12 15 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Vendors detail their resolutions and goals for 2007, page 6.

$1.00

Suggested Donation

Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents December 15, 2006 - January 14, 2007

•

Volume 4, Issue 2

www.streetsense.org

Job Boom Leaves Many Out

In My Opinion

Giving Love Won’t Cost A Thing

By Kilin Boardman-Schroyer

By Eric Sheptock

I

Jesse Smith

t’s that most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is coming. I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but for some, it’s the most depressing time of the year. It can be a time during which they’re reminded of what they don’t have - whether it is money to buy lavish gifts or family to which to give them.

Statistically, this is the time of year when most suicides occur.

However, there is good news. I personally can attest to the fact that there are many caring people out there. Last year, I received so many

Homeless individuals wait outside for the MLK Library to open on a cold December day.

Libraries:De Facto Day Shelters

By Trish Savage and Sara Miller

gifts that I began to tell people if it wasn’t money, then I didn’t want it—money is small, and I only had a limited amount of storage space.

This, however, is indicative of just how generous people can be.

I know I shouldn’t complain about what people do for me (which means I’m about to!), but I received enough personal hygiene care kits

See

It’s 9:20 on a cold Wednesday morning in Cleveland Park, an affluent neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. Three homeless men are lined up outside the public library at Connecticut Avenue and Macomb Street. Waiting for admission, they have been huddling close to the door to avoid the biting wind.

As a custodian unlocks the door, they hurry inside, one rushing to the computer, another to a desk in the back corner.

Because shelters empty their beds by 7 a.m. and don’t reopen their doors until 7 p.m., libraries become de facto housing for the remaining 12 hours in the day for many homeless men and women in D.C. Consequently, library employees face the tricky balance of serving homeless patrons looking

to use the library resources and monitoring others who are just looking for a warm, clean place to rest.

Some homeless library patrons use the free computers to look for jobs or to e-mail friends and family. Rick Hohensee spends two or three hours at the Cleveland Park Library nearly every day, arriving by bus or on foot. He uses the computers for research and political activism, but he also enjoys conversing with library staff and volunteers.

Other homeless patrons come to the library for weather protection, solitude or safety, or just to pass the time. “ We do ‘house’ homeless people, but not formally,” said Monica Lewis, director of communications and intergovernmental relations for the D.C. Public Library system.

GIVING, page 16

“While the library welcomes all, its purpose is to help users increase knowledge, find entertainment, access technology, communicate using e-mail, etcetera,” Lewis explained. “It is difficult for libraries when some use [them] to sleep and to bathe.”

According to Ginnie Cooper, the newly appointed chief librarian for the D.C. Public Library system, librarians are instructed to ask sleeping patrons to sit up when they rest their heads on the tables or equipment. If they resist, the librarians at the central library are directed to call the security office.

Capt. Frederick Williams, head of the library’s public safety office, said that his force has good rapport with most homeless people.

Security officers greet and chat with homeless patrons and re-

See

The number of Washington, D.C., residents with incomes below the federal poverty level increased to 104,000 in 2005, up 11% from the previous two-year period, according to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI).

Consequently, the District has one of the widest wealth discrepancies in the country and continues to rank among the most povertystricken U.S. cities – and the poverty rate is only increasing.

At the the same time, the area has shown robust growth over the past several years, with a booming real estate market, a low business vacancy rate and aggressive job growth.

So why are so many residents continuing to be left behind in a city with vast economic opportunities?

One factor, according to local businesses and officials, is the failure of the city’s First Source Agreement, a program of the Department of Employment Services (DOES).

The program aims to tie the city’s economic development to its residents who are most in need of jobs.

See

JOBS, page 5

Street Sense Twice a Month? $22,500 $20,000

$15,000

LIBRARY, page 4

$10,000

Inside This Issue

FEDERAL

REVIEWS

A federal increase may be near, page 5

Reflecting on his own life, vendor Jake Ashford reviews the new Will Smith movie, page 15

Minimum Wage Increase?

Pursuit of Happiness

PROFILE

NATIONAL

Las Vegas Feeding Ban No More

FEATURES

The first of many profiles of dedicated volunteers serving the homeless community, page 3

A judge overturned a law banning feeding homeless people in parks in Las Vegas, page 9

August Mallory writes from the West, page 15

NEW: Volunteer Profile

Letters from Seattle

$5,000

$0

Support 2 by 2/2!

For more details see page three.

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

2 ALL ABOUT US

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

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Egger Ted Henson Barbara Kagan David Pike John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Kathy Whelpley

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri VENDOR MANAgER Jesse Smith Jr. SENIOR EDITOR Ted Henson ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond EDITORIAL INTERN Peter D. Cohn AD SALES MANAgERS Jake Ashford Muriel Dixon Allen Jones Mark Jones Brenda Lee Wilson VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Jake Ashford, Robert Basler, Conrad Cheek Jr., Cliff Carle, Sarah Carkuff, Fiona Clem, Ralph Dantley, Carolyn Daley, Kim Conaway, James Davis, Michelle Gaudet, Jake Geissinger, Annie Hill, Dan Horner, Emily Jerez, Maurice King, Joann Goodwin, Jo Knight, David Lohr, Lee Mayse, Claire Markgraf, Matthew McCullough, Pam McElroy, Mandy McNally, Mike Melia, Jill Merselis, Sarah Miller, Tessa Moran, Igor Norinsky, Mike O’Neill, Amy Orndorff, Jen Pearl, David Pike, Kevin Phillips, Eric Sheptock, Sara Schoolcraft, Jennifer Singleton, Trish Savage, Katie Smith, Kristin Smith, Patty Smith, Desiree Stephens, Isabel Toolan, Francine Triplett, Robert Trautman, Linda Wang, Marian Wiseman, Corine Yu, Tim Gaynor VENDORS Willie Alexander, Antwan, Jake Ashford, Tommy Bennett, Corey Bridges, Kanon Brown, Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek Jr., Anthony Crawford, Muriel Dixon, Don Gardner, David Harris, John Harrison, Donald Henry, Patricia Henry, Michael Higgs, Phillip Howard, Agula Hunter, Patricia Jefferson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Lee Mayse, Jennifer McLaughlin, Michelle McCullough, Charles Nelson, Nokie, Larry Olds, Therese Onyemenam, Chris Sellman, Patty Smith, Tom Taylor, Mathesha Thompson, Francine Triplett, Martin Walker, Wendell Williams, Brenda Lee Wilson

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

Our Editorial Policy

Editorials and features in Street Sense reflect the perspectives of the authors. We invite the submission of journalism, opinion, fiction and poetry, hoping to create a means where a multitude of perspectives on poverty and homelessness can find expression.

