12 10 2008

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December 10 - December 23, 2008 Where Your Dollar Goes:

Where the poor and homeless December 10 - December 23, 2008

D STE GE ON G S U N AT I DO

earn and give their two cents Volumbe 6 Issue 3

75 cents For the Vendor

25 cents for production of the paper

The Hunger Puzzle Day labor center still sorely needed Page 6

Pictures and poems reflecting upon homelessness Page 8

The Complexities of Feeding the Hungry See page 4

Columnist Jeffery McNeil takes a sales approach to life Page 12

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

Our Mission

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

BOARD OF DIRECTORS James Davis Kristal DeKleer Robert Egger Ted Henson Mary Lynn Jones Sommer Mathis Brad Scriber John Snellgrove Michael Stoops David Walker Kathy Whelpley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Mary Otto

VENDOR MANAGER Lindsey Clark ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond (volunteer) INTERN Lisa Gillespie and Carol Cummings VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Sherry Antoine, Robert Basler, Robert Blair, Cliff Carle, Michelle Capuccio, Jane Cave, Jason Corum, Diana Cosgrove, Rebecca Curry, RickDahnke, Ben Edwards, Jessia Gaitan, JoshuaGardner, Genevieve Gill, JoanneGoodwin, Roberta Haber, Razia Hamid, Carol Hannaford, JustinHerman, Annie Hill, Dan Horner, Phillip Hoying, Kayne Karnbach, MauriceKing, Geof Koss, Jessica LaGarde, Karin Lee, Matthew S. Lee, Brenda K. Lee-Wilson, Claire Markgraf, Gregory Martin, Kim O’Connor, Gabriel Okolski, Robert Orifici, Swinitha Osuri, Miranda Pantano, Jon Pattee, Katinka Podmankzy, Cara Schmidt, Jamie Schuman, Kathryn Taylor, Matthew Taylor, Robert Trautman, Francine Triplett, Eugene Versluysen, Denise Wilkins, Marian Wiseman VENDORS Willie Alexander, Jake Ashford, Kenneth Belkowskly, Tommy Bennett, Reginald Black, Corey Bridges, Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek Jr., Louise Davenport, James Davis, Bernard Dean, Muriel Dixon, Patrick Ebitit, Alvin Dixon El, Randy Evans, Tanya Franklin, Barron Hall, David Harris, Patricia Henry, Phillip Howard, Jo Ann Jackson, Michael Jefferson, Patricia Jefferson, Carlton Johnson, Jewell Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Brenda Karyl LeeWilson, James Lott, Robert McCray, August Mallory, Gregory Martin, Charles Mayfield, Lee Mayse, Jennifer Mclaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, L. Morrow, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Moyo Onibuje, Thomas Queen, Raymond Ragland, Kevin Robinson, Tyrone Rogers,, Leroy Studevant, Sybil Taylor, Eric Thompson, Francine Triplett, Carl Turner, Jerry W., Martin Walker, LawlessWatson,

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.

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

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

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a

project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space.

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

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

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

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

As of November 2008 the paper has 80 active vendors and prints more than 30,000 issues each month.

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

Order a subscription today!

Not only will you receive 26 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also help raise awareness about poverty in the D.C. area. ___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense for just $40 a year for 26 issues. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ________________________________ Name: _______________________________ Address: ______________________________ _____________________________________ City:__________________________________ State:__________________ Zip: __________ Phone: _______________________________ E-mail: _______________________________ Please make checks payable to Street Sense.

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

Thanks for your support!

We are proud members of: North American Street Newspaper Association

International Network of Street Papers

Vendor Code of Conduct 1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 27 to Dec. 9 Donors Kathryn Denton

Adam Rich Perry

Jana Meyer

Lois Riley

Jennifer E. Park

R.S. Schlossberg

Thank You!

David A. Sellers Eloise and Peter Smyrl

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

News In Brief Homeless World Cup Scores Both Globally and Locally Action in the Dec.1-7 Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia has been “fast and furious,” according to a December 4 Inter Press article by Stephen de Tarczynski. A total of 56 teams from around the globe are competing in the event, which includes a first-ever separate women’s cup with teams from Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Colombia, Zambia, Uganda, Cameroon, Liberia, and Australia. “In Liberia we very much need help, most especially with the homeless,” said 20-year-old Dehkontee Sayon, after scoring four goals for her country in a 16-1 victory over Cameroon.

The Homeless World Cup has helped foster grassroots soccer programs in over 60 countries, with some 30,000 homeless and marginalized players involved year-round.

Vancouver Plans to Boost Resources for Homeless Vancouver’s new mayor Gregor Robertson plans to convene a 90-day emergency task force on homelessness, “bringing together the brightest minds in Vancouver to focus on short-term solutions [and] getting people off the streets. “ According to a December 3 report by Catherine Rolfsen in the Vancouver Sun, election-day exit polls indicate that Robertson was elected in large part for his campaign promise to end street homelessness by 2015. Sonny MacLaren, homeless for two years, told the Sun that Robertson could keep his promise to solve homelessness “as long as he budgets properly.” The city and the surrounding province plan to have 3,813 units of supportive housing and below-market rate housing in place by 2010.

Key Atlanta Homeless Shelter Faces Water Cutoff One of Atlanta’s biggest homeless shelters faces having its water shut off unless it starts paying off $160,000 in back bills, according to a December 3 WSB News report by Jon Lewis. The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless runs the shelter, which houses over 700 people each night in downtown Atlanta. Authorities say the shelter has known their water was going to be turned off and claim they’ve been trying to negotiate with the shelter for months. “[E] verything [we owe] right now is about $140,000,” said Anita Beaty, the shelter’s director. “To disconnect the water jeopardizes hundreds of people who stay here.”

Beaty says they don’t plan on closing, adding “We are not going anywhere.”

Burlington Homeless Shelter Overflows From June to August of this year, the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) in Burlington, Vermont turned away 42 families and 75 single adults for lack of space at its shelters, according to COTS executive director Rita Markley. A year earlier, COTS turned 25 people down during those months, Markley added.

Shelter providers, local and state officials, clergy and others are scrambling to figure out how to respond to a homelessness problem they all sense is coming, Terri Hallenbeck reported on December 2 in an article in the Burlington Free Press. “We certainly believe from all indicators there are very troubling times ahead,” Steve Dale, commissioner of the state Department for Children and Families, told Hallenbeck.

Global Economic Woes Poised to Hit UK Homeless British charities are expecting a fundraising shortfall in 2009 as corporations donate less, investments tank, and fundraising costs rise, according to a December 1 Associated Press article by Emily Flynn Vencat. PricewaterhouseCoopers recently released a study estimating that UK charities could end up with around four percent less than they expected to have in 2009. Shelter, a UK charity that fights homelessness, said it lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds this fall when corporate sponsors canceled donations. It expects a further drop in revenues due to the fall in property and stock prices, and told Vencat that it needs money to help the increasing numbers of people who are being made homeless by bank repossessions.

Iowa Group Plans to Buy House for Displaced Homeless Men Eight homeless men living in a cluster of huts near the Des Moines River in Iowa, whose temporary dwellings are under threat from authorities, are slated to get help from the nonprofit group Hope Builders.

WHO-TV reported on December 4 that Hope Builders volunteers helped the homeless men pack their belongings after the city declared the men’s huts were fire hazards after a propane canister ignited a blaze.

One homeless man was injured in the fire. Hope Builders says it is planning to put an offer on a fivebedroom home in Des Moines for the men.

