10 15 2005

$1

Suggested Donation

Volume 2, Issue 12

October 15, 2005 - November 14, 2005

Local Homeless Report Recent Police Harassment Long Standing Concern Sparks New Attention

By Kat Zambon Michelle McCullough and her husband, David, sold Street Sense near the CVS in Chinatown in September, but every day, a police officer or pair of officers would harass them.

McCullough said that officers told her and her husband that they couldn’t sell newspapers without a license. When she challenged them, they repeated that she couldn’t sell newspapers on the sidewalk and also said they couldn’t keep their belongings with them while they sold the papers.

When the police bothered them, “we asked for a supervisor,” McCullough said, and the supervisors directed the officers to leave the vendors alone. Despite the harassment, McCullough

said she and her husband decided to stick it out selling Street Sense and deal with a ticket if they got one. They didn’t let the harassment get to them, and in their first week selling Street Sense, McCullough and her husband sold 200 papers.

Many Washington residents have been encountering police harassment for years, but community activists are now starting to work together to develop solutions and work with residents and police officials to curb this harassment.

And its not just the homeless that face police harassment youth, minorities, members of the transgender community, sex workers, and the elderly have all dealt with this, according to National Coalition on the Homeless (NCH) Speakers’ Bureau

Coordinator Mike O’Neill.

At the Speakers’ Bureau, O’Neill has heard his homeless and formerly homeless speakers talk about being harassed by police, in the past and recently.

One recalled a day that once in a Metro station he put his bags down to get a bus transfer and when he stepped away from them briefly, someone yelled “there’s a bomb!” Police took him away and found an outstanding warrant for him. Later it was found there actually wasn’t any warrant out for him.

O’Neill explained that there’s a relationship between the overall increase in hate crimes and harassment of the homeless.

“They get harassed by police,

See POLICE, p.7

SLAM! DaWayne Harrison (above) was one of five Street Sense vendors who read poetry at the Street Sense Poetry Slam on September 18, 2005, at Teaism in dowtown D.C. The event was sponsored by DC Slam and drew over 40 people. For more pictures of the event, go to p. 17.

Major Renovations Expected at CCNV Rumors of City’s Largest Shelter Closing False, Officials Say

By Carolyn Cosmos

Arrest photos: Police forcefully apprehend a homeless man on Fourteenth Street downtown in what ended up being a case of mistaken identity. No arrests were made. (Photo, J. Kenny)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Provider Profile: Friendship Place, p. 3 Street Politics, p .4 Day Labor, p. 5 Interview: Author Barbara Ehrenreich, p. 6

INSID

New AIDS Study, p. 7 World/National News, p. 9 Poetry, pgs. 10-11 Book Review, p. 12

The D.C. government is planning to renovate the Federal City Shelter, known as “Second and D,” to the tune of $7 million.

And most of the shelter’s 1,250 residents can stay during the repairs, said officials with the building’s main shelter provider, the Community for Creative Nonviolence (CCNV).

Steve Cleghorn, deputy ex-

Marvin Hammerman, p. 13 Crossword, p. 13 Editorials, pgs. 15-16 Community Events, p. 17

ecutive director of the Community Partnership to End Homelessness, confirmed the city’s current intention to renovate Second and D, the city’s largest shelter, and keep it open to house CCNV and other providers for several more years.

The Community Partnership is a private agency that manages shelters and related planning

See CCNV, p.4 Directory of Service Providers, pgs. 18-19 Vendor Profile, p. 20

INFORMATION

Page 2

Street Sense 1317 G St., NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347-2006 Fax: (202) 347-2166 E-mail: info_ss@streetsense.org

Editors Ted Henson Laura Thompson Osuri

Steering Committee Members Robert Egger David S. Hammond Ted Henson August Mallory Laura Thompson Osuri Michael Stoops Kathy Whelpley

Street Sense Mission Statement and Editorial Policy The main objective of Street Sense is to make the public more aware of issues related to poverty and homelessness. Its secondary goal is to provide homeless people with an economically beneficial opportunity and forum to be published.

Articles in Street Sense reflect the perspectives of the authors. We invite the submission of journalism, opinion, fiction and poetry, hoping to create a means where a multitude of perspectives on poverty and homelessness can find expression. Street Sense reserves the right to edit any material for length or style.

Volunteers and Writers Russton Anderson Gwen Arnold Donald Brooks Karen Brooks Carolyn Cosmos James Davis Alvin Dixon El Julie Buss Robert Ferhenbach Jake Geissinger Leo Gnawa David S. Hammond Carol Hannaford David Harris Dewayne Harrison Enoka Herat Annie Hill Alex Hiniker Maurice King Jessica LeCompte August Mallory Jessica McCaughley Michelle McCullogh Jay McDaniel Valerie Weixler Marian Wiseman Michael O’Neill Amy Orndorff David Pike Michelle Regan Gaudet Diane Rusignola Patty Smith Al Szekely Sr. Francine Triplett Robert Trautman Linda Wang Avi Wolfman-Arent Kat Zambon

Interested in a Subscription to Street Sense?

Are you from out of town and want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year? Do you live in Washington and want to make sure that you get the latest copy of Street Sense? You can now order a subscription. Street Sense is a monthly newspaper with a circulation of about 10,000. When you order a subscription, you are contributing to the efforts of raising awareness on poverty and helping the homeless.

____ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense. That means I get 12 issues for $25 a year (this includes postage).

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________________________ State:_______________ Zip: ___________ Phone: ______________________________________________________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________________________________

Please make checks payable to Street Sense. Street Sense is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization.

Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. Thanks for your contribution and support!

Street Sense Vendors Alexander Archer Jake Ashford Robert Beecher Tommy Bennett Carolyn Blackford Donald Brooks Joe Brown Kanon Brown Bobby Buggs Todor Caldaras Conrad Cheek Jr. James Chisholm

Street Sense October 2005

Lee Ciochetti James Davis Alvin Dixon El Sylvia Ford Leo Gnawa DaWayne Harrison John Harrison Patricia Henry Phillip Howard Michael Hughes Jeffrey Jackson George Jefferson

Allen Jones Jasen Louk Michelle McCullough David McCullough Jennifer McLaughlin August Mallory Therese Onyenmon Patty Smith Francine Triplett Joseph Walker Edna Williams Brenda Wilson

Street Sense would like to thank the following people who contributed within the past month: Michael Williams Bernie Thompson Alexius Wong Anonymous Malik F. Johnson

‌And we would especially like to thank Jill Stanley from the Herblock Foundation and Dan Logan from the Reva and David Logan Foundation for their extremely generous contributions.

Without the support of individual donors, Street Sense would not be possible.

Street Sense October 2005

PROVIDER PROFILE

Page 3

Provider Profile

Friendship Place: Living Up To Its Name

By Michael O’Neill As soon as you enter the little blue house on Wisconsin Avenue in Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. you feel welcomed and right at home. The receptionist greets you with a friendly smile and a “hello” and other staff and volunteers are just as friendly as you wait in the lobby.

The Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place (CCH/FP) was formed in 1991 in response to the need for homeless services in Ward 3.

CCH/FP is a comprehensive faith-based partnership of individual neighbors, congregations, businesses, community organizations, local institutions and political associations that are “responding to the needs of our homeless neighbors in a community of concern.”

CCH/FP offers clients a wide variety of services from healthcare needs to case management. And they also have sandwiches, coffee and phone services.

“We are very much client-need oriented, we will never turn anyone away,” said executive director Andrea E. Morris. It is this philosophy that makes CCH/ FP such a successful organization.

Mainly through private donations and grants, CCH/FP supports 25 clients in permanent housing, and hopes to have 17 more in the next two years. The staff, volunteers and community partners are

doing everything they can to treat, house and give their clients every opportunity to succeed.

CCH/FP partners include organizations like: Anne Frank House, The Haven at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, Metropolitan House at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, St Luke’s Shelter, St Paul’s Shelter at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, and others in Upper Northwest.

Mrs. Morris said “it is the community’s responsibility, everyone’s moral obligation, to help the needy and poor. We must look at ourselves and ask ourselves what we are doing to address the problem of poverty and homelessness.”

She added that CCH/FP is asking that question every day and because of the commitment, dedication, passion and kindness of the staff, volunteers, clients and supporters, CCH/FP is helping those in need right here in Washington, DC. George Siletti, 49, who has been a client of Friendship Place for two years said, “Friendship Place has made me feel a part of the community and established in mainstream society.”

He goes on to say that he is no longer a (homeless) statistic. For the first time in his life, George is proud to say that he can get junk mail and is in the phone book! He is very grateful to his friends at CCH/FP for helping him achieve his goal of getting off the streets, taking care of his medical needs and providing permanent housing for him.

In its first five years CCH/FP moved 181 people into transitional housing and 72 people into permanent housing, both their own and others throughout the city. CCH/FP is serving about 436 people a year. They have 22 full- and part-time staff members and over 150 dedicated volunteers. CCH/FP has a sister organization, the Community Housing Trust, which owns several properties (two houses, three condominiums and a dropin center - Friendship Place) where CCH/FP clients live and are served.

Many people who have experienced homelessness have had a bad experience at a shelter or with a service provider, but the staff at CCH/FP encourages potential clients to consider all the options

“We are very much clientneed oriented; we will never turn anyone away.”

Volunteers Needed!

Writers and other volunteers: Everyone is welcome to join our volunteer staff! All different levels of writing experience are welcome and appreciated.

Come to the next Street Sense meeting on Wednesday, November 9, 2005 @ 6:00 p.m.

Meetings are held at Street Sense in the Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St., NW. For more info contact Street Sense at (202) 347-2006.

and take advantage of every opportunity that is provided to them.

“Whatever happened ten years ago, give it another chance. Physical and mental health care is a right and you have the right to be helped. There is no shame in needing and seeking treatment. You deserve it. People sometimes feel a stigma or shame about being homeless. Don’t let it keep you outside,” said Morris.

Mrs. Morris wishes she could wave a magic wand and make homelessness disappear, but she knows she is doing everything she can, finding the strength everyday to make positive changes happen.

In September CCH/FP and Friendship Place Partners organized a community symposium with a theme of “Community Responds to Homelessness.” Over 80 community members attended the symposium including Council member Kathy Patterson. There were expert panels on topics like “Causes of Homelessness” and “Solutions” Among the future events with CCH/ FP is “Breakfast at the Haven” being held Tuesday November 8 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at The Haven at St Columba’s Episcopal Church. Call to reserve a space.

If you would like to donate your time and energy to be a part of the CCH/FP family or just learn more about CCH/FP you can contact CCH/FP at 202-364-1419 or visit their website at http://www.cchfp.org

Donation Form YES! I want to help your paper succeed.

Here’s what I can/will do: My Donation of $______ is enclosed Name:_________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________ City:____________________ State: ________ Zip: ____________ Phone:_______________________________ Fax:: ____________ E-mail:_________________________________________________ *All donations are tax deductible Mail check or money order to: Street Sense 1317 G St, NW Washington, DC 20005 You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org

METRO AREA NEWS

Page 4

CCNV, from p.1 matters for the city.

Even so, “the city’s exact plans are unknown,” said CCNV Executive Director Melvin “Skip” Watkins, who confirmed the plans. “We’re waiting to get details. We don’t know the scope or the exact renovation timetable. It’s clear as mud.”

CCNV Deputy Director and Director of Maintenance James Burton explained that officials from D.C.’s Department of Human Services came to Second and D on Sept. 26 with contractors, architects, and plans for a “top to bottom” building overhaul. He said that the city had already invested about $1 million in repairs. Contracting comes under the DHS Office of Property Management. Its director, Carol Mitten, had not returned a call from Street Sense as the paper went to press.