Street Sense reserves the right to edit any material.

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

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors, Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies.

December Donors stephen Cohen Peter day Lara thornely hall alan Kline deborah Cowal michael mavretic sharon and rob Orndorff mary rose Curtis eileen Kelly elaine m. murray mary grace a. O’malley amanda sebra robin dunnington Lee f Berger and Linsey silver diane J. mcCarthy Joe and glennette Papovich

WANNA HELP?

Since then, the paper has published consistently on a monthly basis and has greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network.

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming an independent nonprofit organization.

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

In November 2006, Street Sense hired its first vendor manager.

dora Y. Lee Peggy P Jones Janice moskowitz Cecila v. Wexler Kenneth t. durham gerald hauser Jennifer and anthony Park John and ruth ferrill Pamela Kesner ellen marshall elizabeth falloon monica Lamboy shelia a. Walsh thomas and Patricia fitzgerald Jacqueline i deCarlo Jane hardin marian Wiseman mark davidson Kate gersh theodore sitther

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact Laura Thompson Osuri at 202-347-2006. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, contact Jesse Smith Jr. at the same number.

OUR NEXT EDITORIAL MEETINg

Wednesday January 10 at 6:00 p.m.

1317 G Street, NW (near Metro Center)

We are proud members of:

north american street newspaper association

international network of street Papers

nancy moss Peter magrath gale stieler takoma Park friends meeting Karin Lee John mc Caughey ernestine slaughter Joeseph francis Jr. and gale rutan Peter Loge raymond Watts michael d. Puccetti maria Webber the Washington Post In Honor of Myrina McCullough In Honor of Judy Terlizzi and John Murray In Honor of Mary Hickens

Thank you!

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

SPECIAL FEATURE

Volunteer Profile

Retired Nurse Serves Up Care, Food at Charlie’s Place

By Michelle Gaudet Tuesday to Friday Charlie’s Place at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Northwest offers homeless people a warm meal, a place to clean up, clothing and basic hygiene supplies.

On an early morning at Charlie’s Place,

preparations for the day already are well under way. Smiling volunteers cook in the kitchen, while others arrange the dining area and make signs for handing out mail.

One volunteer, Nel Van Beusekom, stands out among the rest.

At first glance, Van Beusekom is reminiscent of a doting grandmother. Rather quickly, however, she reveals a more feisty side. Her long gray hair, sprightly eyes and foreign accent tell a story of their own.

Van Beusekom immigrated to Washington, D.C., from the Netherlands in 1967. She immediately began working at what was then Hospice of Washington, where her career would span 35 years.

Ever since she retired four years ago, Van Beusekom has offered her nursing skills at Charlie’s Place two days a week Van Beusekom distributes basic hygiene and health supplies to the patrons of Charlie’s Place. However, the chocolate and orange juice she offers with extra loving care seem to be equally important.

Anywhere from 60 to 80 homeless clients can show up at Charlie’s Place on any given day. The doors open at 6:30 a.m., and from then on a steady flow of traffic ensues.

As clients begin to enter the facility, classical music plays and chandeliers dangle from the ceiling. The atmosphere is elegant and calm. One by one, the patrons enter and Van

Beusekom greets each of them by name.

“Good morning Mr. Lazerus!” she calls from across the room. “I know what you want!”

The clients greet her respectfully as well, and they line up to receive her services in an orderly fashion. Apparently this was not always the case.

“When I first came, they would storm up here,” Van Beusekom said. “Now they are organized.”

It is clear that Van Beusekom is in command; she will not allow anyone to touch her supplies and demands mutual respect.

“She’s got them all under control,” fellow volunteer Ben Gisler said.

One morning, a client insisted on pouring his own water, and when Van Beusekom would have nothing of it, the man stormed off in a huff. The next week, Van Beusekom brought him a bottle of water and graciously placed it by his side on the table.

“I was nasty, wasn’t I?” the client asked.

“Yes, but it is in the past now,” Van Beusekom told him.

“The important thing is that they trust you.

That you’re not a one time thing,” she said.

At 7:30 a.m., the meal begins with a prayer both in Spanish and English. By now the quiet and peaceful environment has transformed into one of familiarity and camaraderie.

Clients are engrossed in conversation and

friendly banter.

After scolding one gentleman for disturbing the peace during prayer, Van Beusekom walks among the patrons with a jug full of orange juice, offering it to those who are thirsty.

She later confides that she only uses this as an excuse to engage and integrate herself further.

Van Beusekom takes a special interest in the needs and habits of every patron who passes through the door.

“You see him in the green coat? He never speaks. Watch him. He eats the candy, but never the food, then packs up and leaves,” she says.

Her keen observations are remarkable, fascinating and poignant.

“Nel always goes the extra step, not wanting to provide what is standard but what is extraordinary,” said Tom Goss, director of Charlie’s Place.

And Van Beusekom’s most moving experience in her work indicates that the Charlie’s Place patrons value her efforts.

“On Mother’s Day, one of my regular clients was in jail,” she said. “He actually sent a Mother’s Day card to me.”

If you know of a volunteer at a homeless service provider that you think should be honored for his/her hard work, e-mail info@ streetsense.org.

Would you like to see twice as much Street Sense each month?