- By Jon Pattee

Help Us Reach 1,000,000 After five years, 84 issues, hundreds of vendors, and thousands of eye opening news stories and thoughtful editorials, Street Sense is just a few short months away from publishing its one millionth newspaper. One million newspapers - this also means at least $1 million in the pockets of homeless vendors!

This is an exciting milestone, indeed. But we aren’t there yet. Right now we have printed about 900,000 newspapers, but to print the next 100,000 we need the support of very reader. To help Street Sense continue being the place where “the Washington area’s poor and homeless give and earn their two cents” we are looking to raise 1,000,000 cents for each year of Street Sense.

I will donate:

My Information:

___ $10 - The minimum regular reader donations.

Name:__________________________________________________

___ $50 - $10 for each year of Street Sense.

Address:________________________________________________

___ $84 - $1 for each issue of Street Sense.

City/State/Zip:__________________________________________

___ $221 - $1 for each mile that every copy of Street

Phone:___________________E–mail:_______________________

Sense would cover.

Please make checks payable to Street Sense.

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

___ $480 - $1 for every vendor ever with Street Sense. ___ $1500 - For printing one issue (15,000 newspapers) ___ Another amount of $____________ ___ Another amount of $_______ for vendor: _________

Street Sense is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization.

All donations are tax deductible.

You can also donate via credit card and set up reoccurring donations at www.streetsense.org

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

The Hunger Puzzle

John Kinsella

Waiting on line for food distribution at Ambassador Baptist Church

Feeding the Hungry, Helping the Needy: America is Still Trying to Get it Right

By Denise Wilkins In September Street Sense reported on the Capital Area Food Bank’s move to a newer, better equipped facility.

I was fascinated to learn about the huge role the Food Bank (CAFB) plays in matching hungry people with the wealth of food available in the D.C. area – they deliver 20 million pounds of food a year to 700 churches, food pantries, schools and soup kitchens.

I wanted to understand how the system that delivers excess food to our hungry population nationwide really benefits the needy individual and is benefited by the individual donor.

I set out to find the touching human interest stories but instead was lost in a wilderness of facts, figures, opinions and anecdotes. I feel now as though I have just beaten my way out – and I know my perspective has been changed several times along the way.

No matter my confusion, all of the information we rely on to get at the issue of hunger begins and ends with the people in our community. It will begin here with John Gaskins.

For some, food is only the first step I spoke to John early one morning at Miriam’s Kitchen in Foggy Bottom, where food donations from the CAFB and others feeds 225 people each day.

John has been coming to Miriam’s Kitchen for a year and a half. He has worked as a pile driver – he proudly pulled out his union card for me – but six months ago was homeless and suffering from an alcohol addiction.

With help from his father and Miriam’s Kitchen, John got into a safe house. He has been sober now for four months and is confidently looking for work. In the meantime, he comes to Miriam’s Kitchen for his meals.

“Food is a vehicle for outreach,” said Adam Rocap, Director of Social Services for Miriam’s Kitchen. Once these men and women sit down to a hot meal, case workers make themselves available to help them with needs relating to housing, mental health or substance abuse. It works.

But at the nationwide or local level no such comprehensive approach has been developed. And hunger itself

remains a major problem. A study sponsored by the Sodexho Foundation found that in 2005, 35 million individuals suffered from hunger or food insecurity. The USDA reports that $30 billion was spent in 2007 on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps).

Why are people still hungry?

After decades of fighting hunger, why is it that more people than ever are hungry?

Some believe the money that funds charities working on hunger should go straight to the food stamp program.

They point to the inefficiencies in having so many different programs with parallel distribution systems and redundant sets of warehouses, trucks, staff and marketing programs.

When we speak of the generalized concept of food we’re really talking about perishable versus non-perishable versus commodities.

It is homeless men who are hungry, the elderly who are hungry, the home-

bound who are hungry, children who are hungry and working parents who are hungry. Each has a different set of needs that does not necessarily end in making money for food or food itself available; hunger is related to mental health, quality of education, availability of housing and addiction.

Food is about nutrition: access to the right kind of food, the right combinations of foods; the art, science and logistics of economical food preparation.

How d o we sor t this out?

How c a n t h e caring individual be assured that, in this unfathomable age, he or she is giving wisely?

At t h e Sa t urday food giveaway at the Ambassador Baptist Church in Southeast, I began to wond e r i f w e a re

I set out to find the touching human interest stories, but instead was lost in a wilderness of facts, figures, opinions and anecdotes.

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

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doing our best with the food-pantry system. That week Ambassador Baptist had received boxes of tomatoes, carrots, apples, bread, water, and candy from the CAFB, and several first-time visitors were in line, men who had recently been laid off, a maintenance worker and a mechanic suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Watching these men and women fill bags and boxes with food I wondered, why not simply increase the food stamp benefit and let people shop at existing and well established food distribution chains like Giant and Safeway?

Food stamps? Or food?

Most consumers won’t buy yogurt nearing its expiration date, but it still can be safely consumed. Crushed boxes of Wheaties, day-old bread and food with damaged labels all have a place to go in this system.

John kinsella

The Sodexho report says that food charities spend $14.4 billion each year. The report also claims that the indirect cost of hunger, in illness and lost productivity, is $76 billion. The authors contend that it would cost only $12 billion more, added to the SNAP program, to feed everybody adequately. So the $14 billion spent on charities should be diverted to SNAP, which would eliminate the hunger problem and save the $76 billion of indirect costs.

Further, it is generally known that every $1 of SNAP benefits allocated to individuals means a nearly $2 benefit to the economy.

Simply diverting the fourteen billion from food charities to the SNAP program would not address the myriad needs of the poor according to D.C.’s Director of Human Services, Clarence Carter: “Absolutely there is a need in this society for a supplemental food acquisition system.” Raising the SNAP benefit across the board does not take into account the needs of the individual, such as how to feed oneself wisely and economically, and it still does not address the individual – or the societal – issues that cause hunger.

But Carter acknowledges that there could be greater efficiency in the myriad programs currently in place across the city. He s a i d , “ Ye s what we have now is fragmented and none takes a comprehensive app r o a c h . We must bring resources together around the greater vision as opposed to the creation of a particular program that only addresses a particular need.

Right now we

Food From the Capital Area Food Bank Awaits Distribution at Ambassador Baptist Church

create programs that do not meet the entire range of needs of the individual.

Of which hunger is just one.”

Miriam’s Kitchen offers an example of what Carter sees as “the need to start addressing the problems from the perspective of the person served, where we knit together a range of resources where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

And Miriam’s Kitchen is able to provide a nutritious meal for $1. It would be difficult for an individual – an individual with no kitchen – to do that. Also, it’s an immediate way to eat. “The homeless move around a lot. Some come here because they have delusions about having to get word to the president,” said Adam Rocap. This transience makes it difficult to apply or reapply for benefits, and having a meal at Miriam’s is a quicker solution.

So increasing SNAP benefits would not help the client in this instance.

“Would some of the clients know how to shop, buy healthy food and prepare it?” asked Rocap. John Gaskins qualifies for SNAP but does not take advantage of this benefit. Currently, he gets his meals at other pantries like So Others Might Eat or Epiphany Church.

Community counts, too This could be because of an unstated need for hungry people to have some sort of social community.

Sometimes it is not necessarily about the food. Gaskins said, “It is the genuineness and care of the people who serve. They really care.”

Steven Badt, Director of Volunteer Services and Kitchen Operations for Miriam’s Kitchen, clearly cares.