Further contractor tours of the building are expected, Burton said.

When the city awards the Second and D contracts, then “all the service providers in the building will meet with the contractors and city officials to find out where the residents are going to go while the contractors do the work — the roof first, then one floor at a time. So they will have to relocate some residents on each floor for a short while. Then they’ll work downward. In the end, this will become a state-of-the-art shelter that can be duplicated around the country if needed,” Burton said.

Service providers in the building include a health clinic run by Unity Health Care; D.C. Central Kitchen, a major catering and job-training nonprofit group that provides food to most shelters in the city, including CCNV; JHP employment services; the John Young shelter, run by Catholic Charities; the Open Door shelter for women, run by New Hope Ministries; and the Clean & So-

ber recovery program. CCNV is the founding provider in the building and coordinates the provider collaborative.

“Closing rumors have been around for twenty years,” Burton emphasized.

“They’re not founded on truth.”

Cleghorn, who is with the Community Partnership, added that plans to renovate CCNV have also been in the works for years. For the past decade, the building has been in a state of disrepair, including leaking plumbing and a temperamental heating and cooling system.

“These major capital improvements to the building have been discussed for some time and were part of the city’s 10-year plan on homelessness released in January 2005,” Cleghorn said. “The building can’t be left as it is. It goes all the way back to World War II.” Cleghorn noted that the building was a city college for a while but was abandoned and became an empty wreck.

“Homeless advocate Mitch Snyder of CCNV, homeless people, and other advocates occupied the building in the mid-1980s and pressured the Reagan administration to renovate it as a homeless shelter. Mitch, Carol Fennelly, and others conducted protests and fasts, and Mitch nearly died. Finally, Ronald Reagan, on the eve of an election, coughed up $15 million to fix it up. That was a lot of money back then.”

Cleghorn emphasized that the current state-of-the-art model for dealing with homelessness is not a big-shelter approach. Rather, it’s providing a variety of prevention solutions and smaller supportive housing units. This approach emphasizes helping people get up and out and not just putting a roof over their heads. Despite this shift, he said, the city is committed to keeping services at Second and D. “However,” Cleghorn said, “the reality is that we have over a thousand people living at Second and D, and the building needs upgrading. The right thing to do is fix it up.”

“Closing rumors have been around for twenty years.

They’re not founded on truth.”

Street Sense October 2005

Street Politics

A monthly look at the politics surrounding public policy.

All Together Now. People who enjoy watching political campaigns look forward to the reappearance of certain rituals every few years. Campaign kickoff rallies, appearances at parades and at peoples’ front doors, disagreements over who may or may not have what it takes–all of these are entertaining and satisfying, and the District’s 2006 mayoral race is already delivering.

One important political habit here is the call for citywide unity and improvement when it comes to prosperity and opportunity. That call is a firmly established starting point for any citywide campaign, in a city marked by well-known divides based on race, income, education, and housing.

When councilman Adrian Fenty (Ward 4) entered the race for next year’s mayoral election, he praised Washington as an “inclusive city” with “people from all neighborhoods, from all income levels, from every background, race, age, and upbringing.”

Ward 5 Council member Vincent Orange has sounded similar themes, reaching beyond the large “5” button he wears on his lapel. And now his “Orange Report” has been mailed out citywide.

Former Verizon executive Marie Johns, who entered the mayoral race over the summer, hits the same notes in her campaign literature, which calls for “job growth across all areas of our city.”

This tradition goes back to former mayor and current Council member Marion Barry, who kept it plain when he used to talk about involving everyone – “from the Ph.D.s, to the no-D.s” And lobbyist Michael Brown’s supporters boiled all these ideas down to a simple chant that the Washington Post reported hearing at his mayoral kickoff event: “One town under Michael Brown!”

Linda Cropp Chimes In. Council Chair Linda Cropp, who is also running for mayor, upheld tradition at her own kickoff rally. She named neighborhoods from Anacostia to Chevy Chase, D.C., and said “I want to make sure that the development taking place here [U Street, N.W.] and elsewhere around the city includes everyone. Too many of us are still left out of the economic growth.”

Street Sense spoke with Cropp recently, and asked her for more detail about her plans. The Council Chair highlighted her recent work on affordable housing, and presented it as a model for progress on a variety of issues. Cropp said she has “the ability to bring different groups of people together,” and reported that she has been meeting for months with housing advocates and developers to reach a general agreement on “how to make affordable housing a reality.”

That’s been a tough balancing act, said Cropp, because “if that is what we need and must have, then we must give incentives to make it happen.” She named easing height restrictions as one possible benefit for developers who accept mandatory requirements that housing construction include affordable units.

As for long-term planning to combat homelessness, “we need to have ... diverse types of housing available for everybody all over the city, downtown too.”

Cropp named SROs [single-resident occupancy housing] as an important and neglected part of an overall strategy.

“They were wonderful,” she said. “They provided opportunity at a low amount [of money] for individuals to be able to get off the street and ... it provided dignity.”

That’s another familiar theme, one heard often among homeless people and those charged with meeting their needs. We look forward to hearing more about that, and about citywide political appeal.

– David S. Hammond What’s on your mind? E-mail StreetPoliticsDC@aol.com.

Street Sense October 2005

METRO AREA NEWS

Page 5

Day Labor Causing Controversy Throughout the Metro Area

By Diane Rusignola

Day labor is not a new concept, but in the D.C. metro area recently, it seems to be causing a stir.

Workers congregate in communities early in the morning—whether it’s at a 7-Eleven in Herndon or on a street corner in Dupont Circle. Employers in search of cheap labor cruise through neighborhoods, and sometimes the ready workers get picked up, other times they are left waiting. Local residents are up in arms about the loitering, and anti-immigrant sentiment seems to be rampant. Many of these workers are homeless or on the verge of homelessness, and for the area’s poor, any sort of labor systemization would help to provide a better life for them.

So what are municipalities in D.C., MD, and VA doing to organize day laborers?

In Herndon, Va., the controversy has been ongoing for months. The town council granted Project Hope and Harmony, an umbrella group of various civic and religious organizations helping day laborers, permission in midAugust to build and oversee a day laborer site there. Taxpayers will fund this site, which Project Hope and Harmony anticipates will be built before Christmas.

Many opposed to the idea fear

Herndon is endorsing illegal immigration, their property values will drop, and that safety will be a concern. Herndon city council members who voted in favor of the site said a local government could not be expected to resolve a national immigration issue, but that it was their responsibility to help solve this extremely troublesome town issue. All city council members agreed that they do not want to sanction illegal immigration with this new site.

But Project Hope and Harmony’s mission is greater than merely providing a place for day laborers to stand.

Mukit Hossain, the organization’s founder who immigrated to the U.S. himself 30 years ago from Bangladesh, has raised money, purchased hundreds of winter coats, and collected food for the laborers in the Herndon area. He began Project Hope and Harmony after talking to a few men who were waiting in a parking lot for work two winters ago, and has in turn brought to light the similar efforts of numerous other community organizations.

Groups like the Trinity Presbyterian Church have been teaching immigrants English and helping them attain citizenship for years. Under the umbrella of Project and Harmony, their good work is more easily recognizable and can perhaps accomplish even greater feats.

Another organization causing a dif-

Congress Wants Results, Feedback From U.S. Homelessness Efforts

By David S. Hammond Congressional attention to persistent homelessness continues, with a new Senate bill to coordinate more closely some federal planning and programs.

The Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2005, introduced at the end of September, would amend existing law shaping federal spending on homelessness. It would put a priority on supportive housing, streamline grant applications, consolidate some programs, and expand the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. It would also direct local planners to measure their progress more closely, and to be alert to factors that might contribute to homelessness, like zoning laws, or leaving a program.

Provisions like that are aimed at improving communication between funding recipients, planners, and the federal government, said Steve Berg, vice president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Local groups will have “significantly more responsibility in terms of monitoring what’s going on,” he said.

And, said Berg, “Congress is becoming more clear what the end result is that they are looking for – and that’s fewer people experiencing homelessness.”

Further action on the bill is expected in 2006.

You can learn more about the CPEHA by going to http:// thomas.loc.gov/and searching for information on bill number S. 1801. or go to www.endhomelessness.org.

ferent type of community stir is Ace Temporaries, Inc. in Alexandria, VA. Ace identifies itself as engaging in the “business of providing employment services and temporary personnel placement to businesses in the metro area.” Thus deemed a day labor agency by the city, Ace, located at 717 Pendleton St., maintains that this is not true within the meaning of the city’s zoning ordinance.

As such, much of the controversy surrounding Ace involves zoning issues, as residents feel Ace is a commercial entity and is illegally occupying space in a residential area. Ace obtained legal counsel that specializes in commercial real estate and business law; the city council denied their request for an extension to Ace’s lease and ordered the organization to cease operations over the summer.

Ace is not a charity like Project Hope and Harmony, though. Instead, it is a for-profit organization that had $1.5 million invested in its business two years ago when legal issues first began to arise. In a statement to Alexandria’s city council in June, resident G. Michael Schlee said, “The neighbors have endured a lot. I am definitely not anti-business, but the neighborhood has to be appropriate.”

In the District, organizations like Neighbors Consejo help low-income immigrants achieve stability in all aspects— socioeconomic, emotional, employment,

and financial—and this often includes outreach with day laborers. This particular bilingual, social service organization has provided services for more than 3,000 individuals in Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Mount Pleasant over the years, and currently sees an average of 75 new clients per month. Grassroots organizations like this address a broad range of issues and reach out to day laborers in the ways that they can—and sometimes this is as simple as being able to communicate with immigrants in their native language.

The fate of day laborers in the metro area—legal and illegal alike—remains unknown. Though supporters hope that other charities and faith-based groups will follow in the footsteps of Project Hope and Harmony by joining forces and advocating for the rights of day laborers.

Perhaps yet others will take the route of Ace Temporaries, seeing the day labor issue as a potential money-maker rather than an outreach issue.

Regardless, the day labor issue in D.C. is not going away anytime soon, and sincere, legal workers feel they should have the opportunity to organize and find work safely. As Herndon day laborer Eric Arauz said amid all of his city’s recent hearings, “We are honest workers, not criminals.”

Jail Time Increases Chances of Becoming Homeless, Study Shows

By Carolyn Cosmos A San Francisco study of 1,426 homeless and “marginally housed” adults found that jail time made it more likely that a person would become homeless.

In the study, 23.1% of the homeless participants had a history of imprisonment. The study was published in the prestigious American Journal of Public Health on Oct. 1.

Jail time was also linked with more cocaine use, higher rates of mental illness and HIV infection, and a greater likelihood of having had more than 100 sexual partners, the study found. And homeless people who had been in jail were more likely to sell drugs.

“This problem isn’t unique to San Francisco” but is nationwide, the study’s lead

author, Dr. Margot Kushel, told Street Sense.

Prison separates people from their social networks, and if somebody is not given adequate substance abuse or health treatment behind bars, that person can come out “facing almost insurmountable barriers” that can easily lead to becoming homeless, she said. Kushel teaches at the medical school of the University of California, San Francisco.

“Clearly, a focus on housing and health care of prisoners as they leave prison is very important” in preventing homelessness, Kushel said. Taking care of these things is a “high yield” undertaking – meaning that a relatively small effort produces a big payoff.

The title of the article is “Revolving Doors: Imprisonment Among the Homeless and Marginally Housed Population.”

Page 6

INTERVIEW

Street Sense October 2005

Bait and Switch Author Barbara Ehrenreich on Her Adventures in White-Collar Unemployment Occasionally, the right book gets written at the right time and the national debate shifts.