Then donate to Street Sense’s new campaign: 2 by 2/2!

With support from readers like you, we hope to raise $22,500 in the next two months and to publish our first semi-monthly issue on Feb. 2, 2007 (2/2/07).

Why publish two issues a month?

I Support 2 by 2/2!

I will donate:

For VENDORS, it would mean a 30% to 50% increase in income to help them get off the street.

Currently, vendors sell two-thirds of all papers each month in the first two weeks an issue is out, and on average they earn $30 a day. With two issues, we are estimating that average sales will easily go up by 30%. And with 45% of readers regularly buying one copy a month (according to our June readers’ survey), the sales increase could top 50%.

___ $5, regular reader’s minimum

For READERS, it would mean more up-to-date news and more features from vendors.

For better or worse, we have more than enough to write about when it comes to poverty. So two issues a month will nearly double the space we have to cover these issues and to do more investigative and revealing pieces each month. And we also could expand our coverage to other social issues.

In addition, we plan to expand our features to give vendors more room to express their views.

___ $222, because I really like the 2’s theme (and want a t-shirt)

For the ORGANIZATION, it would mean more income from ad sales.

While we plan to lower our ad rates slightly when we go semi-monthly, we also will have nearly double the space for advertisements. So one more issue a month would mean much more income for Street Sense to help its vendors get off the street and to improve the paper’s quality and reach.

What can you do to make this happen?

We need every regular reader to DONATE AT LEAST $5 to Street Sense.

Based on the results from our June readers’ survey, and October sales, we have about 5,000 readers who buy the paper regularly each month. And if each of these readers gave just $5 to Street Sense, we would top our goal of $22,500. Of course, any donation over $5 would be most appreciated.

What will all this money pay for?

It will allow us to hire a fulltime EDITOR and pay for the inital PRINTING. To successfully pull off two editorial cycles each month, we need a fulltime editor dedicated to overseeing production. And we also need to pay for the first semi-monthly printing as all the paper sales income to cover it will not be in. We already have $7,500 earmarked for going semi-monthly, but we need support from readers like you to make it happen! **And just to say thanks, those who contribute $100 or more will get a Street Sense T-shirt.

And all individuals who contribute $500 or more, as well as businesses that contribute $1,000 or more, will get to sponsor a page (complete with a photo) in our first bi-monthly issue.**

___ $22, because it looks like 2/2 ___ $55, $5 for for each extra issue in 2007 ___ $100, minimum for T-shirt gift ___ $500, minimum to sponsor a page and get your face or the face of a loved one in the inaugural semi-monthly issue (and a T-shirt) ___ Another amount of $________ My Information Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_______________________________________________ Phone:_______________________E-mail:_________________________ T-Shirt Size (if donating $100 or more): __________________________ (If you are donating $500 or more, make sure to include your e-mail so we can contact you about getting your sponsorship photo/image.)

Please make checks payable to Street Sense Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org Street Sense is a 501(c)(3). All donations are tax deductible. **T-shirts production is delayed. They will be mailed out Dec. 22.**

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

Libraries, Lawsuits and Homeless Rights

Trish Savage

Rick Hohensee, who is homeless, spends two to three hours a day on the computers at library.

LIBRARY, from p.1 mind them to take their medication.

Sometimes, however, homeless people are found sleeping in stairwells, nooks and crannies. To help discourage improper sleeping, closed-circuit cameras scan the halls of the downtown Martin Luther King Memorial Library (MLKML).

The downtown library has a greater number of “homeless visitations” than do the branch libraries. Its proximity to shelters, soup kitchens and Catholic Community Services means that D.C.’s homeless residents often sleep under the library’s awning and in its alley.

In September 2005, a homeless person resting outside the library assaulted and injured a library security officer. On several occasions, patrons have been shocked to find homeless people bathing in the nude in the restrooms. Some restroom doors are now kept open permanently, according to the library system’s Monica Lewis.

Improper bathing and grooming also are issues at the West End Library in Georgetown. In addition, some homeless people there formerly went to corners of the building, occupied several seats and ate, which was prohibited. “We had to reorganize the reading area to make hiding more difficult,” said one West End manager.

Patrons who hide pose a challenge for branch librarians, especially when they prepare to close for the night. For example, two people hiding in the Cleveland Park branch were only discovered when a motion detector caught them after the library closed.

Recently, a homeless man named Bayo, who was resting in the carpeted basement corridor of MLKML, said he comes to that library about three times a week. Sometimes he just uses the restroom, and other times he reads or sleeps. Bayo said he has no problems with the staff, although someone occasionally wakes him if he sleeps on the floor.

Vincent Adkins, who also is homeless, moved to D.C. from Texas five months ago and now visits the library when he is out of work. Like Bayo, Adkins likes the comfort of the library, which is cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

A library helps ground Adkins and others who are recent arrivals in the area. A sense of community is important to D.C.’s homeless population, and libraries are one place

they can make friends, keep up with the local news, study for a class and experience a sense of belonging, one advocate for the homeless noted.

Visiting the library is a positive activity, especially for those trying to recover from an addiction or deal with mental illness, the advocate added. Even on the happy occasions when people leave shelters for their own apartments, the library serves an important role in combating loneliness.

Despite the homeless population’s dependence on libraries, however, the libraries have no control over the number of homeless patrons they serve. And there certainly is no “homeless services” allocation in their budgets, according to library officials.

In addition to citing increased security and maintenance costs associated with homeless visitors, many librarians argue that they are professionals in their discipline - library science - and not trained social workers.

“I feel that using the library as a shelter is not fair to other library users or homeless people. We have complaints and issues many days due to the number of homeless that come in and stay in the library,” said one branch librarian, who asked that her name not be used. “I am happy to help with informational needs, but I am not a social worker.

Most of the homeless people that come in every day have social, safety and security needs that we just can’t meet.”

Jill Bogard, president of the Friends of the Cleveland Park Library, also has strong feelings about homeless patrons in her library.

