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Home Base for the Homeless

Homeless Legislation Hits Congress

To some, McPherson Square is simply the name of a Metro station. To others, McPherson Square is a lifeline.

Many commuters who scurry daily along the crisscrossing sidewalks of the square probably don’t realize that each weeknight at 5 p.m. McPherson Square transforms into an outdoor help center for the homeless — part soup kitchen, part emergency room, part social club.

The activities at McPherson Square might seem to the casual observer to be little more than a Band-Aid solution: a simple case of sandwiches, blankets and medical treatment to sustain the homeless so that they might live to be homeless another day. But some recipients of the free aid delivered nightly see the services as a source of hope.

“For someone who wants to rise, he can take advantage of everything that’s here,” says Nathaniel Washington, an extroverted 51-year-old with a honeyrich baritone voice.

Washington is a McPherson Square regular and a self-proclaimed poet who recites lengthy original works at the drop of a

For nearly 3.5 million Americans, high rents, lowpaying jobs and health care in short supply add up to life on the streets or in homeless shelters. But a bill moving through Congress aims to change that.

Supporters of the Bringing America Home Act (BAHA) seek to end homelessness by tackling many of the problems confronting America’s homeless and working poor.

The legislation, H.R. 2897, would provide affordable housing, job training, civil rights protections, childcare vouchers, public transportation and increased health care, among other fixes.

Reps. Julia Carson, D-Ind., and John Conyers, D-Mich., co-sponsors of the bill, worked with social service Women from Living Water Ministry of Washington, D.C., cut the hair of homeless men and providers, academics and women in McPherson Square. homeless advocates for more than a year to craft a legislahat. He says he has had steady time to time while continuing to strong, the free services offered tive solution to the plight of jobs before, working as a bus seek steady employment, he says. each night at McPherson Square the homeless. driver and for a utilities company.

But to Washington, his current no doubt help them keep their “The current economy But following what he describes life on the street appears to be a strength up. Food is plentiful. places more and more Amerias a “betrayal,” he spent time in hopeful one. “’Tis adversity that Soup, sandwiches, and even des- cans one paycheck away from prison and at a mental hospital. makes us strong,” he says, smil- serts are handed out freely from homelessness,” Carson said He has been on and off the ing as he recites a line of poetry. during a recently rally in supstreets for the past five years, If adversity makes Washington port of the bill. “Nowhere in working temporary jobs from and those in similar situations see MCPHERSON p. 5 the country can an individual earning minimum wage afford housing at fair market rent.”

Conyers echoed Carson’s statements, noting that “the fastest-growing homeless

Family Crunch at CCNV

By Laura Thompson It’s Thursday night at the Community for Creative NonViolence (CCNV) and a halfdozen children from ages four to 12 are wrapping up their weekly tutoring session. They are scattered throughout a living room/ conference area, which at all other times of the week is reserved for the shelter’s staff.

A 10-year-old girl plays Trouble with her mentor; an eight-year-old boy runs around

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

December 15, 2003 - January 14, 2004

Volume 1, Issue 2

Homeless for the Holidays

By Sandra Bunch

By Jennifer Cetta

By L. Scott Tillett

shirtless, arm stretched like an airplane; and another boy, reads to his mentor the Dr. Seuss favorite, “Are You My Mother?”

Once they leave this space — the only area in the warehousesize shelter where they can truly play once a week — they will go upstairs to their homes. These homes, or “cubes,” which they share with the rest of their family and perhaps another, are just big enough for six beds and one or two bookcases, with just a thin curtain separating them from their neighbors.

NEWS

ter three-and-a-half years ago.

Now CCNV’s family space is constantly at maximum capacity; it currently has 13 mothers and 30 children.

Advocates agree that the city is doing little to improve the situation for these children, and not nearly enough to get these families into appropriate transitional or permanent housing. But until the District takes action, CCNV’s director Terri Bishop says she will do what she can for families.

Though these crowded, bleak accommodations were clearly never meant for children and technically illegal under D.C. law, they have turned into the last resort for homeless families in Washington.

With the number of families seeking shelter last year reaching record numbers, surpassing 2,000, the city’s homeless services are turning to CCNV. The city has started referring mothers there, despite the Department of Human Services’ outrage and removal of families from this shel-

Mural on the La Casa Shelter at 1436 Irving St., NW

La Casa to Stay Open During Redevelopment

By Jennifer Cetta

BOOK REVIEWS, RECIPES, p. 10 EDITORIALS , p. 11 DIRECTORY OF SERVICES, pp. 14-15

Faces of the Homeless: Homeless Veterans Profile POETRY , pp. 8-9

See LA CASA p. 4

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, p. 6

THIS ISSUE

$1

By Laura Thompson

Volume 1, Issue 11

ELECTION 2004:

Homeless Voice Their Opinions on Health Care, Housing

By Lisa Thomas

See HOLIDAYS p. 5

The Randall Shelter is scheduled to close on October 31, 2004, just in time for winter weather. If no other site can be found, this resident might be directed to one of the city’s hypothermia shelters.

Features, p. 10

p. 13 Directory of Service Providers, pgs. 14-15

D.C. Legislation, p.7 Poetry, pgs. 8-9

Randall Shelter Closing 170 Men Face Uncertain Future

After two decades operating in Southwest, the Randall Transition Center will be closing on October 31, leaving 170 men without beds, food, clothing, toiletries, transportation and more.

The issue concerning the Randall closing stems back years and is connected with the Corcoran Museum of Art’s imminent expansion, now set for 2006.

Randall, which consists of an old gymnasium and a redbrick complex, sits on a larger piece of land at 75 I Street, once fully occupied by Randall Junior High School, a public school that has been vacant for decades. In that time, the space had first been used as District government offices and was later leased by Bill Wooby’s Millennium Arts Center (MAC), which provides a cheap space for artists to do their work.

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Exclusive Interview: Ohio Rep. and Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Volume 3, Issue 2

Volume 3, Issue 4

December 15, 2005 - January 14, 2006

Tenants, City Council Battle DC Landlords to Protect Renters’ Rights

By Diane Rusignola

By Kendra Rinas

Angie Robinson, a bubbling

his 4-year-old brother and looking forward to the holiday party his aftercare program at school is throwing, and is even there.

Unlike most children with long Christmas wish lists, Angie and James are both homeless and live at a shelter for homeless families in Southwest Washington called ‘DC Village.’ Still, the homeless kids in the D.C.-metro area often look forward to the

Two boys share gifts at Project Northstar’s holiday party, where dozens of other homeless children also received gifts.

Though no lawsuits have

Project Northstar was a part of and trying to raise money for, one of my students who lives in the Spring Road Shelter raised his hand and asked if he could help us out by collecting cans of food for homeless people.”

Wu notes that she does have students who are acutely aware of their housing situation and what that means in the broader picture of American society. “I think that [others] have a perception of people

the City Council and D.C. government involved in hopes of closing these loopholes and putting an end to the practices

monthly per-unit rent they currently receive.

In fact, a report commissioned by the Fannie Mae Foundation found that in

See TENANTS, p. 4

By David S. Hammond With shelter closings in the last few years and the trend to build new facilities on the east side of the city, homeless service providers are worried that there will soon be a shortfall of emergency shelter beds in the downtown area. But, with new initiatives from Mayor Williams and the City Council, they say there is a chance to improve the planning process and prevent gaps.

“You see people downtown because that’s where the jobs are, and that’s where the bus lines run,” said homelessness activist Cheryl Barnes. Like Barnes, homeless people say that the downtown area is much

See SHELTER, p. 7

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Restaurant Review, p. 12 Fiction, Hammerman, p. 13 Crossword and Games, p. 14 Editorials, pp. 15-17 Community Events, p. 18 Vendor Notes, p. 18

more accessible than other parts of the city with the presence of meal programs, Metro stops and other needs, all of which can be reached on foot. There is also a sense that it is safer than many other parts of the city.

But changes in shelter space around the District have raised fears that downtown shelter space may not be secure.

The Gales School shelter near Union Station in Northwest closed in 2003 and has not yet reopened. The Randall shelter, off South Capitol Street in Southwest, closed in 2004. Trailer-based shelters in Northeast and Southeast closed last year – moves widely praised as a step towards better quality shelter.

Emery shelter, near North Capitol Street in Northeast, may be moving from emergency to

Hate Crimes and Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness

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See KIDS, p. 5

Inside This Issue NEW: Volunteer Undercover, p. 3 Hundred-Dollar Man, p. 5 Tutoring Program Evicted, p. 7 New Poverty Roundtables, p. 7 One Year After The Tsunami, p. 9 Poetry, pp. 10 and 11

Better Planning Can Preserve Emergency Beds, Experts Say

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Nonprofits and Freelance Providers Clash, Work Towards Solution

By Jill Merselis On a cold, sunny Saturday morning, two white vans pull up to the west side of McPherson Square Park in Northwest D.C. By the time the vehicle’s doors open, eager homeless men and women have lined up down the sidewalk, awaiting the coffee, food and clothing that these vans customarily deliver.

Walter Newby, one of the van’s drivers, is among many who come to Franklin and McPherson parks to give food and supplies to the homeless, independent of any professional service provider. Newby has

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Hate crimes against homeless people dropped in 2005, but concern about such violent acts is heightened in the wake of recent beatings of homeless men in Florida. (See Story on page 9)

Redefin ng Home e

Director of Homeless Services at the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District (BID) said that while such services sometimes meet an immediate need, they are not an effective use of resources because they are inconsistent and often overlap. He said that there are often “five groups (at the park) on Saturday and no groups on Monday.”

According to Grey, independent volunteers began providing services at these parks more than two decades ago, when there was a greater need

See PROVIDE, p. 5

Fiction, Hammerman, p. 13 Crossword, Su-Du-Ko, p. 14 Editorials, pgs. 15-17 Community Events, p. 18 Vendor Notes, p. 18 Service Provider Guide, p. 19

Community of Hope, p. 3 Call for 24/7 Shelter, p. 4 Political Page, p. 8 Alternative World Housing, p. 9 Poetry, p. 10 NEW: Photo Spread, p. 11

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Photo by Alex Lee

Thousands of people came out to support the annual Homeless Walkathon, sharing good will and profound messages. (More photos on p. 4)

been delivering to these parks for three years as part of Union Bethel AME Church’s outreach program. Today, in addition to the toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo and mouthwash that are in the standard hygiene packets, Newby gives out a few coats, some shoes and sandwiches.

Stepping up to the van, one man gratefully says, “I’ll take a sandwich. I haven’t eaten in two days.”

While the homeless men and women at the park are thankful for Newby’s kindness, professional outreach workers are often wary of such efforts. Chet Grey, the

Inside This Issue

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www.streetsense.org July 15, 2006 -- August 14, 2006

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John Ewing and Omar Montonya meet in La Casa to talk of the imminent closing of this 20-year-old Shelter.

La Casa Residents Organize and Focus as Shelter’s Future Remains Uncertain

By Perry Frank “We want the city to support us and take into account the following points in their plans to move La Casa temporarily,” Omar Montoya, a representative of the La Casa Resident Leadership Committee, said at a recent D.C. City Council meeting.

He continued urging that the temporary La Casa center remain near its current location in the largely Hispanic Columbia Heights neighborhood. Montoya also said the facility should maintain its current capacity, staffing, and accessibility, and he requested that city administrators keep La Casa residents informed and take their opinions into consideration.

The La Casa Multicultural Ser-

vices Center, a e 130-bed emergency shelter and residential treatment program for men, will move this spring from 1436 Irving Street, N.W. Though as construction has erupted around the La Casa site, where it will move is still uncertain.

Montoya’s presentation was the latest chapter in the lengthy dialogue between a united group of the center’s residents and city officials over the future of La Casa that began when the property -known as Parcel 26 -- was sold in 2002 to make way for mixed-use development.

Initial discussions about the future of Parcel 26 included La Casa, which has operated on the Irving Street site since 1985 as the city’s only bilingual emergency shelter and treatment program.