Barbara Ehrenreich’s recent Nickel and Dimed was one of those books. This exploration of the world of low-wage work was on the New York Times bestseller list for 90 weeks and brought new visibility to the plight of the working poor.

Ehrenreich’s latest book, Bait and Switch, examines the diminished prospects of the whitecollar worker by going under cover to experience the humiliations of the corporate world firsthand. While Ehrenreich never actually finds a job, she discovers that all is not well with the educated and middle class. As corporations churn their workforces in search of greater shortterm profit, the professional class is very much feeling the pinch. Tim Harris with the Seattle street newspaper Real Change, recently sat down with Ehrenreich.

Real Change: You hear anecdotes about unemployed professionals, but there isn’t a lot of statistical data about declining prospects for white-collar workers. What’s your sense of what the reality really is out there?

Barbara Ehrenreich: As a result of Nickel and Dimed, I got a lot of letters from people who were in a Nickel and Dimed kind of situation. A surprising number of them were coming from people who had college educations and Master’s degrees, even, who had once held good white-collar jobs. To tell you the truth, I had not done a lot of thinking about white-collar working people as a constituency in need of my journalistic concern. But that got me thinking, “What’s happening here?”

I did some reading and discovered that the white-collar corporate work world had become chronically insecure. That the relationship of mutual loyalty between white-collar workers and the corporation is gone — gone forever. That’s what the book Who Moved My Cheese? is really about. It’s a mega-bestseller. Corporations buy it, force their employees to read it and discuss it, and its message is “You’re gonna be jerked around. You’re going to be jerked around all the time, so just get used to it. Be like a mouse. Scramble for the next cheese source.”

In terms of statistics, 44% of the longterm unemployed are now white-collar.

The job search now averages about six months for these folks. Unemployment numbers are not so useful because, for one thing, they don’t count those who sort of give up: who say, “Alright, I’m not looking anymore, I’m a ‘consultant.’”

And there’s no measure of the underemployed: the people who have high-tech training or some managerial skills who are now working some place like Circuit

City for $8 an hour.

RC: Tell me what happens when professionals look for work and don’t find it. Is there a fairly typical downward trajectory?

Ehrenreich: Yeah. The first thing, obviously, is cutting expenses. There are all these newspaper articles that tell you how to go about this. It may mean selling a house. For single people it often means moving back in with parents — middleage single people too — trying to hold on to whatever savings you have. An awful lot of people, even those who are middle-class, don’t have any savings. They have debt. And the new bankruptcy bill of course forecloses the option of starting fresh. You’re in debt forever.

At some point, most people say “Well, I’ve gotta go out and get a job as a wait person,” or “I’ve got to go get a job at Walmart,” or wherever. You know, take whatever. Once they get there, it’s very hard to get back out. One, because you can’t get time off for interviews or job search activity, and two, because that can’t go on your resume.

RC: Then you get the gap.

Ehrenreich: Yes. The gap. No gaps are allowed. But there are some nasty catch-22s along the way. You’re not gonna have health insurance when you lose your job, because we have this strange American system of having health insurance tied to a job. So you might have some medical bills you can’t pay on time, and your credit rating is going to take a hit.

More and more employers today want a perfect credit rating as a condition for hiring. Catch-22, again. The deeper catch22 is that the longer you’re unemployed, the less likely you are to ever get a job.

RC: In Fear of Falling you wrote about some of the common anxieties of the middle class. It seems like these anxieties are becoming more and more justified.

Ehrenreich: Yeah. Well, in Fear of Falling I was thinking more about the intergenerational anxiety: how you don’t have a lot to pass on in terms of wealth to your children, so how are you going to get them into the best college, get them the best education so they can also be professionals and managers? There’s a lot of anxiety over reproducing the class. But now, there’s anxiety right within one’s own generation: how can you hang on?

RC: I get the sense that, despite your distance from all of this as a writer and someone who is quite successful, that your ego took more of a beating here than in your last book. How was it different this time?

Ehrenreich: Well, this was harder, there’s no question. I mean, for one thing, in Nickel and Dimed I was actually work-

ing. I liked the camaraderie of the places I worked in — my fellow workers were very generous to me.

But one of the things that really struck me is that it is more straightforward in the blue-collar world.

When you’re hired to be a waitress, you get the food to the table or you don’t. In the white-collar world, there seems to be less emphasis on “What can you do?” and more on “Are you likeable?” Are you somebody other people “want on their team”? I don’t get it. Too many mind games.

RC: What did you find out new about yourself ?

Ehrenreich: I found some aspects of myself that were not too likable [laughs].

I surprised myself when I went to that public relations seminar so I could network with actually employed people, and we were given this problem to solve about a company that’s facing sexual harassment charges, and some national feminist organization has moved in on the scene.

Someone in our little group was saying that the first thing to do is buy them off. I found myself getting into kind of a mini-rage: “I am these people, they don’t take bribes!” But then, the part that was sort of sickening was that I said, “Here’s how you do it: We set up an independent investigation and put them on it….” It went on from there. And I thought, “What am I doing here? What am I saying?”

RC: Why do you think professionals working in corporations have so little bargaining power?

Ehrenreich: They have no sense of solidarity, no sense of collective action.

Some white-collar people do. Teachers are unionized, right up the college level, nurses, doctors, all sorts of people. But I would say that is one of the biggest sources of a lack of power. A lot of them, in fact, are management: they are set against the other people around them.

So what can they do?

RC: The jobs that you’re eventually offered are jobs that have no benefits.

There’s no office. In the beginning, you pay them. In many senses, they’re not really jobs at all. Are these sorts of pseudo-jobs becoming more common?

Ehrenreich: Oh yeah. Big change.

More and more, white-collar people are

in what can broadly be called contingent relationships to companies. Like being a direct sales person where you don’t have any pay, just a commission. That’s what was offered to me. You have no pay, you have no office, you have no benefits: you’re on your own. Or, some of the people I talked to when I was working on the book, said, “Oh yeah, I have a job now, but it’s a contract job.” It may be their old job, but now they’re on a contract for, say, six weeks. No benefits.

And people go from one of those to another.

Gradually, the corporation sheds its responsibilities or its connection to anybody. First the blue-collar people got tossed out in the ’80s due to outsourcing of manufacturing. And then in the ’80s and ’90s, it’s the downsizing through mergers and acquisitions and outsourcing.

RC: You talk about the need for universal health insurance and more extended unemployment benefits as some of the things that would help. What’s stopping middle-class unemployed people from doing the sort of organizing that you advocate?

Ehrenreich: I don’t know. It hasn’t been happening, but I’m going to do my best to stir it up. To help stir it up. I’m not an organizer, but I have a website — a shiny website that the publishing company set up — called BarbaraEhrenreich.com. And I will be putting out more resources on it. More ways to get involved, and especially posting people’s letters about what they’re doing, what they think.

Reprinted from Real Change News © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org

METRO AREA NEWS

Street Sense October 2005

POLICE, from p. 1 they get harassed by college and high school-age youth, they get harassed by adults,” he said.

When it comes to harassment, McCullough said that part of the problem of police harassment of Street Sense vendors was most police officers still don’t know what Street Sense is. “It’s something we need to get the word out about … all kinds of people need to know that it exists.”

A civil rights lawyer for the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty, Tulin Ozdeger, called police harassment part of the “criminal invasion of the homeless” that also includes local laws making it illegal to sleep on the sidewalk and panhandle.

The law center learned about the pervasive nature of police harassment from interaction with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. Currently, the law center is conducting more research on police harassment of the homeless by surveying the area’s

homeless population.

“Police seem to be focused on people who are homeless living in public spaces,” based on the information they have received so far, Ozdeger said.

“The hope is to document these police harassment issues a little more” so the community can step in.

The program director of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Zainabu Dance, got involved fighting police harassment by helping youth to learn creative approaches to conflict resolution.

The committee teaches young people how to document police misconduct. Participants receive small “Know Your Rights” cards that they can keep in a wallet or pocket. Being approached by a police officer is an intimidating situation and “when you’re in that situation, you forget a lot of things,” Dance said.

A group from the community started meeting at the AFSC office last month to talk about these issues, and

“Police seem to be focused on people who are homeless living in public spaces.”

Page 7

Police Harassment: What You Can Do If police are harassing you and you believe you haven’t done anything illegal, you can ask if you are being detained or are under investigation, Ozdeger said.

Even if you are under investigation, you can only be held briefly without being arrested, and you can choose not to answer questions.

If you see police harassing someone else, stay about 50 feet away, but tell the person being harassed that you see them and they don’t have to answer any questions, Dance said. Record as many details as you can, including the officer’s license plate number, badge number, height, weight, build, race, and what happened. You can file a police misconduct report at a police station and AFSC will hold onto a copy for follow-up.

Those who are interested in finding community solutions to police harassment are encouraged to attend a meeting at the AFSC office at 2211 14th Street NW on the first and third Thursday of every month, or call (202) 299-1050.

Dance described the first meeting as “very intense” because many people at the meeting wanted to share their stories of harassment. Although none of the 30 people who attended the first meeting were homeless, many came because they had witnessed police harassment first-hand.

At a second meeting, the group focused on moving from ideas to action. Some of the potential action included research “to find out where the hot spots are,” education about police harassment through theater,

petitions, and initiating a citywide investigation and community forum to “not just talk about this issue - we need change,” Dance said.

While AFSC isn’t going to drive the issue, Dance explained that the group would support the community in its search for solutions to police harassment and help facilitate training sessions and meetings. “We’re going to the streets,” she said. “We want to reach out where we’ll make an impact.”

Recent Studies Link AIDS Risks and Homelessness Up to 100,000 Homeless People Are Affected by the Disease

By Julie Buss A link between homelessness and increased risks of HIV infection has been clearly established, according to several recent studies.

Statistics published by groups from several major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, include some striking numbers. For example, homeless people were nine times more likely than the general population to test positive for HIV over a three-year period, according to an article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

According to a second study, from Boston, homeless people living with HIV or AIDS are twice as likely to be black and four times as likely to be intavenous drug users.

The Leonard David Institute for Health Economics argues, “Expanding housing opportunities for people with severe mental illness may reduce their risk for HIV infection.”

That is one of only a few suggestions in the reports on how to reduce risks associated with AIDS in the homeless community.

Also in short supply are solutions to the problems faced by homeless people already living with HIV and AIDS. Many homeless people say they are unable to obtain adequate or timely healthcare. Although a thorough study focusing on the quality of health care for HIV-positive homeless persons has not yet been published, it is widely accepted that there is a rapidly growing need for such services.

Among people in Philadelphia who were followed for five years after testing positive for HIV, 10.9% were admitted to a homeless shelter at least once, according to one of the studies. The study also said that a person diagnosed with AIDS was more vulnerable to becoming homeless, with the greatest increase coming within six months of the diagnosis.

With the number of HIV-posi-

tive U.S. citizens now reaching 900,000, perhaps as many as 100,000 homeless people could have the disease.

Did You Know?

Homeless people are nine times more likely than non-homeless people to test positive for HIV, according to one three-year study.

PLACE YOUR AD HERE

For more information, contact Street Sense at (202) 347-2006.

Page 8

METRO AREA NEWS

D.C. Needs to Plan for Affordable Housing, Task Force Recommends

By Michelle Regan Gaudet After two years of working to find affordable housing solutions in Washington, D.C., The Comprehensive Housing Strategic Taskforce recently released a series of recommendations to help the city’s thousands of low-income residents.

Through its Executive Summary this group of city officials and advocates outlined problem areas, implementation methods, proposed funding sources, and recommended the creation of 1,000 new units of public housing subsidized

by HUD and 2,000 additional affordable housing units under Mayor Anthony Williams’ Homeless No More Initiative in the next ten years.