“Since the library is a public space, homeless people are legally entitled to be there.

However, the mission of the library is not to serve as a temporary shelter for homeless people,’’ Bogard said. “The folks I’ve seen in the library are usually sleeping – they are clearly not there to read the paper or do research.”

Still, the D.C. Public Library’s Lewis remains optimistic. “Libraries are the nation’s universities. We just want to make visiting the library a fun experience for all users,” she said.

Chief librarian Cooper reiterated Lewis’ sentiment and said that libraries, by design, admit anyone and everyone.

“Libraries,’’ she said, “are the most democratic organizations in the country.”

Mandy McNally contributed to this story.

The District libraries and homeless individuals have not always had such a friendly relationship. In fact, a few years ago a homeless man successfully sued the library after being thrown out.

In 2001 Richard S. Armstrong sued the D.C. Public Library for barring him, based on his “objectionable appearance.” He challenged the library’s regulation as vague, overbroad, in violation of the First Amendment and arbitrary in denying access.

Armstrong contended that the appearance regulation had no rational basis to exist other than to discriminate intentionally against homeless people and keep them out of public libraries. He was stopped at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library entrance and denied access by library security personnel. After being told that he needed to “clean up,” Armstrong was told to leave the building.

The U.S. District Court for D.C. ruled against the library, stating that the appearance regulation was amorphous and imprecise, did not serve any government interest, and erroneously gave subjective enforcement discretion to whichever regulation enforcer happened to be working at a given time. Further, the court objected to the terms “body odor” and “filthy clothing,” noting that it is difficult to define degrees of filth and odor. “For example, whether this implicates a painter’s overalls, a mechanic’s shirt, a child’s play clothes, or perfume or cologne is unclear. As a result, this regulation necessarily falls short of [an] objective standard,” according to the court’s decision.

Today, our library guidelines on appropriate dress ban bare feet and bare chests, only.

-- Trish Savage

Help Bring the Homeless in from the Cold

CALL THE

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

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

LOCAL NEWS

Trailers Come Back as Emergency Shelter Fenty Promises Better Planning But Does Not Rule Out Future Use

Cliff Carle

Eighteen months ago, the District closed some of the last remaining trailers used as shelter for homeless people. The move was hailed as an important step away from Washington’s history of improvised emergency shelters, and towards higher standards throughout the system. Now, with winter approaching and shelter beds in high demand, the city has opened eight trailers, with room for 144 homeless men, at 4th and L streets, NW. The trailers, tucked onto a wedge of land below New York Avenue, will offer shelter to those men unable to find beds at Franklin, CCNV, and other facilities in and around downtown D.C. They will open when cold weather brings more men in off the street, and will remain open through the winter hypothermia season, until March 31, 2007.

“The trailers are better than the streets,” said Cornell Chapelle, chief of program operations at the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, although “the most ideal would be buildings with services.” Chapelle’s organization oversees city-funded homeless services, and is also involved with the efforts to provide emergency shelter in a rapidly changing downtown.

20.0% 18.0% 16.0%

The reappearance of trailers in the city’s shelter inventory has not come as a complete surprise. As the city prepared for the 2006-2007 winter season, it became clear there would be a significant shortfall in brick-and-mortar shelter space.

Brian Wilbon, interim director of the city’s Department of Human Services, told the City Council in October that “our planning for the 2006-2007 hypothermia season had to factor in the loss of approximately 360 beds from prior seasons …. To compensate, we had to identify additional space.”

This loss prompted more beds at existing facilities, a new 150-bed men’s winter shelter at 2210 Adams Place, NE, off Bladensburg Road, and the trailers at 4th and L. But, Wilbon said, “we are only using trailers as a short-term measure.”

Asked his opinion, Council member and Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty said that “trailers are not appropriate shelter for our homeless neighbors and we should stop using them.”

Fenty promised better planning and coordination to avoid the need for their use but stopped short of saying the city would never use trailers. “The District needs to have in place a cold-weather plan that avoids the use of substandard facilities like trailers as much as possible,” he said.

Peter Cohn contributed to this article.

Walking and Raising Awareness

Linda Wang

Linda Wang

Thousands of supporters flooded the Mall for the Fannie Mae Homeless Walkathon on Nov. 21.

It requires that all firms getting District funding or subsidies of $100,000 or more must hire at least 51% of their employees from within the District.

This policy has been on the books for 23 years but continues to fall short of its goal. DOES data for 2006 shows that businesses involved in the program have an average of just 34% of employees from the District, a drop from the 36% average of the previous three years.

The program appears to be struggling partly because the skills of many of the city’s unemployed residents do not match the requirements of the businesses looking for help.

“There is a disconnect between the types of jobs that are generated through First Source Agreements and the qualifications of District residents who are seeking employment,” said Susan Gilbert, associate director of DOES’ Office of Employer Services.

The same problem is apparent to Rocio Galang, assistant director of human resources for D.C.’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which received about $50 million dollars in taxpayer subsidies. Her business has been unable to meet the target required by the First Source Agreement.

Poverty Rate in the District of Columbia

The District has set up eight trailers at 4th and L, NW to handle overflow from permanent shelters during the winter. The ninth trailer has showers, an office for intake, and space for the overnight staff.

By David S. Hammond

JOBS, from p.1

A homeless veteran pauses to make a statement at the Walk.

14.0% 12.0% 10.0% 8.0% 6.0% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% 05 -02 -03 -04 -00 -01 -99 01 02 03 99 00 98 -20 04 20 20 20 19 20 19 20

“[The hotel hasn’t] had enough referrals of qualified candidates from the DOES. To achieve 51% is extremely difficult and would require more support from the District government in identifying, screening and training potential employees,” Galang said.

Ed Lazere, executive director of the DCFPI, also said the city needs to do a better job of matching unemployed residents with available job opportunities.

“To achieve this, the city must increase job preparedness training and work collaboratively with employers to train District residents in the specific skills that will make them a qualified employee,” he said.

