10 15 2006

Md. Governor Ehrlich Reveals His Plans on Poverty, Economy, Housing

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Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents October 15, 2006 - November 14, 2006

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Volume 3, Issue 12

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Streets to Soccer Star

Hospital Patients Routinely Discharged into Homelessness

By Peter Cohn In Washington, D.C., approximately 18 people per day end up in shelters or on the street after leaving hospitals, according to a District government-sponsored report. Thus, between 10% and 20% of people in District-funded emergency shelters have arrived after leaving a health institution.

Many of these individuals arrive with bad legs, a sore back, gaping wounds, or other aliments that shelters are not equipped to deal with, according to shelter staff and advocates.

At one D.C. shelter, a man arrived

Knight holds up the American Flag during HWC opening ceremonies.

By Laura Thompson Osuri At first glance, Michael Knight looks like the typical working-class D.C. resident. The strain of a hard 50 years reveals itself in his raspy voice and salt-and-pepper goatee. He wears modest, worn jeans and an old sweatshirt, and can often be found at CCNV, the largest shelter in D.C. where he currently lives.

But for a week at the end of September, he was not a middleaged homeless man invisible to the world, but a prominent diplomat and soccer star traveling the streets of South Africa with pride and confidence.

That whirlwind trip has changed Knight forever in both body and spirit. The resulting signs of dignity show not just in the medal hung around his neck and tucked beneath his shirt, but also in the new air of confidence and aura of peace that surround him.

“I’ve realized that it’s not just about me, but everything is bigger than me. There is so much going on,” he said. “I have more compassion and more understanding of people’s weaknesses because I know my weaknesses. And I know there is greatness in everyone.”

Knight went to South Africa as part of the U.S. Homeless World Cup Team, one of 48 teams from across the world.

After six days of competing in 4-on-4 soccer, Russia took first place, with the United States coming in 46th. Knight admits that he is “not a strong player,” and that the first time he kicked a soccer ball was this summer, when a handful of CCNV residents started practicing for the Homeless USA Cup. But he said the trip was not See SOCCER, page 9 about winning.

with a broken leg, according to a senior staff member. “He had the iron rods on the outside [of his leg], and I said ‘you shouldn’t be here like that’ because you could see where the screw went into his leg and everything, and he said he was just ‘gonna be here overnight.’” The shelter employee added that the man was put in the front of the facility, where he could be watched, although he should not have been at the shelter in such poor condition.

“One guy had just had surgery, I think on his appendix or something,” said the senior staff member, “and he was bent over. He was still bleeding from the operation, and he

DISCHARGE, page 4

By David S. Hammond “I am absolutely elated. I’m just beyond words!” That’s how Jesse Smith celebrated the latest news in one long-running dispute over emergency shelter in the District – and the political coming-of-age for a group of homeless men who have been trying to save the downtown shelter where they live.

Smith was reacting to word that the District will not be closing the Franklin School Shelter at 13th and K streets, Northwest. A homeless resident of Franklin, Smith is president of the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter (CSFS). The committee has worked for months to tell people that Franklin should remain open and be improved from its current overcrowded, run-down condition, and that the city should provide enough emergency shelter in downtown Washington. Now, increasing support for those ideas has slowed the steamroller of downtown

Jesse Smith (front, right) and the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter celebrate.

redevelopment that threatened the shelter.

The Williams administration previously had said Franklin should close next March, at the end of the winter hypothermia season, and that the handsome 1869 building

FEATURE

Controversy continues but the Central Union Mission is still planning Petworth move, page 3

Test your homeless sensitivity with this new quiz, page 15

Adult Illiteracy

REVIEWS

EDITORIALS

D.C. has one of the highest adult illiteracy rates in the country but nonprofits are trying to help lower this number with education, page 5

Vendor Allen Jones fills up on Brazilan goodness, page 12

David Pirtle on the problems with D.C.’s mental health system, page 16

LOCAL

See

Residents Stop Shelter Closure

LOCAL

Inside This Issue

said the hospital put him out.”

Sometimes the hospital calls in advance to make arrangements and give a heads-up to the shelter, but “other times the hospital will have them dropped off in taxicabs—any kind of ride they can get—leave them at the shelter and keep going,” said the shelter staff member.

“We’ve had some come here with colostomy bags, or various open wounds that need to be cleaned on a daily basis,” the staff member said.

“They still need medical attention, and this is not a medical shelter, this is an emergency shelter.”

Mission Move

Fogo de Chao

Are You Sensitive to the Homeless?

Mental Health Revolving Door

would be leased out to become a boutique “hip” hotel. But questions have been raised about the lease as well as the decision to close Franklin, and it became clear the city could not find alternative space.

At the Oct. 10 meeting of the city’s new Interagency Council on Homelessness, Deputy Mayor Brenda Donald Walker announced that Franklin would remain in use as a shelter. She later told Street Sense that the city will keep the shelter open, make improvements to the building and add comprehensive support services for its residents.

See SHELTER, page 7

Street Sense . October/November 2006

2 ALL AbOUT US

Our Mission 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347-2006 Fax: (202) 347-2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org

bOARD OF DIRECTORS James Davis Robert Egger Ted Henson Barbara Kagan August Mallory David Pike John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Kathy Whelpley

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri SENIOR EDITOR Ted Henson ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond EDITORIAL INTERN Peter Cohn AD SALES MANAGERS Jake Ashford Muriel Dixon Allen Jones Mark Jones August Mallory Brenda Wilson VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Tommy Bennett, Karen Brooks, Bobby Buggs, Conrad Cheek Jr., Cliff Carle, Ralph Dantley, James Davis, Amy Detteriech, Michelle Gaudet, Jake Geissinger, David Harris, Alex Hiniker, Dan Horner, Jennifer Jett, Allen Jones, Maurice King, Jessica LeGarde, Joann Goodwin, Enoka Herat, Brad Lehman, August Mallory, Brad McCormick, Courtney Mead, Jill Merselis, Ben Merritt, Sarah Miller, Tessa Moran, Mike O’Neill, Amy Orndorff, Jen Pearl, David Pike, David Pirtle, Nate Reynolds, Diane Rusignola, Sara Schoolcraft, Rebecca Schlesinger, Jennifer Singleton, Jesse Smith, Katie Smith, Kristin Smith, Patty Smith, Desiree Stephens, Isabel Toolan, Francine Triplett, Robert Trautman, Katie Transwaski, Linda Wang, Marian Wiseman, Mhari Whitton VENDORS Jake Ashford, Robert Beecher, Tommy Bennett, Kanon Brown, Grayling Brown El Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek Jr., JMuriel Dixon, Leo Gnawa, David Harris, John Harrison, Michael Herbert, Patricia Henry, Phillip Howard, Michael Jefferson, Patricia Jefferson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Wayne Kern, Lee Mayse, Michelle McCullough, August Mallory, Carl Morris, Rodney Morris, Charles Nelson, Larry Olds, Therese Onyemenam, Tracey Powell, Chris Sellman, Patty Smith, Tom Taylor, Francine Triplett, Amia Walker, Martin Walker, Wendell Williams, Brenda Lee Wilson

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

Our Editorial Policy

Editorials and features 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.

The Story of Street Sense Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless men and women who sell it. About 25 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and there are dozens more throughout the world.

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors,

Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. Since then, the paper has published consistently on a monthly basis and has greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network. For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space.

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

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

We are proud members of:

north American street newspaper Association

international network of street Papers

Street Sense Vendor Code of Conduct 1.

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3.

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September Donors Marie Bass Jana Meyer Anonymous Peter stamese John Kenny rosa Muleta Diana simpson and eric saul Leroy Pingo Anonymous in memory of Charlotte Thompson

Thank You! WANNA HELP?

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or a vendor, please contact Laura Thompson Osuri at Street Sense.

OUR NEXT EDITORIAL MEETING

November 8th at 6:00 p.m.

1317 G Street, NW (near Metro Center)

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

Street Sense . October/November 2006

Let’s Talk About Homelessness

By Brenda Donald Walker Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders

Even though the leaves are changing now, the District government’s commitment to the goals of preventing and ending homelessness remains constant. We will accomplish these goals by sustained, meaningful efforts guided by clear vision and strong leadership.

One way we are doing this is by preparing for hypothermia season, which begins Nov. 1, 2006, and ends March 31, 2007. I wrote about this important topic last month, and I want to cover hypothermia season and our preparations in a little more detail again in this column. Last winter, there were 85 hypothermia alert days and nights when the air temperature fell below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or the wind chill factor created the effect of 32 degrees or below.

Hypothermia, a life-threatening condition, occurs when body temperature goes below 95 degrees Fahrenheit due to exposure to the cold, and usually requires medical treatment.

We have created a plan for the upcoming cold months, called The Winter Plan: Protecting the Lives of Homeless People in the Winter of 2006–2007, and have budgeted 110 days on which we expect hypothermia alerts, an increase over last season. We planned for an increase so that we are prepared to meet the needs of our homeless population under nearly any conditions. During the winter, we have a network of shelters offering warm places for those who seek relief from the cold. Outreach services provide blankets, food and supplies, and workers are trained to recognize hypothermia symptoms and take appropriate action.

VIEWPOINT

Cold Weather and IACH Meetings Ahead Our objective is to save lives during extreme cold while being sensitive to the preferences and rights of those who are homeless. Unfortunately, there was one death of a homeless person due to hypothermia last season. We want to do everything possible so that there are no deaths this winter.

All winter the District’s Emergency Management Agency monitors weather conditions, notifying the agencies involved when the hypothermia alert is to become effective.

Providers then open shelters and keep them open until the temperature rises above 32 degrees. A toll-free number, 1800-535-7252, is available for those who are homeless to seek assistance and for the public to report emergency situations involving homeless citizens.

Turning to another important subject, the Mayor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness held its third meeting on Oct. 11, and one of the topics discussed was the requirement to gather input from the public about the service needs within the homeless community.

We want as much information as possible, so we will hold four sessions at locations and times shown in the table that accompanies this column. During these sessions, we will take testimony and solicit ideas about homelessness and homeless services from interested citizens, including those presently and previously homeless, public and private providers, the religious community, neighborhood representa-

tives, advocates and others.

And once again, it is now time to review a number of construction projects. One ongoing venture is the renovation of the former Gales School at Massachusetts Avenue and G Street in Northwest. The interior demolition has been completed, and we are now in the process of determining a starting date for the renovations. When finished in the latter part of 2007, Gales will feature central air conditioning, space for group activities, individual storage and a full range of services. This project represents our commitment to serve those who are homeless with appropriate living space, amenities and necessary services in a convenient, central location.

The improvements at the Community for Creative NonViolence (CCNV) have been completed on the north side of the third floor, and they are now underway on the south side. We are upgrading plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems. When finished, this floor will contain administrative offices, space for service providers and accommodations for residents.

I sincerely hope that this column is informative and that it shows the high level of concern that exists for our fellow citizens who are homeless. Please continue to be alert for your own safety and also care for one another, especially as we enter hypothermia season. I look forward to next month when we can again “talk about homelessness.”

Public Hearing Locations

Dates and Times

Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 901 G Street, NW

Thursday, Oct 19 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th Street, NW

Tuesday, Oct 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The ARC, 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE

Monday, Oct 30 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Shrine of the Sacred Heart, 16th & Park Rd, NW

Thursday, Nov 2 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Donate to Street Sense My Information

I will donate:

Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_______________________________________________ Phone:_______________________E-mail:_________________________ Please make checks payable to Street Sense Street Sense is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.

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

You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org

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Additional items that Street Sense needs: * Messenger and tote bags and backpacks for vendors

* Scanner with software to install it on computer

*Metrochecks and metro cards for vendors

* Small drop-safe

* Hats, gloves and warm socks for vendors

* Office shredder

Please call 202-347-2006 or send an e-mail to info@streetsense.org if you have any of these items to donate.

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . October/November 2006

Mission Set For Petworth Move

By Diane Rusignola Central Union Mission’s deal with Alturas LLC continues to move forward despite protests from Columbia Heights and Petworth residents, dating back to the spring, against a homeless shelter moving into their neighborhood at 3510 Georgia Avenue, NW. The shelter, currently in Logan Circle at 14th and R streets NW, has been looking to relocate since 1999 but has been restricted by finances and zoning laws.