Advocates agree that this Executive Summary is a positive shift towards the relief of the growing housing burden facing many residents of the city and the revitalization of cultural and racial integration in Washington.

The District government also supports these new recommendations. In fact, Adrian Fenty, community leader and 2006 mayoral candidate, said he stands firmly behind the recommendations and is prepared to introduce legislation to support them.

“Washington, D.C., must have a longterm housing plan and a long-term commitment to the construction of affordable housing” said Fenty.

The Taskforce is still in the process of revising the Executive Summary to incorporate community feedback. The final version should be presented for approval to the mayor and D.C. Council in November.

The Executive Summary has various implications for the D.C. homeless community, which fall under the “special needs” category in the Executive Summary. Recommendations directed towards aiding the lowest income bracket include a focus on creating permanent housing instead of temporary units, addressing balanced development throughout the city, maintaining rent subsidies as well as inclusionary zoning, and fostering mixed-income neighborhoods.

The Taskforce designated a Special Needs Committee to act on behalf of the homeless and disabled community.

Co-chair of the committee, Nan Roman, said that the committee approached its mission emphasizing permanent housing and choice for the “special needs” community. She underscored the importance of their right to live in neighborhoods they choose, and not be forced into less desirable areas of the city. She also mentioned the importance of maintaining existing affordable housing.

Advocacy groups were overwhelmingly supportive of these new recommendations.

“I thought the report was great and that there wasn’t anything big missing. Anything lacking was in the details” said Rob Richardson, a member of the Coalition and Assistant Vice President of Multifamily Housing. “The thrust of it was right on.”

According to Richardson, the coalition has made a concerted effort to preserve Section 8 housing, a program aimed at aiding those citizens in the District earning the least. Under Section 8, the renter pays 30% of the rent and the remaining 70% is subsidized by the government.

Further, Richardson noted the emphasis that the Executive Summary places on fostering mixed-income neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. and said that the emphasis was essential for affordable housing development.

“The city has concentrated ghettos but is now experiencing a housing boom,” he said. “Now we have such a demand for housing that people with high and medium income levels want to live in all neighborhoods. It creates the opportunity for mixedincome housing which creates vibrant neighborhoods” he said.

Janet Brown from the Affordable Housing Alliance calls the Executive Summary a “far reaching document,” but would like the Taskforce to include some additional recommendations. Specifically she said that rent control needs to be recognized as an appropriate way of maintaining affordable housing.

She added that the many of the existing recommendations need more detail. “We wanted some things spelled out more carefully in the Special Needs sections. A general recommendation in favor of putting the mayor’s program to end homelessness into action needs some hard detail. The end goal was there, and it’s a hard goal to meet [ending homelessness.] We’d like to see some timetable for doing that. We’d like to see some calculation of the cost. We’d like to see them identify the source of the funding.”

Brown said she believes that the Taskforce was receptive to input from the advocacy community and expects to see several changes in the final draft of the Executive Summary.

The Taskforce was created in November of 2003 and consists of twenty-eight community members including government officials, housing policy makers, affordable housing advocates, developers (both private and public), and ordinary citizens. These members were called on to create a longterm plan and set of recommendations to meet the growing need for affordable housing in the District over the next ten years.

While advocates are encouraged by the Executive Summary, many believe that

Street Sense October 2005

Around the District...

(Above) A man tries to get some sleep under a bus shelter on U Street. (Below) A man makes himself at home on the grass in front of the Dupont Circle fountain. (Photos by Linda Wang)

implementation may create a challenge.

It will involve passing aggressive legislation and funding from various sources, both federal and local. Implementation will also include new taxes for D.C. residents and developers.

“In order to be effective this [plan] will have to feed up into a comprehensive plan for the city,” Richardson said.

Brown believes it is partly the responsibility of the citizen sector to ensure proper execution of the Executive Summary. “We want every sector in the community to contribute [to the housing cri-

sis solution] because this problem is everybody in the community’s problem.”

She is optimistic about the plan’s implementation and prospective success.

“I think it’s possible. I think it’s a matter of political will. I think we’ve got a majority on the council who recognizes the seriousness of the problem and knows that it must be tackled. It’s an election year so it’s a good time to be talking about the future of the city and what that vision is—how we’re going to get there and what the candidates have to say about what their commitments are.”

AUGUST MALLORY PRESIDENT/CEO

DIVISION ONE INTERNATIONAL SPECIALTY WHOLESALERS (410) 659-4021

101 W 23RD STREET, 2ND FLOOR BALTIMORE, MD 21218

WORLD/NATIONAL NEWS

Street Sense October 2005

Page 9

SOUTH AFRICA

Still No Arrests in Cape Town’s Homeless Murders

By Glenda Nevill The homeless community in Cape Town has been rocked by a series of attacks on homeless people sleeping rough. Two men have died and others injured as a result of the attacks.

Stanley Rooi, a homeless man originally from Delft, was beaten to death with a large hammer and crowbar, while the body of an unidentified homeless man was found the following day.

Like Rooi, the man found in District Six had been bludgeoned over the head with a blunt object. The man, in his mid40s, was found by passersby next to the public toilets in Keizergracht Street.

Richard Ishmail, managing director of The Big Issue South Africa, said: “The Big Issue South Africa is outraged by the brutal attacks on and murder of homeless people that took place in Green Point and District Six.

“We call upon the authorities to do their utmost to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Furthermore, we call upon the South African public to be vigilant against the perpetrators of hate crimes against socially marginalized people.

They all have a right to life.”

Following brutal attacks with hammers and crowbars on people sleeping under blankets in the open in recent weeks, street people have complained to police of two vigilantes in a red VW Citi Golf they say are responsible for the atrocities, according to the Cape Times.

Rooi died a few hours after being severely beaten with hammer and crowbar on Green Point Common. His partner, Lydia Pieterse, was severely beaten. They were attacked as they lay sleeping. Witnesses said the attackers were two men who arrived and drove away in a red CitiGolf. The two men are also said to be suspects in two other attacks on the com-

mon last month.

A seventh survived an attack but was Billy Jones, a police spokesperson, says too badly hurt to identify his assailant. two men in a red car pulled over to where All the victims were shot with a .22-calia homeless couple was sleeping under a bre pistol within a 100m radius of tree in Green Point. They then allegedly Caledon Square police station in beat the couple with a crowbar and ham- Buitenkant Street. No one was ever mer. caught.

The police have opened a murder docket but as yet, no arrests have been © Street News Service: www.streetnewsservice. made.

In response to speculation that police were not investigating the matter Street Sense is a proud member with great urgency because it involved of the North American Street homeless people, spokesperson Billy Newspaper Association.

Jones said this was by no means the case.

“The cases are being investigated and have been assigned to competent officials with support from other colleagues,” he said.

In the 1980s a serial killer preyed on vagrants sleeping on the streets in the city centre, murdering six people.

National Panel Gathers Testimony on Health Care

By Joanne Zuhl PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal, state and academic luminaries recently filled Portland’s City Hall to give their diagnosis on the nation’s health care system.

The occasion was the Citizen’s Health Care Working Group, a federal panel created by a bill co-authored by senators Ron Wyden and Orrin Hatch to determine where the nation’s $1.7 trillion in annual health care costs actually goes.

Speakers included Wyden and former governor Oregon John Kitzhaber, who gave a rousing speech about the trials and tribulations of the Oregon Health Plan, the state health care system for lowincome residents.

But perhaps the person whose name resonated loudest in City Hall was Douglas Schmidt. Schmidt, at age 37, became a poster child for misguided health care financing when he died in 2003 after suffering a massive, debilitating seizure.

His seizure, hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and subsequent death, came after the state stopped paying for the anti-seizure medicine for his epilepsy – medicine that cost $13 a day.

He died, it was said, of fiscal expediency.

How money flows in and out of the public health care system, and through the lives of people like Douglas Schmidt, is what the working group hopes to answer.

“There’s nobody else in the world that’s spending as much as we do in health care,” said Sen. Wyden in his testimony before the panel. “How can it be that

with all these wonderful doctors our nation ranks 29th in the world in terms of health expentancy, in terms of quality of life? … We don’t have health care, what we have is sick care.”

This working group’s hearing Sept. 23 was one of many the group has conducted across the nation. The group is seeking the answers to several questions: What health care benefits and services should be provided? How does the American public want health care delivered?

How should health care coverage be financed? What trade-offs are the American public willing to make in either benefits or financing to ensure access to affordable, high-quality health care coverage and services?

The testimony the group receives will be compiled in a public report and will be the impetus behind community meetings throughout the country. The final recommendations will be presented to the president and Congress. And while most reports would end there, the statute creating this group requires congressional action through hearings before no less than five congressional committees, including the House Ways and Means Committee.

“We can’t hold a gun to their heads, but we can put the fire to their feet,” said Working Group member Frank Baumeister, Jr. Baumeister is a private physician in Portland and a clinical professor at Oregon Health & Sciences University.

This was the latest in a series of meetings by the Working Group that included events in Boston, Mass., Houston, Texas, Jackson, Miss., and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Working Group Vice Chair Catherine McLaughlin, a health economist and professor at the University of Michigan, said Oregon was the ideal place to learn about public health care. She cited the creation of the Oregon Health Plan Standard program more than 10 years ago as a innovative structure for making health care more accessible to a wider range of lowincome people. The plan eventually split into two groups, OHP Plus with traditional Medicaid eligibility, and OHP Standard for people experiencing extreme poverty with no insurance. OHP Standard was virtually dismantled in 2004, dropping approximately 60,000 low-income people from its rolls.

Kitzhaber, who was among the political leaders who helped create the OHP, talked about its rise and fall, and the looming health care crisis across the nation. “At a time when Washington D.C. is obsessed with Social Security, the real problem is with Medicare and Medicaid,” he said.

Where Social Security faces a $5 trillion deficit, Kitzhaber said, Medicaid is looking at $60 trillion in unfunded liability in the coming years.

In his testimony before the panel, Kitzhaber spoke emphatically about his time in the state legislature, during which the state tried to ration costs by categorically removing thousands of people from public health care access, and then arbitrarily parceling out funding to limited numbers of people. Those types of cuts resulted in the state of Oregon, in an effort to save $13 a day on Douglas Schmidt, paying more than $7,000 a day for Schmidt’s hospital bills as a result of

the original cutback. This is the single major structural flaw in the nation’s health care system, according to Kitzhaber, the fact that it is built around categorical eligibility rather than universal coverage.

An aggravating factor to all this is that poverty often causes poor health, from exposure to poor quality housing and diets, and from the accumulated stress and pressure of simply surviving day to day.

“It’s insidious, and creates a cycle,” said Kitzhaber, who told a personal and troubling story of watching a baby die for lack of prenatal care. Higher costs in health care force public providers to cut people from access, creating more and more people in the gaps between eligibility. “Is what we’re rationing compassionate and healthy? No.” The nation’s health care system also faces obstacles ahead that are unprecedented in the country’s history. Technology has enabled people to live longer, the cost of health care is skyrocketing, and by 2007, 50 million baby boomers will have retired, flooding the public health care system, Sen. Wyden said.

“All these forces are different than what we saw in the past 60 years,” he added.

Wyden suggested the panel look at ways that states could take more control over their health care funding systems if the federal government was incapable of providing adequate ser vice.

Reprinted from Street Roots. © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org

POETRY

Page 10

Here We Are… Memorial Day 2004 Here we are…

The nation’s capitol Here we are…

A battle to fight Here we are…

Pleading for help…

Here we are…

Ignored and forgotten Here we are…

Wounded and weary Here we are…

Before Katrina and Rita Here we are…

Down but not defeated Here we are…

Holding fast to faith Here we are…

Knowing God is good Here we are…

Expecting the best Here we are…

Please remember Here we are…

— Michelle McCullough

Street Sense October 2005

Foresight Let’s stop all the fussing, finger-pointing and cussing We can’t turn back the hands of time.