NATIONAL

Inside This Issue

Alternative Housing

A look at makeshift housing for the homeless in the U.S., page 9

INTERVIEW

REVIEWS

This organizer from ACORN talks about fair housing and recovery in New Orleans, page 6

Racoon Music

In our first music review vendor Muriel Dixon gives readers a peek at a local artist, page 12

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EDITORIAL

On the Road

Vendor August Mallory visits Philadelphia, page 16 FEATURES

Man on the Street

Vendor Jake Ashford hits the street to get readers’ opinion, page 15

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INTERVIEW WITH MARION BARRY

THIS ISSUE

FORMER MAYOR SPEAKS ABOUT HOMELESSNESS, P. 6

A bill now in the Maryland state 477 Senate would seek to more firmly deter attacks against homeless people by adding Alexandria: them to those protected under the state’s 336hate crimes law.

“It’s a statement of a society’s Prince George: values – it’s a statement about ...

1,291 who is it in our society that is enMontgomery: titled to those types of protections,” 1,164 said Robert Nasdor, legal director of Baltimore’s Homeless Persons Representation Project.

“Hate crimes” laws stiffen the existing penalties for violent crimes in which an attack is motivated by bias. Maryland law currently offers this enhanced protection to victims targeted because of race, color, reBy John Stauffer ligious beliefs, sexual orientation,

DC: 6,157

and national origin.

Theby homeless population in the The bill, introduced state Sen. D.C. region at surpassed the 12,000 Alex X. Mooney (R-Frederick) the markisinthe 2006, beginning of March, firstand bill while the number of homeless families dropped in any state to propose protecting 5%,under the number of individuals inhomeless persons the hate creased more than 20% across the crimes law. region, compared This bill comes in the wake ofto 2004.

These numbers come from several high-profile attacks.

In thea homeless recently man released 2006 MetJanuary teens beat Washington Council of to death in Fort ropolitan Lauderdale, and in Governments (COG) Homeless early March a homeless man was Report, prepared by brutally beatenEnumeration and set on fire in Boston and someone videotaped the Homeless Services Planning a beating of a homeless man in Committee and and Coordinating San Francisco.based Last year, there count on Jan. on a one-day were 86 reported of violence 25,acts 2006. against homelessDespite persons 22 theinincreases, some find states, resultinghope in 73 in injuries theseand numbers. “As large 13 deaths. as the number in this report is, it is Michael Stoops, thedaunting acting exnot so when we consider ecutive director of theitNational Co-than 3 in 1,000 of that means less alition for the Homeless, all peoplesupports living in the region are the bill and saidhomeless, that he thinks the is a problem we and this bill has a chance.

“I solve,” think because can said Stephen Cleghorn, of the national stuff happening it an author of the report and member gives the bill some momentum,” of the Homeless Services Planning he said. and Coordinating Committee.

Perhaps becauseStill, the most recent in the District alone the publicized attack on a homeless number of homeless people totals 6,157, or more than 1 in 100, comSee HATE , page 4 pared with the city’s entire population. Outside of the District, Fairfax

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County had the largest homeless population, with 1,766 individuals.

And despite improvements made in many of the Northern Virginia jurisdictions, Loundon County reported a full 100% increase from two years ago. The Maryland suburbs likewise saw a troubling rise, with double-digit percentage increases in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

An increase in the suburban counties shows that people can become unemployed in the suburbs just as easily as they do in the District, said Michael Ferrell, executive director for the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless. “Homeless persons in the suburbs face the same set of circumstances as the homeless in the city,” he added.

Across the region when it came to homeless individuals versus families, the trends were notably divergent. In the District alone, individual homelessness increased 14% over the past two years, while persons in families had decreased by 8% over the same time period. In Montgomery County, the inequality proved even more extreme: individual homelessness increased

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

COUNT , page 5

In Washington, D.C., there are just 48 beds, in two confidential shelters, for women and children fleeing domestic violence. And in any given month these shelters may turn away 350 families due to lack of space. Often times these women simply return to their abusive relationships, according to Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) executive director Thia Hamilton.

“We know that fear of an inability to find housing” is the biggest reason women stay in violent relation ships, Hamilton said.

Many of the other women and families simply end up on the streets, in a similarly vulnerable situation, because they do not have the means to find housing on their own. In fact, more than 1,300 homeless individuals in D.C. reported be-

ing victims of domestic violence in a 2005 survey.

These staggering numbers have prompted advocates to challenge laws that unfairly penalize victims, and demand that the City Council increase the number of confidential shelter spaces available to domestic violence survivors.

“Domestic violence victims in D.C. continue to be trapped in violent relationships because they have no other options for shelter or housing … . For an individual who is in a violent relationship and already living in poverty, this harsh reality often means that she literally must choose between life with her abuser or life on the streets,” said Naomi Stern, a staff attorney with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP), at a recent D.C. City Council Judiciary Committee hearing.

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Affordably Zoned

Inside This Issue

LOCAL

Yum, Yum, 21P

ONE DC looks to build 92 units of affordable housing, page 5 LOCAL

Candidates voice opinions on economic development, page 6

A look at how nonprofits are using their budgets, page 4

Mayoral Candidates

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HEAT , page 17

Inside This Issue INTERVIEW

Reaching The Low-Income Vendor Francine Triplett eats at candidates tell how they 21P in Dupont Circle, page Mayoral 12 are reaching out to low-income voters, page 6 EDITORIAL

Shelter Speak Out

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See CCNV, p.4

Inside This Issue Homelessness on Campuses, pg. 4 Sex Offenders in Shelters, pg. 9 Poetry, pg. 10 and 11 Book Review, pg. 12 NEW: Restaurant Review, pg 12 Community Events, pg. 18

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alert days, when the wind-chill temperature dips below 32°F. On hypothermia alert days most shelters will remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., hours when they would normally be closed.

Although last year there were only 72 days with hypothermia alerts, the previous year a hypothermia alert was issued on 110 days during the November 1 to March 31 season.

According to Debra Daniels, spokeswoman for the District’s Department of Human Services, the Winter Plan is “designed to make sure we do everything we can to prevent homeless individuals from succumbing to hypothermia.”

She added that an important objective is to educate District residents about the need to report any homeless persons they see out in the cold.

The need for shelter beds

has risen each year. Last year saw an unprecedented demand for family housing on the coldest days. An estimated 8,925 adults sought shelter during hypothermia alerts, and the overall demand for shelter increased 23% over the 200304 season.

The District has allocated more shelter beds this year in every category—men, women, teens, and families—and has procedures in place to provide further shelter in case of for women has increased by 25 beds to 290 spaces over last season, while shelter for men has gone up by 63 beds to a total of 1,253 spaces. Housing for families has increased by 75 beds over last year.

These beds may not meet the growing need, however.

See WINTER, p.4

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents www.streetsense.org

Tanja Britton is, in her own words, “not a good patient.” After working full-time since her teen years and raising two sons, her diabetes, arthritis and other health problems confined her to a wheelchair.

Her husband, Russell, continued working until caring for Tanja required more time off than an everyday job would allow.

In 2001, Russell Britton stopped working full-time, and the couple applied for affordable, accessible housing from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Four years later, when the building they had lived in for 15 years could not meet inspection codes and the family was still on the HUD waiting list, they ended up homeless.

They had no place to go because, as a Street Sense investigation discovered, no family shelters in Washington, D.C., are fully wheelchair

accessible.

“We were surprised that there was no program for prevention of homelessness; why did it take more than six months [to find a place to live]?” Tanja Britton said. “How do you live in the Nation’s Capital, where the president of the United States is our neighbor, and have no place to live?”

The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless said that the District of Columbia is breaking several federal laws requiring that shelters be accessible to people with disabilities: the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Fair Housing Act and the Homeless Services Reform Act. The city’s failures to build accessible - or even enough affordable - housing, to move families and individuals to accessible housing, to provide ramps and transportation, along with other violations also contribute to the infringement of D.C. laws, the Legal Clinic added.

By law, family shelters have to

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By Jessica Weiss As you walk into Patricia Dozier’s house in northwest Washington on any given evening, there is a frenzy of activity. Life is never dull for Dozier, with s i x c h i l d re n currently living under her roof. Juggling a 12-hour work day, and caring for her children is not easy, and it is one of the reasons LOCAL

Suburban Homelessness Who makes up the homeless outside the city, page 4

that she was named “D.C. Foster Parent of the Year.”

Child and Family Services of Washington D.C. awards this prestigious honor every year. A panel of social workers nominates and selects exceptional foster parents, and then reviews the candidates carefully. When looking at Dozier, they saw she was a selfless woman who has devoted herself to about 10 to 15 foster children over the past 10 years. She also now has three adopted children of her own, and is always willing to help out wherever and whenever she can.

This is a vast difference from the Dozier of many years ago, when she was homeless and struggling with FEATURES

be apartment-style, and currently there is no District-funded family D.C. Village is accessible at the

front door, but the showers and

See

By David S. Hammond

ACCESS , page 7

“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

FEATURES

Vendor Bobby Buggs tells about his struggle to find work, page 15

Three vendors move into their own place, page 19

Vendors Get Housing

substance abuse and addictions.

After living on the streets of D.C. for several years, Dozier turned her life around and entered Alcoholics Anonymous. Shortly after this, she went through a program to become a foster parent, in order to care for a friend’s daughter. This foster child has since become one of her adopted daughters.

These past experiences led Dozier to her passion for children and what has become her life’s work. “I felt a calling for children,” Dozier said. “God leads me that way.”

In addition to taking in foster children whenever possible, Dozier also works full-time with Good Shepherd Ministries, running sup-

port groups for mothers. In the past, she directed an after-school program for children, but gave that up in order to devote her energy more fully to her children at home.

As much work as Dozier does for the community, her first priority is always to her own adopted and foster children. She does many things for the children, but there is one important thing that she never forgets to do.

“I sing to every child—they’ll remember that,” she said.

It is the personal touches such as singing that distinguish Dozier as a model foster parent. While she has

See

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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

Have You Donated to Street Sense Lately?

Charm City Return Vendor August Mallory returns to his adopted hometown, page 16

EDITORIAL

This is a Job

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Tanja Britton’s disability prevented her family from getting shelter for 7 months.

Once Homeless, Now Honored Foster Parent

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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 Mayo

Street Sense relies on individual donations to keep the organization going strong. If you want to continue to see quality news and features like the ones in these pages, please consider donating today.

To donate now, mail in the form on p. 3 or visit www.streetsense.org.

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District Government Releases 2005-2006 Hypothermia Plan

Franklin residents voice their concerns and plans, page 16

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Housing in Shaw

INTERVIEW

Demand for Winter Shelter on the Rise After witnessing an unprecedented demand for shelter on the coldest days of last winter, the District of Columbia has stepped up its plan for this season, in hopes of protecting all of the city’s homeless from the threat of hypothermia.

The $1.3 million budget for the 2005-06 Winter Plan would cover up to 110 hypothermia

No Family Shelters For Handicapped

By Meredith Mishkin

If the D.C. Zoning Commission has its way, new condo buildings, like this one at 14th and V streets, NW, will soon be required to include a certain percentage of affordable housing. Story on page 7.

See RULING, p.5

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

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Volume 3, Issue 10

A Long Hot Summer

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Stern manages NLCHP’s national domestic violence program and heads up the D.C. Working Group on Domestic Violence and Housing. She has advocated for the past several years for changes in the city to help survivors, and said that the three most necessary changes are funding to increase confidential shelter space, affordable housing opportunities for victims, and legal protections for victims facing eviction or breaking a lease.

Local legal and social services providers have reported that do- y now, the heat of the mestic violence victims “are of- summer has worn out ten evicted or expelled from their its welcome, and most people homes or shelters, or denied orare looking for some form turned away from housing of or respite. shel- The heat waves that have swept across the United States have ter, because of domestic abuse combeen incredibly brutal. Temperamitted against them,” according to tures hovering in the high 90s and the NLCHP. Additionally, domestic low 100s have left everybody seeking refuge in cooler locations, wherSee VIOLENCE, page 7 ever they may be.

I, for one, am sick of the heat already and am already looking forward to the first frost. Hyperthermia is no more welcome than hypothermia and is just as severe. For those who are unaware of their existence, there are cooling centers throughout the District to give respite from the heat to people. When temperatures soar well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, heat related disorders can easily result, and that’s not a laughing matter, nor are the fatalities that have occurred.

For the homeless, far fewer long-term options for respite exist than for the rest of the population.