Central Union Mission’s deal involves selling developer Jeffrey Schonberger and his company, Alturas, the current property for $7 million, dependent upon the company finding and purchasing a new site for the shelter.

The Mission now is purchasing that new property, two lots around 3510 Georgia Avenue, for $2 million from Alturas.

The deal also assigns development of the Mission’s new shelter to Schonberger.

The new, $15 million shelter is to have 250 beds for men only in 70,000 square feet of space, which is almost triple the size of the mission’s current 30,000-square-foot, 84-bed shelter. The new shelter also will include a café providing breakfast and dinner, a drug rehab center and a chapel.

Leading the protest against the Georgia Avenue site is MissionDCFacts.com. According to its website, it is an organization of “citizens, business owners [and] community activists” dedicated to informing neighbors and other D.C. residents “why the proposed relocation of the Central Union men’s shelter to Georgia Avenue is unwise.”

Among its complaints, MissionDCFacts. com contends that according to “an individual with expertise in commercial sales and development,” the Central Union Mission’s current property in Logan Circle is actually worth between $10.6 million and $12.6 million, and they are underselling the land by $4.6 million.

City Council Member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) also has spoken out against the shelter, even though he is a longtime activist for the homeless. Graham said that while he is not opposed to relocating the Mission, he feels that the Georgia Avenue site is not the right location.

Along with local residents, Graham cites the neighborhood’s renaissance, which includes hip new businesses and expensive condo units, as the primary reason a homeless shelter would be unfair to the neighborhood.

Adding yet more fuel to the fire is a battle over the Euphemia L. Haynes Public Charter, an elementary school at 14th and Irving Streets NW. In August, the school announced that it has won approval for a loan to purchase property next door to the proposed shelter.

The charter school plans to more than triple its size to serve 650 students when it moves.

Graham and neighborhood leaders are firmly opposed to locating a homeless shelter next to an elementary school.

While the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board in early October awarded concept approval to Alturas for its luxury condominium plans on the Logan Circle cite, Central Union Mission’s plans to move to the Petworth neighborhood are still not final.

Guests mingle as they enjoy great food, friends, and music.

A Night of Fun and Fundraising For Street Sense Photos By Michael O’Neill

Fresh Start Catering provided tasty food for the night. Volunteer Rebecca Schlesinger takes a taste.

DISCHARGE, from p.1 Due to liability concerns, shelter personnel are not allowed to assist residents who are unable to care for themselves. But individuals arriving from hospitals have nowhere else to go. “We’re not going to let anybody stay out on the street—that’s not what we do,” said Abdul Nuradeen, acting executive director at the CCNV shelter.

A committee of advocates and government officials is trying to come up with answers to alleviate the problem facing shelters struggling to help individuals needing medical care. The group has created a plan and developed best practices for discharging patients from public hospitals.

This committee, called the Discharge Planning Task Force, was established after Mayor Williams’ January 2005 release of Homeless No More, the District’s 10-year plan to end homelessness. The Task Force developed a document, A Comprehensive Public Sector Discharge Planning Policy to Prevent Homelessness in the District of Columbia, which proposes a hospital discharge plan. The report applies only to public institutions, not private hospitals.

The report calls for hospitals to fully analyze patients’ situations to ensure that they have stable housing and proper planning for employment and post-hospital care after discharge. It requires a follow-up evaluation no more than 30 days after release and again six months later. Referring a patient to the local homeless coalition for placement in a shelter must be only a last resort.

Guests bid on 66 different items at the auction.

Here one guest looks at the NPR package.

Executive director Laura Thompson Osuri introduces vendors Lee Mayse (center) and Jake Ashford (left) who read poetry.

The Task Force is also recommending that another facility similar to Christ House be created, recognizing that hospitals cannot be expected to hold homeless individuals for an extended period of time when there are no available facilities for placement, according to Steve Cleghorn, chief policy analyst for the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessnes. Christ House is a 33-bed health care facility for the homeless to which many men are often discharged, as a step-down placement for homeless people too sick to

“This is not a medical shelter, this is an emergency shelter.” go to a shelter after hospital release “There’s nothing wrong with the report, it’s just a matter of implementing it,” added Cleghorn, who was also a convener of the Discharge Planning Task Force.

The regulations have been mapped out, and the next step is having the Interagency Council on Homelessness (IACH) adopt the policy and find a way to pull together information and resources to be shared by all involved agencies, according to Cleghorn.

A similar discharge policy (the Model

Resident Transfer and Discharge Policy for Nursing Homes and Community Residence Facilities) is already in effect in Washington for individuals under care of nursing homes and community residence facilities. That plan was legally mandated under the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law. There is no similar law governing hospital discharge.

The nursing home discharge policy requires a full assessment of the resident’s physical, mental and psychological status before the resident’s release from the facility, in addition to aiding in locating alternative placements and facilitating the move.

Although the nursing home law does not specifically state that homeless shelters are not acceptable placement, it requires a safe and orderly transfer upon discharge, and that would preclude shelters, according to Jerry Kasunic, director of D.C. Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.

“Homeless shelters are not safe and orderly transfers,” Kasunic said.

After the proposed discharge planning policy is presented to IACH and approved, implementation documents will need to be created and followed by all District publicfunded institutions.

For now, shelters are forced to deal with whatever injuries individuals may arrive with.

“Ambulances bring by people who have been referred on a stretcher or in a wheel chair,” said Nuradeen. But discharged patients continue to arrive on a regular basis, forcing Nuradeen and other D.C. shelter staff to accommodate them. “[I do] whatever I can possibly do,” said Nuradeen.

Street Sense . October/November 2006

LOCAL NEWS

Success and Struggles: Adult Illiteracy Persists in DC

Ben Crosbie!

Academy of Hope graduates enjoy applause from the audience upon recieving their GEDs.

By Tessa Moran Although Edith Barns is retired, at a graduation ceremony one recent evening at the National Baptist Church in Adams Morgan she was not in the audience, but rather a recipient. As she stood on stage and grasped her diploma, she told an audience of family and friends, “You have no idea what this feels like; I’ve wanted this for 40 years.”

John Harris, a recovering alcoholic from Southeast Washington, D.C., also graduated from the Academy of Hope that same evening.

When he received his diploma he said, “When you talk about adult education, you’re talking about breathing life, giving another chance.”

Harris and Barns are just two of the hundreds of adults who have conquered their illiteracy through such organizations as the Academy of Hope and the Washington Literacy Council that offer adults free help and education.

However, there are still thousands of individuals in the District of Columbia who are unable to read or write beyond a third-grade level, and this problem does not appear to be getting better.

Approximately 37% of D.C. residents are at the lowest level of literacy, a figure that is down only slightly from over a decade, according to a 2003 study from the U.S. Department of Education. This is compared to a national average of 22% of adults at the lowest level, which was down 4% compared to 10 years earlier.

The reasons why people grow up unable to read and write vary greatly. But one factor that stands out in many illiterate adults in D.C. is a background of poverty, according to Washington Literacy Council program director Elizabeth Liptak.

“There’s both a cycle of low literacy and there’s a cycle of poverty, and I think they go hand in hand,” Liptak said.

Liptak said 20% of students have “environmental dyslexia” caused by a lack of stimulation during their youth. “The result is the same as if they had classic dyslexia,” she added.

Additionally, only about15% of students at the Literacy Council have high school diplo-

mas. Most have dropped out.

Most illiterate adults simply get by through memorizing key words and phrases, Liptak said, but they are so limited that they often cannot complete a job application and end up taking the lowest level of jobs.

That was the case for Carlton Davis, a retired maintenance worker who has been attending basic reading classes sporadically at the Literacy Council for 10 years. He grew up one of 21 children when schools were still segregated. His mother worked tirelessly in a peanut factory but couldn’t make ends meet.

He left school during the fourth grade so he could help provide for the family.

Though he still harbors some resentment over the injustices of his past, Davis said he is pleased at how things have improved for his children and grandchildren.

“I wish my mom could see this happen,” Davis said. “She never thought it would.”

Liptak said, “We are kind of seeing the remnants of segregation, when people didn’t go to school.”

Although things have changed since segregation, there are many children who do not receive the education they need and are left limited in their adulthood.

“They don’t just show up on our doorsteps,’’ Liptak said, “they’re the product of our schools.”

While the Literacy Council focuses on students with the lowest level of literacy, the Academy of Hope helps those with more comprehension, at about a sixth-grade level, according to program director Kathryn Sommers.

Still, there are similarities. Many Academy students are high school dropouts who left school because of a teen pregnancy or family illness.

However, about 40% of the Academy of Hope students are refugees and immigrants who are seeking to improve their English.

That includes several women from Afghanistan who could not be educated in their own country and have sought education at the Academy of Hope.

The reasons why people are in the literacy program are “almost as diverse as the student body,” Sommers said.

Both Liptak and Sommers agree that learning to read and write as an adult is much more difficult than learning as a child.

“Their lives are a fragile balance to make things meet,” Sommers said of the Academy students. “They have full-time jobs, children and other life responsibilities that make a commitment to classes difficult.”

Liptak said that there is “a whole host of challenges” that make participation in the Washington Literacy Council program especially difficult, even though it requires just one class a week, in which students learn to read phonetically. Many students are earning less than the minimum wage, have no benefits, work long hours and have seasonal jobs consisting of physical labor, she said.

“They’re only different [from young students] in that it’s harder,” Liptak said.

And there also are challenges for the organizations trying to educate adults who are illiterate.

The federal government often uses illiteracy statistics to push GED education, Liptak said. As a result, funding is often “skewed” in that direction. But earning a GED isn’t always realistic for many adults who come to WLC. “If they can feel more successful, those are important measures too,” Liptak said. “We see a lot of qualitative improvements,” including increased self-esteem and independence.

Literacy “makes them feel in control, that

they can help themselves” instead of relying on others to read a menu at a restaurant, understand a bus schedule, or open a checking account, Liptak said.

The promise of student confidence was evident during a recent Monday night basic class at WLC office in Dupont Circle. Volunteer instructors Valerie Briggs and Jessica Nysenbaum led students in sounding out the spelling of words.

The vowel “e” appeared to be the most difficult to pinpoint as they attempted to spell the word “stem.” A woman in the front of the room succeeded in the spelling. “Right on!” she said, raising her hands in the air in a celebratory dance.

A burly man nearby asked, “Can I try one?”

Briggs happily acquiesced.

The man said, “I was writing someone the other night and I was trying to sound out ‘companion.’ ” Briggs prompted the students to sound out the word and spell it on the board. All struggled with the “ion” ending, one of those tricky exceptions in the English language.

Meanwhile, at the Academy of Hope, magazines, books and newspapers fill the shelves.

Carefully framed photographs of every graduate hang on every wall of its entrance beside a board that states, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. – Vincent Van Gogh.”

Help Bring the Homeless in from the Cold

CALL THE

Shelter Hotline 1 800 535-7252 Anthony A. Williams, Mayor, Government of the District of Columbia

INTERVIEW

Street Sense . October/November 2006

MAryland Governor’s Race

Ehrlich Details Anti-Poverty Plans for Md. pens when demand for lower-cost housing outpaces the supply, and when people cannot earn enough to afford the housing that is available. How do you plan to respond to this problem?

Street Sense: In Maryland, as in so many places, health care and medical insurance are things that too many people cannot afford – so they go without. And in some parts of the state, doctors, dentists, and clinics are few and far between. What are the biggest barriers to making health care available in all parts of Maryland, especially for homeless people, and how will you overcome them?

Ehrlich: The Ehrlich administration has increased Medicaid and children’s health program funding by $1.25 billion since fiscal year 2003 which provides health care services for 770,000 medically underserved Marylanders.

Furthermore, we developed the “Babies Born Healthy” initiative to reduce infant mortality, an especially serious problem in poor communities. This administration has also expanded access to nine community health centers around the state providing health care to 37,800 additional Marylanders.