When he started seven years ago he

decided to prepare only nourishing food that was nicely presented. Now he has created a model for volunteers and clients. He runs the kitchen like a restaurant, telling volunteers to prepare the food as though it were being served “at a high-end brunch at the Marriott.”

Simply reallocating monies to SNAP would lose this human touch and still not solve the problem of excess food.

The nationwide organization Feeding America and its partners distribute two billion pounds of food nationwide each year. “We have a system that distributes food that is still nourishing but not attractive to consumers,” said Ross Fraser, Feeding America’s Media Relations Manager.

For example, while most consumers won’t buy yogurt nearing its expiration date it still can be safely consumed.

Crushed boxes of Wheaties, giant unappealing cabbages, day-old bread, and food with damaged labels all have a place to go in this system.

Badt can’t take in all the food that he is offered, as getting it requires time and transportation. So he simply accepts food when donors like Whole Foods and Firehook Bakery call with a surplus. He also relies on food from the CAFB, farmer’s markets and even hunters who bring in venison. As we talked in his bustling kitchen, a gentleman walked in the door to deliver an armload of sage from his garden.

The limits of the food-pantry system And there are limits on what Badt can do with what now gets by charity or chance – he says that “if Miriam’s starts to provide a dinner service he would have to hire an assistant and actively go after the food.”

Robert Egger, founder of DC Central Kitchen, got his start 20 years ago rescuing excess perishable food from the 1989 inaugural galas. “I’m not a huge believer in the pantry system.

It was designed in the 1970s to serve able-bodied, unemployed f o l k s,” h e said. Like Miriam’s Kitchen, he adds value by training those he feeds in food preparation.

Looking forward to the next inauguration, Egger is “ver y excited by this new administration because it looks like there will be significant courage to maybe move beyond the charity model.”

Why not simply increase food stamp benefits and let people shop at existing and well established food distribution chains like Giant and Safeway?

Where do we go from here?

As you can see, this is a complicated issue, with no immediate or simple solution ahead of us. I’m still baffled about how we move forward, but I am heartened by the vision of Clarence Carter and efforts of the staff at the CAFB, DC Central Kitchen, and Miriam’s Kitchen.

And I am impressed by reports from people like Reverend Roy Settles at Ambassador Baptist Church, feeding people now for 40 years, who told me that 203 people came through his food line this past Saturday – an alltime record.

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

Lawyers’ Group Calls for D.C. Day Labor Center ers are non-immigrants who receive services at District homeless shelters.”

Proposing Solutions

Jesse Smith

Workers wait to be hired at the parking lot of the Home Depot in Northeast Washington.

By Robert Blair The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) has released a report highlighting problems faced by local immigrant and homeless day laborers, and recommending District support for construction of a multi-purpose workers’ center.

The proposed center would help organize and improve employment opportunities and working conditions in D.C.’s informal job sector.

The report, “Wages Denied: Day Laborers in the District of Columbia,” summarizes findings of a survey of more than 140 day laborers, at least 36 percent of whom were homeless.

The WLC proposal has already won support from the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and a number of labor and immigrant organizations active in the D.C. area. “A day labor center is sorely needed in the Washington area,” said Michael Stoops, NCH’s executive director.

In effect, the new report resurrects an idea that City Council member Harry Thomas Jr. raised in 2007. Thomas’s proposal to establish a multi-cultural training center in D.C.’s Brentwood neighborhood had once seemed a done deal. He and his colleagues reportedly had found $500,000 in fiscal year 2008 funds for the project. The city’s Department of Employment Services (DOES) was already making plans to obtain land near the Home Depot, in the 900 block of Rhode Island, Ave., NE, for the facility. Some city officials were even expressing hope that a temporary center could be open by late summer Neighborhood resistance eventually resulted in Thomas’s proposal being

shelved. But Home Depot remains the primary location in D.C. for contractors and homeowners to find day laborers for construction and other low-wage, temporary jobs.

Defining the problem

The authors propose a mix of private and public funding to help establish an indoor center where day laborers can connect with prospective employers.

The center would also provide rest rooms and shelter from the elements.

As with the earlier proposal, the area near Home Depot is identified as the most practical site for the facility.

The WCL report envisions that the center would also provide educational services such as English language classes and information on workers’ rights under D.C. law. Creation of a day labor center, the report suggests, could lead to closer collaboration between D.C.’s day workers and DOS, the Office of Wage-Hour, and the Office of Occupational Health and Safety.

CASA of Maryland, a non-profit group that operates three workers’ centers in Montgomery County and one in Baltimore, is offered as an example of how the proposed facility could be organized and governed.

Commenting on the WLC report, Councilman Thomas suggested that the supporters of the center should go one step further. He advocated a multicultural training center that would provide day labor and vocational training

opportunities for the people living in the neighborhood as well.

“A void has grown up between these two minority communities,” he said.

“It would be better if the center served both communities.”

Next Steps Thomas noted that there are ongoing, government funded economic development projects that the workers’ center proposal might be tied into. But he stressed the importance of defining exactly what the government’s participation goals would be. He recommended that, in specifying those goals, it would be more effective if the two communities – Hispanic immigrants and the City’s African-American community -- were not treated as separate constituencies.

Earlier this year, a coalition of immigrant and homeless day laborers, church and non-profit groups, and neighborhood stakeholders – collectively, the Coalition for a Workers’ Center -- was organized to develop a suggested management plan for the proposed day labor center.

Copies of “Wages Denied” are available from WLC. Contact Laura Varela at lau ra_varela@

wasklaw.org or call 202-319-1000.

The 23-page report offers an indepth look at the plight of D.C.’s estimated 500 day laborers – including under-payment of wages, bounced checks, and violations of labor laws and safety regulations.

• More than 60 percent of the survey participants said that, on at least one occasion, they had not been paid at all for work performed.

• Forty-five percent said that they had been abandoned at a work site by the employer and left to find their own way home.

• Long hours were also an issue.

Almost 60 percent reported having worked, on occasion, more than 12 hours a day. Almost 20 percent reported sometimes working more than 16 hours per day.

According to the survey, conducted between August 2007 and March 2008, 64 percent of the participants were involved in some form of construction work. Twenty-four percent engaged in janitorial work, including cleaning up stadiums, city streets and sidewalks The report’s authors note that “although it is commonly assumed that the day laborer community consists largely (if not entirely) of illegal immigrants, we found that many day labor-

Help Bring the Homeless in from the Cold

CALL THE

Shelter Hotline 1 800 535-7252 Adrian M. Fenty, Mayor, Government of the District of Columbia

S treetS ense.org WorldWide Vendor Spotlight

Joseph Tiongson I met Joseph near the halfway house where he lives.

Have you ever seen a deer as it steps lightly on its hooves? Joseph has a foot that hangs, like a hoof, and when he steps only his toe hits the ground, ever so softly. He has pain there and so he steps quickly. Policemen had shot him as he fled from a jeepney robbery. [Jeepneys are small colorful buses that are the primary form of public transportation in the Philippines.] For Info Box a moment he looks light and lithe in his movements, until his n Joseph Tiongson weight tumbles to the n Age: Twenty-six right. I met Joseph n City: Manila in the lower level of a n Country: Philippines Church, where homeless people gather to n Street paper: Jeepeny eat and play and listen to a lay minister, every Thursday night.

Joseph is handsome. He has curly hair. His eyes are bright. He carries his bible. His arms have scars. They are small scars. There are many of them.

“What are those?” I ask. He smiled.

“When I am unhappy, I cut myself.”

He was cut where men like to place tattoos, on the bulge of their biceps. I didn’t notice until later that he was also scarred on his inner foreman. Hundreds of scars.

