highest it has ever been, the mayor hopes to increase that number to at least half of the work force.

“We have to keep that going and this is why programs like L.E.A.P. are important— because we are tapping into D.C. residents, giving them training and putting them in line for vacancies that exist or will exist,” Mayor Bowser said, referring to the retirement bubble that the MPD is facing and that government will soon experience too. “We want to have D.C. residents that are prepared to take those opportunities.”

Two days prior, Mayor Bowser visited D.C. Jail to announce several new programs to help people incarcerated there get back to work. One would allow employed persons being held before trial for

a misdemeanor to continue going to work while awaiting their court date. Whether they are found innocent or guilty, people being held for pretrial often lose their jobs when they are unable to show up for work.

“The budget impact will be positive,” said Tom Faust, director of the District’s Department of Corrections. “We have the ankle bracelets, we have the materials.

More people out at work during the day means less people being supported by jail services while they are gone.”

Job training and placement are also being offered in small pilot programs. Kwacie Johnson spoke with pride about his role as an ad-hoc tutor in computer skills for his peers. Johnson has been working for an electrical company for the past three months as part of a work release program and is eager to fully restart his life.

“These programs and forthcoming legislation will give our returning citizens the tools they need to get back on their feet as they transition back into society,” Bowser said.

Eric Falquero contributed to this article.

Read more about the support available to returning citizens on page 3.

STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

5

NEWS

Forum Identifies Solutions to Child Homelessness

Kavitha Cardoza, Jamila Larson, Christie Jones, Christina Dukes and Joshunda Sanders discuss their experiences with child homelessness.

PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

By Mary Henkin Volunteer Street Sense hosted a Child Homelessness forum to shed light on child and youth homelessness in D.C. on Wednesday, September 16 at The Church of the Epiphany. Kavitha Cardoza, Special Correspondent for WAMU, moderated the event, which featured four expert panelists. The panelists spoke about personal homeless experiences, causes and effects of homelessness, and solutions.

Brian Carome, Executive Director for Street Sense, opened the event by discussing “how far we haven’t come with dealing with homelessness.” Carome moved to Washington, D.C. after he finished college. It was the 90s and shelters were “hell holes.” While “we unfortunately haven’t come that far in the last 30 years,” Carome said, “we are beginning to learn the lessons.”

Council member Elissa Silverman addressed the crowd, and was passionate as she discussed the implications of child homelessness, including higher chances of chronic sickness, traumatic experiences, depression, anxiety, and hunger. She also discussed that because homeless children move more frequently, they are switching schools more frequently, and thus have less opportunity.

“We have a responsibility as public officials and residents of the District,” Silverman said, urging the crowd to testify at hearings. “We owe [the children] more.”

It was then time for the panel. Executive Director and co-founder of the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project Jamila Larson shared a powerful story about her experience touring a shelter by Union Station 20 years ago. Larson was working for the Children’s Defense Fund and as she walked through the shelter, She noticed

there was nothing for children to play with. When she asked the shelter worker about this, the response was that people do donate toys, but toys are kept hidden so children don’t make a mess. This moment made it clear to Larson, “We need to donate ourselves.”

Larson discussed the lack of childfriendly areas in shelters – they are not designed with children in mind. One small example is that children cannot reach the bathroom sinks. She discussed some startling national statistics, including that 25 percent of homeless preschool-age and 40 percent of elementary school-age homeless children suffer from mental health issues. There is also a direct correlation between homelessness and suicide.

“Children are the hidden homeless,” Larson said.

Elementary school counselor Christie Jones followed Larson. Jones recently wrote a children’s book about a boy named Max who lives in a shelter and attends his local elementary school. The book discusses Max’s emotions and coping structure, as well as various types of homelessness.

“When the economy took a turn, we found ourselves with an influx of homeless students,” Jones said. “I looked around for a source to help those students and there was none. So I made my own.”

Jones shares the book with homeless children in her school so they can understand they are not alone, and understand the emotions they are feeling.

Jones also discussed that there is no way to identify a homeless child. “We don’t see homeless children in school.

We find out because someone spills the beans.” One determining factor can be depression, but “not every child depressed is homeless.” Behavior issues can be a determining factor, but “kids are good at covering things up.”

“Education has the power to break homelessness cycles,” Federal Liaison for the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) Christina Dukes said.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, child or youth homelessness “means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.”

This includes sharing the housing of other persons, living in motels or camping grounds, living in shelters, being abandoned in a hospital or awaiting foster care placement. It also encompasses a primary nighttime residence that is not ordinarily used as sleeping accommodation for human beings, such as cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus and train stations.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a narrower, more complex definition, Dukes said. Because these two definitions differ so dramatically, organizations are unable to agree on issues relating to “homeless” children and youth.

Writer/journalist Joshunda Sanders shared her personal experiences growing up homeless in the Bronx in the 1980s and 90s. When Sanders was 6, her mother moved her family from Philadelphia to a shelter in New York City. It was 1984 and her mother was living with an undiagnosed bi-polar disorder.

“It was hard being a little kid who doesn’t have a place to shower like the other kids,” Sanders said. Teachers noticed her situation and would leave her bags of clothes in the classroom closet.

Sanders would also save her bus money in order to have some money to eat.

This meant walking long hours alone through the crack-ridden Bronx in the 80s. “I didn’t care. It was ride the bus or eat. I wanted to eat.”

“School is important [for a homeless child] because it’s a place of normalcy,”

Sanders said.

Sanders was a bright student. When a classmate in middle school told the principal that Sanders was homeless, the principal came to her with an application for boarding school. For high school Sanders moved to upstate New York on scholarship, and later attended Vassar College.

Sanders discussed her mental struggles to believe she could “achieve beyond a certain point” in life because she never heard success stories about people in her situation. She now makes it a point to share her story so that other children in her situation know their potential.

The panel discussed ways the community can help fight homelessness in Washington, D.C. By law, every school district has a liaison that oversees the rights of homeless children, Dukes said. She recommended people getting in touch with their local liaison to find out what their district needs. This may be uniforms, snacks, or mentors.

Jones discussed advocating for a living wage and affordable housing. “It doesn’t have to be glamorous. It just has to be safe,” Jones said. She made the point that running water is a basic human right.

“Advocate for those who are not in a position to advocate for themselves. Children don’t have that voice yet, but we do.”

Sanders discussed people extending the compassion they have for the children to the parents, and to recognize success stories of people who rise out of poverty. “In my darkest moments, it was hope,” Sanders said.

Larson discussed U Street’s drastic overhaul over the past years. While U Street used to be affordable for many District natives, it has been transformed into swanky restaurants and bars, and luxury apartments. “It certainly has changed, but at what cost? There is something sad about all those new businesses.”

Vendors from Street Sense and the Philadelphia street paper One Step Away collaborated on a series of questions for Pope Francis. They will be published in a subsequent issue or online if any response is received.

Community Asked to Help Inmates Walk with Pope Francis

By Olivia Aldridge Editorial Intern Pope Francis’ historic September 22-24 Washington visit brings particular interest to the homeless community. Pope Francis has given attention to issues of homelessness, poverty, and income disparity since beginning his tenure as pope, earning him the nickname, “Pope of the Poor.”

“Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry,” he said in a 2013 meeting with Jesuit schools in Italy and Albania.

Francis has addressed homelessness in Vatican City, installing showers in the Vatican for homeless individuals to use. In 2013, he was rumored to sneak out in disguise to feed the homeless at night with his almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, an activity Francis enjoyed in Argentina prior to his papacy. His visit brings with it anticipation that he will address homelessness in Washington as well, primarily with his visit to St. Patrick’s Church.