The loss of life and limb when Katrina came along Will always be in the forefront of our mind.

Now the hurricane was strong, devastating and long And the sound of wind was very loud.

FEMA was stalling, the mayor was calling For some answers for the New Orleans crowd.

Katrina was blameless. The damage was nameless.

Homelessness was on an infinite rise.

People watched with disbelief – no signs of real relief Just false promises and political lies.

New Orleans was bleeding, the residents was pleading For some help from the National Guard.

People were dying – little kids crying As they wait for two-thousand dollar cards.

After days of mental anguish, people dropped to their knees.

They prayed to God Almighty with their last-minute pleas.

What happened in New Orleans could happen here one day.

Some folks will leave and others will stay.

If you became homeless what would you do?

The moral of this poem is… It could happen to YOU.

Changes I placed myself in this position, Why simply I refused Refused to make changes Now it seems as though I’m forced, Forced to now accept Changes I didn’t choose Nothing is the way I knew, Everything seems so different It is only my perception I never had to look before, Now I must For they are my peers Can I turn it around, No longer a question It is my goal I started trying to live, Now I am surviving Hoping to live again Things never stay the same, The wind doesn’t blow twice So change is inevitable For the sake of future, I can’t stop to talk I must change the walk — Russton Anderson

— Alvin Dixon El alvindixonel@yahoo.com

POETRY

Street Sense October 2005

Page 11

A Rose Named Dewayne

The Face of God

Another rose dat grew from concrete Raised in a crisis rich society, haunted by Catastrophic events, product of a drama Plagued environment.

Looking for the face of God, I turn on my television; its blue light reveals a mask of alabaster skin, features carved from Carerra marble, hair like a golden helmet.

God’s deadpan voice speaks to me of chaos and carnage; His sermon gives way to bright brassy voices telling me to buy Chevy trucks and Budweiser.

Seems I’ve been wired wrong from the Factory - ex-thug, drug free - yet high off the fruits of reality.

I don’t see no moonlight but there’s a Match lit at the tunnel’s end – life has been A mini Tsunami then there’s no friends in sight Homeless, though blessed, for the strength To survive at times I feel like a death row Inmate whose fate is precarious Grateful to be alive even thankful to breathe Polluted air, drink not so pure water, eat chemical Pharmaceutical foods etcetera…..

Amidst adversity I’m a rose dat grows in Spite of contaminated soil with pain and struggle As a fertilizer – my name is Dewayne Falling galactically short of a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee probably won’t come in first, second, third or Fourth place in the race for citizen of the year In fact, I hear through the grapefruit Vine that the world is near extinction, this is Truth perhaps, I suppose I’m still a rose with God’s approval enclosed Meanwhile, chosen from the furnace of Affliction I don’t see no sunlight but there’s A match lit at the tunnel’s end Many roses grew from cement and plenty Grow from who knows what main street or Chain gang whatever the source from which they Came I doubt if there’s another rose named Dewayne.

— Dewayne Harrison

I switch the channel and become a child trapped in the dark cloisters of sunday school, holding a picture book which never shows His face.

The lessons I hear stir visions of an invisible man in the sky riding a throne of chiseled stone.

His face is red with rage as He cracks whips of lightning at us sinners.

I take my curious eyes to the street, and land face to face with a wild-eyed crone speaking in a wordless tongue between puffs of a hand-rolled cigarette.

She grins through gaps between yellow fence-post teeth— hope wings through my heart because the face of God is smiling.

Between her muddy boots stands a lonely flower, improbably brilliant blue against the sidewalk’s gray.

I lean closer, stare into its sapphire eye and realize I’ve found the face of God. — David Harris

The Passenger Oh, the miles he’s traveled in this old jalopy.

The seats have long been stained and the carpeted floor is worn and sloppy.

From Elm Street to Main Street and the boulevard of broken dreams, traveling it seems like light years to reach an unsure destination.

No worry of rising gas prices because he’s immune to inflation.

You can almost hear the laughter of the children that played in this back seat.

As he awakes he clears the frost from the windows and exits in the street.

But we know that he won’t be going too far because tonight he’ll return to sleep in this old abandoned car.

— James Davis

Page 12

FEATURES

Street Sense October 2005

Book Review

Ending Global Poverty In Our Time

Stephen C. Smith, a George Washington University professor of economics, puts an optimistic pen to paper and confidently predicts that it’s possible to put an end to world poverty in our lifetime.

But Smith doesn’t just write with a broad quill, issuing the usual bromides of “self-interest,” “the right thing” and “political will.” He says that based on battles anti-poverty fighters have already won, “we do know enough to be sure that we can end global poverty in our time.”

In Ending Global Poverty: A Guide to What Works (Palgrave Macmillan 2005), Smith lays down a detailed — and convincing — blueprint for development, stressing action from the ground up and not from the ivory towers of international lending on down.

Smith seems to take the position that less is more, that local and small is better than international and grandiose, and backs up his argument with examples.

What Smith does best is putting down a guide to what works and what doesn’t.

And he speaks from experience. No academic only, Smith has done on-site development work on four continents, including projects in India, Uganda, Ecuador and the former Yugoslavia.

He cites vital steps to escape poverty that include: - The health of parents. This is needed so adults can work and their children can be spared work to attend school and grow to their potential.

- Literacy. In West Africa, when someone says he is blind, he means he is illiterate, and now, almost anything one might to do improve life is blocked if he is illiterate.

- Credit and insurance. Credit is vital so a small business can borrow to achieve economy of scale and insurance is vital to shield farmers against the vagaries of price and weather.

- Wider property rights. It is estimated that a half billion people work land they do not securely own; secure ownership helps to end poverty. The saying comes to mind, who ever heard of anyone washing a rental car?

But small and creative steps, Smith says, can produce results. He cites a merry-goround built over a well, so when children played, they drew water, replacing the hours typically women-power used meet family or village water needs. More than 500 of these “Playpumps” are being used in South Africa, benefiting more than 200,000 people.

Among other examples, he cites a community bank in Bangladesh that has 2,000 branches helping more than two million poor Bangladeshis to start or expand their small businesses; villagers making clothing, footwear, jewelry for sale at fair trade prices in a chain of shops worldwide; a de-worming program in Kenya shown to be one of the most high-impact and cost-effective strategies for keeping children in school while improving their health.

Other examples abound, showing that small steps taken on a wide scale can produce big results.

If there is a fault in “Ending Global Poverty,” it is Smith’s lack of emphasis on the need for political reform in developing nations. For too long, he says, corrupt leaders have worked against their own people, taking development money and building selfaggrandizing edifices or securing it in bank accounts in Zurich. But he fails to stress that political reform is vital not only to assure that donor money is spent wisely, but just as important, that its misuse does not prompt donor countries to shut down aid.

In his call for World Bank reform, Smith wants a major internal shift of power to give poor nations more authority in the bank’s decision-making process. Now, the bank operates on a one-dollar-one-vote basis, with the clout going to the rich, with the poor on the sidelines to watch.

Smith urges the formation of an advisory council comprised largely of people from developing countries that have track records of successful development. The council would gradually control a larger share of the bank’s development budget.

Cook’s Corner Lemon Salmon with Onion, Mushroom, and Red Pepper Sauce Onion, Mushroom, and Red Pepper Sauce 1 cup minced garlic 1 cup chopped onions 2 whole mushrooms 1 cup chopped red peppers 1 oz heavy cream ½ cup melted butter Mix ingredients in pot and let simmer for five (5) minutes

Lemon Salmon Salmon should be thawed.

Season with lemon pepper or lemon juice Cook salmon in oven at 350 degrees for fifteen (15) fifteen minutes Pour sauce over salmon and serve This recipe was created and prepared by Antonio Wallace.

Antonio is a student at Third and Eats Restaurant and the nonprofit Community Family Life Services. Many low-income and homeless men and women who receive training through the Third and Eats culinary arts program work for New Course Catering. New Course caters all kinds of events, from corporate dinners to weddings to 500-person galas. For more information, visit www.newcoursecatering.com or call (202) 347-7035.

Smith says that every era has its compelling moral issues. In the past it has been slavery and more recently, civil rights in the United States and worldwide and the Cold War. These had enough force to warrant people to step out and to declare themselves.

He cites Ralph Waldo Emerson as preferring to discuss philosophy, “but in the end Emerson felt he had to risk everything to take a very public stand against slavery at a time when it was perceived as an extreme and inflammatory position. Today’s compelling issue is poverty.”

— Robert Trautman

FEATURES

Street Sense October 2005

OCTOBER CROSSWORD

54 56 57 59 63 64 65 66 67 68

George Bernard __ Pro Double-reed instrument Nigh (2 wds.)

Usage Plant life Rib joiners Lysergic acid diethylamide Wilma Flintstones’ husband Asian nation

Down

Across 1 6 10 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 26 28 29

Tinge Byzant Inquire Takes a vow Ranch guy Central Intelligence Agency Gun __ Brood Rooster’s meat Pulpit ED of CCNV Ehrenreich “____ and switch” Post Hammerman’s assistant Plunge into water

30 31 32 33 34 35 37 41 42 43 44 47 48 49 50 51 52

Dictation (abbr.)

Musical instrument Unidentified flying object Karma Admiral (abbr.)

Grapes ___ (2 wds.)

Stowed (2 wds.)

Roberto’s yes Poles Expression of surprise Molten rock Loch __ monster Journey Ca. University Trot for Hunger sponsor Idyll Pontiac car type (2 wds.)

1 Cooking measurement 2 The other half of Jima 3 Not old 4 Golf assistant 5 Foot the bill 6 Disks 7 Outsmart 8 Perfect 9 Salamander 10 Sore 11 “Raw” color 12 Midwestern state dweller 14 __ Lanka 21 “Ending Global Poverty” Author 23 Destiny 24 Punch 25 Affirm 27 For-profit day labor co mpany 29 Dynamic __ 30 Day of year 31 Chances of winning 33 Syllables used in songs (2 wds.)

34 Disease where 1 in 9 are homeless 36 Housing task force member

Page13

37 38 39 40 42 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 53 55 58 60 61 62

Lawn waterers Item for sale Excuse me!

Chatter Radioactivity unit Cupful Not down Stared at Mayor’s homeless __ ___ initiative Common finch Cavalry sword Vendor who likes shrimp Take off your hat In possession of Goal Build up Compass point Newsman Rather

SOLUTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER

Marvin Hammerman Season II, Part X A Novel In Parts by Street Sense Vendor August Mallory It is now late evening at the Grace and Hope mission in downtown Baltimore. As homeless men enter the mission, one man notices Louis Henley’s wanted poster on the wall. Milton Garrett, the man who most recently talked to Henley about the altercation Henley had with Walter Lacey, is now wondering if he should go to the police with his story. He knows if he does go forward he might be charged with withholding information, or even harboring a fugitive, and he doesn’t even know where Henley is.

After walking most of the night, Louis Henley is in the arbutus area now.

Henley spots a 7-Eleven store on Patapsco Avenue and walks in and walks around the store pretending to buy something. The store clerk waits for Henley as Henley pretends to approach the counter. But Henley immediately dashes out the door with food in his hand. The store clerk notifies the police right away and security cameras

have an accurate description of Henley.

Meanwhile, back at the Baltimore Rescue Mission, the executive director has contacted his friend with the Baltimore police department. Detective Sgt. Michael Hoffman, Robbery Division.

“Mike, thanks for coming.”