Piled on top of each other like a box of spilled toothpicks.

Maybe you walk by the street kids and see them as less than human. Perhaps you tap the window and bury yourself in your thoughts when they knock. Perhaps you cuss under your breath, at the little “bastards”.

It’s so easy not to care. There are too many children on the street. Too many begging. Too many selling cigarettes.

Too many sucking rugby, that adhesive, they spoon into plastic bags and sniff, till high or dead or both.

What isn’t obvious is how much the children hurt.

Their pain doesn’t flaunt itself. Sure they are hungry.

Sure they are dirty. Sure their skin is pocked and scabby.

But abuse, neglect, and the sorrow that brings, it has no badge of expression. So when Joseph comes along, his face broad and bright and I see his arms, like a bird nest.

He is a symbol.

Joseph has been homeless since the age of eight. He remembers only abandonment, but death and finances play a part. Between the ages of 16 and 23 he spent 6 years in the Marikina City jail. He has many tattoos. Tattoos are a jailhouse brand pushed by the authorities. The police watch for them.

“Are those gangs?” I asked. “The ones on your back.”

“Yes,” he laughed, “but I am in the gang of Jesus now.”

Joseph is not a kid. He’s a man with a child. He lives in a halfway house. He sells the Jeepney. He scavenges trash.

He hopes to marry his partner, when he has the money.

He has many dreams. He is attending school. He feels blessed and he says that he doesn’t cut himself anymore.

I believe him.

December 10 - December 23, 2008

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Hunger on the Rise for Children in Maryland, US

By Lindsey McPherson Capital News Service

WASHINGTON - Millions of children don't get the food they need, according to the Food Research and Action Center, and the number of hungry children in Maryland, one of the wealthiest states, has significantly increased.

The center, a nonprofit organization that works to improve policies that help eliminate hunger and malnutrition, gathered a panel of hunger and economic experts at the National Press Club Wednesday and released a report that looks at states' nutrition programs.

The panel called on Congress to use an economic stimulus bill to increase food stamp allotments by 10 to 20 percent and to pass it in the next few weeks.

"Families just can't purchase adequate food through the amounts of food stamp benefits the government provides," the center's president, James Weill, said.

Food stamp participation in Maryland has increased 45 percent from 262,907 participants in August 2003 to 382,063 in August 2008 -- the eighth-largest gain in the country, according to the report.

"The economic downturn that we have seen across the country has developed a need for families to reach out to other resources to help them feed their families and to save income or add to the income that they have available, and the food stamp program is one of the ways they have been doing that," Maryland Department of Human Resources spokesperson Elyn Jones said.

Despite the increase in participation, only 41 percent of the state's eligible working poor used food stamps, according to fiscal year 2005 statistics from the report. That number is low because many people do not know they are eligible, Jones said.

The agency has been reaching out to people to inform them of their eligibility, including the elderly and people on the temporary cash assistance rolls and who wanted to cut their ties with any type of state program.

Low participation can also be attributed to the inaccessibility of the programs, said economist Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute.

In Maryland, applicants have to complete a face-to-face interview to be approved for food stamps, said Kimberley Chin, the director of Maryland Hunger Solutions. The state may institute phone interviews so people will not have to take time off work or find transportation.

Chin said she and Kevin McGuire, the head of Maryland's food stamp program, and some of his staff took the food stamp challenge, which

required them to feed their families for one week only using food stamps, which allots $1 per person for each meal. Thus, they could only spend $21 per person that week to provide three meals each day.

"The stress of just having to cook and think about a nutritious meal on this budget while you're working full time, it's amazing," Chin said. "It's really difficult to live on what food stamps provide for you. That was a big eye awakening for a lot of people."

Instead of eating less, food stamps limits cause people to eat poorly, which leads to obesity, said Cynthia Lamy of the Partnership for America's Economic Success, a research organization managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts that looks at how investments in children can benefit the economy.

Cheap foods tend to be highly processed, full of sugar, lacking vitamins and less nutritious, Lamy said.

"And so what people will do when they're low income and when they're stressed for food ... they start out by stretching the dollar and getting the cheaper foods," she said.

This can also cause mental health issues in c h i l d re n , L a m y said. " K i d s a re d e pressed; kids get hyperactive; they have a lot more trouble sort of controlling their impulses," she said. "Of course, they have a lot of trouble concentrating."

Increasing food stamp allotments would be expensive. The federal government spent more than $30 billion on food stamp programs in fiscal year 2007, more than $350 million of which went to Maryland, according to the FRAC report.

But it's not about money, Weill said. It's about political will.

"We can afford this as a nation," he said. "The nation certainly faces a dawning economic situation, but at the same time, it remains a place of almost unimaginable abundance by the standards of the rest of the world and even by the standards of this society 20, 30, 50 years ago."

The economic downturn that we have seen across the country has developed a need for families to reach out to other resources to help them feed their families.

Looking for a past story or poem?

Check out the Street Sense online archives!

Visit www.streetsense.org/archives.jsp to read past issues

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

Cliff’s Clicks:

To be Homeless Street Sense vendor Cliff “the Moose” Carle takes hundreds of photos all over Washington every week. Here, he chose a few images as he reflected on the experience of homelessness.

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PHOTOS & POETRY 9

December 10 - December 23, 2008

“I Live On The Streets”

By Carlton “Inkflow” Johnson

The bells ring loudly in my head once again.

It’s now the midnight hour.

I wander the streets with nowhere to go, no place to call my own, no front door to turn a key, no bedroom to lay my body down, no pillow to rest my head, with that hope of catching a few winks, just maybe a good night’s sleep.

Stunning, mind-blowing notions, heart-clenching realities and blisters on my feet, realization setting in: “I live on the streets.”

The reality of the life on the streets, no money in my pockets, no hotel key. Just another hopeful day turned sleepless night rolling into a new day of being homeless on the streets.

Wandering still in disbelief, I pinch myself hoping that this is just a daydream turned nightmare.

It’s a job I seek with the hope of getting off the streets.

I have no address.

“I live on the streets.”

Never Homeless He is never homeless.

For the earth is his dwelling.

The sky is his ceiling.

The earth his floor Tired eyes are his windows.

Day and night his doors He is never homeless— As long as the trees have the earth And the birds have the sky.

This is where he lives; this is where we live.

Still, we call him homeless.

Why? — Starlette McNeill*

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

gREGORY’S gREAT gAME

What’s Your Sign?

Street Sense vendor Gregory Martin loves creating puzzles.

Simply find the following words in the grid below.

The solution to the last puzzle is found below.

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Puzzle by websudoku.com

Last Issue’s Answers

6 5 1 4 8 2 3 9 7

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4 7 8 3 9 1 6 5 2

7 9 5 8 1 6 2 4 3

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TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LION BULL RAM FISH WATER LOVE SIGN

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ZODIAC LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES ARIES

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Puzzle by websudoku.com

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Will write for food: Writer’s Group

December 10 - December 23, 2008

Writer’s Group meets Wednesdays 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Street Sense office. A Poetry After Party is 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

What are you thankful for?

Get Rich Quick

By Joseph (Joey) Sherrock

I have learned to be appreciative of what I have, big and small. I guess it starts from there. Today, I am thankful for the nice sunshine. am thankful for the coat my brother gave me that keeps me warm. I am thankful for my friends that help to support and inspire my work as an artist.

I am thankful to be here now, to be surrounded by an extraordinary but just as friendly group of people we call the writer’s group. I am thankful for their stories that drive me in new directions. They make me laugh at times and they make me upset too. I am thankful that they listen and that they share their mind. But what ever it is, I am thankful that hopefully you will be thankful too.