We also enacted the Health Disparities Initiative as a way to support the goals of the Health Care Services Disparities Prevention Act of 2003. This law encourages the training and development of health care professionals. Planning to reduce health care disparities based on race, gender, ethnicity and poverty, and to address available funding, gaps in service, and duplication and fragmentation are part of this effort. And in 2004 we created the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities to provide a permanent mechanism for reducing health disparities statewide.

The Ehrlich administration also understands that a shortage of health care workers is especially hard on poor communities. So we have increased funding for the state nursing scholarship, facilitated a plan to raise $88 million over 10 years for grants to increase the number of nurses in Maryland, and negotiated a loan rebate program with Sallie Mae to encourage

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Maryland’s Governor Bob Ehrlich (R) is running for re-election to the state’s highest office.

Ehrlich was born in Arbutus, Md., a suburb of Baltimore. He was educated at Princeton and the Wake Forest University School of Law. He practiced law in Baltimore and in 1986 was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. In 1994 he was elected to represent Maryland in Congress, where he served four terms.

Ehrlich was elected governor in 2002, and his campaign touts his work in defeating tax hikes, increasing school funding, and creating jobs.

Because so many of our readers live and vote in Maryland, we wanted to cover this race. Here are Ehrlich’s responses to Street Sense’s candidate questionnaire composed by David S. Hammond.

Ehrlich: This administration has several initiatives that serve low-income individuals, as well as programs to support nonprofit organizations and local governments that serve this community.

The Lifeline Refinance Program was established by this administration to help borrowers with “exotic mortgages” that may be forcing them into untenable and unaffordable mortgage situations leading up to potential foreclosure.

The Ehrlich administration supports the Shelter and Transitional Housing Facilities Grant Program, which provides nonprofits and governments with funds for emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities. This has helped create new housing and shelter for the homeless in Baltimore City, Frederick County, Hagerstown, and Howard County.

The Ehrlich administration also supports the Group Home Financing Program serving specialneeds populations, and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which helps nonprofits acquire small low-income rental projects.

Two issues we will target immediately are the loss of housing due to a temporary household economic crisis, and homelessness that occurs when youth transition from public juvenile programs into adulthood.

Street Sense: Maryland’s Department of Human Resources reports that nearly 35,000 homeless people were placed in shelters and motels in fiscal year 2005 – and additional people sleep on the streets or in the woods, or double up with friends and family. What are your plans for responding to this problem?

Bob Ehrlich: The Ehrlich administration recently adopted a 10-year interdepartmental plan to combat homelessness. Two issues we will target immediately are the loss of housing due to a temporary household economic crisis, and homelessness that occurs when youth transition from public juvenile programs into adulthood.

We believe that prevention is the best approach, so we continue to increase support to programs like energy assistance and rent assistance to keep people in their homes. We also are focused on helping ensure that youth who are moving from public programs, like foster care, to independent adulthood have a clear plan that addresses key areas like education, employment and housing.

Street Sense: In Maryland as elsewhere, people are talking about an “affordable housing crisis.” This hap-

nursing students to work in Maryland after graduation.

Street Sense: Maryland’s minimum hourly wage for private-sector workers presently stands at $6.15 an hour (the federal baseline is $5.15). Is that the right level? What should Maryland’s minimum wage be, and why?

Ehrlich: This administration believes that any increase in the minimum wage should be done in a way that does not hurt Maryland’s job growth or compromise our economic competitiveness in the region.

We encourage the federal government to conduct a regular review of the minimum wage to make sure the wage is in line with other indicators such as inflation and cost of living adjustments.

Street Sense: In places like western Maryland’s Garrett County, and Somerset County on the Eastern Shore, rural poverty can mean a scarcity of well-paying jobs and educational opportunities, along with special challenges like a lack of public transportation, and even the high cost of gasoline and heating oil. Please describe your plans to help Maryland’s rural poor people.

Ehrlich: Because we believe that providing jobs is one of the most powerful tools to combat poverty, this administration is committed to fostering a healthy climate for businesses to grow and provide jobs. Our philosophy of “One Maryland Economy” stretches across geographic and demographic lines, so our administration has supported several economic development projects in far western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore that will significantly benefit residents of those areas.

Projects in western Maryland include the American Woodmark cabinet assembling facility; a state-of-theart, recirculating whitewater sports course in Garrett County; and a ClosetMaid facility now under construction. These are bringing hundreds of new jobs.

Projects on the lower Eastern Shore include a planned expansion by the packaging company ODDI, USA; the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, which has the potential of providing 700 jobs averaging $8 to $12 an hour; and many aerospace industry projects including development and manufacturing.

We are also proud that this administration’s efforts have helped decrease unemployment in these communities. In a second term, this administration will continue to focus on increasing the number of economic development opportunities.

Street Sense: Voter participation is lower than most people would like to see, but poor and homeless people, too, have a stake in the election. What are you doing to reach these voters, and what message do you have for them?

Ehrlich: I believe that this administration has a strong record in empowering people and serving the most vulnerable in our state through several economic development, health care and housing initiatives, many of which have been previously outlined. I plan to continue this level of dedication to ensure that all Marylanders have equal opportunity and access and can share in our state’s prosperity.

NOTE: Reporter Michelle Gaudet also submitted these questions to Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D), Ehrlich’s challenger. The O’Malley campaign was unable to return the questions by press time.

Street Sense . October/November 2006

LOCAL NEWS

Green, Republican Mayoral Choices Address Social Issues The 2006 campaign season saw a hardfought race for the Democratic nomination to be mayor of D.C., and Street Sense has presented those candidates’ responses to our questionnaire on poverty and homelessness.

Now, with the November 7 general election approaching, we bring you profiles of Dave Kranich, the Republican candidate for mayor, and Chris Otten, who is running as a Statehood Green. Otten completed our candidate questionnaire; Kranich was unable to do so by press time, but spoke with Street Sense.

Chris Otten Chris Otten is the D.C. State hood Green party candidate for mayor. The D.C. Statehood Green Party was formed by a merger between the Statehood Party, whose roots stretch back to Washington’s Home Rule era, and the D.C. Greens. Otten hails from Long Island, N.Y. and has lived in the District for the past six and a half years.

He has served as an AmeriCorps volunteer tutoring low-income Florida children in reading, and as project manager at Charlie’s Place, a homeless services agency serving poor people in Northwest D.C. Otten works in the information technology field.

Otten pledges to support any fiscally responsible legislation that aids working-class D.C. families, generates positive outcomes for their children, and involves the local advisory neighborhood commissions.

On helping the homeless and building shelters Otten believes that the D.C. City Council has been weak in not trying to prevent shelter closings. “These attacks on the poor cannot be ignored and I’m just not seeing the socalled city leadership stepping up to fight for these folks. I have worked with the homeless community in this city for years. I pledge that I will help the thousands of homeless people and families and continue my service to this community as mayor,” he said. “TheDC Statehood Greens will make sure that beds are available for anyone who needs one.

He added that the city must focus building new shelters to support homeless families.

Otten explained that “these facilities should be clean and present a positive environment whereby the folks living there have a stake in decision making and programming. Such programs will include vocational training, career and personal counseling, and opportunities for artistic expression, plus a healthy diet and good hygiene shall be available for all.”

The surge of condominiums in the city also worries Otten because believes it is forcing out long-time working class District residents. The stop this trend he wants strong rent control inclusionary zoning policies.

“I pledge to have 100,000 really affordable housing units online within two years and simultaneously create hundreds of trade apprenticeships and jobs by engaging in this worthy endeavor,” Otten added.

Otten also pledges more development

east of the Anocostia River, and believes it is the next spot to be revitalized. “I will focus positive community redevelopment without displacement as my Office of Zoning and Planning will be driven by the wishes of neighborhood-level Advisory Neighborhood Commissions,” he said. “This should help stem the redlining and displacement of longtime D.C. residents.”

- Diane Rusignola Dave Kranich In a n ove rwhelmingly Democratic city, Dave Kranich a s s e r t s h e ’s running as a candidate who happens to be a Republican. He takes issue with the question of what he would do to build bridges across the many groups that comprise D.C., saying that a common assumption of the media comes from ignorance: that because he’s Republican and white, he cannot do the job well.

Raised north of Philadelphia in Hatboro, Pa., Kranich studied marketing at Penn State University and was drawn to D.C. mainly by politics. He started two businesses (bottled smoothies and Christmas trees) and then entered real estate in 2002 as a sales agent at Randall Hagner Ltd. Kranich’s resume does not include previous political experience.

Kranich said that D.C. government can do better than it has. The cornerstone of his mayoral vision is improving schools through better management and legislation, followthrough on existing contracts, and direct mayoral control of school board appointments. Kranich also says he would create more affordable housing for middle- and lower-income residents, lower taxes to encourage these groups to stay in the city, and lower property taxes.

While Kranich’s schedule did not allow him to complete Street Sense’s questionnaire on homelessness and poverty, he spoke to the issue in a July 10 interview on WPFW-FM. In response to a bipolar, formerly homeless caller who asked what he would do about homelessness in D.C., Kranich said: “Homelessness is a big problem...I don’t know the numbers on homelessness and I’ve heard conditions are bad. I don’t have a specific solution off the top of my head, but I can tell you it’s certainly something that will be addressed by my administration. It’s a difficult problem and something that needs to be looked at closely.”

Kranich argues that much of the poverty in the city stems from poor education. Business owners want employees that will cost the least, meaning local employees, and Kranich supports D.C. residents getting jobs first. He says that if education better trained residents to match the skills that businesses seek, the situation could improve, and he would consult with advisors to raise the minimum wage so more people could remain living in D.C.

- Jen Pearl

SHELTER, from p.1 This commitment comes after years of rumors, false alarms and growing concern about the future of the shelter – much of it reported in Street Sense. This concern from shelter residents, advocates and citizens, Walker said, is part of why she moved to announce the new plans for Franklin’s future.

“I know there’s been a lot of angst about Franklin Shelter, a lot of rumors, and it was time for people to know that we heard you, and we are responding,” Walker said.

That will take a lot of work. According to the CSFS, the needed changes include both physical renovations and the presence of services in the shelter. The building needs significant electrical work, and the toilets and bathrooms are in desperate need of repair.

As for services, the CSFS would like to see job counseling, medical support, particularly for mental health issues, affordable housing placement, and legal representation for those who need it.

“The main thing I would like to see at Franklin are services – real services – that would help people in fulfilling their lives going forward,” Smith said.

Effective help for homeless people, located where they need it most, has been the overall prize envisioned by the CSFS. The committee was formed during resident meetings held last summer at Franklin, called in response to news of the shelter’s planned closing. Smith and founding member Rommel McBride saw that small start grow quickly to a wide effort on many fronts.

The committee’s first big appearance was at a rally before a City Council hearing in June, followed by visits to every member of the City Council and to City Administrator Robert Bobb. CSFS members, including David Pirtle and Eric Sheptock, went on to attend fundraisers and other events for D.C. candidates.

Ward 3 Council member Kathy Patterson, then a candidate for Council chair, even met with the committee at Franklin Shelter, and, as reported in this newspaper, received the committee’s endorsement along with several other candidates who pledged support for the CSFS’ goals. The CSFS followed up its voting guide by leafleting for their chosen candidates at the polls on primary day.

We

care.

We

help.

A listserv and a Web site (www.savefranklinshelter.com), the work of committee member Michael McFadden, also have helped the CSFS spread their message. And Mary Ann Luby from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless helped the committee learn to navigate among the City Council, the Williams administration and the complexities of homeless policy.

This has added up, Smith said. “We have been garnering support and speaking at any venue that would allow us to speak, and trying to connect with organizations that are sympathetic to our issues,” he said. “And the reception has been very positive.”

That doesn’t surprise observers of the city’s shelter sagas, because it isn’t only the CSFS that has been calling for shelter downtown.

The business community, represented by the Downtown DC Business Improvement District, has supported having adequate shelter in the area, and that played a role in the city’s decision.

“We need this shelter in the location where it is, and we need it renovated. A shelter downtown is key to getting people to where they need to go to re-establish their livelihood,” Smith said.