Another factor impeding the progress of the First Source Agreement is insufficient monitoring of the businesses, according to Lazere and Gilbert. Lazere said there should be more enforcement of the firms that are part of the agreement, but Gilbert expressed concern that the job of overseeing compliance of the 4,334 businesses covered by the program was simply too much for a staff of only three employees. “There is insufficient staff to carry out the mandate of this program,” she said.

Gilbert added that federal funds for the program have decreased in the past several years, thus hampering monitoring and enforcement activities. “In essence, a local ‘unfunded mandate’ was created,” she said.

While there appears to be consensus about the shortcomings of the program among the District government officials and businesses involved with the First Source Agreement, there also is strong agreement that the theory behind the program has the potential to benefit D.C. residents.

According to Galang, it’s simply a matter of the local government providing the proper assistance that will allow businesses to bring practice in line with the theory .

INTERVIEW

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

VENDOR New Years ResoluTions

From Losing Weight to Gaining Housing ...

Muriel Dixon To be in a better position next year and have better health conditions.

Corey Bridges To be in college part time.

Conrad Cheek Jr. To double my Street Sense sales.

Patricia Jefferson To get full-time employment and housing.

Michael Higgs To walk with God the whole year and love God as he loves me.

Phillip Andrew Howard To stay well and be happy.

Francine Triplett To get a house and continue to work with Street Sense.

Don Gardner To start my own business.

Matesha Thompson To continue to lose weight, to quit smoking and to acquire a car.

Allen Jones To move into my own apartment or house.

Bobby G. Buggs To not be the black sheep any more.

Anthony Crawford To do more to promote the essence of the Street Sense publication.

Chris Sellman To take one day at a time.

Jake Ashford To resolve my legal problems.

Brenda Karyl Lee-Wilson To see the “light” at the end of the tunnel – the long road I have been on since 1994 – in my pursuit for justice from the corruption and fraud that placed me into homelessness.

Charles Nelson To do better for myself and others.

Herman Lee Mayse To finish writing my book, be a hard worker for Street Sense, and keep God first in my life and all that I do.

Patty Smith To end world homelessness.

To bring all of the homeless inside for shelter in cold weather and give them hope forever.

Mark Jones To get me my own room.

Cliff Carle To find my significant other and have a family with kids: the more the merrier.

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

LOCAL NEWS

Federal Minimum Wage Increase Gains Momentum

By David Lohr The November elections were a resounding success for advocates of increasing the minimum wage nationwide, with six states passing ballot measures for a wage hike and Democrats taking control of Congress. Citizens in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Ohio voted to raise their states’ wages above the federal minimum of $5.15 per hour set in 1997, with annual increases tied to inflation.

Established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the federal minimum wage has not been raised in nearly a decade, the longest period without an increase since its inception.

Adjusted for inflation, the rate is at its lowest since 1955, and its purchasing power has decreased 20% in the last 10 years, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In fact, an employee working 40 hours per week yearround would earn just $10,712 at the current rate; the federal poverty threshold for a family of four is $19,157.

Still, only 28 states plus the District of Columbia will have minimum wages over the federal level in 2007.

With voter opinion surging in favor of the changes, congressional Democrats want to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour over the next two years. Congressmanelect Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told the Minnesota Daily in November that a wage increase

should not even be a debate because it goes to the core of our values.

“In America, there is a sort of social contract that says if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead,” Ellison said.

“Raising the minimum wage makes sense.”

According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C., a raise to $7.25 would have a tremendous impact on “disadvantaged” workers, the segment of the population thatneeds it the most.

The institute’s research shows that the benefits of the increase help the poorest segment of the working class the most. While the households in the bottom one-fifth of wage earnings make up only 5% of national income, 38% of the minimum wage increase benefits would go to these workers.

Supporters of the increase argue that, while it is a step in the right direction, much more needs to be done to bolster the low-income American worker. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN),

“We want elected officials at all levels to pay attention to the mandate that voters laid down: hard working families deserve a better deal.” - Maude Hurd

FRESH START CATERING Celebrating Ten Years of Serving More Than Just Great Food MENU SELECTIONS SIGNATURE HORS D’OEUVRES

Maryland Crab Cakes Chicken Satay with spicy peanut sauce Smoked Salmon Pinwheels Artichoke & Olive Crostini

SIGNATURE SANDWICHES

Roast Beef & Watercress Wrap Veggie Hummus Wrap Thai Basil Chicken Salad Basil, Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

the nation’s largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, organizes campaigns nationwide lobbying for higher minimum and living wages.

“On November 7th, we did the job that Congress refused to do by taking a pay raise to the people,” ACORN President Maude Hurd said. “We want elected officials at all levels to pay attention to the mandate that voters laid down: hard working families deserve a better deal - that should be the first order of business.”

Small business owners, however, are not happy with the changes.

According to the National Federation of Independ e n t Bu s i n e s s, raising the minimum wage will result in job losses as small businesses, responsible for two-thirds of the new jobs created nationwide, struggle to absorb the increased labor costs.

Randel K. Johnson, U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits agrees. “Small businesses cannot simply wave a magic wand to create more revenue when lawmakers pass these types of bills,” Johnson said. “It is these businesses, the backbone of our economy, which will be hurt the most by this proposal.”

According to David Neumark, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, an increased minimum wage would act as a tax of sorts on the use of unskilled workers, so employers who do not want to pay unskilled workers more than current wages would simply replace them with more qualified individuals.

“Policies that encourage employers to hire low-skilled workers, that encourage work and most importantly that raise skill levels, need to be considered as essential components of the policy mix,” he said.

While being forced to pay a higher wage may cause employers to be more selective in their hiring, other leading scholars dispute arguments that increased wages will lead to a decrease in jobs.

In October, 650 leading economists, including five Nobel Prize winners, released a statement through the Economic Policy Institute in support of the proposed federal increase. “[T]he minimum wage helps to equalize the imbalance in bargaining power that low-wage workers face in the labor market…,” they wrote. “While controversy about the precise employment effects of the minimum wage continues, research has shown that most of the beneficiaries are adults, most are female, and the vast majority are members of low-income families.”