There he will speak to the homeless community that gathers for Catholic Charities’ St. Maria’s Meals Program.

Catholic Charities has been appealing to another of Francis’ focuses, prison ministry, with the Walk With Francis pledge campaign.

On his first Holy Thursday celebration, Francis famously washed the feet of inmates at Rome’s Casal del Marmo juvenile detention center, including, for the first time in a papal foot-washing, women and Muslims. He similarly watched the feet of inmates at Rome’s Rebibbia prison on this year’s Holy Thursday. Francis will extend this focus on prison ministry to the U.S. when he visits the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia.

Catholic Charities has partnered with an ecumenical group of religious and organizational leaders to promote the Walk With Francis pledge, the purpose of which is to denounce high U.S. incarceration rates and raise support for formerly in-

carcerated individuals.

At a September 11 press conference in front of St. Patrick’s, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl introduced this criminal justice reform focus for the pledge, which has been going on since late July. He encouraged individuals to take one of three actions to honor the pledge: to “take a pledge to pray for all those impacted by crime,” to volunteer as a mentor for the Welcome Home re-entry program, or to support and advocate for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Monsignor John Enzler, CEO and president of Catholic Charities, further elaborated on the Welcome Home re-entry program, which has a volunteer staff of 100 mentors tasked with guiding men and women who re-enter the community after incarceration toward “finding a job, a safe place to live, and a community of support,” says the Welcome Home webpage.

Enzler emphasized the importance of mentorship for individuals who often have little familial support upon re-entry.

Rudolph “Rudy” Washington, a client of the Welcome Home Program, spoke about the role the program had played in his reentry experience.

“What this mentor program did for me was that it helped me learn about myself...it really let me know that we have people out here that want to help,” Washington said.

Floyd Price, Washington’s mentor, also spoke, recalling the change in his mentee’s confidence through the five years of their mentor relationship.

“Rudy had some dental issues, and for the first year I never saw Rudy smile,” Price said. “We’ve been to every free dental place between Baltimore and D.C., and when Rudy got everything all done, he sat in the car and the biggest smile came on his face.”

Price said the mentorship would continue until Washington receives both his GED and Addiction Coach Certification.

Rudy aspires to come a mentor himself once he has achieved these goals.

Rev. Langston Mulenga of the United

Pope Francis, right, kisses the foot of a woman at Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, April 2, 2015. Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 inmates and a baby at Rome’s main prison Thursday in a pre-Easter ritual meant to show his willingness to serve. He asked them to pray that he, too, might be cleansed of his “filth.”

AP PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, POOL

Methodist Church expressed his alliance with the Archdiocese of Washington for the Walk With Francis pledge campaign, noting that prison ministry historically has been a “founding principle” of the Methodist church. He cited the issue that more young African American men in the United States are incarcerated than enrolled in college, and criticized “harsh mandatory sentencing” in the U.S. “We stand united in asking Congress, the White House, and all our state legislatures to bring an end to this mass incarceration,” Mulenga said. “This mass incarceration is not only fracturing families, but is also putting a burden on our justice system and harming our communities.”

Mulenga emphasized the responsibility of the Church across denominations to support formerly incarcerated individuals as they seek to regain a foothold in the world.

“We as a people of God welcome them back as our friends. Not as criminals, but as people that belong to us,” he said.

Craig Deroche, executive director of Prison Fellowship, a Christian organization that provides support to incarcerated individuals and their families, was also present.

“The truth is that no pope...has visited a country with an incarceration rate at the level that America will have on the day that Pope Francis visits America,” said Deroche.

Deroche also presented Cardinal Wuerl with letters from prisoners served by Prison Fellowship for Pope Francis, Catholic Charities, and the Catholic Church. Deroche said the letters told of the prisoners’ “hopes, inspiration, and desire for restoration.”

The Walk With Francis pledge also involves social media efforts, encouraging pledges to tweet #WalkWithFrancis. The hashtag has accompanied pictures of

pledges with cardboard cutouts of Pope Francis and groups and individuals displaying their light blue armbands, a symbol of the pledge. Other social media users have used #WalkWithFrancis to commemorate more serious commitments, including acts of charity and environmentalism. Screenshots of these posts will be collected into a book to be presented to Pope Francis

by Catholic Charities when he visits St. Patrick’s Thursday.

The Secret Service has cleared and secured several areas for papal events and motorcade. Most of these events are ticketed. Even with a ticket, persons experiencing homelessness will not be able to bring their personal belongings with them into these areas on Wednesday, September 23 or Thursday, September 24. Any unattended belongings left in the impacted areas will be disposed of by the Department of Public Works.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) drop-in center at Adam’s Place will be available during the papal visit as usual (learn more on page 7), but DHS consumers are encouraged to utilize resources in other areas of the city as well. The UPO shelter van will continue to run, but is expected to be delayed by heavy traffic. Pick-up and Drop-off has been diverted to Franklin Square Park for September 23 and 24. MLK Library will close at 7:00pm on September 23 and will not re-open until 3:00pm on Thursday, September 24. Nonprofit meal and daytime service providers are asked to remain flexible if clients are delayed due to traffic.

Due to the influx of visitors expected downtown for public events on Thursday, several emergency shelters will also be open. Homeless readers are encouraged to call the DHS shelter hotline 1-800-535-7252 if in need.

STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

COVER STORY

Read Betty Everett’s poem about the pope on StreetSense.org

c=mb : Welcome Fellow Environmentalist Pope Francis!

2

By Cynthia Mewborn, Vendor/Artist

I hope that Pope Francis’ first visit to Washington D.C. can energize our government and each of us to take full responsibility for our planet’s well being.

“Climate Change is partly caused by natural phenomena but largely it’s due to mankind’s activities,” Pope Francis said in his June 18 Laudato Si this year.

Denying this fact isn’t going to mitigate the effects of climate change. But if we learn now how to address and respond to these challenges from a compassionate perspective, we can reduce or prevent other environmental concerns in the future.

“Mankind is not separate from nature, therefore all our actions have an impact on it as a whole,” Pope Francis went on.

Our hunger for development without comprehensive knowledge of our actions’ effects has led us here.

“Humanity needs to replace fossil fuels,” Pope Francis said.

We all know that we can do more every day by recycling, cutting off electricity when we’re not home or in a room, walking, riding a bike or taking public transportation, buying items that do not need packing as well as reducing and reusing everything. The Pope and I agree that “Human Beings can rise to the challenge.”

All of humanity might face homelessness if we don’t take care of our planet. The conditions are very simple: every human being must make healthier environmental choices if we are to sustain our lives on this delicate, gorgeous, life-giving planet called Earth. Our blueprints for revitalization must start from here. Thank you Pope Francis for your bold efforts in fighting for our planet!

There will be a rally to demand action on climate change on the National Mall Thursday September 24 surrounding the time Pope Francis will appear at the West Front of the Capitol.

Learn more at www.moralactiononclimate.org.

My Hopes for His Visit

By Andre Brinson, Vendor/Artist

I am sure the Pope is well in tune with the homeless, just as we believe he hears from God. I am hoping he speaks about the homeless situation here in the District, across the country and around the world.

I am praying to finally start school again. Well, I’ll try to get in school again, wish me Luck! My housing situation is good. Now, I’m trying to find a job. How hard and frustrating it is. I will continue to push forward and not give up, which is so tempting to do. Andre Brinson will not give up at all! Thanks for your support. I will continue to stay focused and on track. Sometimes it feels like I’m off track. But I know otherwise.