Even though Franklin’s planned closing has been replaced by plans to change it for the better, the CSFS still will be active, petitioning to see that those changes are put in place.

“We will plan for these changes with the residents in a respectful and inclusive way,” Walker said.

For the CSFS, that’s only the beginning.

One of their goals is to reach out to shelters all over the city to help spark similar efforts, and they also are developing a policy shop – committee members have been assigned to research the best practices at shelters in other cities, with a view to setting a high standard for D.C. facilities.

And there’s more to this story than decisions about the shelter. “Everyone figures people in the shelter are a bunch of derelicts, and crazy, “ Smith said. “What we have done shows that ‘it ain’t about the stereotypes’ – even though we are homeless, we can get things done.”

Laura Thompson Osuri contributed to this story.

We

heal.

Quality Primary Care Services for D.C. Medically Underserved and homeless Individuals……

For information on medical services in homeless shelters call 202-255-3469. For an appointment at any of our community health centers call 1-866-388-6489

We want to help. We want to help you.

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . October/November 2006

StreetPolitics

By David S. Hammond

On the Hill By Jill Merselis

Native American Health Care Support A Plan for the City is a Tool for People to Use People have been saying D.C.’s state bird is the “crane,” because so many construction cranes crowd the skyline. You see them everywhere, but the citywide building boom really isn’t undertaken according to plan – or at least, say the experts, the plans we have fall short on some critical points. And that’s one reason affordable housing is in so much trouble.

That may be changing, because the recommendations of the mayor’s Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force are gaining stature and heft. Mayor Williams drew on them in his budget for the current fiscal year. They’ve surfaced in proposed legislation to support “workforce” housing affordable to city employees and in debates over inclusionary zoning.

And goals developed by the Task Force are showing up in the overhaul of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 1984. It’s slated to be replaced by a new Plan that’s coming before the City Council this fall, to serve as an overall guide to decisions about building, zoning, roads, transportation, and more.

Advocates for affordable housing are excited that inclusionary zoning and enhanced support for the Housing Production Trust Fund are included in the draft Plan. As elements of a new Comp Plan, they would serve as yardsticks against which many government actions could be measured.

That might smooth out some of the bumps and jolts of the last several years, which have seen a loss of affordable housing as prices rise and neighborhoods change. A determination to reboot the city’s development decisions drives much of the support for the new draft Plan. Ironically, similar concerns about the impact of large-scale development are also turning the Comp Plan into one of the last grand neighborhood fights to confront Mayor Williams and the outgoing City Council.

Opponents say the draft Plan hasn’t been adequately vetted, and that flaws in its technical language could open the door to too much redevelopment, too fast. The Council heard many of these criticisms at a September hearing, and will again in late October, when it considers whether to approve the draft Plan as is, call for changes, or leave the decision for next year’s new mayor and Council.

Whatever happens, the Office of Planning’s baseline projections for population and jobs, and the Housing Task Force’s recommendations, are expected to be the starting points for discussions of D.C.’s housing needs for years to come. As early as next year, they could find their way into more housing-related legislation before the City Council.

As for the high hopes reflected in the draft Plan, their success will depend on the attitudes, and the actions, of everyone from the new mayor and Council, to developers, planning and zoning professionals, the ANCs, civic groups, and everyday Washingtonians.

A Shout-Out from Cheryl Barnes Street Politics heard from Cheryl Barnes, Washington’s well-known freelance homeless advocate, who had a message for the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter: “Your voice was heard in your city of Washington, D.C. It reminds me of the voice coming from a guy named Mitch Snyder, that we humans in the state of homelessness might be in a shelter for now, but don’t deserve to be there for our future.

Keep up the good work!”

Your feedback is welcome at StreetPoliticsDC@aol.comWhat’s on your mind? E-mail StreetPoliticsDC@aol.com.

Title: Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2006 (Introduced in House) Purpose: On May 9, 2006, this bill was introduced in the House of Representatives to change to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 1976. The bill seeks to extend certain provisions of the law to more American Indians and Alaskan Natives (referred to as “Indians” in the Congressional Record for this bill) and to revise other parts of the law.

Background The original Indian Health Care Improvement Act was enacted to provide federally for the care and education of American Indians and Alaskan Natives by improving the services and facilities of the federal Indian health programs, and by encouraging maximum participation by American Indi-

ans and Alaskan Natives in these programs.

This act would allow qualified Native Americans to enroll in State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), Medicare and Medicaid, and for related payments to Indian Health Programs and Urban Indian Organizations.

This act would also consolidate existing health programs of Indian tribes and tribal organizations into a new program of comprehensive behavioral health, prevention, treatment and aftercare for Indian tribes, all through the Indian Health Service.

The Indian Health Services is currently an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, which has the responsibility of providing health services to federally recognized American Indians and Alaskan Natives through a system of tribal and urban programs, and Congressional acts. The agency’s mission is to raise the physical,

mental, social and spiritual health of Native Americans by ensuring that high-level personal and public health services are accessible.

Additionally, this act would create a bipartisan Indian Health Care Commission to study the health service needs in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities by preparing and reviewing a report, and making recommendations to Congress about the delivery of federal health care services to Indians.

Sponsor: Rep. Don Young (D-Alaska) Cosponsor: A mix of 29 Republican and Remocrat representatives Status: Sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means, which granted an extension (until November 17, 2006) for consideration of the bill.

Get Out the Vote You don’t need a home to vote – but you do need to register. That was the message from Brenda Lee-Wilson when she helped register voters near Dupont Circle in early October. Lee-Wilson is a Street Sense vendor who also works with the National Coalition for the Homeless’ Speakers Bureau, and she pitched in for NCH’s voter registration drive, part of National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week. Lee-Wilson has often been involved in community affairs; she donated housecleaning services to the Street Sense silent auction and fundraiser, she has testified before the City Council’s Human Services Committee about conditions in the shelters, and she has written for Street Sense.

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Street Sense . October/November 2006

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Russia Wins Homeless World Cup In late September, Russia became the new Homeless World Cup champion after defeating first-time team Kazakhstan 1-0 in the final match.

“One of my strongest dreams has been realized,” said Russian Captain Shelaevskiy Viatcheslav. “I will never forget these days. Our main goal when we get home is the creation of a street soccer league.

Football helped save me. I’ve made friends and if anything happens to me, I now have friends to help me.”

Other teams that finished in the top five were Poland, Mexico and Cameroon, respectively. The United States’ team ranked 46th overall, finishing above Norway and Malawi.

The event, held in Capetown, South Africa, was the fourth Homeless World Cup and by far the largest. Nearly 500 players representing 48 nations participated in the event, compared to the 27 teams represented last year.

South African President Thabo Mbeki and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu were among those present supporting the event.

The Homeless World Cup concept came about in 2001 as the idea of Harald Schied, editor of Austrian street paper Megaphon, and Mel Young, co-founder of The Big Issue Scotland street paper, at the International Network of Street Papers Conference. The first Homeless World Cup was held in 2003 in Graz, Austria, and has since been played yearly in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2004 and Edinburgh, Scotland in 2005.

Nike and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have been supporters of the event since it began.

Men and women over 16 years of age who have been homeless at some point after September 2005 Knight is just one of nearly 500 homeless people worldwide coming together in South Africa. were eligible to play. Each participating country had a team of eight players, with four playing at a time.

Matches were played in a special stadium on the streets, on enclosed street surfaced courts. Games of his team, by this time a hodgepodge lasted for 14 minutes in four rounds of play.

SOCCER, from p.1 of players from New York, Charlotte and The 2007 Homeless World Cup is set to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark in July 2007.

- Peter Cohn “It was not about me playing soccer elsewhere. Passport issues should have but the whole idea of playing soccer to also held up Knight, who is on parole and bring attention to this whole cause and thought he was unable to leave D.C., let the problem of homelessness around the alone the country. world,” Knight said.

He also had trouble tracking down his With sponsors like Nike and special birth certificate and even making it to the guests like Archbishop Desmond Tutu passport agency in New York. Apparently the Homeless World Cup has turned into despairing of his making their scheduled a worldwide phenomenon in just four flight, the rest of the U.S. team and its years. coach Jeff Grunberg left two days before It has also changed the lives of the Knight at last procured his passport. players, all of whom are homeless or “I am still in awe that I was able to used to be. A year after the 2004 Home- go,” Knight said. “Everyone was saying I less World Cup, 78 of the 204 participants should just let it go and that it’s not going were working regular jobs — including 16 to happen, but I said, ‘No! I am claiming that became professional soccer play- this.’” ers or coaches — and 95 improved their And once Knight got to South Africa housing conditions.

— and managed to find where the players Last year just 27 teams participated, were staying — he said it was like a dream including one from the U.S. This year a come true. He said the players were whole new batch of U.S. players attend- treated like royalty, parading through the ENU ELECTIONS ed, including Knight, the first one from streets, having videos made of their evthe Washington area. ery move and being surrounded by locals Knight became homeless nine months hanging on to their every word.

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE VEGAN VEGETABLE ROPA VIEJA ago on ending an 18-month stint in prisKnight said he even shook the hands on. Dropped off at the Central Union Mis- of Archbishop Tutu and South African HORS D’OEUVRES SANDWICHES CURRY Roast Beef & Watercress Wrap Fresh vegetables with tofu in a Pulled flank steak with spicy Maryland Crab Cakes sion with “$42 in my pocket and a jean president Thabo Mbeki.

Veggie Hummus Wrap rich and spicy curry sauce, sofrito sauce, served with black Chicken Satay with spicy outfit on my back,” he soon switched to And the players also bonded, Knight Thai Basil Chicken Salad served over steamed rice with beans and Spanish rice peanut sauce the CCNV shelter. There he helped in the reported, not because of their homeless Basil, Mozzarella and Roasted carrot-daikon slaw Smoked Salmon Pinwheels computer lab by day and worked at the situation back in their countries of origin, Red Pepper Sandwich Artichoke & Olive Crostini Verizon Center at night (a job he learned but through religion, politics, comedy he’d lost upon his return to the States).

— and most important, soccer.

Late in June he saw a poster in the But amongst all the fanfare and camacomputer lab advertising tryouts for soc- raderie, Knight said what he remembers Fresh Start Catering offers professional catering cer players for the Homeless USA Cup, most are the locals from South Africa, services while employing graduates from DC and decided to give that sport a try. “It who made him realize how the littlest Central Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training program, was difficult getting people to show up, gestures can mean so much. further preparing them for employment in the but there were four of us that were faithHe recalls that after a match on one food service industry. ful and getting into it,” he said. of the last days, a young South African So the team of four went to Charlotte girl came up to him and asked him for and had a great time — but placed last in something of his she could take away for the tournament. It therefore seemed to a souvenir. And Knight, standing there Knight he’d lost to the team from Atlanta, in his sweat-drenched soccer outfit and FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: the winner, his chance to go to South Af- cleats, told her he had nothing. She then Fresh Start Catering rica and represent the U.S. in the Home- asked for his dirty socks because she had less World Cup. none of her own.

425 2nd ST NW Then he lucked out. Because of pass“And when I took off my socks and Washington, DC 20001 port problems the Atlanta players could gave them to her, she gave me a big hug,” (202) 234-0707 | freshstart@dccentralkitchen.org not go. Just two weeks before the start of Knight explained. “What meant so much www.dccentralkitchen.org the tournament, Knight received the call: to her was something that I had taken for he would go to South Africa with the rest granted.”

FRESH START CATERING Celebrating Ten Years of Serving More Than Just Great Food M

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10 PHOTOS & POETRY

Street Sense . October/November 2006

A Young Heart World Hello young world!

Is your world truly yours?

Make your homework a chore.

Settle scores for the poor, and maybe city slick across a few marble floors.

Accept, whatever never.

Keep your perspective broad as the horizon, and wisen up until your cup overflow becomes knowledge.

Truly a young world, for sure it’s all yours!

Just grab a book, don’t be a crook.

Open as if every exit is an entrance, because with patience and perseverance, prayer can help you concur the frustrations of adolescents.

Here’s the message.

There is a God, and with acceptance comes his blessing.