“Not a problem. What seems to be the problem?”

“Mike, this is District Attorney Marvin Hammerman and his assistant, Anna Jackson. They are here on a special assignment from St. Paul Minnesota. This gentleman is Odell Lacey, he is the reason why we are all gathered here. Mr. Lacey’s son was a client at the mission here for awhile, and several weeks ago Mr. Lacey’s son was Involved in an altercation with another client.

That client’s name is Louis Henley — we have him on record. Mr. Lacey’s son is now in Mercy Hospital suffering from a loss of memory, inflicted upon him

by Louis Henley. Mike I would like you to see what you can dig up on this guy.

Mr. Hammerman, Miss Jackson?

Could I ask the two of you to work with Detective Hoffman on this case?”

“It would be our pleasure.”

As Hammerman, Anna Jackson, and Detective Hoffman arrive at police headquarters, Hoffman issues both of them visitors’ passes and escorts them to his office. As the work begins to locate Henley, Hoffman discovers Henley is wanted for questioning in New York City and that he is now in Baltimore and is wanted by the Baltimore police for the breaking and entering of a local liquor store as well as stealing a customer’s food at a local corner market and, most recently, the theft of food at a local 7-Eleven store.

Henley is desperately on the run. He knows he is now a wanted man. He walks all night to find himself a hiding place. He fights sleep and is watchful for police patrol units as they search various areas of the city.

Detective Hoffman is summoned to

the 7-Eleven on West Patapsco Avenue and is shown the video tape of Henley making off with a large amount of food worth at least $50.

As Henley munches on the food that he has just stolen, he knows that he must keep moving on. But he also knows that he may be stopped by the police at any given moment. Henley grows very tired and his feet feel so heavy that they are literally dragging.

He suddenly slips and falls and stays put for awhile. But hesoon picks himself up and drags onward.

Henley now knows his luck is running out, and it won’t be long before he is caught.

Next issue: part 11. Walter Lacey still remains at Mercy Hospital, but still no progress in gaining his memory. Detective Hoffman, Hammerman and Anna Jackson now have all they need to capture Henley.

EDITORIAL

Page 14

Through a Vendor’s Eyes:

The Disaster at Home

By Donald Brooks In the weeks that have passed since Katrina, and now Rita, I would like to offer my opinion about the present situation and what happened.

First I want to tell you who I think is at fault. I feel that President George W. Bush is completely at fault for his failure to place someone in charge of FEMA who was more knowledgeable about how to deal with and manage emergencies. I will also lay blame on the senators and governor of Louisiana and the mayor New Orleans for not having sufficient evacuation plans for the city, knowing that they live in a place that was known to flood.

I blame the churches and the civic and community organizations that failed to recognize the many poor and needy people in their areas that were not getting the assistance they needed prior to the hurricane. I blame the media for putting a negative spin on certain aspects of the hurricane such as calling the evacuees “refugees” and depicting scenes unfairly. In one instance, two different groups were both taking food. The white couple was described as finding food and black individuals were described as looting supplies.

But the media should be commended for their arrival on the scene before governmental assistance arrived. I want to also thank the media for the constant focus they have put on the president and his advisors for the delay of services and the responsibility taken and not taken.

The one story that finally got out due to the hurricane is the problem of homelessness, which has always been here, even in Washington, D.C., where there are thousands of homeless people. Every day homeless residents are ignored and denied services they need.

The many who are homeless due to the hurricane have helped place this issue on the front page of many print media outlets. Why was this problem previously ignored? One reason, I believe, is that people thought it could not happen to them. They believed that it was the homeless person’s fault or worse yet, a choice and that homeless people wanted to be homeless.

President Bush’s slow response in assisting hurricane victims was said to be because of racial prejudices, which may or may not be true. But he and most Americans ignored the homeless situation until it had affected them personally or someone they know.

I am especially disturbed by the fact that since the recent disasters, services for the homeless that were said to be unavailable have come out of the woodwork. But not for the residents of D.C. who have been homeless; they are again being ignored or denied.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel very strongly that we should support and help the evacuees.

But I know people who deserve and should get some of services who live right here in D.C. and have been waiting for a long time. They are now being pushed further down the wait list for services that were unavailable before and now that they are available, the homeless of D.C. will not be able to receive them. With our own city providing the evacuees with healthcare, affordable housing, jobs, mental health and substance abuse assistance, our residents have to watch idly while others get these services..

I feel Mayor Williams and the city council should be able to devise a fair system of dividing the services between their own citizens and the evacuees, especially since an election will be coming soon. Even though some of the citizens of D.C. are homeless, they still can vote.

I find it hard to explain to a parent with children, a senior citizen or disabled individual who has waited no less than five to seven years for housing that an individual can arrive here and get affordable housing immediately. I know, I know of the hardship of the disaster and the publicity the city is getting for providing these services, but let’s get real: Charity starts at home!

We have a disaster right here in D.C. It’s a disaster of lack of affordable housing, a decent living wage, jobs, mental and physical health care – which all lead to homelessness.

We have an economic disaster.

Mayor Williams, please save us! We are drowning! Send in the services we need. Call in the Feds, FEMA, the Red Cross, the National Guard, and the media.

Somebody help us!

Street Sense October 2005

What Our Reader’s Are Saying...

Dear Street Sense, I love your magazine and I thank you for keeping the public aware of issues concerning those in need. I also like the fact that you allow homeless persons to sell the newspaper while trying to get on their feet providing hope and light. This act is a blessing.

Keep doing all that you do and may god bless you always.

Take care, Malik F. Johnson Dear August, I read your article, “Street Sense and the Baltimore Streets”, and your poem, “I See You Giving, But Not to Me””. The story about the unconscious man lying on the street neglected is horrifying but I can believe it— like all the people who pass you by. Society’s indifference was all too apparent in the New Orleans disaster.

Love, C.C. Dear Mr. Mallory: I have been buying Street Sense from you at Farragut North metro corner for some time now. I was pleased to find out about Fresh Start Catering from reading the paper and they catered a fabulous wedding dinner for us. Now from your handing me the Xerox of the Baltimore Sun article, I have learned a lot more about you, too.

Keep on with your writing. I particularly enjoy your Baltimore column.

All the best, Jeanine Dear Donald, I particularly appreciated your comments about the recent pandamonium, though he is a cutie. It’s true we spend too much time on things like that when there are crises going on. Maybe things like the panda and other lightweight notions, like the party animal sculptures around town, etc. get so much attention because they are stress relieving things to focus on, after too much bad news about Iraq, taxes, hurricanes and gang warfare.

That isn’t helpful to the cause, but it may explain why people are so willing to go crazy over a panda.

Anyway, my own consciousness has been raised from the zero point where it lay for years. I’m not a big activist, but I am more open to noticing what happens to the people around me than I used to be, and the paper has helped that along.

Keep writing and good luck in all your endeavors.

Harise Poland Brooks, You are a man of many talents; and I’m glad to see that writing is one of them.

I applaud you for being able to express your feelings and opinions in written form. The article was thoughtful and well written and expressed something that I think needs to be said and thought about.

Respectfully yours, Dennis Hammock

We appreciate your feedback! Please send any comments to 1317 G St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, e-mail to info_ss@streetsense.org, or call (202) 347-2006.

EDITORIAL

Street Sense October 2005

Maurice Speaks

The New Face of Homelessness

By Maurice King

One of the most back-handed compliments I receive from time to time is when I am stopped on the street by a panhandler asking for change, to whom I respond, “I’m homeless myself.” Almost always the response is, “You look pretty good to be homeless.” Admittedly, I work hard at keeping up appearances so that I don’t look run down and dirty, but I am hardly alone. At my shelter, many residents are well-dressed, carry briefcases and cell phones, and look anything but the picture of homeless grunge. It would seem that homelessness has many faces and is not just the stereotypical face of the poor panhandler on the street.

When I worked in downtown Washington, D.C., many people warned me not to walk down E Street NW in the direction of Union Station, because there stood one of the best-known shelters for the homeless in both the city and the nation. Always, they spoke of the shelter as “that place,” and I was told, “You don’t want to deal with those people.” If someone had told me then that I would later be one of “those people,” I might have gone inside to look the place over to see just what the future held for me. That question still remains a major one for the homeless: What future is there for them?

It is difficult to identify the most frightening aspect about being homeless because far too many frightening aspects exist.

Perhaps the most intimidating fact is that most people, including those persons whose job it is to help the homeless rebuild their lives, seem to have little or no idea what the life of a homeless person is like. From one homeless person to the next, the difference can be startling. Some find sanctuary in a residential shelter, as I did. Some come and go from shelters that put them out with all their belongings every day. Others sleep wherever they can find a spot that they feel is safe enough.

None of these options are solutions; they are just stepping-stones on a long, arduous journey into a world where hope is very scarce.

Trying to keep a normal appearance is a major challenge, but it can make the

difference between being chronically homeless and finding a way back to a normal life. As I was to learn, appearances are not merely physical today. I found I had to keep up appearances over the phone, by email, even by the postal service. I made the error of giving a prospective employer the telephone number of the shelter once and suddenly ceased to be a candidate. As absurd as it sounded, I had to buy a cell phone if I ever hoped to find work again.

Even failing to respond to an email in a timely fashion would yield the same result. The same was true about putting a mailing address on a résumé because giving the address of a shelter was unthinkable - even giving a post office box would arouse suspicion. I found that saying I was unemployed would not torpedo my chances of being hired, but saying that I was homeless would.

Some people associate the image of homelessness with having a racial, ethnic, or socio-economic connotation.

When I entered the shelter, I could tell from the looks on the faces of the other residents that they were sure my travel agent had booked me into the wrong hotel. As I later heard from one of the staff members, the last thing anyone there would expect would be to find an educated, highly articulate, and well-kept person coming to live in a homeless shelter.

As time passed, I met many persons counted among the homeless population with qualifications that would seem to indicate that being unemployed or homeless would never be a problem for them.

Clearly, the face of homelessness has changed and the claim that it could happen to anyone is now an irrefutable fact.

No matter what face homelessness may have, ignoring homelessness will not make it go away - that is already evident because the problem is still with us. The real question is if anyone really cares enough to do anything to solve the problem once and for all. At some point, the problem must be solved. The question was, is, and always will be, when.

I found that saying I was unemployed would not torpedo my chances of being hired, but saying that I was homeless would.

Page 15

Focus On Baltimore

By August Mallory On a bright and sunny morning in West Baltimore, the weather was very warm and somewhat humid and as I made my way to the Lafayette Square Village Center in the community of Harlem Park, where the many row houses range in price from $50,000 to $100,000. To many, it is a rather classy neighborhood. But what many people don’t talk about are the many homeless men and women roaming through Harlem Park. They would rather the homeless stay in the downtown area, out of sight and out of mind.

As I made my way to the shopping mall I was approached by a homeless man. Unlike many of the homeless in Baltimore, who are aggressive, rude, and obnoxiously arrogant, this person was very polite and asked me if I knew of a local shelter. He said he was just arriving in town, was not familiar with the city, and had spent pretty much all he had to get to Baltimore. I was pretty sure he was telling me the truth, because his clothes were still fresh, and he didn’t look like he had endured the rigorous experience of homelessness yet. But I could tell he was just about to enter the world of homelessness, and I gave him a couple dollars.

I made a list of shelters and soup kitchens for him to check out and directed him to a bus that would take him downtown. I also gave him the names of a few temp agencies in town.

He said he had come to Baltimore from Chicago and had been staying with some people he knew until they forced him from their home for drug dealing. As a result, for the last few days he had been sleeping on the streets.