Those persons who are in shelters are given some minimal level of comfort, thanks to the terms of the Homeless Services Reform Act that

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

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

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

Steve Cleghorn, deputy ex-

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

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

allowed for such things as roads, government buildings, and public utilities.

Over the last 50 years, eminent domain often was used for urban renewal, or “slum clearance,” the names given to the rebuilding programs that once remade city neighborhoods nationwide.

Those projects uprooted people, often poor people and minorities, leaving lasting memories of displacement.

The Supreme Court decision earlier this year changed things and started the current debate. In Kelo vs. the City

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

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

Huge Shelter Shortage for Domestic Violence Victims

By Katharine Zambon

A recent Supreme Court decision is drawing new attention to old questions about property rights and poor neighborhoods. And in Washington, D.C., and around the country residents are worried about losing their property.

To homeowner Ken Wyban, whose house is being taken to make way for the planned baseball stadium in Southeast Washington, the issue is a simple one. “They can just send you a letter and take your house,” he said.

Wyban, a middle-income Army retiree, is talking about eminent domain, or government’s power to take ownership of private property for public use.

This traditionally has been

Major Renovations Expected at CCNV

What Were the Hobo Colleges of the 1920s and How Did They Come to Be? page 9

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August 15, 2006 - September 14, 2006 www.streetsense.org

Homelesssness on the Rise in DC Area

But residents, staff, and neighbors became uneasy when the successful bidder for the project unveiled plans for hundreds of luxury condominiums and rental apartments for senior citizens -but no La Casa.

“We saw the maps, and we asked, ‘Where is La Casa?’ We’d been pushed off the map,” said Gary Holbrooks, a representative of the La Casa Support Committee, which now is known as the La Casa Resident Leadership Committee.

La Casa’s residents have since banded together in an effort to ensure that the center was included in the city’s redevelopment plans for the Columbia Heights area. Despite the fact that these

By David S. Hammond

See POLICE, p.7

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

November 15, 2005 - December 14, 2005

Many Worry that Poor Neighborhoods, Shelters Could Be Target of Government Land Seizures

By Carolyn Cosmos

See ELECTION, p. 4

Volume 3, Issue 9

Arlington:

Stephen Bradberry

M

•

By David S. Hammond and 1,766 Church: Valerie Wexler

F

irst, I want to thank everyone that had kind words to say about last month’s column. I hope you enjoy this month’s as well.

As you can imagine, there are very few positive experiences that come from being homeless. But one of the best things that has happened to us as a family is our involvement in the National Coalition for the Homeless’ “Faces of Homelessness” Speakers’ Bureau.

My husband David and I enjoy it, and it has been especially good for our son Matthew’s self-esteem.

The purpose of the Speakers’ Bureau is to break stereotypes and put a human face on homelessness. As members of the Speakers’ Bureau we visit many different groups and tell them our story. After we speak, there is a time for questions and answers, and I thought it would be interesting to write about some of the best and most frequently asked questions.

One of the best questions yet was, “If you were suddenly in a position of power, what would you do to help the homeless?” My answer: I would build a facility that would provide shelter, case management, mental health services, medical and dental care, legal aid, life skills and parenting classes, child and adult mentoring, substance abuse counseling, and all phases of employment preparedness including job placement services.

A question I’m always glad to

Volume 3, Issue 1

Recent Property Rights Ruling Stirs Old Fears

Coordinator Mike O’Neill.

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

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

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

“They get harassed by police,

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Md. Proposes Regional Homelessness Protecting Total Count: 12,085 Homeless Prince William: Frederick: Under Hate 498 212 Loudoun: 184 Crimes Law Fairfax, Falls

Questions and Answers

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

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

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

Rumors of City’s Largest Shelter Closing False, Officials Say

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

Volume 3, Issue 5

By Michelle McCullough

Volunteers from the Lord’s Lunch Ministry for Takoma Park Seventh Day Adventist Church Cecil Callisde (right) and Pauline PhippsFoster give out soup, bananas and rolls to homeless men and women on the streets surrounding McPherson Square. (Photo Jill Merselis)

INSID

Is this upcoming presidential election important? “Yah, definitely,” he said.

“For me, a living wage is the most important issue,” he added.

“Without a living wage, I’ll be

By Kat Zambon

LINDA WANG

like every child should. With the help of service providers and well-meaning parents, many homeless children, like Angie and James, do not even realize that they are homeless, even around the costly presentgiving holiday season.

Project Northstar is a tutoring program with seven sites throughout the city, including one at DC Village.

Nina Wu, academic case manager for Project Northstar, said, “Last month, when I was talking to my students about the [Fannie Mae] Help the Homeless Walkathon that

in many once working class neighborhoods, particularly in Northwest. Landlords who hold the leases on these properties have realized that if they convert their properties to condominiums, they can easily sell them for a million dollars each and earn a much higher

Number of Victims

game “Bulletproof.” The tall, studious-looking 11-yearold does not believe in Santa anymore, but he still likes to

of many District landlords.

The root of the problem is the hot D.C. housing market

www.StreetSense.org

•

WE ARE FAMILY

PERRY FRANK

Dozens and dozens of D.C. renters have been forced from their homes by landlords seeking higher returns from their properties.

These landlords have found loopholes in laws intended to protect the rights of tenants and are now turning out hard-working individuals, disabled elderly widows, and families with children from their homes.

The residents, however, are

asking Santa for a microphone, a pocketbook, and a dirt bike this year. Showing off a picture she drew of a Christmas tree in school, she says her older sister is asking for shoes, pants, and shirts.

James Williams, on the other hand, isn’t “asking for

February 15, 2006 - March 14, 2006

Shifting Downtown Network of Shelters Prompts Concerns

PROVIDER PROFILE: SUNDAY SUPPERS, P. 8 POETRY, PGS. 10-11 FEATURES, PGS. 12-14 EDITORIALS, PGS. 15-16 EVENTS CALENDAR, P. 17 PROVIDERS, PGS. 18-19

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Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

What providers and parents are doing to make this season special for children that do not have a permanent home.

See RANDALL, p. 7

Demonstrator at an anti-poverty rally in New York City.

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March ,15 2006 -- April 14, 2006

The Holiday Spirit of Homeless Kids

NEW SERIES: STREET SUCCESS, P. 3 NEWS CENSUS SHOWS POVERTY ON THE RISE, P. 5 POVERTY RALLY HELD SEPT. 4, P. 5

that is not raising funds as fast as it would like.

As of yet, however, the city has not found a replacement site for the Randall Shelter, which means that its residents will either have nowhere to go when Randall closes or will be moved to hypothermia shelters. The Coalition of Housing & Homeless Organizations (COHHO) has been looking into a number of advocacy steps to help the Randall Shelter and its residents.

Mary Ann Luby of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless works in conjunction with COHHO to help make services available to homeless people.

“The neat thing about Randall is its location,” Luby said. “There should be space in every quadrant

Local Nonprofits Are Stepping Up to Fill the Gap of Affordable Housing in DC Before It’s Too Late, page 5 Vendor Jake Ashford and Street Sense Featured in The Wall Street Journal , page 18

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CCNV Rejected, p. 4 CCNV’s plan to case-manage DC’s largest shelter is denied after decades in this role.

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

Randall has shared its space with these other occupant for years; since MAC moved in five years ago, the Randall Shelter has been its subtenant, with a month-to-month lease and rent picked up by the city as of June 2000.

The Corcoran, which had been looking to expand since July 1997, recently negotiated a deal that included using Randall’s space as a temporary home for its college while its downtown address is under construction.

The Corcoran’s $200 million plans – and the fate of Randall – were ultimately set when the D.C. Council voted in July to authorize a $40 million tax increment financing (TIF) package, funding that has generated some controversy.

Corcoran supporters see the TIF as the city’s way of saying it supports the museum’s cultural importance, while others considered it misallocation of funds to a group

By Diane Rusignola

Every afternoon, John stands before a metro station selling Street Sense to any one of the stream of people who walk past him on their way home from work.

“It’s better than begging,” he said with a smile.

To John, standing within only a couple minutes’ walk from the White House, shelter and food are among his most immediate concerns. But in a city governed by politics, John knows what the fall buzz is all about.

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

Long Standing Concern Sparks New Attention

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

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

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

trapped.”

With the skyrocketing housing prices in D.C. and a stagnant federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour — or the D.C. minimum wage of $6.15 an hour — he has good cause for concern.

And John is just one of the growing number of homeless people in Washington, D.C., who are gaining a voice and speaking up about matters that keep them on the streets. The issues of most concern to the homeless include finding jobs that pay a living wage, having access to job training and affordable medical care, and expanding Section 8 housing.

For David Harris, homeless and also from Washington D.C., his concerns mainly lie with housing, cuts to the Section 8 lowincome housing voucher program, and universal health care.

“I think our country needs universal health insurance. I’m also concerned about possible cuts to the Section 8 program,” Harris said. “Also things like welfare and social security benefits, and job training programs that can expand people’s job opportunities.

George Siletti, a for mer homeless person, said, “We need someone who can be in presidential office who will work with the American people and not cut back on social programs to help individuals and families continue to live a successful life.”

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October 15, 2005 - November 14, 2005

Local Homeless Report Recent Police Harassment

September 15, 2004 - October 14, 2004

Decked in tiger-striped earmuffs, Bria recites a lofty wish list: a bike, a computer, a McDonald’s McFlurry maker, a pet dog and a baby doll stroller.

But she also knows that Christmas is more than receiving presents. Giving to others and being with her family are important too. The best part about the holidays, she says, is spending time with her mother, father and five brothers and sisters.

Khadija, 7, lives at the Temporary Living Center on Park Road, transitional apartment-

needs of the homeless and tries to put in place a way to better deliver services.”

The proposed law would give homeless people more rights, set Councilwoman Sandy Allen speaks at a recent meting standards for service proincluding the cost of its viders, clarify the city’s legal auimplementation and certain thority in the shelter system and requirements for service improve coordination among providers.

District agencies. Though it has One part of bill on which support from Allen and from everyone did agree was the the majority of the council, adcreation of a local Intervocates are wary about the bill’s agency Council on future. The District’s DepartHomelessness. The council ment of Human Services has already expressed serious reservations about several points, See REFORM p. 7

Editorials, p.11 INSIDE National news,

Inside Saddam’s Iraq, p. 6 Zainab Salbi on her new book, a childhood in Iraq and women in war-torn countries.

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Dreams of St. Nick When Santa visits 9-year-old Bria at the Spring Road Family Shelter, he will find cookies and milk waiting, just like she puts out for him every year.

But this time, “Santa will just have to come to the front door,” she says, because the shelter has no chimney and space is cramped. “If Santa tries to come down a chimney he’s going to get lost,” she adds. But she’s not worried about him having difficulty finding her at the shelter. Santa has special ways of figuring out these things, she confides.

Reform Act Debate Heats Up

Everyone agrees that Washington, D.C., needs a law reforming homeless services, but what form this law will take still remains very much up for debate.

The first hearing on the Homeless Services Reform Act of 2003 (Bill 15-241) took place late last month, and more than 50 people, including advocates, government officials, and homeless and formerly homeless residents, spoke up with their support of and concerns about this homeless services overhaul.

“I think this is a good piece of legislation,” said Councilmember Sandy Allen, head of the Human Services Committee and sponsor of the bill. “It brings focus to the

Local Homeless Person Dies; Memorial, p. 5

D.C. News Gale School Shelter Remains Open, p.4

INSIDE

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WELCOME TO 2006!

From quiting smoking to finding a home, vendors give their New Year’s resolutions for 2006, Pg. 6

facility that will continue to offer overnight stays and treatment facilities to the homeless. In its new incarnation, La Casa will also provide what is known as “single resident occupancy,” or transitional apartments that will allow some residents to stay longer than a night if they agree not to drink, use drugs or possess firearms.

Many of the details regarding the shelter, however, must be negotiated between the National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC) and the city, which will take possession from NCRC the lot on which La Casa is located. Once that occurs, city officials can begin meeting with potential architects to design a new building and consider such issues as the shelter’s size and occupancy levels, said Lynn French, senior policy advisor to

As the nation’s capital braces for another winter with below freezing temperatures, many of the city’s homeless residents will still be able to turn to La Casa for a place to lay their head.