For the Lamb’s blood was shed, and his forgiveness was as of a sip.

Again, young world I say to you, your world is yours.

For the word of God heals the spirit, as Aloe Vera to a sore!

Here’s a picture of success. This is a really goo shelter and has a good job and place of his own.

I call this portrait “Dread Man.” I have never seen dread locks like that before; they are amazing!

Cliff

Vendor Cliff “the been snapping portra passersby in the las these are some of h wants you to particip – before reading the ca homeless….looks

- Bobby Gene Buggs, Jr.

Invisible Being Do you see me? I think you do.

Do you hear me? I think you do.

As you walk toward me, what are you thinking As you walk toward me, what are you saying As I acknowledge you I get no response As I acknowledge you I hear mocking remarks As I acknowledge you I see fear in your eyes I am to you the Invisible being that does not exist I am to you the Invisible being that is known as worthless I am to you the Invisible being who is mentally insane I am to you the Invisible being who is known as a bum I am to you the Invisible being who is known as a drunkard I am to you the Invisible being who is known as a crackhead I am to you who is known as all of the above I am to you the Invisible being

- August Mallory

This is Bill. I love his mustache because it’s quite

What really attracted me to this photo was the nurturing aspect of it – mother with child and all -- but I do like here dreadlocks, too.

PHOTOS & POETRY 11

Street Sense . October/November 2006

A Very Long Walk There is a pharmacy on this corner. this is where i once turned hopes & dreams to puffy silver clouds of nothing. there is a pharmacy down the street;

od friend of mine who recently moved out of the .

f’s Pics

Why do I like this photo? I like dogs and I like ladies and this has ‘em both.

e Moose” Carle has aits of customers and st few months. And his favorites. Now he pate and try to choose aptions – which one is s can be deceiving!

the Very Poor Folks pharmacy sits on the corner of sixth and nowhere; in the stifling waiting room we perch on cheap plastic chairs counting the airless hours until our names are called and life-sustaining capsules packed in small brown bags are passed through iron bars to our hard and fragile hands a wrong turn at seventh and nowhere carries me past a man with broken teeth & sunken cheeks who grasps me by the shoulder, whispers “i’ll take you round the corner & show you where they got the real shit...” he knows my face from furtive skulking nights of looking for an ersatz heaven but on all those mornings after, rapture’s exit door led to stinking damp dark depths and my screams of anguish echoed against attentive ears of no-one it is a very long walk from seventh to sixth, from the pharmacy on this corner (sidewalks lined with whispering hucksters) to the Poverty Pharmacy where the very poor folks recieve potions which fix broken hearts & heads & lives.

e, um, unique.

I love this picture because this guy looks so put together but he really is a nut obsessed with Jennifer Lopez. He’s the homeless one.

- David Harris

Street Sense . October/November 2006

12 FEATURES

My Turn At the Table By Allen Jones

Brazilian Brilliance

peter Cohn

But, let’s get to the important details of this review: the food.

Our first course was a variety of vegetables and cold meats. There were too many choices to remember, but many of the vegetables were from different countries like South Africa and Italy. I really enjoyed all of them, but one really stood out—the tubule. Tubule is a choppy green vegetable dish that resembles fresh spinach, and was very good on its own. We also enjoyed the delicious fried bread potatoes. And we particularly enjoyed the cold salmon and a cold lunchmeat steak, which was like biting into butter.

The main course consisted of several rounds of different meats, which were all delectable. Our favorites were the filet mignon, roasted chicken and steaks served on spools. Instead of waiting for separate orders of well-done, medium Vendor Allen Jones waits for some perfectly cooked meat or rare meats, all of those choices from a waiter at Fogo de Chao. were brought to the table.

Street Sense intern Peter Cohn and I were And at Fogo de Chao you do not happy to get out of the rain and into the classy wait for your order to be taken because they Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian restaurant in Down- use a signal system using red and green discs. town D.C. As we entered the restaurant, our Green indicates that you want to be served hostess greeted us with courtesy and profes- and red means you are not ready to be served. sionalism. When she escorted us to our table, And as soon as we turned the disc to green a I noticed right away that this establishment is waiter arrived with a variety of meats. very popular with the lunch crowd.

Truly, I would say that of the many restauThe restaurant is immaculate and its ar- rant establishments in the downtown area, chitecture and chandeliers provide a warm, Fago de Chao with its quality entrees, variety comfortable atmosphere in which individu- of meats and polite and efficient service has als, couples and groups can dine. The staff to rank at the very top of list. wears a traditional outfit – tall black boots, black pants, red shirts and black vests.

Allen has been a vendor for Street Sense for Peter and I were quite impressed by the nearly three years. He loves to play tennis and quick and pleasant service. read books about business strategies.

A Portrait of Innocence

An original drawing of a young girl from Jean-Jean. He is a resident of Franklin Shelter and is looking to publish his own book on religion. (If you are interested in purchasing any of his drawings, contact info@streetsense.org.)

E-Commerce: Efficiency and Identity Theft I’ve been told that patience is a virtue; in fact, I’m told that quite often by family and friends, because patience is something that doesn’t always come easily for me. If you want to see me at my worst, put me in a long line at the bank or DMV – with no reading material – and watch me fidget, as my mind reels with thoughts of all the things I could be getting done if I weren’t standing in line.

Given my low tolerance for waiting, I was beside myself when I learned that I could stop waiting and “point and click” instead. In no time at all I was paying bills, shopping for books, clothes and household items, checking my bank account balances and transferring funds, registering my car, buying and shipping birthday gifts, and so much more, all online. In addition to the time I saved, I was also thrilled about the money I was saving on postage, transportation, and sales tax. There was no question that e-commerce changed

my life—for the better.

Then one cold day last December when I unknowingly provided an online thief (an internet “phisher”) with my social security number, a long list of personal information, and the keys to a lot more. Days later, I was faced with the rude awakening that my identity had been stolen.

It was really hard for me to swallow the fact that the same efficient technology that made it so easy for me to conduct my daily business made it equally easy for a stranger to steal my identity.

The following months were not fun; I filed police reports, fraud alerts with the three major credit bureaus, an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and several affidavits with my bank to get stolen funds returned to my accounts. I spent countless hours on the phone explaining to creditors that my identity was stolen and I had not ordered the items that I was billed for. I signed up for a credit monitoring service that sent text messages to my phone several times a week alerting me to the latest attack. It was a tremendous hassle, and while it seems to be under control right now,

there’s no telling when the thief (or thieves) will come back to impersonate me.

I was somewhat consoled when I learned that I was in good company; according to the FTC, at least 10 million Americans fall victim to identity theft each year, and most fall victim due to their internet activities. Until it happened to me, I was one of those people who thought that I was too smart to be duped by the latest phishing scheme. So I will repeat the advice that I’d heard many times before, but which, in a moment of haste, I failed to heed: 1.

If you get an e-mail or pop-up alert asking for personal information, don’t reply or click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies never request personal information by e-mail.

2.

Before you make a purchase or share personal information online, make sure the website is secure. Look for a lock icon on your web browser’s status bar or a URL that begins with “https” (the “s” means “secure.) But also know that scammers can forge these security indicators, so it’s best to stick to sites that you know and trust.

3.

Keep your website passwords in a secure place. Do not use obvious passwords – combinations of letters and numbers are best. Change your passwords regularly and do not use the same password for every online account.

4.

Protect your computer with reputable firewall, antivirus and spyware software.

It is worth the expense, and some programs are free.

5.

Review your credit report at least every 6 months and make sure that you recognize everything. You can order a free copy annually from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) at www.annualcreditreport.com.

To learn more about identity theft and how to deter, detect, or defend yourself if you become a victim, visit ftc.gov/idtheft or call the FTC hotline, 1-877-ID THEFT. This regular financial column is presented

by Capital Area Asset Building Corporation (www.caab.org). Send your questions on this topic or ideas for future topics to saving@caab. org.

LITERATURE

Street Sense . October/November 2006

Marvin Hammerman A mystery novel in parts BOOK 3, PART 9

By August Mallory

As late evening approaches in East Point, Ga., three men are planning to make another move on an innocent victim.

“Ok, so what’s our next move?” asked Handler. “We have to make a hit somewhere.”

“Not so fast, man,” said Smith, “we are going to have to think this thing through.

We have to figure out how we are going to handle those two dudes that we ran into earlier—especially that one dude who does all that fancy foot kicking.”

“Yeah! He almost broke my neck with that spin kick of his,” said Williams. “We need to hold back and figure this out awhile.”

As these three are figuring out their dastardly plan, Hammerman and Jamison are back at the Marriott Marquis Hotel working on a strategy to find these three guys.

“Russ, Mr. Gregory gave us the name of a woman who was almost killed by this Handler guy. What was her name again?”

“Yeah, Carmella Henderson was her name—she stays at the women’s section of the Atlanta Union Mission; maybe we can call the mission and talk to her.”

“Well, let’s see what they tell us.”

Hammerman makes the call to the Atlanta Union Mission and is transferred to the executive director.

“Good evening,sir. My name is Marvin Hammerman. I am a District Attorney working on a case here in Atlanta, and am in need of your help to locate someone for me, a woman by the name of Carmella Henderson.”

“Very good, sir,” says the director. “Allow me to connect you with the women’s shelter.” Once directed to the women’s shelter, Hammerman begins to provide details of the case. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to locate Carmella Henderson, and it is discovered that she is at a day resource called the Gateway Center.

As Hammerman and Jamison make their way to the Gateway, Smith, Williams and Handler are now in town searching for another victim to assault.

At police headquarters, Capt. Chadwell comes up with some surprising information: The fingerprints left on the knife at the crime scene are the same fingerprints found on a blunt object used to kill Billy Joe Biddle. The fingerprints belong to a man by the name of Daniel Smith—a longtime fugitive on the run.

Chadwell immediately contacts Jamison and informs him of the discovery.

Once Jamison finishes speaking with Capt. Chadwell, he and Hammerman continue their interview with Carmella Henderson.

“Miss Henderson, we were referred to you by a Mr. Ronald Gregory. We really need your help in this case we are working on. Mr. Gregory tells us you once had a confrontation with a Jeffery Handler.”

“Yes,” she replies, “I know who Jeffery Handler is. He is a total nutcase who does not belong on the street. I had been drinking very heavily one day and he nearly beat me senseless with a very large stick almost as thick and heavy as a 2x4. I thought he was going to kill me. I was too intoxicated to defend myself, and that’s how he got the better of me. I spent several days in Grady Memorial Hospital with two broken ribs, a broken knee bone, a broken collar bone, two black eyes and a swollen face. That man is crazy—he has no remorse for anybody or anything.

She adds, “He hangs out with two other men who call themselves Smitty and Gutter; I don’t know their real names.”

“I believe we do; that information is being sought after as we speak,” replies Hammerman.

Hammerman and Jamison are observed from three pairs of watchful eyes as they leave the Gateway Center. Suddenly, a large stone hits Jamison in the back and he falls to the ground. Smith, Handler and Williams go on the attack fast and hard—knocking Hammerman off balance. Instantly, a gunshot is fired that hits Jamison in the right leg and Hammerman in the shoulder. The three men take off running.

Witnesses heard the shooting, and one yells to his staff inside about what has just taken place.

Security personnel move swiftly to the aid of Hammerman and Jamison; the police are called, and an EMS is also en route.

Coming next month: As Jamison and Hammerman are being treated for gunshot wounds, Smith, Handler and Williams are identified as the parties who may have been involved in the murder of Billy Joe Biddle.

13

bOOK rEVIEW

Slavery: From its Ancient Roots to its Legacy in the New World

David Brion Davis’s “Inhuman Bondage” is a thorough recounting of slavery in the New World, from the capture of blacks in Africa, their enslavement in the Caribbean and the Americas, and finally to their release.

This easy read leaves few aspects of this tragic period unexamined.

Davis is a Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University and Director Emeritus of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition, also at Yale, and is widely considered the country’s leading authority on slavery. “Inhuman Bondage” (Oxford 2006), subtitled “the Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World”, attests to this.