Though there is research to support both sides of the minimum wage debate, if November’s election is any indication, wages will likely continue to rise nationwide as the movement gains public support.

VEGAN VEGETABLE CURRY

Fresh vegetables with tofu in a rich and spicy curry sauce, served over steamed rice with carrot-daikon slaw

ROPA VIEJA Pulled flank steak with spicy sofrito sauce, served with black beans and Spanish rice

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State Minimum Wages as of Jan. 1, 2007 State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Level $5.15 $7.15 $6.75 $6.25 $7.50 $6.85 $7.65 $6.65 $7.00 $6.67 $5.15 $7.25 $5.15 $6.50 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $7.00 $6.15 $7.50 $7.15 $6.15 $5.15 $6.50 $6.15 $5.15 $6.15 $5.15 $7.15 $5.15 $7.15 $6.15 $5.15 $6.85 $5.15 $7.80 $6.25 $7.10 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $7.25 $5.15 $7.93 $6.55 $6.50 $5.15

FEDERAL

$5.15

*All highlighted states will be increasing their wages Jan. 1, 2007.

LOCAL POLITICS NEWS

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

StreetPolitics

By David S. Hammond “Some of these old apartments or school buildings – why can’t we fix them up? Let’s do what we have to do, to make apartments out of them!”

That proposal, offered by Darlene Costeley, was one of many at an early December forum called to draw up proposals for D.C.’s new mayor.

Costeley was one of some 80-plus homeless people and friends who gathered at the suggestion of Adrian Fenty’s transition team.

On the Hill

Creating Strong, Healthy Families Title Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006, H.R. 5640 Purpose Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) introduced H.R. 5640 on June 20, 2006 as a way to amend the Social Security Act to reauthorize a program called Promoting Safe and Stable Families.

Homeless individuals met to name priorities for the new adminstration.

Wanted: Smarter Use of the Resources D.C. Has on Hand ...

People talked about what they know: cramped shelters, the need for more room and better conditions to help rebuild lives, and discouragement at seeing homeless people’s talents unrecognized and unused.

One discussion group, led by former Franklin shelter resident Rommel McBride, grappled with how the city could create more places for people to live. McBride’s group joined the others in suggesting the District use its empty school buildings for short-term shelter and longer-term housing, and talk turned to letting homeless people work on the renovations. That led to a detailed discussion of funding, contracts, and tax incentives.

The forum was asked to propose quick actions the new mayor can take to increase shelter capacity and improve conditions and services. It can be tough to discuss those things without getting lost in everyday details, or the broader, but related, issues of housing and jobs. As McBride pointed out, some people go to work every day and pay taxes, but simply can’t earn their way out of a shelter and into D.C.’s housing market.

But the discussions went well, and left many participants hoping they can see more of them. Formal recommendations from the forum on homelessness will be sent to the Fenty transition team, along with reports from groups reviewing other topics. ... And a Sense of Urgency.

When simple problems like faulty plumbing, poor food, or vermin in the shelters go unresolved, the bigger problems that were years in the making, like the shortage of affordable housing, can look too big to tackle. One young woman leaving the forum, when asked how she thought it went, sighed and said “well, there are an awful lot of meetings, aren’t there.” But as one discussion group reported, “accountability – our number-one solution” could be the way out of the maze of meetings and consultations.

Over to You, Mr. Mayor.

Like most Washingtonians, the majority of homeless people supported Adrian Fenty strongly for mayor. Still, after the forum Eric Sheptock, a Franklin shelter resident who led one of the discussion groups, wrote in an e-mail that “the homeless community can be a tough crowd. If they don’t see results soon enough, they’ll lose faith.”

For good or ill, Fenty carries the hopes of many people. As chair of the City Council’s Human Services Committee, aggressive questioning of government officials seemed to reflect widespread frustration at seeing the same problems drag on year after year. And the feeling that Fenty offers the rare chance for a fresh start has only grown.

Just before Election Day, one homeless colleague told me “he’s our only hope.”

What’s on your mind? E-mail StreetPoliticsDC@aol.com.

Background As its title says, the Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) Program focuses on creating supportive and healthy families by funding programs that work to eradicate parental substance abuse, create strong marriages and parental relationships, and providing caseworker support to adopted children and adopting parents. The program, which was created in 1993, focuses on infant safe haven programs, educational and training vouchers for children raised in foster care, and mentoring programs for children of incarcerated parents.

If enacted, this bill would re-authorize the PSSF at the current levels of funding of $305 million a year. Also, an additional allotment of $40 million would be added each year to support monthly caseworker visits to children in foster care and to improve the caseworker training and retention, while also requiring states to have plans to deal

with children abandoned after birth.

The bill also would extend through fiscal year 2011 the program for mentoring children of prisoners, while requiring a report from each state on the progress of families and children aided by the PSSF. Sponsor Rep. Wally Herger (R- Calif.)

Co-sponsors Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), Rep. Dave Camp (R- Mich.), Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.), Rep. Melissa A. Hart (R-Pa.), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark (D-Calif.)

Status On July 12, 2006, this bill was placed on the Union Calendar after being amended by the Committee on Ways and Means. The Union Calendar is a list of active legislation, pertaining to the state of the union. Most bills, aside from some private bills, and bills pertaining to the running of the House, go to the Union Calendar.

-Jill Merselis

N Street Village was founded in 1973 by Luther Place Memorial Church as an ecumenical community endeavor and has since thrived and grown to become a separate financial and legal entity.

The winner of The Washington Post 2006 Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, N Street Village empower homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life by offering a broad spectrum of services and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect, serving over 600 women a year.

www.nstreetvillage.org ∙ 202-939-2072

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

No Law, No Park in Las Vegas Children Cross U.S. Border City AntiFeeding Ordinance and Its Aftermath

Solo as Security Risk Rises

By Tim Gaynor

By Igor Norinsky A federal judge rejected a Las Vegas ordinance passed in July that made it illegal to feed homeless people in city parks.