I went to see my baby girl two weeks ago and I want to give thanks to my family for helping me to see her. Blessings to you all!

7

District Day Centers a Vital Work in Progress

Robert Warren inside the DHS Day Center at Adam’s Place.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA PAMIAS

By Alexandra Pamias Editorial Intern The daytime drop-in service center next to Adams Place Emergency Shelter offers single male adults the assistance they need to transition out of homelessness.

Located in northeast D.C., the drop-in center provides individuals with shower facilities, a place to do laundry and a reading area. Most importantly, it gives people experiencing homelessness an opportunity to get in touch with services that will make their situation as brief as possible.

The People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC) has been advocating for a center like this for several years. Opening up in May, the day center is run and funded by the Department of Human Services.

The need for a drop-in day center is emphasized by the long stretch of time during the day when homeless individuals have nowhere to go. Like Adams Place Shelter, run by Catholic Charities, most shelters only remain open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during non-hypothermia conditions. That leaves residents a 12-hour window during the day with no shelter.

“Basically what we found was that there was a gap in service in terms of programs and activities for individuals experiencing homelessness when the shelters close in the morning,” said Dora Taylor, Public Information Officer for DHS. The idea was to create a day center for single men because families experiencing homelessness have access to shelters that are open 24 hours a day.

Individuals don’t.

The workshops the center offers help people process homelessness, understand what services the city offers, and set some goals for themselves.

Robert Warren, alongside Reginald Black and Albert Towsend, are former-

The exterior of the DHS Day Center at Adam’s Place.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA PAMIAS

ly homeless individuals that advocated for the center as part of the PFFC. They currently offer their mentoring services as short-term DHS employees.

“We hold group sessions in order to get you hooked up into the process of figuring out what kind of housing you will be best qualified for and how to get you housing,” said Warren, Director of PFFC. “We have really begun to build some really strong relationships with the men over there.”

The center is set up to take in 100 men a day and now they are averaging 60-70 men that come and use their different services.

“The more you make a situation less stressful for the individual, the outcome is going to be better,” Warren said. “It is about being able to relax and be able to wash your clothes and take a shower and talk to someone about what your situation is and what you might need.”

Reginald Black emphasizes how important outreach is in order to connect individuals to the services offered at the drop-in center.

“Everywhere I am, if I see somebody I know that is experiencing housing instability, I ask him to come on over because we can check if they’ve been assessed,” Black said. “That goes a long way.”

The center can recertify consumers for food stamps and Medicaid, and also helps them to acquire a phone.

The Department of Human Services is hosting a job and resource fair held by their Food Stamp Employment and Training Program on October 7 for which the day center will serve as central point of pick up and drop off for individuals who want to attend.

“At the department we really try to use the day center as a pivotal point of outreach for individuals,” Taylor said.

The ultimate goal for DHS and PFFC is to have a drop-in day center located

in downtown D.C. where more people experiencing homelessness can access the services. Adams Place was initially conceived to be a temporary location for the drop-in center.

If the drop-in center at Adams Place has to close down, transportation will be provided to individuals who wish to use the services at the downtown location, but don’t live in the area.

“I’m certain that when the new day center opens no one will be remorseful, because it is slated to be a lot more state-of-the-art than this one,” Taylor said.

Ultimately, the drop-in center was sited to be temporary, but whether it closes down or not depends on how much it is used and the amount that the services are utilized, according to Taylor.

Ideally, the District wants to be able to provide people experiencing homelessness with smaller shelters located across the city in order to provide them with the best one-on-one services possible.

Warren believes that opening smaller shelters across the city may be feasible, but there needs to be a greater buy-in from the community in order to do so. He says that people seem to be on board with the idea until a shelter opens up across the street from them.

Despite all of the work put into the drop-in center so far, there is still much to be done.

“We have little kinks that we’re still working on, like getting the cable installed, the little things, but all in all it is really shaping up to be a place that is going to be really helpful to bring down the number of people in the city who experience homelessness,” Warren said. “Were giving folks a place where they can just be, and not be the homeless person on the street.”

“Time Out of Mind” a Window into the Complexities of Homelessness

By Olivia Aldridge Editorial Intern Homelessness is an issue rarely championed by A-list Hollywood actors. But Richard Gere has honed in on the experience as star and producer of “Time Out of Mind,” released for streaming OnDemand September 18.

Directed by Oren Moverman, the film follows George Hammond, a fictitious homeless man played by Gere, from the point of eviction through the movements of his life. George struggles to admit to himself or others that he is homeless.

Once he does, it is near impossible for George to qualify for government services without documentation to prove his identity. He also attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter in an example of the slim personal support systems many people experiencing homelessness have.

Last Thursday, September 10, a private screening of “Time Out of Mind” was hosted at Georgetown’s AMC Loews theater by the DC Film Society. Directors from Street Sense's homeless filmmakers cooperative were invited to attend the screening, which was followed by a question and answer session with Gere and Moverman.

Service providers So Others Might Eat, Capital Area Food Bank, Friendship Place and Covenant House were also invited.

Gere arrived at the Q&A after appearing on a Capital Hill panel to advocate for increased government funding to programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

At the Q&A, Gere outlined the process that brought “Time Out of Mind” to fruition. When he first read the original script 12 years ago, it featured a strict plot structure with heavy focus on a lawsuit between George and the city. Gere found this plot unrealistic, but he was still struck by aspects of the script.

“I couldn’t get it out of my mind, the possibilities of it." Gere said. "And then I ended up buying it and spending many years trying to think how to mine what was inherent in the script but hadn’t been revealed yet.”

He eventually approached Moverman,

who agreed to revise the script and direct the project.

“From the beginning we talked about making a movie that is not going to be a movie of the week, or an expected story ... of homeless to Harvard triumph. No disrespect to that story, but it wasn’t going to be that singular, exceptional story,” Moverman said.

According to Gere and Moverman, they visited shelters in preparation for both writing and filming, speaking to administrators, guards, and clients. Several key scenes were filmed in Manhattan’s Bellevue Men’s shelter and at the New York Coalition for the Homeless.

“The research itself ended up being the movie,” Gere said.

In an effort to perpetuate this authenticity, many of the scenes were filmed with the camera operators hidden, capturing the reactions of passersby to Gere dressed as a homeless man on the street. Rather than noticing they were in the presence of the actor famous for his roles in “Pretty Woman” and “American Gigolo,” passersby ignored Gere, enabling Moverman to capture a realistic view of the public’s reaction to homelessness as they encountered it.

“Part of the impetus for making a movie like this is to bring you to a place where the people you don’t look at—one person in this case—becomes the main event,” Moverman said. “You still don’t know that much about him, but you open yourself up to the possibility of having compassion for this person. And through that you hopefully discover something about yourself.”

The film was praised as authentic by Cynthia Mewborn, a Street Sense filmmaker, comparing it to her experience with homelessness.

“No one’s really ever captured the essence of what it’s like to be in a shelter, and you guys nailed it,” she said.

Other Street Sense vendors were able to weigh in as well. In a personal interview with Gere and Moverman, vendor/ filmmaker Robert Warren and fomer ven-

dor William Mack discussed this topic of isolation with Gere.

“I told him about my experiences being a vendor. How people kind of act like you’re not even there, like they don’t even see you,” Warren said.

Warren also questioned Gere for ideas on specific solutions to homelessness.