He reminds us that slavery was not unique to the New World, and goes back at least to ancient Rome. But it was not until the 1500s that it became widespread, with blacks being captured in Africa and transported by the New World’s conquerors to labor in their new, rich lands.

“The peoples of West Africa, as well as those of every maritime nation in western Europe and every colony in the New World,” Davis writes, “played a part in the creation of the world’s first system of multinational production for what emerged as a mass market -- a market for slave-produced sugar, tobacco, coffee, chocolate, dye stuffs, rice, hemp and cotton.”

Truly multinational, blacks were first captured by other blacks, then sold in West African ports, then transferred to British, Spanish or Portuguese slavers and taken to the Caribbean islands or to mainland North America.

There the enslaved were sold, and with the money “earned,” the ships bought up the New World’s goods for transport to the Old World.

And there, once the cargo was unloaded, the ships headed back to Africa for a new load of slaves.

Davis says slavery was vital to the New World and not an accident. “We must face the ultimate contradiction that our free and democratic society was made possible by massive slave labor.”

He writes extensively about the rise of slave labor and its uses in Portuguese Brazil, but centers on slavery in North America and the Caribbean.

In a discussion of a subject not often covered by other writers on slavery, Davis examines racism’s link to slavery. He asks if anti-black racism led to the choice of Africans to meet the labor demands of the New World or was racism the result of long-term interaction with black slaves, as some historians have claimed.

Racism/slavery is a complex equation, but Davis points out that in both the ancient and medieval worlds there was a strong inclination to equate slavery with ugliness and dark skins. “Thus various interpreters claimed over the ages that the biblical Joseph, sold by his brothers to slave traders, did not ‘look like a slave’, since he was so handsome and lightskinned.” This equation still pertains in parts of the world.

Davis takes a close look at the first major

Inhuman Bondage

By David Brion Davis (Oxford University Press, 2006)

slave rebellion in the New World, the successful 1791-1804 revolution by blacks in Haiti and its impact on North America. The victory

by Haitian blacks over the armies of France, Spain and Britain inspired other blacks and “hovered like a weapon of mass destruction in the minds of slave-holders as late as the American Civil War.” Abolitionism in Britain in the 1830s, and Britain’s freeing of some 800,000 colonial slaves put pressure on other European nations to end their slave trade and led to a strengthening of anti-slavery forces in the United States.

But U.S. abolitionists faced strong opposition. The government supported slavery and slavery’s economic benefits were great.

To maintain this “inhuman bondage,” Davis writes, “the ‘lords of the lash’ forged close ties with Northern ‘lords of the loom,’ to say nothing of Northern banking, insurance and shipping firms.”

But the abolitionists were a potent force.

And then came Abraham Lincoln. Before him, no president had challenged the slave-holding interests. Lincoln’s election, however, led to formation of the Confederacy, which gave recognition and protection to the institution of slavery.

The federal reaction was the Emancipation Proclamation.

Davis concludes that slavery in the New World ended in large measure through a major transformation in moral perception led by anti-slavery advocates. These advocates “were willing to condemn an institution that had been sanctioned for thousands of years and who also strove to make human society something more than an endless contest of greed and power.”

“Inhuman Bondage” is a superb summary of New World slavery, its origins and demise, and also a reminder that although the bondage has ended, slavery’s legacy remains.

- Robert Trautman

14 PUZZLES

Street Sense . October/November 2006

Cryptogram

Street Su-Do-Ku

Solve the message below to discover a famous, meaningful quote on poverty and homelessness.

This Su-Do-Ku puzzle was put together by vendor Chris Sellman who claims he is obessed with the game.

He promises that the puzzle below is easy to solve, but warns it may get beginners hooked!

Just fill in the numbers 1 through 9 without repeating a number in any column, row or box.

MKZ SCWZVME CY CRV UZGMRVE JA RGOJPZ MKFM CY FGE CMKZV. JM JA GCM, FA SCWZVME LFA DZYCVZ, MKZ VZAROM CY GFMRVFO AUFVUJME, DRM CY F AZM CY SVJCVJMJZA JQSCAZB RSCG MKZ VZAM CY

Last Month’s Solution 2

3

8

7

1

5

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9

4

1

4

9

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8

2

7

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7

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8

9

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5 8 7

2 2

9

Last Month’s Solution: Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. ~Norman Vincent Peale

14

15

16

7 8 9 10 11

17

18

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12

3

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7

8

21 24

27

6

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25

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11

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30 32

36

37

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33 38

42

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51 57

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65

ACROSS 1 Blooper 6 Green seedless plant 10 Spoken 14 Dote 15 Vendo who like Maya Angelou 16 Love flower 17 Washington _____ Clinic for the Homeless 18 Object 19 Association (abbr.)

20 Soon 21 Sea eagle 22 Feels sorry for 24 Corn syrup brand 26 Split second 27 Disposable horn 30 Residence hall 31 French capital 32 Long boat 33 Container top 36 Bushed 37 Avenue

58

52

56

www.CrosswordWeaver.com

34

43

44 47

10

26

31

46

9

38 40 41 43 44 45 46 49 50 51 52 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

53

54

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59

DOWN Showery 1 Merry Compass point 2 City in Yemen Manner 3 ___ de Chao Street ______ 4 Shelter saved from Aegis closure Small hats Vendor with trucking job 5 Conger 6 Large Antic L A P S Loaf A D S O Chat Grabs W V A M Cast metal M I L D E Competition at the Greek A C M E games N E S T Irrigation ditch E M Money raised at auction N O C O (in thousands) V E N T O Spoke E A T Booby T R O T 24 hour periods A C Whirl R A T I O Word with home or in E V E N S F E N T Y

September’s Answer Key

2

13 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35 39 42 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 58 59

Asian nation Title of respect 1972 Olympic location Talk Stringed instrument need Captial Area ___ Building Corp.

Glasses part Be incorrect Doused Person sensitive to art Impressionist painter Recess Dozes Oak Author of “Inhuman Bodage” Log house Straight mark Institution (abbr.)

Colors Airman Excite Baby eating apparel Common girl’s name Hurting Ancient German letters Swell Tie Gilt Green Gables dweller Sponsor of Indian healthcar e act Sleigh Apollo Discs

C R U B R A T E E T E R W G R P L E A Y E A R N E R Y S T T E C H R O S C A R W E S T L L U R O B E A B O V T I B I

J A K E

O B E Y S

H N S A F T L L Y

A B P I L S T E I S E M L E I F T D T E L A E

G E O O L S D U N E A S Y

S T R I D E

1 2

7 6

7

Hint: Y = F

1

6 9

5 9 7 3

8 4

MKZ LCVOB DE MKZ VJUK. – XCKG DZVIZV

Crossword

7

8 7 4 1

2 6 9 1

4 3

2 1 8

9

8

7

Put a “Face” to Homelessness Hear personal stories from people who have experienced it!

Who is homeless and why?

What are the causes of homelessness?

What can I do to help?

Get the answers to these and other questions from the REAL EXPERTS! Bring our “Faces of Homelessness” panel to your place of worship, school or community center.

National Coalition for the Homeless “Faces of Homelessness” Speakers’ Bureau Michael O’Neill Director, Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau National Coalition for the Homeless phone: 202-462-4822 x20 fax: 202-462-4823 email: moneill@nationalhomeless.org website: www.nationalhomeless.org

FEATURES 15

Street Sense . October/November 2006

Pop quiz

Commercial Ruins Inventor

By James Davis

Homeless Sensitivity Rating 1. Tou are going to lunch solo at a Subway or Quiznos and encounter a homeless person looking through the trash barrel for food scraps as you go in, do you – (a) Tell him/her “that’s a nasty habit! Get out of there!” (0 points) (b) Tell him/her he shouldn’t eat out of a trashcan, it’s unsanitary. (1 point) (c) Offer him $2.00 to get himself/herself something to eat. (3 points) (d) Invite him/her inside as your guest where he can clean up in the restroom and treat him/her to lunch. (7 points) 2. Tou encounter a homeless person shaking a cup and asking for money, do you (a) Yell at him/her “get a job!” (0 points) (b) Tell him/her a sign might get better results and wish him luck. (1 point) (c) Drop all your loose change in his/her cup and smile. (3 points) (d) Give him/her a dollar or two and chat him/her up, ask how he/she is doing.

(5 points) 3. You see a homeless person walking in the snow with no shoes on and you just came out of Payless Shoes from a shopping spree. do you – (a) Stop and say “hey you idiot, don’t you know it’s freezing out here!?” (0 points) (b) Say to him/her “you should put some shoes on.” (1 point) (c) Offer to buy him/her a pair of socks. (3 points) (d) Take him/her inside the store and put a pair of shoes and some thermal socks on your credit card. (7 points) 4. You see someone physically attacking a homeless person for no reason, do you (a) Join in and help them. (0 points) (b) Tell him/her to run. (1 point) (c) Try to stop it by yelling at the attacker. (3 points) (d) Try to enlist help from others who are around and call the police. (6 points) Final Score: 0 – 4 points: Examine your reasoning in buying this paper. Try volunteering at a soup kitchen or shelter.

5 – 12 points: You are sensitive to the needs of the homeless. Continue to strive to become more involved.

13 - 20 points: Your heart is in the right place. We need more people like you.

20 points or more: You are a model citizen. Consider becoming an advocate or fulltime volunteer helping the homeless if you are not already.

By Conrad Cheek Jr.

O

ver the last few years I have been attempting to patent a mobile cellular phone charger I designed. You m a y re c a l l a n advertisement in Street Sense for the PUCCER (Pocket -Sized Universal Cordless Cellular Phone Recharger). It is a product that can charge the average cellular phone twice a day for years to come, with no additional cost.

Recently, I observed an Energizer commercial where a person charged his cellular phone with a pocket-sized recharging device using a single-use battery.

My hopes for the future were devastated.

I had planned to complete the patent process, find a manufacturer and collect royalty checks for a lucrative living-wage retirement.

Now I am faced with big corporations making a similar device. And there are other devices out there that do the same now – although they use single-use batteries that have to be replaced.

I can argue that my invention is more economical in the long run because my rechargeable battery pack lasts about four years. Based on the cost of the original purchase, this averages out to about $2.00 per month. In addition, the PUCCER is more ecologically sound because the battery pack is recycled every four years, as opposed to single-use batteries which, with heavy use, may be discarded as often as three times a week.

The question arises as to how I can salvage

a decent portion of the financial expectations of my invention. Should I solicit someone at Duracell to purchase the patent on the cheaper single-use battery version of the PUCCER? The advantage of my product is that it is universal: all cellular phones can be charged in a car with a cigarette lighter adapter, and that same car charger adapter can be used for any cellular phone in a PUCCER or a DUCCER (Duracell Universal Cordless Cellular Recharger.) Others may or may not produce an adapter for every cell phone on the market, but the PUCCER and the DUCCER are “universal”.

I am sure that some of our Street Sense readers want to know the status of the patent process for the PUCCER. Well, to cut a long story short, it did not work out, and I guess I am one of the many people who never managed to secure patent protection for a good idea, or bring it to the point of successful, high-volume sales. My investors, patent lawyer and I did not see eyeto-eye, and the patent process takes a long time anyway, more so when disputes arise.

After this, I saw the television ad for a cellular phone recharger, and my heart sank. At this point, I would like establish a relationship with a financial backer and a patent attorney because the PUCCER is only one of my several inventions.

Nothing would make me happier than to put past disappointments behind me, patent some other good ideas, and start working my way to financial stability.

Conrad has been a vendor for Street Sense for nearly three years. He can often be found at Eastern Market and in Georgetown. See his PUCCER “Going Out of Business Sale “ ad on page 18.

Raising Dollars and Sense Thanks You! Thank You! Thank You! Thanks to everyone who attended our first silent auction fundraiser. It was a huge success, with 141 people in attendance, 66 items auctioned off, and $9,036 raised.

And a very special thank you to those that helped make it happened. With all of your hard work and generosity this event turned out to better than expected.