The shelter in the Columbia Heights neighborhood has seen many overnight tenants since it opened its doors in 1985. And thanks to the efforts of city officials, community outreach workers and many neighborhood residents, La Casa will continue to serve the District’s homeless well into the future.

A board that is overseeing the redevelopment of Columbia Heights approved last month a plan to refurbish the parcel of land where La Casa is located. The plan would transform the humble building and trailers that now house 130 homeless residents on a given night into a multi-story

see CCNV p. 7

NEWS

Hypothermia Season is Nov. 1 - March 31.

D.C. has new Winter Plan, p. 4

see BAHA p. 12

Homeless and cold, thousands of people will weather the holidays with old man winter this month in the District’s streets, shelters and parks. For those men and women who are alone, bundled in blankets and heavy coats, Christmas night will pass as most do: struggling to stay warm.

But for several children who are homeless or living in shelters themselves, the night will pass with warm thoughts, dreams of glittering trees and presents, and hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there.

NEW Politics Page, p. 8 Puzzle Page, p. 14

INSIDE: Local Advocates and Public Figures Voice Their Opinions on Homelessness, pgs. 6 and 7

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November 15 - December 15, 2003

An Inside Look at McPherson Square

*** SECOND ANNIVERSARY ISSUE ***

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LAURA THOMPSON OSURI

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RUNAWAYS AND THROWAWAYS

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.

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Street Sense partners with GWU, vendors take to the stage!

How It Works

McNeil asks, “Is 13 Jeffery winning everything?”

Each vendor functions as an independant contractor for Street Sense. That means he or she reinvests in the organization with every purchase.

Mewborn 16 Cynthia savors the fruits of

Vendors purchase the paper for 50 cents/issue, which will then be sold to you for a suggested donation of $2.

fall.

COVER ART Street Sense celebrates our 10 year anniversary.

DESIGN BY MICHAEL SEBASTIAN

ADVERTISE WITH US streetsense.org/ advertise

@ STREETSENSE.ORG A new issue comes out every two weeks, but you can stay connected to Street Sense every day!

/streetsense

North American Street Newspaper Association

ADDRESS 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 PHONE 202.347.2006 FAX 202.347.2166 E-MAIL info@streetsense.org WEB StreetSense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Yebegashet Alemayehn, Margaret Chapman, Kristal DeKleer. Max Gaujean, Heidi Keller, Robyn Kerr, Reed Sandridge, Brad Scriber, Allison Sherry, Michael Stoops

Street Sense publishes the newspaper.

75% 75% supports the vendors helping them overcome homelessness and poverty.

Street Sense

INTERNS Nkongho Beteck, Dennis Forster, Jenny Gudmundsen, Ramanda Lazaris, Michael Sebastian, Claire Sloan, Ashley Trick, Shacona Ward

Vendors buy the newspaper for 50 cents each.

&

25% 25% supports the production costs at Street Sense.

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The remainder of your $2 donation directly supports the vendor.

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

Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers.

Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.

1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00, I agree not to ask for more than two dollars or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means.

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

3. I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.

4. I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property.

5. I agree to abide by the Street Sense vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mary Otto ART DIRECTOR Eric Falquero SALES MANAGER Brandon Caudill DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Rebecca Stewart

have with other vendors in a professional manner.

6. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense, Inc. but an independent contractor.

7. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense.

8. I will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

VOLUNTEERS Monica Anderson, Jane Cave, Margaret Chapman, Johnathan Comer, Julie Garel, Jeffrey Gray, Jane Goforth, Roxanne Goldberg, Marisa Grotte, Roberta Haber, Thomas Hedges, Jesse Helfrich, Maurice King, Sean Lishansky, Victoria Hatterman O’Banion, Jenny Hopkinson, Ashley Perks, David Piper Kristin Roach, Mark Rose, Willie Schatz, David Sellers, David Serota, Kate Sheppard, Ernie Smith, Lydia Stepanek, Charlotte Tucker, Bryan Watkins, Marian Wiseman, Eugene Versluysen VENDORS Clinton Allen, Gerald Anderson, Glenn Artis, Aida Basnight, Grady Baxter, Kenneth Belkosky, Reginald Black, Viktor Blokhine, John Branges, André Brinson, Donald Brown, Brianna Butler, Seneca Cooper, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, James Davis, Charles Davis, Clifton Davis, Chino Dean, David Denny, Alvin Dixon El, Pieus Ennels, Linda Euell, Samuel Fullwood, Larry Garner, Richard Hart, Shakaye Henry, Ibn Hipps, Phillip Howard, James Huges, Leonard Hyater, Donald Johnson, Carlton Johnson, Morgan Jones, Allen Jones, Linda Jones, Mark Jones, Anne Marie Kirby, John Littlejohn, Authertimer Matthews, John Matthews, Kina Matthis, Jennifer McLaughlin, Ashley McMullen, Jeffery McNeil, Juanita Mendez, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Gary Minter, L. Morrow, Ash-shaheed Rabbil, Quentin Sanders, Chris Shaw, Veda Simpson, Gwynette Smith, Terron Solomon, Tamika Staton, Warren Stevens Jr, Tony Sutton, Sybil Taylor, O. Shernell Thomas, Eric ThompsonBey, Sarah Turley-Colin, Jacqueline Turner, Ronald Turner, Leon Valentine, Ronald Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Angelyn Whitehurst, Wendell Williams, Robert Young

Donate Directly To A Vendor Vendor Name

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9. I understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense, Inc. and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. I will always display my badge when distributing Street Sense.

10. I agree to support Street Sense’s mission statement. In doing so I will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

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STREET SENSE November 6 - 19, 2013

#3

NEWS

Council Eyes New Minimum Wage Bills

By Dennis Forster Editorial Intern More than a month after an ambitious living wage bill aiming squarely at large retailers died at the hands of a mayoral veto, local lawmakers are looking at broader legislation that would raise the minimum wage for all workers in the city.

Local nonprofits, businesses, labor organizations and working people appear anxious to weigh in. A total of 143 witnesses offered testimony on wages and earned sick leave at an Oct. 28 city council hearing.

There was a sense of urgency among living wage advocates present to finally pass sweeping legislation providing relief to the large number of “working poor” in the city.

And they found agreement from some on the council.

“The time for study is over. It’s time for action,” said Councilmember Vincent Orange, who led the hearing in his role as chair of the Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

The pieces of legislation in question focus largely on a gradual increase of the District-wide minimum wage, set currently at $8.25. A bill introduced by Councilmember Orange would raise it in four steps to $12.50 by the year 2018. The “Living Wage for All” bill sponsored by Councilmember Tommy Wells would only lift it to $10.25 by 2015, but would demand “small business employer tax credits” on top to encourage hiring. The bills also include provisions to index the minimum wage to inflation in the following years to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Much of the hearing revolved around the questions already posed in the runup to the “living wage bill” showdown in September: whether businesses would respond to wage increases with layoffs and reduced hiring, or if the increased buying power of low-wage workers would on the contrary boost the local economy.

Councilmember Orange and many of the witnesses seem convinced the science on the benefits of a wage increase for the economy has been settled.

“The bulk of research on minimum wage suggests that we can do it without hurting the economy,” Ed Lazere of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI) testified. An average working household in the District pays as much as 69 percent of its income just for rent. Requiring employers to pay a living wage would “add buying power in low-income neighborhoods,” Lazere added. These insights were seconded by witness John Schmitt, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy

Research, who added that more money in local employees’ pockets would keep potential tax revenue from “escaping” to areas outside D.C. A highly contentious point raised in the hearing is whether the minimum wage for tipped employees in restaurants and bars should be raised separately. That wage currently stands at $2.77 in D.C. While the business and labor sides seem to agree that existing laws and regulations should be enforced and exploitative violators

The pieces of legislation in question focus largely on a gradual increase of the District-wide minimum wage, currently at $8.25, to as much as $12.50 by the year 2018, as a bill introduced by Vincent Orange proposes. detected and penalized, they disagreed widely about the overall benefits and risks of the current tip system.

Witnesses for the business side insisted that restaurant employees make the minimum wage of $8.25 after tips easily. Testifying on Monday, Andrew Kline of Veritas, a local business law firm, said that the tip system was “something to be applauded,” since it allows workers to translate hard work into higher hourly income directly.

“It represents the American Way,” he added. On the other hand, business advocates argued that a wage increase would translate into higher prices and would deter customers from tipping, therefore taking away the incentive for employees to excel at their jobs.

Proponents of an increase contended that the tip system is broken. They argued that tipping requires customers to make up for the extremely low wage standards in the restaurant business instead of rewarding good service with their gratuities.

“The fall in the tipped worker minimum wage relative to the full minimum wage means that the balance of who pays servers has shifted over time from owners to patrons,” Ed Lazere of the DCFPI said.

The low tipping wage also translates into a morale problem among the workforce.

Witness Betty Woodward, D.C. resident and restaurant employee, claimed in her testimony that at $2.77, a worker is expendable in the eyes of an employer. In turn, a worker may well “start acting like you’re nothing,” to the detriment of the business. “If you are nothing to them, they are nothing to you,” Woodward underlined. To deal with these issues, Lazere said, the DCFPI “recommend[s] increasing the tipped worker minimum wage and setting it as a percentage of the full minimum wage,” which would help boost the workers’ self-worth while retaining the chance for customers to reward them by tipping.

Wage increases were not the only measures discussed at the hearing. Councilmembers and witnesses also addressed the extension worker protections to include tipped employees. The “Earned Sick and Safe Leave Act” introduced by Councilmember Marion Barry would “expand the definition of employees protected” by measures guaranteeing paid and sick leave.

During the hearing, violations against

such guarantees on the part of employers received strict scrutiny. Many witnesses complained that they were afraid to stay home when they were sick, went to work sick anyway, or faced harassment by their employers if they had been on sick leave, even though heightened hygiene standards in restaurants should call for and encourage responsible behavior. Councilmember Barry announced that the District government would “get to the bottom” of such major violations of existing regulations.

Towards the end of the hearing, Councilmember Orange expressed a lingering doubt the countless testimonies did not seem to have eliminated – namely that no matter how high the minimum wage would be raised, or what additional regulations put in place, a lack of strict enforcement of these laws would render the effort ineffective in the end. But the overall message remained clear: the “train” of new minimum wage legislation “has left the station,” as Councilmember Wells said, adding: “The Council is going to act.”

By Nkongho Beteck Editorial Intern In the beginning, it was just “the street paper project.”

And the feasibility of that project, the creation of a nonprofit newspaper to be produced and sold by the homeless men and women of Washington, D.C., was not readily apparent to everyone approached

by Street Sense co-founders Ted Henson and Laura Thompson, who later became Laura Thompson Osuri. “It took a fair amount of convincing to get people to believe in us,” Henson recalls.

That was a decade ago. He was just 23, bussing tables in a restaurant. But he had ideals and energy. So did Thompson, a 26-year-old reporter for a banking industry publication. They did not know one another when they started out but they joined forces to build a network of support for their project out of friends, relatives and street newspapers already up and running in other cities around the country. The National Coalition for the Homeless offered office space and the tax-exempt status that enabled them to do their initial fundraising. They taught themselves the production skills they needed to create the newspaper and vis-

ited shelters to recruit the newspaper’s original handful of vendors.

As Thanksgiving 2003 drew near, the first issue was sent to press. An order was placed for 5,000 copies.

The pages contained a mix of carefully-written articles on themes that would become staples for the publication: a feature on church volunteers offering blankets and sandwiches to indigents in a downtown park; an article on the shortage of space for homeless families in a local shelter; poems and recipes and reflections offered by people dedicated to writing about homelessness from the outside looking in and from the inside looking out.

Street Sense was a reality.

“Getting out that first issue was incredibly helpful in terms of convincing people, including ourselves, that we could do this and that we were for real,” Henson said.

In 2004, Street Sense moved into its own office in the Church of Epiphany in Northwest Washington, D.C. By 2005, the paper had received 501 c 3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization.

James Davis was living at Central Union Mission, searching for a job in the elec-

tronics field, when he heard about Street Sense. He was one of that first group of vendors selling Street Sense.