He was very happy that I came along. In a way, I am, too. I can’t help but think of just how many more

people are out there like this person. I told him about Street Sense, gave him a Street Sense card, and asked him to contact me sometime.

I like the city of Baltimore, but the city needs to learn compassion. I am still angry about the incident I saw downtown last month, when all the people just walked past the man who was passed out, as though he wasn’t there. I’m also angry about the lack of response that I got from some sorry people that I approached about the matter. I sent an e-mail to Mayor Martin O’Malley about that incident.

I want to ask the American public, if you see a person passed out on the street, what is the first thing that you would do? What if that person was your son or father, or any relative of yours? What if that person had a heart attack or stroke and passed out on the street? I think you would be pretty upset if there were hundreds of people around and not one individual would help him.

F o r t u n a t e l y, someone did call 911 for the person. Whoever you are, I thank you for getting help for him.

Many of you who read my column tell me you are very struck by what I write about life in Baltimore, known as Charm City. I write each story as I see it—Charm City without the charm.

This is my focus on Baltimore—from Mondawmin to Harlem Park to White Marsh, and to all of Baltimore County and beyond.

I want to ask the American public, if you see a person passed out on the street, what is the first thing that you would do?

For questions and comments on this story and past stories please contact August Mallory at 202-347-2006 or e-mail him at carriergroup2009@yahoo.com. Most important, please tune into “The More Better Man Show” on WOL-AM 1450, now heard on the second Friday of each month.

EDITORIAL

Page 16

Street Sense October 2005

Homelessness: Human Right or Human Plight?

By Leo Gnawa Is homelessness a human rights violation?

The answer is yes, according to some housing advocates.

However, my response to that isambivalent and, maybe, negative.

Although I can understand the need to persuade decision makers at all levels of the power structure, either local or federal, to solve the problem of homelessness in America, I am a bit resistant to the idea of using the idea of human rights as a means with which to bring more attention to homelessness. Actually, I doubt that such an approach could be effective, because it is unrealistic in the actual context of American social, economic and political culture.

Furthermore, such an approach could have counterproductive consequences on the homeless population.

When it comes to human rights, we cannot ignore the influence of the ideology that frames American political, social and cultural fabric. In America, culture is based on capitalism and on the individualistic pursuit of happiness and liberty. Therefore, the emphasis on human rights is more about facilitating a democracy that includes the right of the individual to free speech, the right to vote, the right to move freely, the right to ownership and the right to free enterprise. In contrast, in nations around the globe that have embraced socialism or some form of it, the human rights focus is more on social justice, including the rights of all to such basic needs as food, clothing and shelter but, more important, to equal access to health care, education and housing.

Although most, if not all, of the capi-

talist nations of Europe have been able to address these human needs by resorting to universal health care coverage and free access to education for all, in America there still exists a strong opposition to anything that has the appearance of socialism. I believe that is because socialism is somehow equated with communism, which is inimical to the American perception of democracy.

I am not saying that the social justice emphasis on human rights has no chance of succeeding in America. The right to housing is a legitimate right that I am sure the most hardcore rightwing conservative will acknowledge.

The problem comes in when the responsibility to provide housing to everyone becomes the duty of the government in a society that believes that there should be less government interference in people’s private life and more private control of the economy. Hence, there has been a tendency, mostly from the conservative segment of the American society, to oppose such governmentfunded programs to breach the gap between those at the bottom and those at the top.

But my real contention is that making

homelessness a human rights issue takes compassion out of the solution and substitutes it with coercion. If homelessness is a violation of human rights, then those whose rights are violated can hold the government responsible for such a violation. The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in its preamble that “Whereas it is essential … human rights should be protected by the rule of law.”

In the case of America, that would mean that the law, which would mean the Constitution of the United States, must be amended to guarantee the right of housing and therefore protect anyone against homelessness in America. To claim a right that is not guaranteed in the constitution is just like claiming something that does not exist.

If any homeless person can claim that his or her constitutional rights are violated by the simple fact that he or she has no housing, then he or she would be able to sue the government. If the government is under the threat of lawsuits by millions of homeless people because their rights have been violated, I am afraid that the government may resort to the criminalization of homelessness

“...making homelessness a human rights issue takes compassion out of the solution and substitutes it with coercion.”

as a means of eradicating it.

Then one day, the government, to avoid being sued for homelessness, could simply declare homelessness illegal and incarcerate everyone who lives on the streets. That way, no one will ever go to court and accuse the government of homelessness, because all homeless people would be forcefully removed from the streets and housed in the jails until they could find a place to live.

What I say may sound idiotic, but the criminalization of homelessness is not farfetched. Many communities, towns, cities and organizations have taken some type of measure or action to prevent homeless people from dwelling in their communities. In D.C., for example, many park benches have been sectioned, and metal pieces have been added in the middle of some that are long enough to accommodate a homeless man or woman thinking of sleeping on public benches.

Instead of the human rights approach, I favor an approach that will present homelessness as a human plight — a human disaster — to be more precise.

The human disaster approach will appeal to the spirit of compassion in any problem-solving approach to homelessness.

The government should approach the problem of homelessness as it would a natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane or tsunami. I think that there should be a federal relief agency that specializes in homelessness. That will be a better approach than coercion.

If you wish to contact Leo, please feel free to e-mail him at leognawa@hotmail.com.

A Thank You And A Challenge For All Of My Readers

By Alvin Dixon El Dear Readers: My name is Alvin, and I’m a Street Sense vendor and an advocate for the homeless.

You’ve probably seen me on Capitol Hill from time to time.

First of all I want to thank those of you who’ve taken time to acknowledge the first and only newspaper for, by, and about the many homeless individuals in our nation’s capital. Thank you for your donations, kind words, and continued support of our paper. And while I encourage you to keep up the good work, there’s still much work to be done.

There are still thousands of everyday citizens who totally refuse to acknowledge those of us who do the very best we can with the limited resources at our disposal.

Some people can give such a cruel look, that it makes one feel uneasy in approaching them. Some people make harsh remarks, and others act as if close proximity will contaminate them.

So, today I challenge you to buy at least two papers. One will be for you, and give the other to a friend, relative, or coworker. Help us to change the face of homelessness and eradicate these stereotypes. After all, we may be on top of things today, but we never know what comes our way tomorrow.

Street Sense would like to thank ID Systems, Inc. for generously donating their time and ID badges to our vendors. Please support them!

Street Sense October 2005

LOCAL PAGE

Community Calendar 18th Annual Help the Homeless Walkathon When: Saturday, November 19, 2005, Rain or Shine 7 a.m. Preregistration Check-in and Event Day Registration begin 8:30 a.m. Pre-Walkathon activities begin 9 a.m. Walkathon begins Where: Between 7th and 14th Streets, N.W., on the National Mall, Washington, D.C. Take Metro to the Smithsonian Station (Orange/Blue lines); Metro opens at 6 a.m.

Who: Sponsored by Fannie Mae Foundation What: Help raise money to supports hundreds of homeless services providers in the D.C. Area.

Last year, 110,000 people raised more than $6.5 million that benefited 180 organizations that battle every day to provide services to homeless people and prevent and end homelessness How Much: Walkers can preregister at www.helpthehomelessdc.org at a cost of $25 for adults and $15 for youth (age 25 and younger). Registration also takes place the day of the event at a cost of $30 for adults, $15 for youth (age 25 and younger).

For more information visit www.helpthehomelessdc.org.

Fourth Annual Trot for Hunger When: Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2005, 8:30 a.m.

Where: The run/walk will begin and end on Ohio Drive, SW, between Independence Avenue and West Basin Drive.

Who: SOME (So Others May Eat) and the WB50 Family Fund What: Help raise money to support SOME’s efforts to house, feed and provide other services to help those living on the streets.

How Much: Registration is $20, and all participants will receive an event t-shirt and refreshments.

For more info visit www.some.org or e-mail trotforhunger@some.org.

Guest Editorial

My Homeless Experience Al Szekely Sr.

The way I look at life is different from most views people have on it. Life as we know it, is a series of events both in and out of our control! Choices we make when faced with these events shape our lives for us, and those of others around us.

Most people choose to either ignore or hurry past one less fortunate than themselves, when they could take the time to help or ask me why I’m homeless in the first place. Mine is due to injury and lack of insurance, both careless acts due to my own ignorance, thinking “I’ll be O.K., nothing can happen to me!”

Now here I am—but not to stay. By God’s grace and my faith (both in Him and in people who care), I’ll make it just fine. You could be here, where I am, soon, so don’t ignore a homeless person when you see one. Take the time to get to know us.

We’re not all in that box people tend to put us in—(either a drunk or a drug addict). Some of us may be, but most are neither. We are just people who worked hard, and lost all we had due to accident or bad choices.

I, for one would like to see us educated, job-trained and at least given a chance to get off of the streets and back into society!

Page 17

Poetry Slam!

Street Sense would like to thank DC Slam for sponsoring our first ever poetry slam and Teaism for hosting the event.

Special thanks to former Street Sense intern Jon Rechtman for coordinating the event! Vendors August Mallory, James Davis and Dawayne Harrison all read some of their original poems with style and feeling. And vendor Leo Gnawa also read poems by other vendors who could not make it. All in all it was a big success!

Page 18

DIRECTORY OF SERVICE PROVIDERS

SHELTER HOTLINE

(202) 639-8093 4pm-7am

1-800-535-7252 24 Hrs. Oct. 1-Mar. 31; 8am-midnight April 1-Sept. 30 Free blankets, water, transportation to shelters.

John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8469 7pm-7am

SHELTERS FOR MEN & WOMEN Community for Creative Nonviolence (CCNV) Second and D Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-1909; www.erols.com/ccnv Shelter 24 hrs.; Office 9am-5pm (M-F) Shelter, clothing, dinner for residents only, medical/dental care, psychiatrist, 32bed infirmary, legal aid, veterans services, social services, counseling, job assistance, drug/alcohol program.

SHELTERS FOR WOMEN Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 783-6651 Office 8:30am-5pm (M-F) Wait list begins at 7pm daily.

Housing, meals, storage space, showers, laundry, case management, psychiatric care, substance abuse services, life skills, supported employment.

House of Imagene 214 P Street, NW Washington, DC, 20001 (202) 387-4960 Offers clean bed, meals, change of clothes and counseling for women who are victims of domestic violence.

House of Ruth (Women) Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-2600; www.houseofruth.org Shelter 24 hrs.; intake at 4:30pm 64 beds; Spanish/English staff; social services.

N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 4pm-7:30am (Daily) Shelter, breakfast/evening meal, counseling, social services, eye exams, dental care, art classes, case management. Intake: weekdays only, Bethany Day Center at same address.

New Endeavors by Women 611 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-5825 Office 9am-5pm (M-F); Shelter 24 hrs.

38 beds. Transitional housing for single women over 21. Case management, education, job training, employment referrals, budgeting & savings requirement, recovery support, housing assistance. Need referral.

Open Door Shelter (Women) 2nd and D Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001

House of Imagene Shelter (Men, Women, Families) Washington, DC (202) 518-8488 Shelter 24 hrs.; 10 beds Restrictions: Call first, no walk-ins.

Focus on domestic violence victims.

SOUP KITCHENS

SHELTERS FOR MEN Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-7118; www.missiondc.org Open 24 hrs., check in 3:30pm Shelter, supper/breakfast, clothing, social, legal, medical, pastoral counseling, GED tutoring, literacy, computer learning center, family services, women’s ministry and Hispanic ministry.

Franklin Shelter (men) 13th and K Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 638-7424 7pm-7am Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1731; www.grm.org Shelter 24 hrs.; check-in 3pm-9:30pm Food, shelter, clothing, showers, optional chapel, Transforming Lives Recovery Ministries.