Joey is a Corcoran photojournalism student visiting Writer’s Group.

“Thankfulness” I’m thankful for all that you have given me, Starting with this newly found life wrapped within mysteries, The joyfulness in having you near.

What most would call a short lifetime with much happiness, just having you within my life was so much fun. the unforgettable good times, the hardships and bad times, the joy of being a part of your life, you have given to me.

The happiness lives within.

The life within my bloodlines.

The heartbeat intertwining blood running through my veins, The backbone, The eyes allowing me to see the World.

This Planet for the greatest of all mysteries.

Within forces behind my drive to seek the answers, within all mysteries.

By not taking the words of those foolishly looking to find the way.

Trying to fulfill a madman’s dreams, knowing not the way of their own, being told what is.

Without questioning, looking deeper, within my own mind, heart and soul never being one to follow, taking a stand like a General being the one leading.

The way to the light controlling the forces like a king fighting the darkness.

Dreaming the bigger-than-life dream of all dreams.

I am thankful to be your knight in shining armor, that keeps seeking the higher roads.

“Endless possiblities”.

For this, I am “Thankful”. contact; inkflownation@gmail.com

Candidates-At-Large

By Reginald Black

Before the November election, I was blessed with the opportunity to interview two candidates running for at-large seats on the District of Columbia City Council.

I asked Republican Patrick Mara and Independent Mark Long, for whom I was campaigning, how they felt about Mayor Adrian Fenty’s decision to close Franklin School Shelter. Mara said he supported permanent housing and an official plan should be used to dismantle not only Franklin, but any homeless shelters in the future. Long did not go far into the subject.

I asked, if elected, would they work together on supportive housing. They both responded with a resounding “yes.” Then I asked, “what would Mara and Long suggest the homeless community know from their hearts”?

Long went into details, speaking about how he himself fell on rough times actually experiencing homelessness twice in his life: once in Los Angles as a youth, then in college while in Europe.

Mara’s message was this: “If you can teach a man to fish rather than give him a fish” it will help with the overall problem of homelessness. He said he wanted housing with wraparound services to move the homeless into permanent housing. Mara was very animated about the city’s moving away from old policies. I asked the candidates before I cast my vote, “what would each candidate do within their first sixty days of office.” Both expressed that they would meet with the many advocates on the issue of homelessness. After a long day, I felt some progress had been made. Neither man won a seat on the City Council in the November 4 race but I hope that in the future they will remember their words as they continue their public lives.

Reggie’s Reflections: Dawgging?

By Reginald Black I still wondered where would I go, why she didn’t respond.

My friends suggested I take advantage of females that may have low-esteem and couch surf to their homes. This raised a serious question. When you’re a guy, is sleeping around for a room right? I previously stayed with a woman that I had no intimacy with. We were just old friends. I just had a place to stay. But even so, I was forced back to the streets.

This person’s gesture was greatly appreciated. It was a haphazard thing. I had to wait until the family returned home to gain entry. This didn’t work for me. So I decided to sleep elsewhere a couple of days, also taking time out to meet another friend from the chat room face to face. After a shower I ended up; well let’s just say it was awkward and I just didn’t feel right. We still hung out the whole day and it was getting late. She had told me that her baby’s father was on his way. Once again, forced back into the streets of Southeast. I wondered very much would sleeping around for places to stay work? Will the other guys involved in these women’s lives like that I was there, what was I there for? I knew this would only contribute to drama. I wholeheartedly wanted to avoid altercations, but I needed somewhere to sleep. So I left this friend. Now she is married in Pennsylvania. The big question remains: should I be a dog just because I don’t have a place that I can call home? The answer, within itself, could just be a dilemma that I had no choice but to deal with. Send in your questions to RoninWorrior@yahoo.com

DC DMH: It’s Not Our Policy

By Jerry W. Starting as a joke on not getting names right for publication, it really was the theme of MHADC’s “Town Hall” on November 12, 2008 at Howard University’s School of Social Work. It appears that Baron von DMH made a decision for all the consumers/survivors/ex-patients in DC. What he might not realize, like Mayor Adrian Fenty and others, is that it’s the public’s choice, not the executive’s. Fenty was elected and closed the 300-bed Franklin Shelter, despite the council trying to save it or face exiling 300 homeless people to Southeast and in many cases probably left to die. What the public might want to do, besides impeaching elected officials, is realize that people can create and recreate their own communities. Southeast tolerates dealing drugs, while having prime real estate that DHS and others want. Metro’s green line serves the waterfront across from the new ballpark and Navy base. The new St. Elizabeths forensics building shows the investment made in the area. Still, it seems more about privatizing the money and buildings and executives than helping the people these facilities are meant to serve, much less approximately 260 or so government employees and the therapeutic relationships they have formed with clients. The trend in mental health is choice, self-direction and empowerment, not budget cuts. This society will go down in history for how people treat each other during the bad times, not just the good ones.

Jerry volunteers with Street Sense, and rants about MH issues throughout the region on NoVAPeers.PBWiki.com. He has developed an allergy to the traditional system.

Barbie Was a Success

By Michelle Cappuccio

Mirror Mirror on the wall what is success after all?

Can I weigh it?

Dream it?

Steam it?

Polish it and place it on my trophy shelf?

Success is what you make it. So make it.

Well great, success is only as good as its reflection in the mirror.

The same mirror that told me to pursue it five years ago.

Is broken, lying in the cemetery next to my Barbies.

Lost mission.

Success is no friend of mine.

Michelle, a poet and CUA student, volunteered by creating the Poetry After Party.

The Writer’s Group is soliciting creative Inauguration Speeches

PRODUCTION LAYOUT AND SUPPORT: Cara Schmidt, Carlton Johnson, David Hammond, Jerry W., Patty Smith, Reginald Black

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

A Sales Approach to Life

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By Jeffery McNeil

t’s been almost a year and a half since I started selling newspapers. I’ve had great successes, but I’ve also had setbacks––many of my own doing. What I have lear ned from selling newspapers is an approach that you can apply to life, and I would like to impart to you some of the things I tell vendors when I train them.

You are how you present yourself. Image is everything. People are visual creatures. You wouldn’t go to the supermarket and buy the bruised apple or orange; it looks rotten.

Like many, you would probably go for the most perfect apple or orange. One of the biggest mistakes I see many vendors make is not giving one thought to their appearance, their image, or their hygiene. Most sales are made on contact. If you’re not aware of this rule, then all else is lost.

Choose your words carefully.

I cannot emphasize how essential this rule is to making a sale.

In our training video one of our vendors advises that the first few words you say make a sale. What comes out of your mouth can never be retracted, so say little and make what you say count.

Profit comes from relationships. One of the things that irritates me is seeing aggressive vendors following people around trying to sell the newspaper. My approach is providing information rather than ramming or scamming someone to make a buck. I am long past trying to sell papers to get something to eat. I sell papers because it’s an opportunity to tell people my story and make new opportunities. I tell new vendors that sales isn’t about a quick hit; it’s about building relationships. The successful salesperson is more interested in looking long term and putting his clientele in the right merchandise than he is in selling a lemon product.

Enthusiasm is contagious.

Vince Lombardi once said, “If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.”

You can’t be successful if you are

not passionate about your job project or goal. Positive energy brings positive results. When I first started selling newspapers, I read everything there was to become an effective salesman, from marketing to how to greet someone. You can’t be good if you have no joy.