A week after this late November ruling, the city closed Huntridge Circle Park, which stands at the center of the controversy.

In a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), U.S. District Judge Robert Jones found the ordinance unconstitutional, enjoining local authorities from further enforcement. According to the judge, while the city had a legitimate right to enact laws that seek to maintain the safety and security of public areas, that right did not extend to criminalizing the act of giving food to indigent people. As a result of this ruling, the city of Las Vegas has pledged to reframe the anti-feeding law to reflect rigorous constitutional standards.

The judge’s decision came after months of civil disobedience and bitter exchanges, in and out of court.

Less than two weeks after passage of the contentious city ordinance, Elizabeth Monk, a local radio station traffic reporter, was cited and threatened with arrest for handing out doughnuts to homeless people across the street from City Hall, in brazen defiance of the newly enacted law.

The city’s mayor, Oscar Goodman, disparaged the reporter’s actions as a “publicity stunt.” But Monk’s display was only the first in a string of similar acts which on a whole seemed less like stunts and more like the conscientious response of a concerned citizenry.

Opposition to the ordinance quickly gained momentum following news of Monk’s ordeal, drawing numerous vocal advocates. By November, at least five people had been issued summonses.

One of them, Patrick Band, took his ticket to a municipal judge, who swiftly dismissed the summons as unconstitutionally vague.

This decision sparked renewed interest and increased vigor on both sides of the debate over the law, setting the backdrop for the ACLU’s day in court.

In arguments before Judge Jones in late November, ACLU of Nevada attorney Lee Rowland argued that the law effectively denied protections under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, which provide for the right to expressive action and equal protection of the law, respectively.

Las Vegas City Attorney Bradford Jerbic maintained that these and other protections were not available to those cited for breaking the law. In opposing the plaintiffs’ request that the judge grant an injunction, the city claimed that the law was “neutral” and intended to “further a number of substantial government interests,” including “maximiz-

ing the availability of social services to the homeless, the protection of public health [and] city parks and the prevention of crime in residential areas.”

The indigent “are left behind without transportation and as a result they end up in neighborhoods, not only leaving debris behind, but sometimes sleeping on people’s yards, sometimes defecating,” Jerbic said.

Judge Jones was quick to point out the inherent flaws of this thinking. For one, if the indigent had no way of leaving city parks following distribution of meals, as the city alleged, how was it that they could get there in the first place? More importantly, if the city’s concern was with homeless people sleeping on private property or leaving debris, why didn’t the city enact laws to address these specific actions?

The thrust of these questions was, of course, whether or not the anti-feeding law unfairly targeted an already underprivileged class of people. Judge Jones was asking whether the city had the right to address an immediate and easily identifiable nuisance with a blanket law.

On Nov. 24, mere days after Judge Jones’ decision against the city, a scuffle between two homeless men at the Huntridge Circle Park ended after one of the men was stabbed to death. The argument ensued after one of the men was found destroying sprinklers at the park, causing others to worry about the possibility of renewed antagonism from the surrounding community.

The incident has rallied supporters of the law, who have long complained about the growing homeless problem and are now quick to point to what many consider a faulty legal ruling as a cause for the man’s killing.

On Nov. 28, Doug Selby, of the city of Las Vegas, closed the park until further notice.

This move has even proponents of the antifeeding ordinance wondering.

Selby indicated that safety concerns and not the recent court ruling were the impetus for the decision to close the park, in which the city had recently invested upwards of $1.5 million for renovations. But homeless advocates, who view the fight over the park as central to the much larger fight over homeless rights, were not so sure.

On Dec. 4, four people were arrested after trespassing in the park in protest of its closing. Joe Sacco, son of a woman who had been feeding homeless people in the park daily for many months, wore an American flag on his shoulders as he was being detained.

NOGALES, Mexico, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Slipping into the United States, eight-year-old Adrian Ramirez began a three-day trek across the cactus-studded wastes with just a small bag of tortillas and one large hope keeping him going.

“I wanted to spend Christmas with my father in New York, but they caught us,” he said, perching on a chair at a center for child migrants in this bustling city on the Arizona border.

Picked up and swiftly repatriated by the U.S. Border Patrol, the Triqui Indian from Mexico’s poor Oaxaca state is one of a growing number of children trying to cross the border into the United States without their parents.

Since January, Mexican authorities say some 6,800 youngsters have been repatriated to northern Sonora state after crossing into southern Arizona, a rise of 20% over the same period last year.

They say most are seeking to join moms and dads who already live stateside but who are increasingly reluctant to head back to Mexico to pick u p t h e i r c h i l d re n because of tighter security along the 2,000-mile line.

“The parents know that they can’t come back because of increased security,” said Humberto Valdes, of Mexico’s family welfare agency in the northern state of Sonora.

“Now they are sending for their children to come and join them - and they obviously don’t know the risks they are exposing them to.”

“The worst thing was the scorpions,” she said, shuddering at the memory of a two-day trek over the desert that ended in repatriation by the Border Patrol.

Other youngsters in the care of the Camino a Casa, or Path Home, welfare project in Nogales, recall standing in line at the port of entry in the city with fake or stolen documents given them by coyotes.

“They gave me the crossing card of a girl who looked like me, but I got very nervous,” said Lupita Valencia, 14, from central Colima state, who had been sent for by her parents who live in Seattle.

“The inspectors realized I wasn’t the card holder and sent me back,” she added.

Dangerous Journey More than 400 people died crossing over the border last year, most of heat exhaustion or drowning. While no figures were available for children perishing on the journey, Mexican and U.S. officials say the hazards are great.

In California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors have found youngsters crammed into airless hideaways cut into car gas tanks they call “coffin compartments,” and have charged coyotes with endangerment.