To him, the paper was a source of badly needed revenue as well as an outlet for his poetry, essays and reporting.

In the spring of 2006, for example, Davis contributed to one of the paper’s most important and memorable projects.

Written by Osuri, the coverage appeared under the headline “Homeless People Hired to Evict Tenants.” The investigation revealed that local companies were recruiting and underpaying homeless men to carry out evictions. After the story ran, homeless men who had worked for the companies obtained legal assistance and filed a class action suit alleging wage violations. In 2008, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found violations had occurred. The case is still in the process of being settled.

To Davis, working with Street Sense has affirmed the enduring power of the press.

“Stories still need to be told.” Davis said. “People still need to be educated.”

He added that being involved in the paper has helped vendors reclaim their voices. “I've seen people get their self esteem back and feel like they are part of society,” he said.

These days, Street Sense publishes every two weeks with a monthly circulation upwards of 30,000 copies. More than 100 active vendors now sell the paper. College journalism and communications students serve semester long internships writing for the paper. Dedicated volunteers pitch in to run vendor writing and drama groups, and to help produce the paper and run the office. Roberta Haber is one of them.

Finding Help in Hard Times

By Sybil Taylor, Vendor

I started working with Street Sense after losing my job as a hotel maid.

I can clearly remember my last day at the hotel. I spent the whole day thoroughly cleaning rooms. Then my supervisor pulled me and one of my co-workers aside and said, “Sorry the economy is low and there is no need for you anymore. We will not pay you for the day so feel free to leave whenever you’d like today. We will call you if things change.”

After that day, I called the hotel back multiple times, but no one ever responded to me.

Unemployment benefits helped me get by for awhile. I was panhandling on the street when I met Martin, a Street Sense vendor. He told me that I could work and write for this organization and I’d work for myself. I went through training and got hired on that very same day.

Street Sense has taught me how to live and take care of myself when no one else could. Street Sense has been a big help to me and all the other vendors who are struggling in life. It has taught me to be independent and responsible when dealing with homeless rejection, hard times,

and the hurt and pain that I so often have to face. People so often turn their backs on the people of the street. It’s so easy to get trapped in your own head when no one is willing to listen, and to feel sad, wondering where your next meal will come from. Street Sense gives me hope.

I want to thank Street Sense and everyone who made it special to me.

Happy 10th anniversary Street Sense, and to all the vendors, volunteers, interns, and full time staff that make it possible.

She works in the office one afternoon each week, answering the door and helping the vendors who come to purchase copies of the latest issue. Haber said she believes Street Sense offers its customers insights they may not find in other papers.

“Street Sense readers benefit because they read stories they won’t see elsewhere; sometimes they buy the paper from the writer or the subject of a story, which might make them feel connected to the issues they're reading about,” Haber said.

On October 10th of this year, the paper celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a gala in recognition of the donor, volunteer and vendor support that keeps the paper thriving. Along with celebration of the paper’s history, the first ever scholarships were awarded to three of the organization’s vendors.

Henson and Osuri have moved on with their lives and careers. Henson earned a master’s degree in public health from Harvard. He is overseeing a community health needs assessment project and living in Boston with his wife and infant son.

Osuri, married and the mother of two boys, is living in New York and working as a freelance writer.

Both were on hand at the gala, where they marveled at what their “street paper project” had become.

“We really did not have that vision let alone much of any past the first issue - when we first started planning things,” Osuri acknowledged. “ I really am touched to see how many people Street Sense has affected over the last 10 years changing lives for the better for both homeless individuals and readers. And I am excited to see what the next 10 years will bring…”

STREET SENSE November 6 - 19, 2013

Nine Years at Street Sense: Lessons I’ve Learned

5

10TH ANNIVERSARY

By Martin Walker, Vendor

When I first found Street Sense, it was like finding a life preserver in the middle of the ocean! After living in Prince George’s County, MD, my whole life, I found myself homeless in D.C.’s Franklin shelter (the old Franklin school on 13th and K St. N.W.), with no job, no car and no street survival skills.

When it was time to leave the shelter in the morning, I’d follow the crowd to breakfast, and then try to figure out where my next destination should be,

which often left me sitting in the park with feelings of hopelessness.

Then one day nine years ago, God threw me a life preserver. He sent my now good friend Philip Howard my way. Wearing a yellow vest with two front pockets and carrying a handful of papers he’d stroll through Franklin park seemingly without a care in the world, even though he too was living at the Franklin shelter. I wondered why this guy in basically my same situation seemed so carefree. A couple of days later I asked about it. He gave me the Street Sense rundown and said I should come try it out.

Upon showing up to training I met the first lady of Street Sense, co-founder Laura Thompson (before she was married and took on the last name Osuri). Laura was a pretty, fun-loving young lady with an almost undetectable hint of tomboyishness about her. Laura was so passionate about Street Sense that I used to call it her baby before she had any babies of her own.

This passion she displayed was contagious and soon I had this same infectious spirit.

Two or three weeks later, I met Street Sense co-founder Ted Henson who became my dear lifelong friend. Ted was a soft spoken, very sincere individual who de-

voted himself toward helping the homeless overcome their situation. On Sundays, Ted and I would play chess and discuss all aspects of life.

During my tenure with Street Sense I’ve done more than sell the paper. I’ve trained other vendors and served in the board. I even did a stint as interim vendor manager. Over the years, I’ve also done interviews with the Washington Post, the BBC, and AP, and appeared in documentary films and news programs. I have talked about homelessness to students from all around the country.

Times have changed and there’s a new breed of management. Maybe they’re good at what they do but it all seems so impersonal. This new team in our office seem to lack some of the fire and passion that the originals had. If I could have one wish granted for Street Sense’s sake, I’d put the old family back together.

It’s been a good nine years with Street Sense, but my time here is coming to an end soon. Within the next two months I’ll be leaving the District for Atlanta, GA to work for a trucking company there.

I’ve had some of my cus-

tomers at Farragut North tell me they’re going to miss my Street Sense song. Maybe you’ve heard me sing...it goes: “I got the brand new issue of Street Sense, I got the brand new issue of Street Sense, hot off the press.”

The one fundamental aspect of Street Sense that hasn’t changed is that it still helps plenty of home or impoverished people support themselves. So remember, when you see a vendor, he or she is trying to make a difference for their self, just like you and me. I hope Street Sense will always be there to help.

To Farragut North: you’ve been the greatest group of customers. I love you all and thank you very much.

P.S. if anyone would like to help me make my new transition, you can come see me at Farragut North, or send help to Martin Walker via Street Sense, 1317 G St. N.W.

ing of the issue of chronic homelessness, how it afflicts our community and what can be done to alleviate it.

In 2003, Osuri and Henson introduced the two-pronged mission of the paper to readers with these words: “The main objective of Street Sense is to make the public more aware of issues related to poverty and homelessness. Its secondary goal is to provide homeless people with an economically beneficial opportunity and forum to be published” (Street Sense Mission Statement and Editorial Policy, Street Sense, Volume 1–Issue 2, December 15th, 2003).

Over the last twelve months we have looked back and celebrated our successes and the accomplishments of our vendors, and paid tribute to our readers and all of the individuals and corporate donors who have supported us. We also began to explore new platforms from which we can

“make the public more aware of issues related to poverty and homelessness.”

Lessons of Hope is an ongoing series of public forums at which panels of experts discuss particular aspects of homelessness. And Staging Hope is an exciting new partnership between Street Sense and the Department of Theater and Dance at The George Washington University that combines the talents, stories and perspectives of our vendors with the power of playwriting and staged performance.

As we move into our second decade, we hope our readers continue to take advantage of the opportunity that Street Sense offers to discover common ground with the homeless men and women who distribute the paper. It is in these crossroads that we can repair the fabric of our community.

Beginning a New Decade Brian Carome, Executive Director

With this issue, Street Sense completes its tenth year of publication.

We are proud to have reached this milestone in partnership with our readers and the hard-working, resilient men and women who take advantage of the opportunity that vending and writing for Street Sense offers. About one dozen vendors distributed our first issue. Since then, over 500 more have followed in their path.

Many non-profit organizations – including ones that delivered exceptional, important services – were unable to see their way through the great recession of 2008.

Likewise, many print publications that were thriving in 2003 have been driven off

the newsstand by the winds of change. In 2003, it was impossible to predict the full effect of the digital revolution. That said, it was not the most opportune time to launch a new print newspaper. I imagine as they began editing what would become Volume 1–Issue 1, Street Sense founders Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson had to wonder if their passionate dream was sustainable. Ten years later, we are still delivering news, commentary and feature articles with a focus and perspective that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

Today, over 120 vendors distribute our paper daily throughout the District of Columbia. Many also write for the paper, giving readers an opportunity to experience the unfiltered face of homelessness.

Twenty-six times a year, issue by issue, story by story, we provide a chance to gain a deeper, more accurate understand-

“What’s your best memory so far?”

Staging Hope: a Creative Escape

By Jenny Gudmundsen Editorial Intern

Cynthia Mewborn practices a song for the upcoming play accompanied by instructor Roy Barber on the keyboard. PHOTO BY JENNY GUDMUNDSEN

September 5, 2013 It’s as if someone turned on the stereo in the middle of an office meeting. The playwriting group is on fire. Jeffery McNeil has just performed a script about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and racism within the black community. Racism is a touchy and important topic to participants and McNeil’s script has a strong, controversial agenda. Instructor Elizabeth Kitsos-Kang needs to use a louder voice this time.

“Hey, hey, hey! Everybody is allowed to have his or her own opinions. Now, let’s take this to the theater!”

The theme changes from racism to post-apocalypse in the blink of an eye.

The heat from the discussion disperses, replaced by a new kind of seriousness.

“We got nothing. We’re at the end of the world. We’re all of races here together,” says Kitsos-Kang helping everyone to focus on the new theme.

“How did we end up here?”

Arguing melts into cooperation and teamwork. The turnover is magical.

Kitsos-Kang starts to pass around imaginary water and the actors drink it as if it were their last opportunity to do so. Carried away to the end of the world, these homeless people can act.

Staging Hope The weekly workshop takes place in a meeting room downstairs from the Street Sense offices at the Church of the Epiphany on G Street NW. Every Thursday at

11a.m. a group of newspaper vendors gathers with three instructors: Leslie Jacobson, Elizabeth Kitsos-Kang and Roy Barber. They are the first iteration of Street Sense’s theater program “Staging Hope.” Participants simply call themselves “the playwriting group.” Among the most active of them are Chris Shaw, Carlton Johnson, Robert Warren, Cynthia Mewborn, Harold Bomar and Reginald Black.

Group members share ideas, play roles, break out into song. Often it’s all about improvisation. The group got started after Shira Hereld, a student at The George Washington University (GWU), approached Kitsos-Kang and Jacobson with the idea of doing a workshop with Street Sense. Hereld had participated in a program with Kitsos-Kang through her nonprofit company, Educational Theatre Company. One of the company’s projects, Creative Age, paired students with elderly adults in independent living facilities. Young and old met weekly and discussed different topics. The students then created scenes and monologues out of those conversations. Hereld had met some Street Sense vendors near the GW campus and because she had enjoyed the Creative Age project, she thought that perhaps that group could try something similar with Street Sense.

The playwriting group has been active since mid-May. On Nov. 13 they will have their first public performance at the university.

According to Kitsos-Kang, music, improvisation, role-playing, singing and writing are great tools for creating a

Robert Warren and Reginald Black acting out a serious discussion.

PHOTO BY JENNY GUDMUNDSEN

bond among group members.

“They learn to support each other and express themselves through their exposure to the arts,” she said. “Sometimes when discussions get heated, we can bring them to the world of an improvisation or a song to express those same feelings and it helps people gain perspective.”

Creativity Mewborn has been coming to the class since the beginning, and eagerly looks forward to the meetings. “I like all of it,” she says. “I like writing down my thoughts, the acting part, getting up and acting. That’s fun. I like how we close: we join our hands together, and we sing ‘we’re never gonna give up’.

“The creativity helps to keep you grounded and focused. In addition you have that human connection. There’s therapy in it, there’s healing in it. It’s a lot of frustration and displaced anger when you’re living on the street.”