Competition brings out the best in you. You’re only as good as your competition. Don’t make excuses for your failure. Learning that someone is doing what I’m doing very well, if not better, is what drives me. I like to see my name first, and when it isn’t, it means my game is lacking.

The reason why Americans love sports is that athletes are judged by how they stand up to the competition. To be a winner, you need to see what the competition is doing and not feel frustrated.

Rise to the occasion.

Avoiding rejection is like mining for gold. When you see your sales lacking, maybe it’s because you’re fishing in the same well as other people. Customers who have already bought are going to continue to support you as long as you give good service.

The gems come from the people who don’t seem interested. Most of my biggest sales came from someone who didn’t fit a profile or was from another country or had been overlooked. Going after the unearthed gems and the ones who seem difficult is like finding an unpolished ruby. To find gold you must dig through the earth.

My last approach is work. I ask my trainees one question: “How do you get to California?” The answer is one foot at a time. When you make an effort, there is nothing you can’t accomplish. I always like the road less traveled. I am always mapping out new areas, new boundaries. Selling papers is a business to me, so I always find ways to get better, and I am always looking for better opportunities. I have a work ethic: try to be the first one into the workplace and the last one to turn out the lights. That’s my approach to selling.

I believe if you keep working, good things will happen.

Jeffery McNeil regularly puts on a suit to sell Street Sense.

E–mail him at jeffery_mcneil2000@yahoo.com.

Maurice Speaks

By Maurice King

The Holiday Season

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he holiday season is upon us. This year, the holidays have taken on a more somber note because of the grim economic reality that we all face. For many people, it will be a holiday in which far less money will be spent than usual, simply because there is less available money to spend. It was already noted that on Thanksgiving, far fewer people traveled because of the suffering economy, and that trend will probably continue throughout the holidays. Belt tightening is the reality for the vast majority of people this year.

Two years ago, I wrote an editorial in December that spoke of how the holiday season is a time in which many people give to charity. In times of plenty, that is true. In harsh times such as the ones we are facing, that may still be true, but the giving is likely to be much more restrained. People are more likely to give less and to be more choosy about to whom they give.

It is definitely a good thing that people still care – and they do unquestionably – even if the difficult times cause them to give more cautiously. The people who are the recipients of such charities are definitely in need of the assistance that they receive.

There can be little doubt that the charities serve a very useful purpose.

However, as I said in my editorial two years ago, charity is no substitute for having a home.

That much remains clear, and somehow it has gotten lost in the shuffle. The outlook on this topic is not so cheery for persons hoping to receive assistance. Governments everywhere are cutting budgets for housing assistance, leaving those already receiving assistance in fear of losing what they have and giving the persons who are in need of receiving assistance with very little hope.

This reality has already confronted the residents of the District of Columbia, which recently froze more than $7 million in

meant for a program that places homeless individuals in permanent housing. With the very shaky economy, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the people in need of assistance in obtaining housing.

There is nothing cheery in that.

We have a new president, and he has assured us that help is on the way. This situation is not simple at all, however, and will put the president to a very severe test from the start. All we can do is wait and see what form of help will arrive and if it will improve the economic situation. It may get worse before it gets better.

What matters, however, is that it gets better; we have had enough of the gloom and doom.

Two years ago, I said that we enter this special time with mixed emotions because the joy

The District of Columbia recently froze more than $7 million meant for a program that places homeless individuals in permanent housing. With the very shaky economy, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the people in need of assistance in obtaining housing. There is nothing cheery in th of the holidays is contrasted with the problem of being homeless.

This year’s situation is far more complex and is a global problem as well. It is with the most heartfelt wishes for a good holiday season that I devote this column to my readers this year, hoping that each of us will find a reason for joy during these trying times.

Maurice King has been writing for Street Sense since January 2004. E–mail him at benadam@ cyberdude.com.

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

Part VII: The Mills Family

By Jo Ann Jackson

W

hen the Metropolitan Police arrived I became very afraid. I didn’t know what they were going to do to me because my uncle always said they would lock me up and put me away, so I began to cry. The police and doctor called my uncle into the office.

All I could think of was the lies he was probably telling.

My c o u s i n p u t h e r a r m s around me and said, “Stop crying. He’s not going to hurt you anymore.” When the doctor’s office finally opened I was ready to run, but my uncle was in handcuffs. The officer asked my cousin, would she be responsible for me until we came to court. She

said. “Yes.” But I had to go home with my aunt. She needed me.

I had to make sure she was fed and given a bath. I began to become hysterical again. Barbara said, “Calm down. We will stay at Aunt Fannie’s house.” After the police left with my uncle the doctor gave my cousin some papers to take to court.

Once we got home, Aunt Fannie was a nervous wreck. When we told her everything, she said, “I’ll blow his brains out.”

“No, No, Aunt Fannie. The police will take care of him.”

“But, what am I going to do without him?” She was right, because once I graduated I would have to get a job.

On my graduation day I was really proud, because I knew I had worked very hard in school. Roosevelt High was no joke, because we were the first thirteen African Americans to attend Roosevelt. I received plenty of awards but one was very special and that was an award that had never been given before. I got an award

Letters From Seattle

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for being the first student to attend school for three years without ever being absent or late.

Everyone in the audience gave me a standing ovation. I was so proud that tears began to roll down my face.

After my graduation we had to decide what was going to happen to my aunt. There was really no one to take care of her because everyone worked and had a family of their own. The only solution we could come up with was to put her in a home. This really broke my heart. And the fact that she kept asking about the red–eyed devil.

I had a long serious talk with my cousin about what we should do when we went to court about this matter. Uncle Simms had stood by my aunt when her son got killed and when she almost died. What he did to me was very wrong and I hated him, but I also loved my aunt very much. So I decided to ask the District Attorney: could he be put in a home with my aunt. He really didn’t like the idea because he felt as I did. Uncle Simms should be put in jail and the keys thrown away.

He had been with my aunt so long and always took care of her. I figured that to separate them would break her heart and she would grieve herself to death.

About a week before we went to court it was discovered that Uncle Simms was dying from cancer.

This was another shock. But when I was a little girl I remembered him complaining about pain in his feet.

He would sit up half the night rubbing them.

We finally went to court and after talking to his doctor it was discovered that Uncle Simm’s cancer had spread and he didn’t have long to live.

After everything I had been through with him, I felt sad. I kept thinking maybe this was why he did those things to me.

Even though I felt sad I still wanted him to suffer.

The judge decided that since he was dying, jail wouldn’t be the answer. So he sent him to DC Village for the rest of his life.

I started to work as a janitorial employee at the Agriculture Department. I didn’t like the work but it was a job for a while. Until I could do better.

I would go visit my aunt as often as I could and that was because I had become a mother. One Sunday I wanted to surprise my aunt by taking my son to see her. When I entered her room I almost dropped my baby because my uncle was sitting in a wheel chair by her bed.

I began to back up but my aunt said, “JoAnn. What’s that you’re carrying in your arms?”

“Aunt Fannie, this is great nephew, Anthony.”

“Oh, my God, bring him here.”

When I put my son in her arms she smiled and began to kiss him and talk, saying, “I’m your Aunt Fannie and this is your Uncle Simms. My aunt started to give him my baby and as he reached for him I became furious and told him not to touch my son. My aunt looked at me very hard and said, JoAnn, don’t let hate destroy your life. Forgive and forget. Put it in God’s hand.”

Hate or no hate, that monster was not going to touch my child. I got my son and kissed my aunt and left.

About three weeks later I received an emergency call from DC Village and was told to get there as soon as possible. I left work in a hurry, thinking it was my aunt.