EVENT ORGANIZERS Ted Henson, chair Amy Dietterich Jessi LeGarde Mike O’Neill David Pike Laura T. Osuri Rebecca Schlesinger EVENT VOLUNTEERS Michelle Gaudet David Hammond

Courtney Meade Jen Pearl Jennifer Singleton Marian Wiseman SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Cafe Saint Ex: for the drinks Fresh Start Catering: for the food Brad McCormick: for the music Project Northstar: for the space St. Andrews School: for the paper flowers

PUBLISHER LEVEL TICKETS Congressional Hunger Center Caroline Gabel Barbara Kagan John Kenny Jonathan Lamy Michael Osuri Swinitha Osuri David Pike Bill Slover Laura Slover Bernie and Becky Thompson Michael Ward Marian Wiseman

And we hope to see all of you and more next September when we plan to do it again, but even bigger and better!

16 EDITORIALS

Street Sense . October/November 2006

In My Opinion By David Pirtle On the Road By August Mallory

Cops, Curfews and Stereortypes in Jackson

I

begin this story as I prepare to say goodbye to all of my Street Sense readers. I have one more trip to make, and that trip will be from Pittsburgh, Pa. As I make my way through the Jackson, Miss., area, I tour the home of civil rights activist Medgar Evers. Evers fought for the equal rights of African Americans in Mississippi. As I look around, I still see disdain towards African Americans in this part of the country. The poverty rate is extremely high, and probably higher than it is in the Washington D.C. area.

I am directed to a place called the Stewpot Community Services Center, which is located at 1100 West Capitol Street in downtown Jackson. It’s a very noisy sort of place, and there’s a lot of gridlock among the clients. But as I arrive for lunch, I have a very nice, enjoyable meal.

Downtown Jackson is a city unlike Chicago, New York or any of the big-name cities. It’s a somewhat sleepy, laidback, quiet sort of town where you would expect few problems. But Jackson probably has more poverty and crime and fewer compassionate politicians than any place in the country.

I recently lear ned that the cur few has been ter minated. Jackson’s arrogant mayor has decided not to fully enforce a curfew on the homeless in Jackson. As I was having lunch at the Stewpot, that’s all I heard about.

I noticed that Jackson police officers were stopping a lot of people for various things.

One man was stopped for having his backpack unzipped with a shiny object sticking out. It turned out that the object was a musical instrument that looked liked a weapon to the officer. I looked at the person, and then I looked at the officer, and thought, “Just how ridiculous can you be?” Surely, if the person had a weapon, do you honestly think he would be so stupid as to expose it in clear view? I don’t think so. However, in the criminal justice system, law enforcement officials are trained to think negatively. And that means that when they see a person who is homeless or who may appear to be homeless, they think that person is most definitely the criminal type.

Homeless people are crazy, homeless people are dangerous, homeless people are all crooks and thieves, they are all drunks and dope addicts, and they are all lazy and a bunch of worthless street trash. That is the rule of law about the homeless in this part of the country. And it’s a crying shame.

May I say this? We talk about dishonesty with the homeless. But we overlook the people who wear the fancy $900 to $1000 suits and carry their fancy attaché cases. I have often wondered, besides paperwork, what else are they carrying? When we see a person dressed like that, we feel very comfortable. And yet they could be the biggest crook there is. And we will allow that person access to any place around.

But when a person who is dressed down in second-hand clothing and looking not-so-presentable, we automatically assume he is up to no good. And that is what I have experienced here in the Jackson area. I have spoken with a few community leaders, especially church ministers, and they all feel that the homeless and people in poverty are treated less than human beings.

I wanted to stay in Jackson for a couple of more days to get more information on Medgar Evers and his assassination. In the next issue, I will share with you what I found.

Please tune into the More Betterman Show on Radio Station WOL-AM 1450 this month and next month. As I wrap up my final show in November.

August has been a vendor since the first issue of Street Sense. He is originally from Indiana but calls Baltimore home. You can contact him at carriergroup2009@yahoo. com. Also, if anyone cares to donate to August’s travel fund, please send your contribution to Street Sense and note that it is for “On The Road.”

A Poor Record on Mental Health Care for the Poor

I

n this nation, homelessness and mental illness often go hand-in-hand.

The practically nonexistent mental health care safety net compounds the inherent difficulties of living with symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other diseases, resulting in the current crisis. And the situation appears to be only getting worse with the shortage of hospital beds and appropriate treatment.

As a homeless man struggling with schizoaffective disorder, I am one of more than a million Americans with mental illness who sleep in hospital beds, prison bunks or simply on the street.

Recent surveys have counted more than 12,000 homeless people in the greater Washington, D.C., area, and between 36% and 39% have been diagnosed as schizophrenic. When these people look for help, the only entity to which they can turn is the city.

Unfortunately, Washington’s record for dealing with the mentally ill has always been poor.

Last year, D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Rufus King, in a letter to U.S. District Chief Judge Thomas Hogan, questioned whether the District was meeting its legal obligations to the mentally ill, citing a sharp decrease in the number of admissions to St. Elizabeths Hospital, the only place where those afflicted with both poverty and mental illness can go for intensive treatment in the District. I myself can testify as to the difficulty of getting oneself hospitalized when you can’t afford it.

King also criticized the increasing number of patients who are released from St. Elizabeths only to be readmitted a few days later, indicating that they had been discharged without appropriate treatment and lacking significant outpatient services.

This drive to push people out of hospitals is not unique to the District. Since the advent of deinstitutionalization, the availability of hospital space for the mentally ill has declined from more than 200 beds per 100,000 citizens in 1970 to fewer than 50 in 1992.

King’s letter concluded with a criticism of “the criminalization of the mentally ill.” The justice system in the District is indeed swollen with individuals who should be getting help rather than doing time. The City Paper

reported that while the D.C. Jail is currently operating at 400 inmates below maximum capacity, the Correctional Treatment Facility, a medium-security wing for prisoners who require psychiatric care, is more than 100 inmates over capacity.

This is not a local phenomenon. Jamie Fellner of Human Rights Watch told the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons that “there are three times more mentally ill people in prisons than in mental health hospitals.” In 1985, 5.6% of U.S. prisoners were diagnosed as mentally ill. By 1999 that number had increased to more than 16%. That’s 300,000 mentally ill men and women at a cost of more than $50,000 per person, or $15 billion annually. Fellner characterized the care in these facilities as “woefully deficient.”

All of this doesn’t even take into account those who live in and out of shelters. The majority of these people don’t receive even the substandard care available to those in the District’s hospitals and prisons.

Where I stay, a facility known as Franklin Shelter, there are a number of men who go untreated for lack of a genuine intake process that could identify those in need and direct them to available services. Instead, they simply are warehoused.

For the mentally ill in shelters, life is often a constant barrage of abuse. Natural victims fall prey to those looking for an easy target.

At Franklin there have been several assaults on clients who couldn’t defend themselves and sometimes lacked even the ability to identify the perpetrator.

This, combined with a sense of apathy by the staff, virtually guarantees that these attacks go unpunished.

What is most embarrassing about this situation is that there is no reason why these people should be in shelters at all. According to Sam Tsemberis, founder of the New Yorkbased program Pathways to Housing, it is not only more sensible but also more fiscally responsible to place the mentally ill in permanent, single-occupancy homes.

He told The Washington Post that “putting someone in an apartment with a team of clinicians on call costs about $20,000 a year.

Putting someone in a shelter cot costs $25,000 to $30,000 a year.”

The District of Columbia cannot afford to keep ignoring this situation. As rates of mental illness continue to rise, the problems in our hospitals, prisons, shelters and streets will only worsen. Washingtonians need to decide whether we have a responsibility to provide at least a modicum of services to the most vulnerable of our citizens.

For the mentally ill in shelters, life is often a constant barrage of abuse. Natural victims fall prey to those looking for an easy target.

David is a resident of the Franklin Shelter in downtown D.C. You can e-mail him at anthonydavidpirtle@yahoo.com

EDITORIALS 17

Street Sense . October/November 2006

MAURICE SPEAKS

Signs of Change

I

n September, I witnessed a number of changes for the homeless, some of which are on a personal level but not all. At theCommunity for Creative NonViolence (CCNV ), I was able to leave the temporary quarters that I had assumed since June and return to the floor where the staff members reside. I was eligible to move into one of the available rooms, so I consider myself most fortunate.

September was also the month for the Democratic primaries. Adrian Fenty was elected as the Democratic candidate for mayor. For the homeless, this choice certainly comes as good news. He has repeatedly shown concern for the plight of the homeless in the District of Columbia as evidenced through the Public Roundtable Committees and through his activity in bringing the Homeless Services Reform Act to approval.

At the same time though, there are some grim realities that the homeless in the District must face; one of them is that hypothermia season this year will leave many people with no shelter.

The ongoing renovations at CCNV will keep its dropin closed to intake for hypothermia cases. Because of the renovations at CCNV, many of the male residents have been issued exit notices and have been transferred to the Franklin School shelter, thereby filling that facility.

The Gales School shelter will not be ready for occupancy in the coming year, so those people who do not find bed space in the few available beds will simply be out of

Thank You Godmother

luck. It’s as simple as that. No alternative shelters are being opened. There is nothing pretty about that reality.

Clearly, while some positive changes are taking place, more changes are needed. The lack of available shelters during hypothermia season should be regarded as a crisis, but so far, there are no signs of any action being taken.

Repeatedly I have heard that under the current city administration, homelessness is not a priority. It is October.

Action is needed now to affect the upcoming hypothermia season. The question is whether some alternatives can or will be found in the interim.

By the time the elections are held, it will be too late to implement any significant changes for this winter.

I still remember in the years before my becoming homeless when a friend told me that there was no need for anybody to be on the street in the District of Columbia, that the city government would provide shelter for anybody in need. Once, back in the 1980s when the Right to Shelter Act was in force, his words would have been true.

But those days are ancient history now.

The words of my friend still ring in my ears; he also believed that a resident in the District could not be evicted.

Apparently he was living in Fool’s Paradise while he was living here, and I shudder to think what became of him.

He truly believed that homelessness was not possible in the District of Columbia. How he could have believed that with the largest shelter for the homeless in the nation existing in the District is beyond me.

If he truly believed that the District of Columbia was a Shangri-La where homelessness was impossible, would logic not dictate that he would have returned? If he had, he would have discovered just how wrong he was.

Maurice King has been writing editorials for Street Sense since January 2004, and is in the process of publishing his own book. For comments, please e-mail him at benadam@ cyberdude.com.

By Ralph Dantley

H

ere in Washington D.C., we are in a crisis that is called “Affordable Housing.” With the homeless and unemployed population growing and minimum wage not keeping up with the cost of living, how can one expect to keep a roof over their heads? Especially with Washington D.C. becoming “condo crazy,” stating prices from $300,000 and up.

They make it sound like it’s buying a value meal at McDonalds, real cheap. Where is this “Affordable Housing” when people are making only minimum wage and having to work two jobs just to make it, how are you going to live? With rooms costing $500 and up a month, and apartments starting at about $800 a month — and that’s for an efficiency, hopefully with utilities included — what’s this “Affordable Housing”, when people aren’t making “Affordable Wages”. Take into consideration those who work and are homeless, living in shelters and other places.

Politicians and realtors speak of “Affordable Housing” as if it’s like going to the bathroom, real easy. Section 8 and vouchers aren’t solving the problem, because the list is so long.

SE Washington D.C. use to be the last frontier for so-called “Affordable Housing”, but with the realtors on the prowl, now SE is a boomtown. Prince George’s county is bearing the brunt of all of this dis/relocation and is at the point of declaring war on D.C., blaming its rise in crime on D.C. ex-residents.

So next time you hear someone talk about “Affordable Housing,” get their name and where they work and give them a call and tell them you and a few thousand people need a place, and where and when this “Affordable Housing” leasing office opens.

Ralph M. Dantley is the founder and executive director of a new nonprofit called Good Success Servant Services, which provides street outreach and hands-on help to those living on the streets.

Dental Care for the Homeless

By Bobby Buggs

T

I want to thank my Godmother, Joyce, who helped me make it through my recovery program these past two years.