Gere emphasized that while housing is a vital part of the solution, a more holistic approach is required, including a focus on community. Gere remarked on the isolation he felt when adopting the character of George Hammond, naming personal connections as a basic need.

“We’re social beings. We need to see faces. We need eye contact. We need to touch and hear. Without community, we fall apart," Gere said. "I could feel it playing the character on the street in the movie. This sense of isolation and disconnect leads to mental issues, psychological issues, spiritual issues. And it happens so quickly; any of us, we would fall apart,” Gere discussed his activism for the homeless in greater detail at the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ 2015 National Conference on Ending Homelessness, noting his involvement with the Coalition for the Homeless in New York.

This connection helped him find a direc-

tion for the original “Time Out of Mind” script.

“We made what I consider one of those things I’m most proud of that I have done,” Gere told the conference.

He also described to the audience the experience of first taking on George’s character in the city in a scene in which he panhandled at Astor Place.

“The cliché is 'invisible', I wasn’t invisible—I was a black hole. I was a black hole that people were terrified of being sucked into. No one paid attention to me.

We shot for 45 minutes.”

Gere emphasized his hope that “Time Out of Mind” might be used to rouse compassion in its viewers in a way that aids organizations like the National Alliance and the Coalition for the Homeless, noting the 60,000 individuals residing in New York shelters.

“It’s not about numbers,” he said. “Numbers don’t touch anybody. The more numbers there are, the more numb we get. An open-hearted connection is key. Even the slightest taste of empathy opens us all up.”

In addition to OnDemand streaming, Time Out of Mind is playing at Landmark West End Cinema. On any given night, 7,300 people are expected to be homeless in the District of Columbia.

William Mack, Richard Gere, Oren Moverman and Robert Warren. | PHOTO COURTESY WILLIAM MACK

STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

9

FEATURE

A Motivationl Film

By Sasha Williams, Vendor/Artist

REVIEW: Time Out of Mind

By William Mack, Volunteer

George Hammond (Richard Gere) gives a very poignant sight of being homeless and having mental illness. George bounces from a vacant apartment, hospital, churches, a second hand clothing store, and then into the Bellview homeless shelter where he befriends a talkative and helpful friend Dixon.

The picture touched on how the homeless are often invisible to society. It spoke volumes about the daily challenges faced by the homeless who are so dependent on the charity of others. I also liked the way George’s struggle to reconnect with his estranged daughter was shown.

I am first off thankful for being an artist of Street Sense and being able to attend an event as a director from our film cooperative.

I really enjoyed the screening of Time Out of Mind.

Richard Gere was amazing and I will add that I have never seen him play that kind of role — he did SO good. I am glad he showed respect for the character in the film. That's deep - to make up a character like George Hammond, and to be so on point

Most importantly, Mr. Gere using his prominence in the entertainment industry to give people exposure to the struggles of homelessness is incredibly important.

I've read about some celebrities that have been through homelessness, but I don't always hear them talking about it or advocating for the homeless community.

Watching Time Out of Mind motivated me to continue to share my story and inspired me to do more work

The Importance of Community

By Robert Warren, Vendor/Artist

To me, “Time Out Of Mind” means your living in what seems like another place or time. Lost and struggling with the past.

Not knowing how to deal with the reality of today. The chemical defects that sometimes control our minds, leaving us wandering about life some days with no real focus or purpose. Alcoholism, pharmaceutical drug dependencies, heroin, cocaine and marijuana have all left persons in society with some form of addictive personalities and/or characteristics, family dysfunctions and health problems. Then we have the working poor priced out of affordable housing and not being able to ever get out of poverty. For too many, poverty has been handed down for generations.

I was really touched by Richard Gere’s movie. I, like his character George Hammond, have been unstable with housing in my past. I was able to identify with a lot of the issues within the movie. Although the faces of homelessness have changed, the problem is a structured affordability issue.

The movie touched on a lot of common issues like housing, healthcare, and — more importantly—family. One of the things that we don’t care to talk about is the sense of family or community that you lose when you become homeless, and the depression this leads to.

Before the movie I was introduced to Richard Gere at the National Alliance Conference to End Homeless in July. He spoke about his willingness to build awareness with his movie to hopefully enlighten viewers on housing instability and homelessness.

Then I had to opportunity to go to the premier and ask a question during Q & A

on what he thought would be a solution on housing and healthcare. I told him that the advocacy group I lead, People for Fairness Coalition, believes that housing is a human right. Gere agreed that housing is a big part of it, but said that we also need to handle these issues with a holistic approach. He said we also need to support persons in the Government who want to do more. Gere spoke of his visit to Capitol Hill and fighting to get those who know what they are doing to get the money to get the job done.

Then I had the great pleasure to meet him up close and in person during an interview for this article. I was seeing someone of fame who had seen life in another fashion. He talked about not just the need to provide people with housing but a sense of community too.

This was the first time I had heard of dealing with the homeless issue holistically. I found Mr. Gere to be down to earth and really humbled by what some Americans go through as part of the homeless community. He thanked us for the work we do at Street Sense and how we may be able to use the movie to educate people about the plights of homeless people.

I left after asking the director, Oren Moverman, one final question: how can we at Street Sense, in the first homeless film cooperative, bring to light the documentary we are working on about people who once lived in public housing and the loss of so many of these units that are not being replaced by other affordable units.

Like a true director, Mr. Moverman said keep shooting and the story will get told.

Get Connected #FSET Works Sponsored by the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program (FSET) What: Job and Resource Fair Where: THEARC Location: 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20020 When: Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm If you receive Food Stamps, but are not eligible for TANF benefits, the FSET Program invites you to join us for the GET Connected #FSET Works Job and Resource Fair.

All attendees must pre-register and attend a mandatory prep session. Please go to https://fsetworks-dc.eventbrite.com to complete your pre-registration and to select a date for your mandatory preparation session with a Vocational Development Specialist.

Food Stamp Employment and Training Program

FSET

Future Success Experience it Today USDA and HHS are Equal Opportunity Providers and Employers

The District of Columbia Government Department of Human Services Food Stamp Employment and Training Program (202) 535-1178

Read Ken Martin’s mediation on art at StreetSense.org

The Meaning of Art

We Are Art

What does art mean to me? It means expression, freedom, openness.

EXPRESSION – you can draw whatever you want, paint any picture on the canvas.

FREEDOM – pick whatever color you want, pink or purple or whatever. You’re free to do, to go wherever you want.

OPENNESS – anything that you feel like doing on canvas or on a wall…anywhere.

Art is more than a picture. Art is how you feel. If you feel like drawing, draw.

You can paint your picture whatever color you that that day. If you’re happy, paint it yellow. If you feel sad, you can paint your picture blue. It’s whatever emotion you feel that day.

We are art.

Art imitates life.

Life, people all around us.

People are so blind with hate.

We are art.

I see beauty in everything and everyone.

Even when people don’t smile.

Because they are not friendly Doesn’t mean I should not be friendly.

We are art.

God made us in his own image.

We are art.

Because we are difference in race.

We are art.

Because we are people of color.

Best full colors.

Love and respect.

By Hope Lassiter, Vendor/Artist

By Andre Brinson, Vendor/Artist

The Deadbeat Husband

Art is…

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist It is beauty in many forms. The beauty of God’s creations surpasses all. Now, at the risk of revealing one of DC’s best-kept secrets and my personal “site of solitude, I declare the most beautiful work of art in DC is (in my humble opinion) the National Arboretum. It’s a naturalist’s paradise and a river runs through it.

There are several different gardens that make it spectacular, all year around.