When I arrived I was taken to my uncle’s room.

The smell that hit my nose made me very sick. When I looked at him my feelings were still the same. He could hardly talk, but he asked me to “come here.” It took what seemed like years, but I went to his bed and there was no flesh on his feet or fingers. “Please, JoAnn, forgive me and let me die in peace.”

I said, “No.” To be continued; find out what happens next…

Jo Ann Jackson is a Street Sense vendor and proud grandmother.

By August H. Mallory

begin this story as I enter the city of Milwaukee.

It is the first time I ever actually stayed in Milwaukee. It is a very different Midwestern city, but similar in many ways as all other Midwest cities. I am in Milwaukee to investigate allegations made by the homeless concerning temporary agencies showing favoritism and discrimination as to manner of dress. In the Midwest, I guess as everywhere, people do judge you by how you dress.

I stopped by to speal with a resident at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission (MRM), who goes by the name Joe the Cook. Well that’s exactly who I asked for and sure enough Joe the Cook appeared. Joe had been homeless for several years, living on the streets of Milwaukee. He decided that he wanted to stop sleeping on the streets and decided to take advantage of the services offered by the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

As Joe and I spoke I learned that the MRM offered many things. One was a life skills program that trains men to be more productive citizens in society. There was a doctor and nurse on staff there, along with job

counselors and a representative from the Department of Veterans Affairs. There were also school instructors for those who needed their GEDs, including instructors from three local community colleges that offer free courses those who are on public assistance or food stamps. I was very impressed by this—many homeless shelters do not offer this sort of thing.

I decided to spend the night at the mission. At bed time, it was willie conversations. These guys were talking about stuff that I would never allow my worst enemy to hear. It was “YAP YAP YAP YAP” for at least for the first seventy minutes or so. It was very annoying and I was just about to jump up and tell them to all shut up, but a staff person walked in and everybody got quiet.

The next morning I have breakfast twice; once at 6am at the Mission and again at 9am at a place called the Gathering. As I talked with some of the homeless at the Gathering I discovered that many clients have spent an extensive amount of time on the streets. One person even asked me if the TV series “Hawaii Five–0” was still on the air. I said, “No, I am sorry but that show went off the air several years ago and Jack Lord who played Steve McGarrett has long since passed away.”

I turned to a person and asked him how long he has been homeless. He said that he thinks it was 1978 when he found himself on the streets. He was once a super-

visor at Anheuser–Busch, a major brewery in Milwaukee. He cannot recall what happened but that he awoke from a drunken stupor one day and found out that his home was gone, he no longer had a job, his wife and children were gone and that he no longer had the few friends that he did have.

He said that he is thinking about getting into treatment but doesn’t know when. “Alcohol has me hooked,” he said. He likes to drink but he knows that he cannot handle his liquor. If he really wants help, I could only offer my encouragement to him to seek treatment.

I caught up with Joe the Cook later at the Mission. We talked about several things, such as how things could be better for the homeless in Milwaukee. I mentioned to him about writing his local state representatives to push for changes for the homeless. The following day I prepared to leave, but I had to have one last chat with Joe the Cook over breakfast.

Coming up: I make a trip to Fargo, North Dakota to observe homelessness there. Keep reading; I will talk to you all soon.

August Mallory was the first vendor for Street Sense and was with the organization for three years. He now lives in Seattle and is on the editorial board of the Street paper there.

You can reach August at carriergroup2009@yahoo.com.

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December 10 - December 23, 2008

Vendors’Notes Anthony in the News Longtime vendor Anthony Crawford was recently featured in an article in the Manassas Journal Messenger about how Pastor Ken Woods and First Pentecostal Holiness Church help the homeless. He is the lead anecdote of the story and Anthony is quoted as saying: “He greeted me, gave me a hug, I got here and he opened up his heart to me.”

Anthony Crawford If you want to read more about Anthony and Pastor Woods you can view the entire article at www.insidenova.com and search for “Anthony” and “homeless.”

Condolences to Conrad We at Street Sense just wanted to give our condolences to veteran vendor Conrad Cheek Jr., for the passing of his father and namesake. (We also want to apologize for not putting the “Jr.” after his name in the last issue.)

Conrad Cheek Sr. passed away on Nov. 20 at 82. He left a wonderful legacy that his son would always talk about.

Conrad Cheek Jr. Mr. Cheek was an original member of the Tuskegee Airmen and he received a Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Conrad and his family are in our thoughts and prayers and please give Conrad your best when you see him.

Chino Finds a Home Just six weeks after landing a job as a dishwasher at Brasserie Beck, vendor Bernard “Chino” Dean finally found a room to rent in Northeast D.C. and is thrilled to be off the street and in a bed of his own. “It’s wonderful.

Just Perfect!” Chino said of his new place. And we are quite happy for him and proud of his recent accomplishments.

Generous Readers We just wanted to thank the all the readers that have already generously given to our vendors this holiday season. In particular a reader who wants to remain anonymous gave vendor Phillip Black a brandnew L.L. Bean winter jacket, thermals and a half–zip sweater. Another generous reader mailed vendor Jeffery McNeill a $20 grocery store gift card. And still others have bought vendors coffee or lunch and a few even invited vendors to Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanks to everyone who has been so generous and those that plan to do so. You don’t know how much the vendors appreciate these acts of kindness and how memorable they are.

wHAT OuR rEADERS Are SAYING...

Dear Street Sense, We live in Colorado and were touring/visiting the DC area October 16–25. This was a trip my husband had wanted to take ever since the Udvar–Hazy Museum opened near Dulles. We stayed near the National Cathedral at Savoy Suites and used every mode of transportation available to get around the area.

On October 19, we were on the bus enroute to the Mall when a young man already on the bus offered a copy (for $1.00) of Street Sense. I declined, but we chatted a bit. When I told him I was not interested because we were from Colorado, he gave me a copy of the October 18–28 issue. He also told me that he liked photography, and said the top of the Old Post Office was the best photo place, even better than the Washington Monument. He was right and it’s quite an experience taking the elevator to the top. Just before he got off, he put on an apron/vest with pockets and the papers he had been folding.

After we got home to Colorado, I read the paper and I think the young man may have been Kenneth John Belkosky pictured on the back page. If he remembers talking to a little old lady from Colorado on Sunday, October 19th, please give him the enclosed $10 in appreciation for his good advice on seeing the city. If not, please donate to Street Sense. I have enclosed some articles about the treatment of the homeless in Colorado Springs that took place while we were away. We do have several agencies to help unfortunate individuals; I support Spring Rescue Mission. Unfortunately, there are always those who want the city to “look good” for tourists.

This was the first time I witnessed people going through the “fast food” bags that had been discarded in D.C. trash baskets at the bus stops. How sad; my thanks to your organization even if the vendor was not Kenneth.

Sincerely, Delores J. Yocum (Mrs. John), Colorado Springs, CO

Dear Street Sense, Street Sense is by far my favorite newspaper, and I look forward to every new issue. Jeffery McNeil, Philip Howard, Gregory Rich, and the other vendors I’ve brought papers are all doing a fantastic job. Keep reporting real DC news about real DC people and issues, and thank you.

Best, Adam Perry

Dear Street Sense, I want to let you know what a GREAT impression Mr. L. Morrow has had on my family.

In early October, my family (husband, 12-year-old daughter, 8-year-old son, mother & father-in-law) were visiting D.C. for the first time. We boarded a tour bus, toured the city and expected to be dropped off where we original boarded ( Jefferson Memorial). WRONG! The last stop for the bus we were on was Union Station. Long story short—the tour bus driver informed us we would have to get back to our car on our own.