Mewborn has many deep thoughts on her mind, and her engaged eyes show that this is something important to her. “Here you can yell, you can curse,” she says. “In the end of the day you don’t feel like you should be angry with yourself or anybody else. It’s just - it is what it is.”

September 26 The group begins with all the members sharing their experience from the

previous week. Some vendors have had a rough week; others have experienced positive developments.

One has been working on her poems for Street Sense while another has tried to find a job or new place to stay. While someone is eating, another person is leaning on a chair and closing his eyes for a moment or two. The instructors accept it. A rough week for these people is

“All of them have been good memories. I think my best memory will be when I’m getting on stage.”

- Cynthia Mewborn different from a rough week for Johnson, Kitsos-Kang and Barber. Those three are very aware of their actors’ situation as homeless people.

Today Barber has brought a keyboard.

He is the musician in the group and has experience from a similar project with vendors in South Africa. His hat screams summer, even though fall began four days earlier. The group cheers up when Barber starts to play.

Johnson hands out the lyrics. “Lean on me, when you’re not strong. I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on. For it won’t be long, till we all need something to lean on.”

The group moves to the joyful melody. ”I believe that music is the language of the heart, and that this musical play make their stories more accessible,” Barber says.

Discipline Despite the free flow of creativity, the group operates with certain “rules.” Mewborn explains that theater is more than fun and games.

“Theatre is a control of the environment, just like in life” she says. “There are limits, structure and discipline.

There’s also an open stage of creativity, which makes it a good balance. Every week the group gets assignments,” explains Mewborn. She thinks the drama group adds structure to participants’ lives.

“It keeps your mind thinking, and it’s therapeutic,” she continues. “I’ve seen people change because of this, from being bitter to becoming more responsive to the group. It just takes you out of the com-

plete element of homelessness. It takes you to a different world, to a regular world, where everything is normal. We get the opportunity to perform on a stage.”

Jacobson has been doing social action theatre for the past 40 years. Mewborn describes her as the ‘mother’ of the group. Since 1984, Jacobson and Barber have worked together with underserved populations. According to Barber, their focus has always been to give voice to unheard people. Johnson and Kitsos-Kang have been friends and colleagues for almost 20 years, and they both teach in GWU’s theater department.

The experienced professors give the Street Sense vendors the same instruction that George Washington students receive-but the vendors don’t pay. There’s no chalkboard, but there is an oral structure to the teaching. If the group gets too loud or out of control, the instructors will stop the show. The vendors are there to learn techniques to captivate the audience.

“Theatre and music offer means of selfexpression, which is important to people who are often told by society that their lives – that they – don’t matter,” Jacobson says. “Theatre is the art of storytelling, so it provides a way for the participants to share their stories – their lives – which are of great value.”

She further explains that improvisational skills are important because they permit actors to explore and experience different lives.

Both Kitsos-Kang and Jacobson think they have seen the playwriting group participants grow as writers, actors and as people during the last six months. Jacobson cites, “their willingness to be open to us and to each other.”

STREET SENSE November 6 - 19, 2013

10TH ANNIVERSARY

October 24 The construction work outside the church is so loud that Jacobson has trouble hearing her own voice. She starts the day’s workshop with a pep talk.

“It’s been a privilege to me to get to know you. We’ve been working on this project since May. You guys rock. We need you. I deeply respect the things that you do. I know life is complicated, but I really appreciate you.”

With only three sessions left before the big show, Jacobson needs to rely on her actors. She needs to be assured that her group members show up precisely and keep focused during the workshop. “Can everybody come here at eleven next time?

And not 15 minutes later.” The excitement in the group is palpable; it’s almost showtime. During the session, no one recognizes the noise outside.

The playwriting group ends each session by holding hands and singing “We’re Never Gonna Give Up.” PHOTO BY JENNY GUDMUNDSEN

Chris Shaw, Leslie Jacobson and Robert Warren practicing a scene.

PHOTO BY JENNY GUDMUNDSEN

November Reginald Black and instructor Leslie Jacobson.

PHOTO BY JENNY GUDMUNDSEN

7

13, at 7pm

“Street Sense has been a very rewarding experience.”

A Leader for the Cause

By Ferris Garel, Volunteer James Davis enjoys his informal title: Chief Executive Officer of Seventeenth and L Streets, NW. In his pinstriped blazer, he looks the part. His musical baritone commands attention as he delivers what to him, is more than simply a sales pitch. “Help the homeless help themselves. Buy Street Sense.”

Mr. Davis is a self-proclaimed workaholic. When he is not at his Street Sense post, he may be working for Metro services, speaking on behalf of the National Coalition for the Homeless, or teaching a course on social justice at Gonzaga High School. James Davis is on a mission. He knows the isolation and hunger of homelessness first hand, and he wants to be sure the rest of us fully appreciate our parts in this issue.

After losing his home in a divorce, Mr. Davis was forced to move to the Central Union Mission. He needed to supplement his unemployment income, so in 2003 he signed up as one of the original dozen vendors selling what was then Washington’s brand new street paper, Street Sense. Since that time, in addition to selling the paper, Mr. Davis has contributed to Street Sense in many ways; he recruits vendors and he trains them. He has served on the nonprofit’s board of directors as well.

In addition, Davis serves as a speaker for the nonprofit National Coaltion for the Homeless, traveling across the country to speak about homelessness to high school and college students.

His message is simple yet striking. “You can never predict who might be homeless or who might become homeless. Homelessness is non-discriminatory.”

The feedback from the audiences stays with him.

After giving a talk at Elon University in North Carolina, Davis recalls a young man in the audience stood up and admitted that he too had been homeless. His fellow students were so moved, they started their own street paper.

In his limited spare time, Davis is a poet. His first book of poems, a compilation of his early work for Street Sense is entitled “Street Verses” and is available on Amazon.com. He is now working on a second book of poetry.

When asked what he has learned from his experience selling Street Sense, he is quick to respond. “I sell papers to hot dog vendors, the police, and even pedestrians who are seeing-impaired,” he says “You can never judge who will be a customer..”

Just like homelessness. You can never tell.

Street Sense has really made a difference in my life.

— Carl Turner

Thank you to the wonderful people who support Street Sense.

— Evelyn Nnam

14 Better Lives a photo essay by volunteer Jane Cave

It’s a good paper.

— Don Johnson

Street Sense?

I love it!

— Philip Howard

I’ve lived all over – from New York to New Orleans, but I’ve learned the most from my Street sense family in DC.

— Chris Shaw

Thanks to all the readers of Street Sense.

— Darren Hickman

Street Sense goes beyond words in reaching people’s hearts!

— Cynthia Mewbourne

STREET SENSE November 6 - 19, 2013

99

PICS N’ PROFILES

“Street Sense has opened doors that I didn’t know were there.”

Street Sense is the best thing that has happened to me.

— Veda Simpson

Street Sense is place where they help people to help themselves.

— Dolores MacNeill

A Small Act of Kindness Reginald Black reflects on the paper that saved him

By Reginald Black Da’ Street Reportin’ Artist

Street Sense gives a voice to the homeless and disenfranchised.

— Robbert Warren

“I had to start doing something, so I started selling Street Sense. I found it the easiest job in the world.”

“Let Go and Let God”

By Jenny Gudmundsen, Editorial Intern

Jacqueline Turner is a gifted woman. She has the ability to make a joke of almost everything. All though her actual age is 60, she has kept her youthful attitude - and appearance.

“Blacks don’t crack. We don’t wrinkles that fast, they say.”

Turner likes to read books about everything. But they can’t be boring.

“I really hate tedious details. Like I was reading a book where the whole chapter was about her lying in the bed and waking up.” Turner is pretending she’s reading from the book: “As I slowly open my eyes and focus on the room, I noticed the pictures that’s been hanging there for ten years”, she continues, with a deep and humorous voice. “Who cares, on with the story. I like action”.

This lady describes herself as an outgoing person who likes to have fun. Yet she has a private side too.

Street Sense helps vendors and their customers.

— Ronald Turner

When she sells her paper she observes human behavior. “People are amazing, and they always surprise you.

You never know who’s gonna buy your paper. Sometimes homeless people come and buy papers from me.”

Turner was born in Virginia, raised in the District and attended schools in Maryland.

She got married and lived in New York City, but after thirty years, she said she left her abusive husband. She ended up back in Washington, homeless and too sick with hepatitis to work.

“When unemployment ran out after 8-9 months, I had to start doing something, so I started selling Street Sense.

I found it the easiest job in the world.”

She has been a Street Sense vendor for two years. She says the two things she appreciates most about selling the paper are these: she can do it whenever she wants, and it is good exercise.

“The older you get,” she explains, “the more exercise you need.”

Turner sees herself as part of a family of strong and resilient people. Both of her parents have remarried, and she in the middle of four stepsisters. Turner has one daughter and five grandchildren. Her 78-year old mother lives in Silver Spring, and “she’s still kicking” Turner is no longer homeless. Thanks to Catholic Charities, she has an apartment now.

She also has a dream for the future.

“I want to write kids stories from kids from 4-6. Fairytales, teach them to build a vocabulary.”

She says humor and faith are essential to her life.

“There’s a joy in your heart, that makes you happy and that puts you in a good frame of mind,” she says. “A prayer in the morning makes you go on the right track.

Let go and let God.”

The year was 2008 and the summer was winding down. I was homeless and had been laid off my job.

I was struggling. Then I heard a voice behind me.

“Help a hardworking homeless man who doesn’t have to be for a penny or a pence, homeless isn’t helpless if you have Street Sense”.

I listened. And in those words I heard God calling me to get more involved in my community and the world.

I was trained as a vendor a week later. I began my journey. It was difficult at first. I did not know how to sell newspapers. It wasn’t until I joined the newspaper’s writer’s group that I became fully engaged.

I started writing a column called Reggie’s Reflections based upon incidents in my own life. Then I began writing about people and places in the community.

One of my first feature stories made it to the front page of Street Sense. I was astonished and excited.

The momentum continued. I went on to helping design and lay out the writer’s group page. During this time a U.S. Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama won the presidential election and members of the writer’s group had a chance to cover the inauguration of our first African American president.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be there, reporting on those events.

For the rest of that year 2009, I kept writing for Street Sense, opinion pieces and hard core news. Then, for awhile, I left the paper. Then, with new vigor I returned to Street Sense, to advocacy and to writing. I saw that I was tied to communal work, and I was blessed to witness President Obama’s second inauguration.

This paper has helped me to reach some goals.

It has also taught me that only true love can end homelessness. It is not the love that we share with a spouse, or friend or family member. It is the innate desire to help all people prosper.

So thank you Laura and Ted. You created something that has really made a difference.

And just like I always add, we all should live our lives offering small acts of kindness.

I hope many others will hear the call to become more involved with their community like I did, when I first encountered a way to give and earn my two cents.

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

Street Sense and Me

By Elizabeth Bryant, Vendor

Street Sense has really helped me in every part of my life. It has helped me pay my way through life, and it has made me feel good about myself. Collection agencies used to call 5 to 7 times a day asking me for money and sometimes I’d go an entire month without being able to make a payment. Street Sense has helped me to be more responsible because it is a job that requires responsibilities and getting work done on time. It has taught me to hold myself accountable because I have learned to love being able to work on my own. I know that God and the Holy Spirit have worked wonders in my life and so now the idea of giving up because things are too hard doesn’t even cross my mind. I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, but

I have now been clean for six years and ten months. I am currently going back to school to get my GED and everyday I feel myself making positive changes. I don’t know what God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have in mind for me, but I trust in their plan and love where things are going.

The people at Street Sense are good to us. They really push us not to give up and they treat all of us like family. It’s not about getting paid for me; it’s about my self-esteem. I lost myself once in life, and Street Sense is helping bring “me” back.

This job is a blessing. I don’t think I could have made it this far without it. Street Sense has made me appreciate how God and the Holy Spirit work in my life and I long for it to stay this way.

Small Talk

By Aida Basnight-Peery, Vendor Street Sense has changed my life by enabling me to express my feelings to others who haven’t experienced homelessness.

Being homeless in the past has given me insight on how other homeless people in the community have coped with homelessness. Street Sense has helped me write articles to point out how injustices in the judiciary system affect men and women who are homeless and do not receive the fair treatment that a high profile and high priced lawyer would get for you. Street Sense has given me the freedom to write articles when I’m feeling spiritual: I see things that affect both the homeless and those who aren’t homeless.