Winter’s snow-covered branches make a wonderful white scene.

The Azalea Garden at spring peak, with

By Michael Craig Vendor/Artist over 15,000 plants, is a floral masterpiece The Bonsai Garden, with its intricate miniature trees, is regal.

The Children’s Summer Produce Garden is practical while the fragrance Garden is well, fragrant.

The Shade Garden, AKA the Fern Valley is my personal favorite Getaway.

But as an Autumn-born native of DC, I find fall at its peak, a sight to behold!

The art of transitioning seasons can be breathtaking and the National Arboretum is indeed a National Treasure.

Watchdawg wouldn’t look for a job. He wouldn’t do nothin’. He wouldn’t create anything, he wouldn’t produce nothin’. He had no intentions, no ambition whatsoever.

He thought he could just sit there and watch. His responsibility was to let his wife, Kangaroo, do all the work, pay all the bills, feed him and wash the clothes.

All he would do is watch TV. And he was cool with that. Until one day, his wife the kangaroo said “hey, what’s goin’ on.”

“You know I’m a Watchdawg,.”

And that’s when Kangaroo hopped and got another place to stay.

What My Street Sense Customers Mean to Me

Always Special

By Gerald Anderson Vendor/Artist

By Shernell Thomas Vendor/Artist

My customers mean a lot to me. What really motivate me, inspire me, and make me real active, is when I get a respond from my customers.

When I was in the street, people wouldn’t hear me out the way they hear me out now.

That would make me really feel like nobody wanna hear me, no reason to do right.

I came to DC and after bein’ homeless and on drugs and in prison, I started selling Street Sense. Now I grew a whole family who be listenin’ to me, admire me, help me with everything, even though I have been wrong in my life.

That’s how much my customers motivate me. I can talk to my customers about anything. When I see them come back to the Metro at 9th and G after work, I smile because that mean we all made it today.

We all go through things. Sometimes I feel like giving up, but as I grow my family, I feel strong. When I’m not at work,

I’m doin’ other things, but not the wrong things. I go to see my parole officer and my case manager. If my customers don’t see me for two or three days, they call Street Sense or my cell phone. A lot of my customers have my phone number.

Y’know, this job, it’s not a big, big job.

But it’s my job. One lady told me, “Without you bein’ at the Metro, sayin’, ‘Good morning, good morning,’ I don’t even feel like goin’ to work.”

Another lady say, “I don’t even feel like goin’ to work at all.”

I respond back, “Give me your shoes. Let me work for the government. You do that, and the clock be tired of seeing me, ’cause I don’t really give up. I never give up.”

When I was in my criminal mind, I had to go out every day to find a way to feed my addiction. I didn’t care what it took to get it. Nothin’ coulda stopped me but me.

On Labor Day, September 7, I had my 47th birthday. I had birthday parties when I was comin’ up, nothing major. My mama had eight kids and not much money for

parties. At my clubhouse we might go out and steal somethin’ to get our party goin’.

My birthday now mean a lot. Ten years ago I never thought I’d have so many friends, like my customers who hear me out. I know this much: I thought I’d be in prison or dead.

My nephew text me on my birthday and say, “Man I never thought you’d make 47.”

He say, “Man, you are so blessed.” That’s how I feel every day when I see the family of customers I grew. I don’t gotta hide myself no more. That’s how y’all help me a lot. Like my nephew said, I’m blessed.

On September, 10th more than 60 people, mostly my customers, came to hear me talk about my new book at the Martin Luther King Library, right across from where I sell my papers. I thank everyone for coming and I thank so many of my customers for buying my book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of New Orleans.”

Read about Gerald’s book signing on page 15.

This is a great opportunity to express my feelings regarding some of my customers.

Some of them are incredible human beings and I must say, everyone does not behave like humans. Some of them resemble precious jewels because their “inner beauty” amplifies the positive life force that comes from within…a rare commodity that’s so hard to find.

Yes, many of my customers have left a positive impression on me, which makes me smile when I think of them. I will never forget each and every one of them. I feel so privileged to have come in contact with many of them, and I will never forget that they came into my life, sharing kindness from the bottom of their hearts.

I cannot thank you enough for being who you are. Many thanks again and again. You will always be special to me.

STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

11

VENDOR WRITING VENDOR PROFILE: Martin Walker

Dear God

By Ronald Dudley, Vendor/Artist

By Charles McCain, Volunteer

Dear God, I was living in the darkness and had the devil in my heart until you stopped it.

I was lost in the sand till you carried me.

I was sinking, but you never let them bury me.

I got a prayer in my heart that my momma left.

So I pray every day over momma’s death.

Got a son who was born just the other day.

What can I say?

Got his Daddy's and his Momma’s Face.

Got his Daddy’s eyes, got Momma’s toes.

Got his Momma’s hair. Got his Daddy’s nose.

Got his Daddy’s lips. Got his Momma’s smile.

Granddaddy’s genes, grand mamma’s child.

Dear God, I’m searching for the sunlight.

When I prayed, you gave it to me one night.

Lord you are the reason I breathe.

I just want to thank you for breathin’ breathe into me.

I use to be so scared to get on my knees and now I say a prayer for every disease and every disaster and everything after ‘Cause I know the master will come in the rapture.

So I got me some verses and I got me some scriptures, We about to go to church.

You know whose coming with us.

I got faith in my way, keep the light in my path, make the evil disappear, so the people can laugh, make the whole world stop for a day and a half.

Let the rain and the sun clear up all of the trash.

Teach the whole world love instead of hat.

When you runnin’ to the Lord, You can never be late.

Dear God, I was livin’ in the darkness Had the devil in my heart ‘till you stopped it. I was lost until you carried me. I was sinkin’ but you never let them bury me.

Listen now on StreetSense.org

Encouraging Words My Favorite Customer

By Robert Bear Vendor/Artist

By Patty Smith Vendor/Artist

To my customers: Sometimes I forget to thank the people who make my life happy in so many ways. Sometimes I forget to tell them how much I really do appreciate them for being an important part of my life. So thank you for all the support and encouraging words. They have been a big help when I am feeling down. I want to say life has been full of surprises. You have been an angel sent to help me make it through the rough times. So, thank you, all of you, just for being here for me.

I would meet her between 7:00 and 8:00am. She tipped me regularly. On one visit, I had admired her lipstick and blush.

With that, she said ‘that she would bring a few shades of lipstick for me. This happened a couple of days before I was to move into the place I now share with someone else. When I told her I would be moving in a couple of days, she said it called for a celebration. Then she took me to Au Bon Pain and bought me coffee and a sandwich and gave me some money. I’ve been at Woodley Towers for three months and wish I could run into her again.

Art By Robert Williams, USMC, Vendor/Artist Art. A definition: the transformation of ideas, feelings or emotions into something tangible or visual that it might extract thought or reaction from self or others.

As a writer, I initialize my Art with my words, to be thought provoking and to stimulate minds and impact change. The purpose of my words is to encourage open-mindedness in regards to the perception of reality of the life’s issues.

“I felt the reality of poverty,” says Martin Walker of his upbringing in Southeast DC. Although his mother worked fulltime for the Federal government, paying the bills for her five children was a constant struggle. Martin was the youngest. “Electricity turned off now and then,” he remembers.

While Martin knew his father and would visit him on occasion, he wasn’t there financially. His mother had to shoulder the entire burden. Not an uncommon story in poor, African-American neighborhoods in Washington DC. Yet always a painful one to hear.