We spent about 15 minutes in front of Union Station trying to decide on a taxi or the Metro.

(My daughter and father in law were uneasy about taking the Metro). Mr. Morrow then came to our aid. It was obvious that we were lost tourists!! Not only did he explain that the Metro would be cheaper than a taxi, he helped us buy our tickets, got on the Metro with us and showed us where to get off.

While trying to calm the nerves of our Tennessee family, he told us about his work with Street Sense. When it was time for us to get off the Metro, I offered Mr. Morrow cash to show our appreciation. He refused – told me to keep the money and help a homeless person when we got home. What a man! Imagine how the world would be if we all had a heart like his. Please let him know that we will never forget his kindness!

The Breeden Family

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

Foundry United Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010

www.foundryumc.org

S treetS ense.org WASHINGTON, D.C. SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW (202) 783–6651 www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356 www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave SE (202) 610–9600 www.covenanthousedc.org Housing, education, job development Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731 www.grm.org John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469 www,catholiccharitiesdc.org My Sister’s Place

PO Box 29596 Washington, DC 20017 office (202) 529-5261 24-hour hotline (202)-529-5991 shelter and other services for domestic violence victims N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639–8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Dinner Program for Homeless Women AND the “9:30 Club” Breakfast 309 E Street, NW (202) 737–9311 www.dphw.org Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW

December 10 - December 23, 2008 (202) 842–1112

child and family services

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277 www.foodandfriends.org

Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005 http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social activities

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8926 www.miriamskitchen.org The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635 http://www.epiphanydc.org/ministry/ welcometbl.htm

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100 www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300 www.unityhealthcare.org Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500; www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419; www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treatment Green Door (202) 464–9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive mental health services Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling, mentoring, education, youth services, clothing Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org laundry, counseling, psych care Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608 www.marthastable.org dinner, education, recreation, clothing,

Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340 www.sashabruce.org counseling, housing, family services So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org lunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 Washington DC 20001 (202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services of D.C. 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300 www.ccs–dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.org housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low cost food resources. www.dcfoodfinder.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511 www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW

(202) 462–4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau available National Student Partnerships (NSP) 128 M Street NW, Suite 320 (202) 289–2525 washingtondc@nspnet.org Job resource and referral agency Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202)889–7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/alcohol addiction, healthcare St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667–4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (202) 347–3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Mass. Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.html national emergency travel assistance Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org

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

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

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

15

(301) 493–8553 www.mobilemedicalcare.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Catholic Charities, Maryland 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring (301) 942–1790 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services Mission of Love 6180 Old Central Avenue Capitol Heights (301)333–4440 www.molinc.org life skills classes, clothing, housewares Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless 600–B East Gude Drive, Rockville (301) 217–0314; www.mcch.net emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportiveservices

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

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

MEDICAL RESOURCES Arlington Free Clinic 3833 N Fairfax Drive, #400, Arlington (703) 979–1400 www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Abundant Life Christian Outreach, 5154 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria (703) 823–4100 www.anchor–of–hope.net food, clothing, youth development, and medicines David’s Place Day Shelter 930 North Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org laundry, shower, workshops, hypothermia shelter Legal Services of Northern Virginia 6066 Leesburg Pike, Ste. 500 (703) 778–6800; www.lsnv.org civil legal services

Shelter Hotline: 1–800–535–7252

THe Last Word

By Lisa V. Gillespie

Doing Good and Getting Real

I was starving. I did not have money to buy food; I’m an intern. I did not have time to go home and grab something.

And then, a vendor offered me part of his Subway sandwich; I almost cried. It was deadline day and this meant a 12-hour-day, the usual internet hassles, laying out pages at the last minute and getting work done while vendors came and went. That tuna on wheat – it got me through the rest of the day.

As I came into this internship I hoped to make a difference, get some good clips, lay out pages. I did not expect that the relationship between vendors and interns would be a two-way street.

Sometimes it was. But sometimes it wasn’t. And sometimes it felt like social work.

Somtimes I felt frustrated when that came into conflict with other work, like redesigning pages or writing a story. Sometimes I felt like people didn’t understand that if we didn’t get our work done, there would be no paper to sell.

Sometimes people would come in under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And some of those times I was here on my own with a volunteer and another vendor. I’ve never been trained in social work, so those situations could be nerve-wracking. But I knew that the volunteer and vendor would have my back.

I came into this a die-hard liberal, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, sure that homelessness and poverty are simply systemic, and always forgiving of the individual. I still believe this.

Now I recognize that people can have a part in their destiny. I began to feel frustrated when people occasionally came in asking for food or clothing, having received something by chance on an earlier occasion. But when we said no, we gave out everything, they would get angry. Or people would sometimes for their ten monthly emergency papers, inadvertently ask for more, and then say I needed to get in the “Christmas spirit.”

It was hard to keep my head on straight when I knew Street Sense did not have to give out the extra ten papers a month. Poverty and homelessness is systemic. But social service agencies are here to enable people to get back on their feet. There is a huge element of free will that goes into getting your own place that I see now, cannot be denied.

People sometimes come in with their issues off the street and dump those on us.

At first, I did not know how to handle it. Now, I would not take it personally.

The Street Sense office is like a stereotypical WWII field hospital. Phones ring constantly, I never know what desk I’ll be sitting at when I come in, foot traffic is constant, no one can ever find the bathroom key, the mentally and physically disabled tell their woes or grumble about the woman who told him/her to get a “real job.”

After working in this half social-service agency, half-news room, I could work anywhere and deal with anyone. Before coming here I felt more comfortable in the presence of local political players and even celebrities. Now, I’m comfortable around ex-cons and guys who live on the street.

There have been so many times when I would go home grumbling to myself.

But then, there were times when a guy gave each of us in the office a pink rose (the fulltime staff is all female). Or when I’ve run into vendors on the street and they’ve recognized me and given me a hug. Or the time a vendor gave me silver earrings on my birthday.

Or when a vendor gave me half his sandwich.

Lisa V. Gillespie just finished a semester-long editorial internship and graduates in a week from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a degree in mass communication. She plans on moving back to the District to pursue a career in journalism.

Sybil Taylor

Vendor Profile

By Carol Cummings

Sybil Taylor started working for Street Sense this past July. She is a lifelong D.C. resident who became impoverished when she lost her job.

She was panhandling for food money when she ran into a Street Sense vendor who informed her that she could get a job selling the newspaper.

Sybil admits that when she first started selling the paper she felt down and out, depressed, and wasn’t selling a lot of papers, but, she says, Street Sense customers turned her spirits around and made her feel really good about herself. Customers started coming back and buying the paper from her and told her that she had a beautiful and friendly personality.

Sybil helps other homeless people by encouraging them to become a Street Sense vendor and providing them with the names of churches and shelters and stays true to her faith by recommending prayer. Due to the decline in the economy, Sybil recently lost her job cleaning at a hotel and is looking for cleaning opportunities in the area.

What is your favorite food?

Seafood, Mexican, and Chinese What is your favorite movie?

“Boyz in the Hood” with Larry Fishburne What is your favorite book?

Rosa Lee by Leon Dash; it’s about an urban family in America.

What is your favorite color?

Black Where do you see yourself in five years?

Having my own business, in five years I will look back on the old me, where I started at when I felt like I was nothing. l I thank the grace of God. He got me back on my feet and I hope to be on

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

December 10 – December 23, 2008 • Volume 6 • Issue 3

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005

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