This newspaper has given me a wonderful gift: I can earn an income through hard work and determination. Street Sense veterans who have gone to heaven and those who are still with us today have taught me what I need to do to be a successful Street Sense vendor. To them I say a heartfelt Thank You.

The Race

By Brianna Butler, Vendor

Selling the paper also gives you the wonderful opportunity to meet compassionate and awesome people who will exchange their first names and make small talk to you because they see you every day at a certain time. When I became homeless I just felt awful and kept beating myself up until one day when I was selling my papers and had several people buying the paper from me say, “keep up the good work,” and, “keep writing those great articles.”

That made me feel good inside and say to myself, “Aida, get off the pity pot and do something for yourself!” because no one pities you while you are selling Street Sense. After I did that, I saw admiration from others who didn’t even know who I was. I want to say Thank You to my customers because it’s not just the money; you did save my life through small talk.

Thank You Street Sense for being there for me; without you, I would not know where I would be today.

So, Thank You Everyone!

Achieving over the harshness Cheering from family and friends Excelling in goals, triumph over obstacles Faith in everything that you’ve gone through.

A Safe Haven

By Angie Whitehurst, Vendor Street Sense is a safe haven of hope, motivation and growth. After having a serious health crisis, no job, no money and the inability to immediately become selfsustaining, even though I have a family and roof over my head, I was still in a very dark place. So, while I am not homeless in the stereotypical sense, I am struggling to regain my strength and presence as a part of the Washington, D.C. community on a financial, spiritual and emotional level.

Street Sense is a place where you can be yourself on your own terms, with the warm, embracing support of the staff, the

volunteers and peer group friends. Being a part of the writers’ group is great! We write, we read, we discuss and provide editing. It is a wonderful feeling for all of us, when one of the vendors is published for the first time! It provides a sense of giving to the readership and other members. Thank you Street Sense for a place to be, to excel and to “move on up.”

PS: Special thanks to Kate of the writer’s group; Brandon, a real multitasker; and Claire and Ramanda, the interns – you are all for one and one for all.

The Human Family

By Cynthia Mewborn, Vendor, C=mb2 Street Sense provides more than the current news about homelessness. It’s a newspaper that personally connects the writers, poets, storytellers, artists and environmentalists to its readers.

The organization provides a window where stereotypes regarding homeless people are broken and new understanding can be formed.

Street Sense allows homeless people

to be creative, expressive, and genuine; a place where dogs, birds, elders, entire families and people of all faiths and nationalities can exchange conversations and opportunities. More importantly, it provides a platform to encourage connection to the Human Family.

Street Sense, you’ve done an outstanding job with the paper/my life. And thank you very much to all of my readers!

Consciousness

Impact

Timeless passions ageless boundless creativity, Masterfully controlled creation intertwined and Crafted masterpieces Stimulated metaphors unlocked Profound consciousness.

Working at Street Sense has had a deep impact on how I see homeless people. Before I came to Street Sense, I used to ignore homeless people and walk past them.

Now, after working with a lot of homeless people, I have learned how they struggle.

I love working for Street Sense, because I love meeting new people and learning about them. Before I came here I was struggling, looking for something that I’m passionate about. I’ve become very passionate about helping homeless people because I realized that it could be me or anyone I know. I have met people whom I have gotten to know ... I have prayed that the homeless people I work with find places to live around the D.C. area.

By Carlton “Inkflow” Johnson, Vendor

By Ashley McMullen, Vendor

10TH ANNIVERSARY Museums: Remember ‘em? A Safe Return

11 Years of Hope

By Chris Shaw, “The Cowboy Poet”

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor

By Jacqueline Turner, Vendor

Columbus Day. Some call it, “Dia de la Raza” Some say simply “days of blood.”

Tables sat bare - no one had fair share. babies crying here; Liars lying up there.

So, how long shall the hard-hearted Selection Deny the rest of us?

Hear, our precious pearls Of perfection: Blues/the music, the ways of folk.

Ford’s theatre, Archives’ kinescopes of hard working Lives gone by: ford Model T! Assembly line, Steel a fire from bug buckets, moltenRight on time!

Bolts of cotton by smiling ladies made, Clean as can be, U.S. of A. All-for you and me.

Films of Mamoulian, Warhol, and Anger; Now in danger to be seen no more.

Never again, thanks to these great Pockets of pretense Who currently rule This dear land, it seems From sea to shining (do you see?) - Do Tell .

Can you, dear American Friends, clearly spell What devilish delight, what Ishemic idiocy’s Being wrought ‘pon you And me (an aside, please allow, from our glorious history!)

“John Henry had a woman, she wore a dress of red, Said Let me go down to the railroad track to the place where John Henry fell dead (Lord, Lord) To the place where John Henry fell dead…”’

Dear Friends, Resist, Resist, Resist -

Hi, I know that everyone has been waiting to hear about my trip that I went on to see my family in September.

First, I would like to thank God for making it happen for me; also I would like to say thank you to Ms. Edrie Irvine,to all the people who helped her and to everyone who supported me with everything. My wish became reality when some caring customers combined their airline miles so I could fly home.

I left New Orleans on Sept. 5, 2005, after Katrina, and my family hasn’t been together since then. I returned on the same day last month. While I was visiting, I got to celebrate my 45th birthday with my family. I don’t think I would ever move back to New Orleans, because I’m moving forward, but my family said they never thought that each of us would be spread out like this.

When I got to the house, my sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews were all there. Everybody was trying to talk at once; it was a great feeling!

Everyone asked me how it was up in D.C., and I told them that D.C. is a lot different than New Orleans.

My neighborhood felt like a lot was missing. It felt strange — you remember things from when you were a kid; even my old house was torn down. Toward the end of my trip, we got crayfish, shrimp and lots of other seafood.

We ate gumbo and the other dishes until we couldn’t eat any more. I’m sorry that I couldn’t bring enough back to feed all of my customers.

If you’re planning a trip to New Orleans, make sure you visit the best restaurants so you can appreciate the fabulous food!

I’m glad to be back, and I hope everyone enjoys hearing about my trip.

Good Morning! Have a blessed day.

For people who don’t have hope, Street Sense provides hope. You can sell the paper and while doing so meet people and open up. In talking to people, the homeless learn not to be ashamed of their situation. Anybody can become homeless with the right problem or circumstances.

Street Sense provides an income and gives you information on housing, shelter, clothing and counseling. Sometimes you might even make a friend.

So support Street Sense and buy the paper to keep hope alive.

Like the brave Guatemalan, “Fight/Fight/ Fight/Fight/Fight/Fight/Fight.”

When day is done, and well into the night; We must carry on the Fight Until our day is won!

Landmarks

By Gwynette Smith. Vendor #341 A landmark is a location, either material or man-made that is used for navigation. Some famous ones are the Taj Mahal, the pyramids, and Stonehenge. Others in this country include Cape Royal and Angels Window in the Grand Canyon.

There are many landmarks here in Washington, D.C. Some are mostly natural like Meridian Hill Park, unofficially known as Malcolm X. Park. The Sheraton Park Hotel is another landmark, now mostly torn down. A part is still standing, and is a home for senior citizens. Most of the government buildings and monuments also fall in this category.

In downtown Washington, D.C. many

buildings have become landmarks, such as the old Hecht Company building. Hahn shoe store too, vacant at 12th and G Street. Women bought shoes there back in the 1950’s - it closed several years ago.

Other buildings in the area include the old Woodward and Lothrop building at 11th and S Street, the old Lansburgh building right across the street and the old public library at 9th and I Street, Northwest.

The operative word about these places seems to be either old or prominent.

Landmarks not only help in giving directions: many also, evoke memories, either good or bad, and give us an emotional connection to them.

11

An Opportunity

By Henrieese Roberts, Vendor I have been given an opportunity to develop skills as a writer by becoming a Street Sense vendor.

I am developing friendships that are

fun for me. I am developing relationships with some of the local community members as I sell Street Sense in my home town of Annapolis, Maryland. Thanks, Street Sense!

Obamacare Spending

By Robert Warren. Vendor Looking back over the last three months has really strengthened my belief that we, as Americans, need to better inform ourselves about domestic and foreign policies that are coming out of Washington.

That can be a challenge. You have those on the right who keep telling people lies and half-truths until those lies and half truths harm the American people and our economy. Then there are those on the left who might not tell such outright lies but who offer overly-optimistic promises about the success of whatever they are proposing. They are known for cooking the books. Before and after this latest government shutdown, I couldn’t believe the number of lies and half-truths that members of the media allowed politicians get away with. I guess it all looked like good copy and soundbites to them.

After five years of working to make everything President Obama did fail, the extremist tea party wing of the Republican party effectively sought to destroy the American economy, a treasonous act if ever one was committed. Due to the fact that most Americans didn’t take the time to inform themselves on policy, we are being told that our country is $17 trillion dollars in debt because of Obama and his spending, and a lot of us believe it. No one on the right wants to talk about the true cost of George W. Bush’s so-called “War on Terror” and the fact that it has all but bankrupted us.

So maybe the American people could have done without the costs of George Bush’s war on Islam. After the ‘08 economic collapse, maybe we didn’t need a healthcare policy that would weigh on our economy. I say maybe because you never

know what might have been, if those on the right weren’t fighting to see the president fail any which way they could. Some of them are the same Republicans that helped George Bush bankrupt the country with the war in the Middle East.

At a recent gathering of Republicans at a family values meeting in Washington DC there was the usual call for defunding Obamacare, as they like to call it. The highlight speaker, one Dr. Ben Carson, is quoted as saying Obamacare was worse than slavery. I can’t begin to comprehend how he came to that conclusion when he has never been a slave, and the impact of Obamacare won’t be fully felt for years to come.

With that said, the other highlight speaker was the senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, with his divisive language concerning Christianity and Islam. He basically said that we are at war as people of faith.

He spoke on how some people do crazy things. He painted a picture that could, if he is believed, further fuel the religious hate and bigotry in this country.the Republicans always say we can’t afford Obamacare, but they never talk about how we can’t afford to be spending money on the fear of billions of Muslims and their faith.

Just like the true gospel of Christ is a rebuttal of religious hypocrites, so it is with the Koran for most Muslims. We could save billions if we use the words of the Holy Books against religious extremism.

In conclusion, as long as Republican tea party members are able to gain more influence on American policies, our economy will never recover and we will always be at war with people of faith, which will lead to slow decline of America, letting those whose hate win.

The Mysterious Masonic Ring

By John Mathews, Vendor

In the last installment Dickerson browsed the latest comics at a local bookstore while mulling a clue contained in a cryptic letter: “A _______ saved is a ______ earned. I could have been talking about daylight but I wasn’t, though I see plenty of it as I see the people walk by.

Present yourself to me when the tower above chimes its hours glory, and you are sure to be rewarded on the morrow.

Count the streets but avoid the unlucky number.” Even as he worked to decode the riddle Dickerson wondered if Kittie might be keeping a secret from him regarding the mysterious British man.

As Kittie waited as patiently as the cat she’s named after for her hot chocolate, I pondered the riddle Bowler Hat left me.

The “saved/earned” reference could only point to one person: Benjamin Franklin.

Writing as Poor Richard, “a penny saved is a penny earned” was one of his most famous proverbs. The reference to daylight originated from the fact that Dr. Franklin was the man who came up with the idea

of daylight savings time, and to this day farmers have never forgiven him. As for the tower chiming its bells glory, I had to think about that for a minute, but I realized it had to be a reference to our old “ home,” the old Post Office Pavilion. The Pavilion’s best known feature is its clock tower, and at 8 o’clock every night, its glorious bells chime for about half an hour. There’s a statue of Dr. Franklin standing right outside, on the corner of 12th and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. The “count the streets” must refer to 12th St, as it would avoid 13, the “unlucky number.”

So, Bowler Hat wanted to meet me at 8 o’clock tomorrow night in front of the Pavilion by the Ben Franklin statue.

Kittie walked back to the table, sipping her cocoa, almost purring with contentment. She plopped down across from me, and surveyed my pile of comic books with a playful smirk on her face.