Everything was substandard—schools, housing and the most critical— healthcare. At age 26 his older sister died six months into a pregnancy. This, too, is not an uncommon story for a family both poor and black in Washington, DC. Given he had four siblings, this is the only one he spoke about. It is clearly one of the most terrible events of his younger life: In 1989, at the end of the 9th grade, school no longer appealed to Martin and he dropped out and went to work. Odd jobs mostly. At age 19 he secured fulltime employment selling home improvement work over the phone. He was good at it and became the sales manager. Then onward and upward to better paying job as a mortgage loan officer during the refinancing boom some years back. But Martin found he didn’t like paperwork and that a job in mortgage refinancing involves a lot of paperwork and deceiving homeowners So in the year 2000 Martin went to another job back on the phones, this time in debt collection for a law firm. He spent most of his time finding the people who owed money and had not paid. After finding them, he either got the money from them or the law firm sued the person.

Martin was good at this work but got fired. Why? The law firm would not give him the time off he needed to go through a program of physical rehabilitation for his knee. They didn’t care that he had been an automobile accident and one of his knees had been smashed up in the accident. Without an income, Martin “fell behind in his bills.” By 2002 he had lost everything: “house, car, dog, girlfriend.”

Depression gripped him. His knee hurt.

Martin “started using drugs for the emotional and physical pain.” And sometimes just plain bordem In spite of his troubles, he managed to go through a commercial truck drivers course and received his Commercial Truck Driving license known as a CDL. He drove everything from dump trucks to tractor-trailers.

Life became much better until he was in an accident in 2009 and stopped driving trucks. Since his income stopped, homelessness followed. Depression gripped him again, and again he started taking street

drugs to endure the pain of having his life collapse. He never imagined he would live on the streets until 2014. But that is what happened. How did he get the small amount of money he needed to live on? Panhandling. What was that like? “Dehumanizing,” Martin said. And how could it not be?

Yet even in those circumstances, Martin Walker summoned the will to go back to high school and earn his diploma. “Very satisfied with myself since I always felt bad that I never got it.” Finally in the summer of 2014 he started driving trucks again. While he was still homeless, he had finally gotten work again. This continued for five months until August of 2014. Then he physically lost his Commercial Drivers License—it wasn’t taken away because of his driving. He simply lost it. Without that license, he couldn’t drive trucks. All he needs to do to go back to work is get a new CDL to replace the one he lost. Easy.

Just go to DMV of Washington DC get the replacement license.

But there is a hitch: you have to prove who you are and that you live in DC. This isn’t difficult. You have to provide the District government with your apartment lease, bills sent to that address, the best one being your utility bill. But if you are homeless, this is impossible because you don’t have an apartment lease. You don’t have a utility bill.

Being caught up in this bureaucratic nightmare is obviously distressful to Martin.

He could easily get work driving trucks, support himself, and get a lease on an apartment. But he can’t do that until he gets a replacement for his Commercial Drivers License— which he cannot get because he doesn’t have a lease on an apartment in the District of Columbia—which he can’t get because he doesn’t have the money.

Martin finally got everything together he needed with the XXXX Proof of Residency Form, which would allow him to get the replacement license he needs. However, upon arriving at the DMV Martin was told they stopped accepting that form three weeks prior.

“I feel like the District government is playing games with my life and literally stripped me of my livlihood.” Martin said.

“Every time I achieve one goal they set for me, they set a new goal.”

He concluded our interview by saying he hopes Muriel Bowser reads this and can help him get a replacement CDL.

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.

The Shelter

From There to Here; My Progression on Homelessness

At the shelter there are only women. I went there on and off for about 6 years. Every day w a s a n e w d a y.

There was no getting used to a shelter but it was better than being on the streets. For instance, if I had been out on the streets for a while and then had gone inside, I would feel so good that I would roll myself up into a ball and stared.

The staff would be so afraid and happy at the same time that the paramedics, it seemed, would always be nearby. This was also strange.

There would be some arguing but never any real fights. I guess that the shelter was so good to some that they would stay for years on end and not leave. Some women had been there for 16 years. Maybe they had problems. At night there would be a meal for the women, prepared for them by student cooks in the program for the disadvantaged and some were homeless.

The homeless would pack the shelter to the rafters each and every night. The downside is that people who are influential and who are somebody would say ‘have you been to the shelter?’ trying to be unnoticeable to you. If you had there ‘you will have to wait and burden yourself with hard work just to get a job!’

I was living at the YWCA and it was February 2014. We had had a house meeting and it was around 6 p.m. The staff told us that they would be remodeling the YWCA. The ladies were saying that instead of 118 rooms we were going to have only 80 rooms. We women didn’t know what to expect. We had talked for months among ourselves. We had made close ties with each other. All of our differences were wiped away. We realized that we were in the same boat. Months later and we still didn’t know if we were staying or leaving.

The women residents got scared and some started leaving. Now it is a year later. So, after the remodeling, some of us might be asked back.

A bit later, my case manager came to visit me at the YWCA. She came with the doctor. The doctor said, “Let’s go in the living room.”

Then they said, “You’ll have to come with us to go to the hospital.”

So they took me to Washington Hospital

by Debbie Brantley, Vendor/Artist

By Patty Smith, Vendor/Artist

ILLUSTRATION BY PATTY SMITH

Center. They made me take a bath and clean the bedbugs off me and gave me medication. Everything was itchy. They kept me there for eight days.

Then the case manager picked me up and took me to a place called Crossing Place in Woodley Park. I stayed there fourteen days to continue taking the medicine.

On the fourteenth day the case manager came and said “I can’t find permanent

I Wonder About The World

“I guess that the shelter was so good to some that they would stay for years.”

A place to stay was easier. And so was getting food or healthcare and medicine.

Seeing your own friends was hard. Every day you would hope to survive. Hoping you wouldn’t get caught by anyone, good or bad. So you were treated like a bad person by the law. This is great news because you can do so much with it. They bend over backward to give you everything including some small and large jobs. The women would contest over jobs.

You’ve got to try to appreciate the system. It is so hard because it is run by women like yourself who really know how to help you. The other women would talk and laugh about you. I never noticed it too much. The doctor had taken it down a few pegs. But that’s the way it goes when you have people who don’t really like you. How do you battle it, being talked about? By praying to others and not by using drugs or doing crime. Being talked about is just as bad as homelessness. But you can beat it by staying near those who love you.

placement for you right now, so I’ll have to take you down to CCNV shelter.”

I had to learn my way around the shelter: get used to the women, the staff, and the whole area. I stayed there for six months.

And then the case manager took me to Woodley House where I stay now.

By Jackie Turner, Vendor/Artist

PHOTO BY ROONERS TOY PHOTOGRAPHY/FLICKR

Star Date: 99995074.9

By Kenneth Belkosky, Vendor/Artist

The Enterprise was in route to Star Base 89 when they ended up in orbit of Earth 2.

Captain Riker is confused about what is going on. When the intruder alert went off, Riker sent Rolfe to Shuttlebay 3. A thing that looks like a old police call phone booth that you walk in to. Rolfe saw two people come out. Then Q shows up. Everyone does not know what is going on.

The people that were at shuttle bay3 were led to the bridge to meet with Captain Riker. They all started talking when a Borg Ship came along the Enterprise. The Borg Ship had no weapons. Now things are upsetting everyone. Then I showed up on the view screen and I said hi to everyone. “I need to see everyone on Holodeck 5.” So they all went there.