I met her through a friend three years ago, and since then she has given me the strength and good advice to do what I’ve needed to do. I need to thank her because I love her and she has always been there for me. When I’m down, she lifts me up and she told me never to give up. Joyce gives me the strength I need and has stuck with me.

- Vendor Tommy Bennett

Affordable Housing in Different Terms

here are problems with dental health care in Washington, D.C., but I’m not quite sure if it’s a lack of communication or a lack of funding.

I have experienced numerous dental issues myself: I presently have four wisdom teeth that need to be pulled, an abscess and a cavity that needs to be seen to. But as a Medicaid recipient, I do not have dental coverage. There are some resources available but they’re spread out all over the city.

A report released in February 2006 by So Others Might Eat’s Rebecca Bruno said that the mayor and City Council should work with the Medical Assistance Administration (MAA) to fund a dental benefit so that all Medicaid recipients have access to oral health care. When I read this, I had to ask myself, in whose

best interest is this? I’m all for funding a dental benefit under Medicare, but who is going to need the free services when D.C. Health Care Alliance picks up the tab for those who lack Medicaid or private medical insurance coverage?

In addition, grant programs that revamped the low-income dental clinic program could very well have hindered the option to provide Medicaid recipients with dental care. I wouldn’t say the program funds were misappropriated, but there was a lack of research and a failure to determine what would be most beneficial for the people accessing these services.

Providing services to the needy must be paramount. Regardless of the upgrade of in-house services, overall, it’s still a vicious cycle of running around.

When I went to So Others Might Eat for help, they referred me to Walker Jones. When I got to Walker Jones, they asked me to call them later. I called the following day and was told I had to wait, and so on and so on. Situations like this do not serve Medicaid clients well. We need something better in D.C. that will allow dental patients to get the care they need and not the runaround.

Bobby Buggs has been a vendor for Street Sense for two and a half years, and wants to start his own fashion denim line someday soon.

If you are homeless or formerly homeless and want to share you ideas in a thoughtful editorial or if you have artwork or comics you wish to be published please send an e-mail to info@streetsense.org or mail to 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Street Sense . October/November 2006

18 COMMUNITY PAGE

UPCOMING EVENTS: Time to RUn! 5th Annual American Classic 5K: Race for Humanity When: Saturday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m.

Where: American University Campus. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. in front of Mary Gradon Center.

Who: Team Runn’g Heads, a student club at American U. What: Run a race to raise money that will benefit American University’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds homes for families experiencing great financial strife.

For more info or to register online visit www.americanclassic5k. com

19th Annual Help the Homeless Walkathon

When: Saturday, Nov. 18. Rain or shine. 7 a.m. Preregistration and event day registration begin. 8:30 a.m. pre-Walkathon activities begin. 9 a.m. Walkathon begins.

Where: Between 4th and 7th Streets, on the National Mall Who: The Fannie Mae Foundation What: Participate in the Walkathon to raise money for The Fannie Mae Foundation’s Help the Homeless Program. Nearly 200 beneficiary organizations that provide services to the homeless in the Washington metropolitan area will receive a portion of the funds raised at the Help the Homeless Program How Much: Preregistration fee: $25 for adults, $15 for youth (age 25 and younger); Event Day Registration fee: $30 for adults, $15 for youth.

For more info or to register online visit http://www.helpthehomelessdc.org/walkathon.html

5th Annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger When: Thursday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Day), 8:30 a.m.

Where: Begins on Ohio Drive between Independence Avenue and West Basin Drive in West Potomac Park.

Who: So Others Might Eat (SOME) What: 5K fun run and family walk to benefit SOME. How Much: Registration is $20 For more info or to register online visit www.some.org.

If you are a local nonprofit and have an event or announcement you want to publicize, please send all the key information to info@ streetsense.org before the 10th of the month.

Street Sense Is Hiring!!! **Vendor Manager** We are looking for a Vendor Manager who cares about Street Sense and its mission and is ready for some hands-on work. We want a quick learner who is motivated, creative, patient and organized and has experience working with homeless people.

Duties would include: • Coordinate job skills workshops • Recruit and train vendors • Help vendors get community exposure • Coordinate incentive system for vendors • Develop ways to increase vendor income • Provide some case management

Vendor Notes We are sad to report that vendor, board member and writer August Mallory will be leaving Street Sense at the end of November, and moving to Seattle, Wash. August has been with Street Sense since it started in November 2003, and has consistently written the Marvin Hammerman series every month as well as Focus on Baltimore/On the Road.

We will miss his steady presence, his wonderful stories and his very dry sense of humor dearly, but know that he will do great things on the West Coast and Seattle should be grateful to have him. While his “On the Road” column will cease, August said that he will probably continue Hammerman.

Perhaps a Seattle-based murder mystery this time?

This is an Americorps VISTA position (which has a set pay and reqires other commitments) through the National Coalition for the Homeless.

For more info or to submit your résumé and cover letter, please e-mail info@streetsense.org Goodbye August. We will miss you!

PUCCER HALF-PRICE SALE!!!

The Pocketsize Universal Cordless Cellphone Recharger is the last cellular phone charger you’ll ever need.

It is designed to be small, lightweight and carried in a shirt pocket or purse. It can replace your lost or broken home chargers, and will provide at least two spare charges per day for years to come.

When you change cell phones, there is no need to change the PUCCER. It gives you the freedom to recharge your cell phone while lying on a beach, or walking up the street, sitting on a flight, or out on the town at night.

If your cell phone loses power, be prepared to PUCCER UP! Please send JUST $40 money order for this limited edition model to Puccer Enterprises Inc. P.O. Box 15879, Wash, D.C., 20003-0879 or call (703) 577-9730. Or talk to vendor Conrad Cheek Jr. about it as he is also the inventor. ininventorPUCCER.

Subscribe to Street Sense!

Want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year? Order a subscription. When you do, not only will you receive 12 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also contribute to raising awareness on poverty in Washington.

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense. That means I get 12 issues for $25 a year. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: _________________ 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 support!

On a happier note, vendor Martin Walker has moved out of the area for a new job with a Richmond, Va.-based trucking company. This comes just a few weeks after he started another job at Bates Trucking, which he will be leaving. He was selling Street Sense up until the very last hour before he left town, and promises to report back on his success.

Three vendors also found work through our silent auction last month, auctioning off their own creations and services, receiving 20% of the final bid price. Brenda Wilson provided maid services for two days and a medical blanket from World War II; Cliff Carle provided two photographs he shot; and Patricia Mottley provided two hand-knit hats. If you were not the winning bidder and would still like artistic photos, knitted hats or maid services, please feel free to call Street Sense at 202-347-2006, and we can put you in touch with the appropriate vendor.

Both vendor Chris Sellman and writer Jesse Smith had a brush with Hollywood at the beginning of October. “Shooter,” a new movie starring Wesley Snipes and Danny Glover, was recently filming in D.C., and for one day the crew and extras ate lunch at the church where the Street Sense office is located. At the last minute the catering needed help, so Chris and Jesse stepped in and what was thought to be an afternoon gig turned into five days of helping to feed and clean up after the “Shooter” cast and crew. And they even got to see a glimpse of Glover, who Jesse said seemed like a nice guy and mingled with the extras.

And vendor Patty Smith, who has one shift a week in the Street Sense office, can now be found at the Community Council for Homelessness at Friendship Place in Tenleytown, where she recently started working in its office once a week. Patty and Street Sense associate editor David Hammond also recently met with the staff of Friendship Place, and Patty spoke about her experience with Street Sense and helped to spread the word about the paper.

And in case you were wondering what a large group of shabbily-dressed students was doing selling Street Sense on Oct. 8 and 9, they were part of an Urban Plunge, led by vendor Cliff Carle. Through the Urban Plunge, arranged by the National Coalition for the Homeless, students experience homelessness for 48 hours, complete with sleeping on the streets, going to soup kitchens, panhandling and – of course – selling Street Sense. For more info on Urban Plunges, call 202-462-4822 or e-mail info@nationalhomeless.org.

Street Sense . October/November 2006

Community Service Index SHELTERS

SOUP KITCHENS

Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 783-6651

10th Street Baptist Church 1000 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 232-1685

Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-7118

Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-3066

SERVICE PROVIDERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 19

Hypothermia Hotline: 1- 800-535-7252 Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE Washington, DC 20011 (202) 269-2277

Byte Back (computer training) 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-3395

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635

Capital Area Food Bank 645 Taylor Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 526-5344 x223

MEDICAL RESOURCES CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-1909

Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 387-6612

Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-7356

Dinner Program for Homeless Women 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-9311

DC Village (Family) 2-A DC Village Lane, SW Washington, DC 20032 202-561-8090

Eofula-Spanish Senior Center 1842 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-5800

Franklin School (Men) 13th and K streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 638-7424

McKenna’s Wagon 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608

Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1731

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 452-8926

House of Imagene Shelters 214 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 518-8488

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 797-8806

House of Ruth: Madison Emergency Shelter (Women) 651 10th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-2600

Washington City Church of the Brethren 337 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-5924

John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8469 La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 673-3592 N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635 Zacchaeus Community Kitchen (“9:30 Club”) 10th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-9144

Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100 Community of Hope 2250 Champlain Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-9022 Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-4300 Whitman-Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 797-3500 OUTREACH CENTERS Downtown Services Center 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-9311 Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 338-8301 Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-1005

EMERGENCY FOOD

801-East on the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital campus 2700 MLK Ave., SE Washington, DC (202) 561-4014

Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 265-2400AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 561-8587

New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355-57 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 832-2359

Covenant House of Washington 2001Mississippi Ave, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 610-9630

Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8093

Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1112

Sasha Bruce Youth Work 741 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9340 Friendship House 619 D Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9050 Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 364-1419

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Catholic Community Services Homeless Services of Washington, DC 924 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 772-4300 Catholic Comm. Services Emergency Center 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100 Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-8870 Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-5298 Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 347-0511 Foundry Methodist Church (Aid, Clothing) 1500 16th Street, NW 20036 (202) 332-4010 Hermano Pedro DC Center 1501 Park Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 332-2874 JHP, Inc. (Jobs and Housing) 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-5300 Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-8970 Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE Washington, DC 20020 and 1516 Hamilton Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 202-889-7702 Travelers Aid, Union Station (train level) 50 Mass. Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 371-1937 Virginia Williams Family Resource Center 25 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 (202) 724-3932 Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-5500

PHOTO FINISH

... And Sometimes Y

By Tessa Moran

VENDOR PROFILE Amia Walker Amia, 36, was born and raised in Northeast Washington D.C. She spent all of her life in foster care with various brothers and sisters in what she referred to as a “Christian home.”

After graduating high school she spent most of her adult life working as a security guard for various companies in the D.C. area. She was recently unable to find work in this field after she was denied her security clearance because of a restructuring of the system.

She currently stays at the Open Door Shelter, and she is very active at Metropolitan Baptist Church. Here she helps out with the Pre-K to five year old ministry on Sundays and is also in the Temple Sentinel security ministry.

How did you become homeless?

Back in 2001 I had my own apartment and the landlord had trouble keeping the apartment up and I had to leave so she could take care of the fixtures, but then I was never able to get back in the place. So I stayed with friends for a while and paid them but that wasn’t working out, so I moved into the shelter five months ago.

Valerie Briggs instructs adult students in sounding out words at the Washington Literacy Council.

To learn more about adult illiteracy in Washington, D.C., read the story on page 5.

StreetFact

Why do you sell Street Sense?

Because I can generally relate to the paper. My favorite part of selling it is interacting with people.

What advice would you give someone who is homeless?

No matter how difficult a time comes to pass, focus on yourself and better yourself.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I strive to better educate myself. Maybe go to college.

Outside of the District of Columbia, Fairfax County has the largest homeless population with 1,164 individuals or 1.7% of the county’s residents.

Source: Metropolitan regional Council of Governments

Favorite music?

I like a whole range but my favorite is gospel.

Favorite movie?

I like various action pictures, especially ones with Steven Seagal.

Favorite Food?

That’s an easy one: steak, medium.

Favorite author?

Maya Angelou.

Amia reminds customers to only buy from badged vendors and not to give to those panhandling with one paper.

October/November 2006 • Volume 3 • Issue 12

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Mail To:

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