“How can you read this fluff when we’re on a real adventure of our own?”

“My dear, man cannot live by coffee alone,” I responded, “but by every bash

ILLUSTRATION BY TYLER HARCHELROAD

By Tammy Karuza, Volunteer Just beyond Edwin is the dinner buddy, an aspect Arron Lake CR employs to make newcomers feel more comfortable.

A dinner-buddy is someone who has been in the program for a while, who shares the comfort they find in CR with someone who has not been there before and explains what is going to happen next. One of the other things which makes CR stand out is the dinner itself. Members eat together just before the meeting, dinner for a firsttimer is free – $4.00 a meal there-after.

“We start out with fellowship,” said Amy, “a chance to meet other participants, to talk to other people about their week, or just bonding time. The food’s pretty good.

We have an outstanding salad bar every week, and hamburgers and hotdogs, or other main courses.” From 6:30 to 7:30 they have large group. Praise and worship is done with a prayer and music. “Worship time allows participants to put away all their burdens and to just draw a circle around them with Christ.” They either have a lesson on one of the twelve steps,

or hear a taped testimony from Saddleback church. “Sometimes we are blessed with a live testimony,” Amy said. Chips are then given out to mark the surrendering of an issue and success. “The blue chip is the surrender chip. It’s a tangible way of saying that you’re gonna start working on a specific issue, surrendering that issue to God,” she told me. Success chips mark how long someone has been working on a particular issue, as well as helping them keep all they have gained in mind. After the reading of either the principles of steps or the serenity prayer, and a small break, participants then go to the small – gender specific – group they feel best suits their individual needs. The night wraps up with Cross-talk café, a time to eat dessert, choose one’s support team, and wind down before going home.

“Celebrate Recovery is a safe place where we can all come in and not be judged because we all have our own admitted issues. Hopefully by listening to our story, people can find hope,” said Amy. The End.

of the ThunderGod’s hammer.”

With that, I picked up the new issue of Thor, and flipped through it, acting as if I were snobbishly ignoring her.

“Speaking of gods and goddesses,” she added, “do you have the Wonder Woman

Chapter 6: Solo Mission (con’t) over there?”

Kittie did not share my obsession with comics, but she couldn’t resist a story featuring Diana of the Amazons.

(To be continued)

de 1 o s i ep pg 3

STREET SENSE November 6 - 19, 2013

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10TH ANNIVERSARY

Is Winning Everything?

By Jeffery McNeil, Vendor

Is winning really the only thing that matters? Vince Lombardi’s name was synonymous with winning; he won six football championships and the first two Super Bowls. However, he paid a price.

He suffered from depression and an assortment of digestive disorders. He died at age 57 from colon cancer.

There is evidence that the winner-takeall mentality takes a toll on one’s health and mental state, yet many insist that coming out on top is the only thing that matters.

Nowhere is this attitude more pervasive than in corporate America. To the resultsoriented boss who is driven by the bottom line without regard for the employee’s overall well being, performance is all that matters. Effort isn’t enough; if you don’t produce, you are replaced.

In a world where all rewards go to the winner, there is a downside. Every megamerger costs people their jobs. Someone’s private gain means a public resource has been depleted.

The question that remains is, should everything go to the highest bidder? Is suggesting policies such as living wages, rent controls and price caps, extreme and socialistic? Should there be affordable space for those who don’t win but show up every day to play?

In Washington DC they have a solution.

They just price the poor out of the District and force them to live in neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia. Should that be a model for the country? As a resident of 14th Street, I have seen a bidding war and land speculation transform my neighborhood from a poor working class area into a place where the rewards go to those whose pockets are already deep.

As the District’s long term residents are

priced out of the city, it’s becoming all too apparent that more people are becoming the losers. It’s all about who has the cash and not about working people Many will say that what is happening to our city is just the marketplace at work.

Free Marketeers claim although that this is cruel and harsh capitalism, it is win-win for the consumer. They assert that this is the only system where the individual can find independence and that any attempts by government to regulate or intervene smack of socialism and should be vigorously deterred.

Land developers and multinational companies such as Wal-Mart have used this philosophy to roll over the city councils and residents in cities such as Washington, Detroit and Chicago. They bully, threaten and shame anyone that advocates for affordable housing and higher wages. They argue against policies that can correct income disparities, and behind the scenes

they continue to raise the cost of essential services such as gas, rent and utilities.

Truth is, these corporations have been undercutting not only their workforce but the citizens that have to foot the bill for social services because they refuse to pay decent wages or employ people full time.

The duplicitousness of these corporations has turned the American dream into a cycle of dependency from cradle to grave. Everything has become a hustle, from college education to looking for fulltime employment. You are told to go to college and get a degree, only to end up with huge debt, searching for work in a job market where your diploma is useless and employers are looking for someone with experience. Many college grads will end up working as waiters or at low wage jobs at places like Walmart or McDonalds.

Something eventually needs to give. No system can continue where a few win and everyone else loses.

Street Sense Vendor for a Day

By Susan Orlins, Volunteer

When I woke up and saw the clear blue sky, I said to myself, Oh, goody. It would be a lovely day for selling Street Sense. The temperature would be in the forties, rising into the fifties, and I like crisp weather.

Then I thought, but I don’t have to sleep outdoors in it. Ideal weather conditions were not the point of experiencing what a typical day is like for Street Sense vendors.

At my first Street Sense Writer’s Group meeting as a volunteer editor, I asked the writers, “How do people treat you when you are selling the paper?” I was surprised to learn about passersby who folded twenty-dollar bills into their hands. Jackie told me that once when her hands got cold, she went to buy coffee to warm them; a woman in the cafe, overhearing mention of this, left and quickly returned with a pair of gloves for her.

They also told stories about pedestrians who look away and about being shooed away from a busy street corner by security guards. This made me wonder what it would feel like if I were to be a Street Sense vendor for a day. Of course, I harbored no illusions that I could have any true notion what it feels like for vendors who are homeless and dependent on the income they earn from selling the paper.

Reggie Black, who has been selling papers for six years, offered to be my mentor. By writing articles and getting Street Sense to as many people as possible, Reggie hopes to change the system for low income and homeless individuals via Street Sense and advocacy groups. Sometimes he gives papers away, at a cost to him of 75 cents a piece. “Before, I felt empty,” he told me, “now, I have purpose.”

Reggie and I agreed to meet at 17th and G Street. When I arrived, it was immediately obvious that he owned the corner, as though he were the mayor of that small chunk of our nation’s capital, directly opposite Blair House.

He had tied his neon yellow vest to a lamppost and had rested his backpack and coffee cup on a table down the block.

Reggie—who is 28 years old and has been living in a shelter since last Christmas— brought a vest, identification badge, and 20 papers for me.

First, I watched him charm passersby with his rhythmic pitch: The hearts and minds and voices of Washington, D.C. . . . . He told a band of tourists that Street Sense was the best souvenir to take home, that they could laminate it and put it on their mantles to wow their friends. He wished everyone a nice day.

Soon we sat down so Reggie could brief me.

“Should I take my vest off if I have to go in a restaurant to use the bathroom?”

I asked.

“Without my vest,” Reggie said, “I may get turned away quicker than when I’m wearing it.” When he and I first talked about doing this, I had asked whether I should try to “look homeless,” at which he asked me, “Do I look homeless?” And my answer was no; Reggie does not “look homeless.” But it comes as no surprise that a 68-year-old gray-haired white lady like myself is more likely than a young black man to get a bathroom pass at your average downtown restaurant.

Reggie told me, “People don’t realize how public we are.” He pointed out

Street Sense vendors meet monthly to discuss organizational issues.

PHOTO BY JOHNATHAN COMER

that even celebrities can escape cameras by going home, but vendors are just out there and many tourists have no reservations about taking photographs or videos of them.

Finally it was my turn to face the stream of pedestrians, while my mentor observed me from afar. “Help the homeless. Get your copy of Street Sense,” I said, barely above a whisper. I’m not a shy person, and it surprised me that I wasn’t able to chant that refrain with more confidence.

It didn’t help that nearly everyone had an avoidance tactic. They turned their heads away or looked straight ahead, as though I were invisible. Since I was near a corner, many cut a hypotenuse to avoid coming anywhere near me. It felt like a victory when someone said, “No thank you.”

After an hour, I had two dollars from the one paper I had sold and ninety-five cents from a man who had pulled the change from his pocket, but didn’t take a paper. I felt hungry, so I dug into my backpack for a bite of the peanut butter sandwich I’d brought along, aware that the typical vendor was not likely to have the same luxury of immediate access to a

sandwich in a baggie.

By the second hour, despite feeling bruised by continuous rejection, my comfort level had grown. I could walk right up to someone and make eye contact.

“Would you like to help the homeless today and buy a copy of Street Sense?” I sold three more papers.

Suddenly lights began flashing and police were shooing everyone out of the area. Reggie, who jumped into the street to help direct traffic, told me they might be looking for an explosive device.

We walked a few blocks to another street corner and I sold a few more papers. Reggie told me he sometimes sells 45 papers in a day, but I was amazed how hard it was for me to sell papers, especially since in a former career, I had been a top salesperson. And especially given the beautiful weather. I could only imagine how much harder it would be to sell in wet or freezing weather, the personal discomfort compounded by people not wanting to pause to fish out money in the rain.

After three hours, I turned $13.95 over to Reggie from the six papers I had sold, plus “tips.”

COMICS & GAMES

of “ e f i L t e r The Sec alter Glarph” W

STREET METRO RAIL

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rush hour

Red Line

high fares

cancellations

weekend delay

escalator

single tracking

buses replace

Is that your bag

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Vending with Street Sense: Become a vendor today!

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Want to start earning money this week? Work for yourself and be an advocate for homelessness, all while building skills and earning an income.

Responsibilities: · Manage your own inventory and sales · Develop your customer base · Represent Street Sense well, provide excellent customer service · Promote the mission and content of Street Sense · Become an active member of the Street Sense community

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DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS HOTLINE

Trainings every Tuesday and Thursday 2pm SHARP 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.

SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252

Everyone is welcome! http://streetsense.org/getinvolved/become-a-vendor/

Academy of Hope: 269-6623 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org

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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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

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

Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only)

Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW cchfp.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

15

STREET SENSE November 6 - 19, 2013

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

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

Rachel’s Women’s Center: 682-1005 1222 11th St, NW rachaels.org

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

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

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

Subscribe to Street Sense 1 Year: $40 2 Years: $80 3 Years: $120 I want half of my purchase to benefit a vendor directly Vendor Name

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

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

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Secret Bounty

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United Way of the National Capital Area

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By Cynthia Mewborn, Vendor As our summer trees prepare for winter we can remember them by their colorful foliage.

Taking the time to appreciate the wonderful colors of autumn gives us an opportunity to learn about ourselves and others.

Through the process of contemplating nature, we acknowledge God’s magnificent and awesome power. Whether you are a Washingtonian or you are visiting the nation’s capital, you should consider making time for a walk through local neighborhoods that are bustling with wonderful natural beauties Nature’s abilities to teach and feed are limitless. Among the eye openers are the District’s diverse fruit-bearing trees,

shrubs and vines which you see dispersed through different neighborhoods. I have spotted an amazing variety: pear, peach, apple, orange, plum, fig, cherry, chestnut, banana, grape, mulberry and blueberry.

And this is merely a sample of what you’re likely to find as you stroll among the different communities. Washington not only boasts the longest list of museums but it could possibly win the gold medal for the most diverse variety of fruit trees.

Nature’s seasonal teachings are as dramatic and diverse as people’s personalities. But what we all have in common is our connection to this planet and all its inhabitants. These particles make life where we ultimately fade back into the very thing we become--life itself.

Pear PEAR

BLUEBERRY

PLUM

Halloween

By Veda Simpson, Vendor

ORANGE PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA MEWBORN

Roberta Bear - 11 /9

The ghosts and goblers came back in town. They came so fast. They didn’t make a sound. Having fun and scaring folks is their fame. They asked the saw to tag along and indeed he came. If you can tell who is behind the mask, go to them and a free paper for you; just ask.

PHOTO COURTESY VEDA SIMPSON

November 6 - 19, 2013• Volume #10 • Issue #26

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

Permit #568

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

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 15 for more information.