“Hi my name is Kenneth Belkosky and I know you have doubts about why you are here orbiting Earth 2. Well as you can all see I need to tell you something that may not be up to your world. You see I am writing a story. I’ll write you again and you will understand.”

I wonder what the world will be like in the year 2050 or 2100.

Things change so fast and people’s way of thinking changes. In the past, women were homemakers and men were providers.

It’s really not that way now? Most people share working and household things. The children have their life and the parents have theirs. What happened to the nucleus of the family? All we can say is that it has changed.

But I can’t help but wonder, what if the family stayed home three or four nights a week? Or socialized together more often?

Would we still have the same problems, or would it bring them closer together?

There’s a movie coming out called The War Room. It’s about people trying to make the world better. I think this is a step in the right direction. Think of things that you think would make the world better and act. Start by seeing the movie, The War Room.

STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

13

VENDOR WRITING Black Sisters, Epilogue

By Gynette Smith Vendor/Artist

Deedra realized that no matter how much her students liked some of the things she did with them, —like reading “The Sound and the Fury”—she was never going to make enough money to remain in her house. She and Matt had found a condo that they liked on the water in Southwest D.C. and Matt would not have to change schools. She was packing some boxes to put in the car to take over to the place when the phone rang.

“Hello, Deedra? This is Tim” (Tim was a congressman who had been friendly to her when she met him while she and David were out.) ”Tim, how are you? I haven’t heard your voice in a long time. How is Krista?”

“She is good. I just found out that David was once shot on the job and wondered why neither of you had told me” “No. There must be some mistake.”

“No. Several people have confirmed it. A lot of people were shot. They were trying to arrest some people when their car was assaulted. Sadly, though, David

was the most seriously injured and it was expected that he would not live. It was around Easter time.”

“It must have been when the kids and I were vacationing in LA. He must have made a remarkable recovery. He didn’t have a scratch on him when we got back to D.C.” “Maybe if you couldn’t see his bandages, you wouldn’t know something was wrong.”

“He was walking slowly, saying he had twisted his ankle. But the doctor said it would be alright.”

“Didn’t the hospital contact you?

He was out about an hour and a half and guess who was standing over him when he came to?”

“I don’t know. Hope, his new employee?”

“Yep. Maybe they tried to reach you and didn’t know where you were and once he came to, he said no to disturb your vacation.”

“Maybe so.”

“You know, if you became my mistress, we could share what we hear about David.”

“No thanks. David is moving on and so am I. I could never be a mistress to a married man, anyway. It wouldn’t be right.”

She finished her packing and laughed as she thought of the nice, supportive man who always came over to chat at dinner and cocktail parties, and asked her to dance at dances. Washington could be a cold city, but Tim had made being a government big shot’s wife a lot easier. She suspected that he was the reason Krista had been so friendly, too. In a way, she would really miss them.

Matt and Deedra loved their new condo in Southwest D.C. It was near the subway and looked new, even though it was not. Deedra felt a little unsure about ending her marriage. Her mother, Evelyn, thought that David probably had explanations for all the innuendos. That possibility worried Deedra.

Then one day she and Matt were having dinner. Her voicemail said a man named Anthony Green had called. He was a straightforward guy who had always made Deedra feel that he was direct and had nothing to hide. She liked him. They

always talked eyeball-to-eyeball and he seemed to like Deedra.

The voicemail said that David’s supervisor wanted to speak to him.He had just gone over a bill and he couldn’t understand why he rented a helicopter for him and his new employee, Hope, the day she was hired. He wondered what David was thinking when he couldn’t even use a car to take his grandmother to the doctor.

Deedra knew she was happy then. She had no guilt. Wherever she and Matt went, life would be good. She could already picture a handsome foreigner that would be better than the FBI agent she’d stayed married to for so long. Maybe the handsome foreigner had a dream but was an illegal immigrant. Or maybe he just wanted more encouragement for himself.

Maybe he wanted a child, too.

Life would be good, but she, of course, would have to be careful.

Deedra had shared many happy days in the old house with her family, until her black sisters and their stories.

The End

Shaw Philosophizes On Nats’ Latest Collapse

Perception or Reality: Feeling Some Kinda Way

Dear friends, sorry to say, this time there will be no jokes or poems- or even a jolly Glarph cartoon to break the gloom this writer feels gummed down and in. As the Rolling Stones so aptly sang, long ago, “You can’t Always Get What You Want,” and surely by now we’ve “Got No Expectations,” nor any “Satisfaction” from the performance post-All Star Game from our renegade baseball club the Nationals.

Scherzer melting down, repeatedly gifting inferior National League rival teams with freebie homers; Drew Storen tossing gimmes into the camera well and other inappropriate zones around the ballpark; and Zimmerman’s endless exits caused by relatively insignificant but nagging injuries. Only Strasburg’s rallying on the mound (thank God!) has offset this cacophony of crisis for Lerner and Rizzo and beleaguered manager Matt Williams.

Just listen to any of Matt’s mealy mouthed press briefings after any number of scoring disasters. “We uhh, could have given it more effort,” or “It’s a, umm, question of motivation.” Come on Skipper, just whatever happened, for instance to “Run-building?” Not only did the Mets mow us down with a sweep at home between September 7 and September 9; in the opening pair of away losses weekend in Miami (Sept. 11, 12) the weary Nats managed a total run output of ONE, against the motley Marlins!

Hope reigns eternal, however, for we

Love or hate. Either emotion can make you crazy. Yet neither do entangle me. Tattered is my heart, yet full of love and compassion, broken and shattered. Where do I go?

What do I do? No one even sometimes to talk to. Stop, look, listen. To what? To who?

You care too, but for who? Do this or that. Why or when? How did it all begin? When will it end?

Still I believe I shall receive that which no one thought I could achieve. Knowledge I put on a shelf, I should be teaching. Yet I am stretching. Reaching but reaching for what?

Is this reality or perception? I should have caught it in conception. What’s really going on? Is it going on, really, what? So much is on my mind. Got to admit, it ain’t all kind. So full is my brain, how do I ever sustain? By His grace and mercy gonna hold on to it cause baby I am yet still thirsty. I gotta tap deeper into the source, Hey that’s it, but of course. Caught up because I was set up not to do as I was brought up. Feel sometimes used and pimped. Still I must make an attempt. Nothing beats a failure but a try. Fired, tired, fired. I should/could just cry.

By Chris Shaw,“The Cowboy Poet”

broke Florida’s meager grip (with Mad Max on the bump no less!) by handing them a 5-0 shutout on Sunday’s closer (lucky Sept.

13). So, as this observation goes to press, our team, once vaunted for a sure World Series slot; needs only to capture about a dozen and a half near consecutive victories out of about 28 games total to nail down a wild card slot. Keep praying, Loyal Fans, but be sure to dig out those lucky rabbit’s feet and mojo juice as a saver!

By Robert Williams, USMC, Vendor/Artist

My Father, The Faithful

By Charles Davis, Vendor/Artist

Ryan Zimmerman.

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is pray, because that is what our father taught us when we were children, all ten of us. As I got older, I started to become closer to God, the way my father taught me.

When I first started selling papers with Street Sense, the thing that came to my mind was I hope that my heart can deal with this, but I never gave up. My father never thought about leaving us after mama died, and he kept his oath faithfully. When I am out there selling my papers for Street Sense, I always think about how strong and faithful my father was.

At one time, it was so cold, I wanted to stop. My feet were so cold and I thought, “how did my father do this?” He did it by faith.

I end my article by saying “Momma you will always be my strength, and Daddy, you will always be my faith and my wisdom. I will always miss you both. Rest in peace.”