La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street Washington, D.C. 20010 (202) 673-3592 Intake 7pm-9:30pm.

Must be in by 9:30pm. Dinner 7pm.

Bilingual staff.

New York Avenue Shelter (Men) 1355-57 New York Ave, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 832-2359 7pm-7am Social Services and referrals; case management.

SHELTERS FOR FAMILIES Community of Hope (Family Services) 1413 Girard Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-7356 www.communityofhopedc.org Shelter 24 hrs.; Office 9am-5pm (M-F) 90-day shelter, medical services, counseling, supportive services, homework, tutoring.

Community Partnership referrals required for housing.

Dorothy Day Catholic Worker 503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 882-9649 Shelter 24 hrs.

Services: Shelter for families or moms and kids, bed capacity 5 families.

Restrictions: No TV, no violence.

10th Street Baptist Church 1000 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 232-1685 11am-1:30pm (W & Th) Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-3066 www.charliesplacedc.org 6:30am-8:30am (T & Fri) Hot meal, social services, referrals. Bilingual program.

Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 387-6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Sun afternoons bag lunches 1pm-1:30pm.

Dinner Program for Homeless Women 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-9311; www.dphw.org 4pm-7:30pm Meals, clothing, support services, case management, legal help, employment training, emergency referrals, computer workshop.

Eofula-Spanish Senior Center 1842 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-5800 12pm-1pm (M-F) Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 452-8926 www.miriamskitchen.org Breakfast 6:30am-8am (M-F & by appointment); counseling, legal help, social worker M-F 6:30am-8am & by appointment.

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: (202) 797-8806 7:30am-4pm (M-F) www.some.org Meals, showers, clothing, medical/dental care, residential employment programs; therapeutic day center for the mentally ill; counseling, case management for addictions, affordable housing for homeless.

Washington City Church of the Brethren 337 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-5924; www.brethren.org Hot meal 12pm-1:30pm; legal services (W) 12:15pm; African American (T) 12pm; Medical assistance, consultations, prescription help (Th) 12pm.

Street Sense October 2005 Zacchaeus Community Kitchen (“9:30 Club”) 10th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-9144 9:30am-11:30am (M-Sat) EMERGENCY FOOD Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Phone: (202) 265-2400 and 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 561-8587 www.breadforthecity.org 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm (M-F) for food and clothing. Social services walk-in M., W, F 1:30pm-3pm. Legal intake: M 14pm.

Covenant House of Washington 3400 Martin Luther King Ave., SE Washington, DC 20032 (202) 610-9630 www.covenanthousedc.org 8:30am-8pm (M-F) For teenagers, young adults. Food, clothing, education, assessment, life skills, recreation, health/fitness, legal services, pastoral care, residential resources, case management, job training, youth opportunity center.

Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1112 8am-2pm (M-F) Emergency food baskets, men’s clothing, night shelter (8 beds Nov. 1-April 1).

Food assistance requires proof of residency.

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Rd. NE Washington, DC 20011 (202) 269-2277 www.foodandfriends.org 8am-5pm (M-F) Home-delivered meals for people with AIDS or cancer; nutritional counseling for HIV/ PLWAs. Referrals Preferred.

MOBILE FOOD PROGRAMS First Helping Breakfast, referrals, social services.

Call for schedule.

(202) 387-2015; dccentralkitchen.org McKenna’s Wagon 2114 14th Street Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 call for downtown route Mobile soup kitchen, several NW DC locations. Dinner route: 6:30pm-9:00pm.

Salvation Army Grate Patrol (202) 332-5000 Downtown D.C.; meals, blankets, outreach.

Street Sense October 2005 MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100 www.christhouse.org Open 24 hrs.

Nursing care for homeless in need of recovery, social services, clothing, housing placement, meals. Hospital referrals needed for inpatient nursing care.

Columbia Road Health Services 1660 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-3717 M-Th 8:30am-9pm; F 8:30am-5pm; Sat 8:30am-1pm Low-income and homeless, sliding fee scale, uninsured OK. Appointment required, but no referral needed.

Community of Hope (Health Services) 2250 Champlain Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-9022 www.communityofhopedc.org M,T,W 9am-5pm, Th 1pm-8pm, F 9am-noon. Medical services/ counseling, support services.

Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-4300 Project Office 9am-5pm (M-F); Onsite clinic: 8am-5pm (M, T, Th, F); 10:30am-7:30pm (W) Medical Clinics at: CCNV, Christ House, House of Ruth, Emory, Upper Cardozo Clinic, Bethlehem Clinic, Woodland Terrace Clinic, HIV Day Center, Central Union Mission, Blair, East of the River Clinic.

Whitman-Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 797-3500; www.wwc.org HIV/STD testing: M, W 12:30pm7pm; T, Th, F 9.30am-4.30pm appointment preferred; limited walkins. After hours by appointment only.

Sliding-scale fees, insurance, Medicare/Medicaid. Uninsured, underinsured also O.K.. No one turned away because of inability to pay.

DIRECTORY OF SERVICE PROVIDERS Friendship House 619 D Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9050 www.friendshiphouse.net 9am-5pm Emergency food, clothing, employment services, crisis intervention, ABE/GED. ID & proof of residency required; referrals from social service agencies preferred.

Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 338-8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org Information/referrals 10am-1pm (M-F), walk-ins O.K. Winter shelter Nov. 1-April 1; shelter requires screening.

Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 www.marthastable.org 8am-8pm (M-F); Children’s Daycare Program 9am-2pm (M-F) Mobile soup kitchen, call for route.

Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-1005 7am-4pm (M, W, Th, F); 7am-3pm (T); 9am-3pm (Sat); NA meetings 10am (MSat) Day shelter, breakfast, lunch, crisis counseling, case management, street outreach, referrals, support & education group, legal clinic, 12-step program, showers, laundry.

Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9340 9am-5:30pm (M-F) For troubled, runaway, or homeless teens (11-24). Shelter, social services, individual/ family counseling, job assistance, tutoring, transitional living for older homeless adolescents; clothing. Reunites families when possible, or works to find stable living situation.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

OUTREACH CENTERS

Byte Back 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-3395 Daily computer training classes start every 2 months; small fee.

Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 7:30am-4pm (M-F); 9am-4pm (SatSun) Day shelter, breakfast, lunch, snack, activities, crafts, laundry, showers, clothing, counseling, referrals, mental health, substance abuse referrals.

Capital Area Food Bank 645 Taylor Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 526-5344 x223 www.capitalareafoodbank.org 9am-5pm (M-F) Brown Bag program, monthly food distribution to low-income seniors, Kids Café after-school meal program, hunger awareness class.

Catholic Charities Homeless Services 924 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 772-4300 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org 9am-5pm (M-F) Permanent, transitional, emergency housing, work and educational opportunities for men, women, families.

Referrals appreciated. Proof of residency and photo ID required.

Catholic Charities NE Community Services 1438 Rhode Island Ave., NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100 www.catholiccharities.org 9am-5pm (M-F) Case management, intake, assessment, referrals and information.

Catholic Charities Emergency Center Emergency food, rent, mortgage, utilities etc. assistance. Call for appointment.

Church of the Epiphany 1317 G St., NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635 Sunday mornings, 7:15am-10:00am The Welcome Table Ministries: 7:15 AA/NA meetings and Bible study; breakfast at 8:45am (sign up before 8:00am); on-site caseworker, other services.

Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 347-0511 www.cfls1.org Job training, children’s programs, food pantry.

Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness 801 Pennsylvania Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-5298 www.community-partnership.org 9am-5pm (M-F) Coordinates city-funded homeless services.

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-8870; www.dccfh.org 9am-5pm (M-F) Referrals to transitional housing, emergency shelter, substance abuse counseling, employment help. Spanish/ English staff.

Downtown Services Center 945 G St., NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-5400; www.downtowndc.org 7:30am-4pm Breakfast, referrals to all agencies in city, employment services, Unity Healthcare & Mental Health Clinic, Green Door, showers, telephones, laundry, VA services, housing counseling, job

Page 19

training and preparedness.

Hermano Pedro Center 1501 Park Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 332-2874 7am-2pm M-F Drop-in day center; breakfast and lunch; showers, laundry, clothing, social services.

JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-5300 www.jfarberjhp@netzero.net 8:30am-5pm (M-F) Helps homeless and those at risk seek, obtain, retain jobs, permanent housing.

Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-8970 9am-5pm (M-F) http://www.jubileejobs.org/ Job counseling and referral.

Samaritan Ministry 1516 Hamilton St., NW Washington, DC 20011 (202) 722-2280 1345 U St., SE Washington, DC 20020 9am-1pm (M-F), 9am-5pm (Th) Job resources, information, workshops, facilities, referrals etc. for homeless, jobless, or needy people. Volunteers welcome and needed.

Travelers Aid Union Station (Information Desk - train level) 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 371-1937 www.travelersaid.org 9:30am-5:30pm (M-Sat); 1:30-5:30pm (Sun) Case management and travel assistance for stranded individuals.

Referrals to other agencies as appropriate. Travel assistance based on need Virginia Williams Family Resource Center 25 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 (202) 724-3932 Emergency housing for families; central intake for housing families.

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW Washington, DC, 20009 Outreach staff (202) 328-5500 www.legalclinic.org Intake at 10 sites around the city, call for schedule. Free legal assistance to people who are homeless or at risk.

If your organization would like to be added to our list of service providers, please contact us. (Refer to the contact information on p. 2)

Street Sense October 2005

Page 20

Vendor Profile Patty Smith

Street Sense vendors only solicit donations by selling CURRENT issues of the Street Sense newspaper and all the donations they collect go into their pocket.

Vendors DO NOT solicit donations that go back to the organization.

Vendors DO NOT solicit donations for themselves or the organization through a sign-up sheet or clipboard.

If you see any vendors — or people that look like vendors — soliciting donations in these unapproved ways, PLEASE call the Street Sense office immediately at 202-347-2006 or alert the POLICE as such solicitation and misrepresentation is illegal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8) There are no territories among vendors. I will respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer.

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

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

Fill Out the Form on p. 2 to Become a Subscriber Street Sense 1317 G. St., NW Washington, DC 20005 Mail to:

Place Postage Here

Patricia (Patty) Smith, 51, grew up outside of Pittsburgh as the youngest of four siblings. She spent five years in the Army Reserve and the National Guard Reserve, and even won an award for her sharp shooting skills.

Patty first came to Washington, D.C., when she was 25, and lived between Pittsburgh and D.C. for the next 17 years. She moved to D.C. permanently in 1996.

Patty now lives in transitional housing at the YWCA, and has her own freelance typing service. She also volunteers at the Street Sense office and she just started going back to school to study business administration.

How did you become homeless?

I was living on Q Street, and had too many people spending the night at my place.

There was a lot of traffic in the halls and we were loud and the landlord did not like it and evicted me. That’s when I went to the shelter at 2nd and D streets and I was there for about a year.

What advice would you give someone who is homeless?

You always have to look toward the future because you are not always going to be homeless. And there are so many programs like ones through Social Security and Home First that will help you get off the streets.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I am in an entrepreneurial program on Tuesday nights and I’m going to Strayer College on Mondays and Saturday so hopefully in five years I will be working in a big corporation in an office environment. Computers are such a big thing, and I see myself doing computer work for people.

Why do you sell Street Sense?

I know that the homeless have to have a voice and we are the paper that gives them a voice. And this can help the people that aren’t homeless be sympathetic and help out.

Favorite food?

It used to be pierogies but now it’s probably shrimp with some type of pasta.

Favorite Movie?

“The Game.” It’s an interesting story about these people playing games with this guy. But in the end, he’s happy and he gets the girl.

Favorite Song?

It’s by Isaac Hayes, “I Stand Accused.”