May God bless you!

OPINION

America Is Exceptional: If You Don’t Believe This, Leave

Step Back, Doors Closing

By Phillip Black Vendor/Artist, “Cat In The Hat”

By Jeffery McNeil Vendor/Artist

Last week, a close friend of mine was closed between the metro doors. The doors opened, closed, and opened again. Now, she has to get shoulder surgery. The system tells you to wait for others to get off. So when you do that they never give you any time to board the train. You will need about 30 more seconds to board when others get off. And even if the Metro is upgrading their system, they need to upgrade their intercom system as well.

There are so many incidents where passengers are closed in the metro doors and, like my friend, many people are getting hurt. So when you hear “Step back, doors closing” please step back and, until the Metro fixes this problem, your safety is your only concern.

America has been good to me. Although I’ve been homeless and slept on grates, I love this country.

I’ve been to socialist countries such as Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela and Portugal. And let me tell you — I’d rather be sleeping underneath a boardwalk in Atlantic City than be royalty in those countries.

I have no regard for peace protesters and flag burners, I consider them traitors. They have no respect for this country. They don't know how good they have it. These children of privilege have the luxury of going to big colleges and mimicking left-wing nonsense. Grunts like me served in the military because we didn't come from well-to-do families.

I ask the kids that listen to these peddlers of old school Marxism: if America is so racist, why do so many risk their lives to come here? Why do those that claim to be fighting for social justice show outrage about slavery in the past, while never mentioning slavery that continues today in third world countries?

I often wonder where liberalism went wrong. Why do so many black brethren remain wedded to a doctrine of utter

Killing in D.C

Stand Up

I often ask myself, why is there so much killing in DC? One hundred homicides have occurred this year.

Why are the blacks dying so fast? Is it because of synthetic drugs or domestic violence?

It’s not the guns doing the killing; it’s the wrong people who have the guns.

We all know a trigger doesn’t pull itself.

The young black Americans are destroying our black culture and this is happening all over the world. They young black men must be thinking that when they kill a black person they can get away with it because the police don’t investigate the crime thoroughly. Such homicides easily fade from the public eye when the killer is not quickly apprehended.

In the name of God gracious and merciful. Street Sense is by and about the poor and the homeless.

Some of the people who buy Street Sense from me ask me if I’m angry. I have to tell them no. I told them I write about what I see around me but most of all what is going on in my part of D.C. In other words, I write about where I live or the truth about the D.C. I live in.

I told them the problems I talk about have to be solved by all of us. There are some of us or others who don’t have our best interests at heart, who would be glad to help us do everything we don’t need to do. Like help us sell each other more drugs and guns or help us rise up and be soldiers against the only country we know.

But really our problems are not that hard to solve if those who have the power to solve them would stand up.

Thank you Street Sense.

By Ricardo Meriedy, Vendor/Artist

By Baron Hall, Vendor/Artist

The Ratings

By Theodore Legget,Vendor/Author Now these are not places, you would wish on anyone.

They fall under the headings of Help!

To some the above statement could be true.

To others — mostly the ones who fall — they are or can be Hell.

You have homes you love to go to You have homes you invite others to.

But what if you have homes where no one wants to be and wants no one to know they are there.

D.C. has some of the nicest homes.

Some we can afford, others we can’t.

There are places for the poor. Yet in summer they don’t come. It’s safer on the street.

Winters, you have to find them to get them in. Despite the cold, they still feel safer on the street.

I want to say more about them, but

they may not like what I have to say. See, I have to live there.

There is one spot where the drug dealer waits for you to turn in onto the block.

In South East the guard sits in the house, while many residents take drugs and drink ten feet away, outside.

In the big new place it is nice and clean.

Every night they have church service. But don’t go to sleep in church. You will be put out. Back on the street. Their God told them put you back out. (If you haven’t slept in peace in three days, don’t go.)

The help is there but act like you care.

You wash the sheets but not the blankets. You give me a shower but I put on the same pants and shirt back on. You care.

I come in dirty and I go out dirty.

nonsense, despite overwhelming evidence that liberalism and white guilt has undermined black uplift. Today’s Democratic Party is anything but Democratic.

Today’s party would consider Karl Marx an ultra-conservative.

Liberals have convinced poor blacks they are their saviors and will give them what their hearts’ desire. Although there are some—such as Ben Carson’s and Allen West—that refuse to shine for the liberal, most can't resist the free cell phones and eyeglass checkup.

It drives Liberals nuts when a Black man tells them “I don't need your gifts, I’m capable of getting what I need on my own.” I once was a liberal, but liberalism was different. The liberalism I belonged to inspired men. They believed you help people help themselves — give them dignity, not handouts. The liberalism I belonged to believed the family was the backbone of civilization and designed policies that encourage family stability and kept communities intact.

However the liberal narrative is about to change because a sleeping giant has awoken. There is a silent majority that believes America is exceptional, period.

People are tired, fed up and angry.

How Do You Feel Safe? Who Am I

By The Anti-Apathetic

By Leonard C. Hyater Jr., Vendor/Artist

When a stranger speaks, wishing you a “good morning” and you intentionally ignore them… what are you thinking?

Are you trying to hurt them?

Does belittling another mean that much to you? If so, why? If not, why not just be polite?

Not speaking when spoken to in the civilized world is considered impolite behavior. The old folks would say “a dog when greeted will wag his tail.” The elders in my village would not permit us to break the “Golden Rule.” How you greet a stranger reflects your home training and your parents. If you find that last comment offensive – good. Maybe you will respond!

Maybe you will consider the domino effect your inconsiderate behavior has on the world around you. Please know hostility breeds fear, resentment and, at times, malice.

A smile, a frown, a nod, grunt, growl, or grimace will suffice. Cordial greetings are optional, but appreciated!

And probably safer.

Who am I? A man that was born in this country, who am I? A man who works and provide for his family.

Who am I? A man who will prot ect , fight and die for this country if necessary, But if my country passes a law that goes against my Christians faith, then I beg the difference.

Who am I? A Man of God. The day that the Supreme Court passed legalized same sex marriage, Kim Davis refused to marry same sex couples on the grounds of her faith. I can understand where she’s coming from. I personally could not go against my Christian faith for a job. But she should have been given the opportunity to move into another role that would not put her in that position, rather than be arrested.

To quote Galations 1:10, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?

If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

15

STREET SENSE September 23 - October 6, 2015

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

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

John Young Center: 639-8569 119 D Street, NW

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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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

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

Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

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

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

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

Gospel Rescue Ministries: 842-1731 810 5th St, NW grm.org

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

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

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

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

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

CELEBRATING SUCCESS!

Still Standing

Article and Photos By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist It was an enviable and inspiring experience. I was witnessing my fellow vendor and a writing mentor on stage doing a Q&A and later a signing of their joint effort “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina” by Gerald Anderson and Susan Orlins.

Introduced by Robert Warren, the director of the People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC), Mr. Anderson spoke of his exploits, including the rescue of a D.C. Metrorail

rider from an oncoming train. (Red Line) Ms. Orlins’ interview was followed by questions from the audience, an endorsement from poet Chris Shaw and the book signing. What I remember best, besides the original order to ‘take pictures, but no faces,’ is the audience, then wanting their faces in pics w/Gerald!

The fact that during the applause and after, during the signing and after, all were still standing! It’s a book worth reading too.

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) 797-8806 71 O St, NW some.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

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

September 23 - October 6, 2015 • Volume 12 • Issue 23

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

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