In Arizona, where desert temperatures soar to above 120 F (50 C) in summer and dip to below freezing in winter, U.S. Border Patrol agents have found children as young as a few months left out in the wilds by their guides.

“We have had a case of a baby left in the brush by a fleeing coyote ... and of a fouryear-old child left to fend for himself in a canyon after a group was arrested,” said Gus Soto, a spokesman with the U.S. Border Patrol in Nogales, Ariz.

“At the first sign of law enforcement, the coyotes simply abandon children out there to fend for themselves.”

Welfare workers in Nogales say youngsters also face other dangers while in the hands of coyotes, including sexual abuse.

One recent case involved a 14-year-old girl told by a smuggler that sex was all part of the package for taking her north to join her parents.

But with border security on the rise as ever more technology, fencing and agents are deployed to the international line, authorities fear the situation is here to stay.

“It’s lamentable,” said Valdes. “But every indication is that the phenomenon is growing.”

“We have had a case of a baby left in the brush by a fleeing coyote ... and of a four-year-old child left to fend for himself in a canyon after a group was arrested.” - Gus Soto

Thriving Trade Adrian set out with a 16-year-old cousin on an improvised journey through deserts where security has been increasingly tightened in recent months, after President George W. Bush ordered 6,000 National Guard troops to the border in June.

The majority are taken north by professional guides or “coyotes,” in a booming child smuggling trade where parents pay hefty fees of $3,000 to $5,000 to be reunited with their children - twice the amount charged for adults - welfare workers say.

“They treat them like merchandise, and it’s very profitable,” Valdes told Reuters.

For the children, many of whom have a limited sense of the world they are moving through, the journey to U.S. cities sometimes thousands of miles away, is a frightening and bewildering experience.

“I don’t know the name of the city my mother lives in in the United States, and I didn’t know the men who came to my grandmother’s house to collect me,” said Blanca Isela Tejada, a tiny 13-year -old from Sonora.

This story is made available to Street Sense through a partnership between Reuters and the International Network of Street Papers. For more info go to www.street-papers.org.

10 PHOTOS & POETRY

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

Cliff’s Pics

In honor of the holi appreciation of Christmas l bulbs he has selected s

Frustration (a love poem) I call myself a gardenermy fragile blooms, planted just to please you, are tended with a mother’s care, through countless hours of tender labor, squatting in moist black earth.

I wake one morning and find my green treasures laid waste by a freak autumn frost.

Tearfully, I watch the dry brown stems crumble between my fingers.

I call myself an artist; my portrait of you sitting among wildflowers is built of painstaking layers of blush, gilded evening light and delicate rims of shadow.

When my canvas is unveiled, I find the succulent beauty I saw in you mutated into a grotesque drooling freak.

I call myself a carpenterI build a home for you, lovingly stacking each brick in its proper place, each windowsill & doorway lintel measured with slick precision.

Here is the escalator at the Medical Center Metro stop. I like dealing with depth of field and distances, and this is quite a lo longest escalators in the world.

I gaze at my handiwork and see a teetering shack, ready to crumble at the first gentle breath of breeze.

And as you stalk away from me in disgust and disappointment, I sit among the ruins of your love for me, drowning in the stagnant swamp of my frustration.

- David Harris

This shot of the Capitol at night reminds me of the dark days the Republicans are currently having and the beacon of light that is the Democratic Party.

I love the way the lights at the the water and streaming acro

PHOTOS & POETRY 11

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

idays, Vendor Cliff “the Moose” Carle has decided to do his own lights. Instead of the traditional green-wire strings of multi-colored shots of light displays that occur around the District every day.

When I Was Homeless When I was homeless people treated me like I had the plague.

Nobody wanted to be around me no matter what I did or said.

Nobody liked me and I didn’t fit in.

It was hard for me to find even one friend.

Believe me when you’re homeless it’s hard out there, people will tease, whisper and stare.

Homelessness is a rough life, filled with hardship, sadness and strife.

So next time you see a homeless person, don’t just look and stare. Show some compassion, because you can afford to care.

-Matthew McCullough, 13 years old

This was a mistake that actually turned out pretty wild. I was resetting the temperature on the camera and I accidentally took a crazy light photo at a Starbucks in Dupont.

It came one cold dreary day this small package covered with blonde stringy hair and something like sparkling clear blue eyes searching for answers mirroring the injustices of the world teeming with love of self insatiable greed.

ong distance – 148 feet and 6 inches – making it one of the

e Kennedy Center came out in this photograph, both reflecting in oss the road because of the extended exposure.

The Gift

I broke down barriers erected from dreams deferred a sudden mental state of being that defeated this life which was born into the world unwanted but not unexpectedly by chance.

It came on the cherubim face of a little child harboring innocence unscathed by time showing hope and promise erasing my depressed state it was then and only then that I received my gift a smile, wrapped up in the face of a child.

This is near the shelter at 2nd and D streets in Northwest. I like the way the lights are set up, going off into the distance, highlighting the depth of field.

- James Davis

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

12 FOOD

My Turn At the Table By Jesse Smith Jr.

Cook’s Corner

Fabulous Fish and Service at Legal Seafood

Shortbread Jam Cookies

Chris Sellman

Vendor manager Jesse Smith enjoys a tasty mahi-mahi at this Chinatown seafood restaurant.

Today I had one of the most pleasurable dining experiences I have had in quite a while. I and my lunch guest, vendor Chris Sellman, were treated to a fine meal at the Legal Seafoods restaurant located in the Chinatown section of Washington, D.C. Legal Seafoods is a classic seafood restaurant – the focus is on the food, which ranges from the hearty and filling, to the entertainingly delicious.

I felt extremely comfortable in the restaurant. I must say that the invitation for lunch was given at a very short notice and we were not dressed to enter any establishment that has a strict dress policy. Legal Seafoods’ dress policy is casual dress, which was perfect for us, and I felt very comfortable.

First I must commend the staff on their service. The moment we walked in we were greeted with courtesy and respect as though we were some business executives out to lunch, with their time at a premium. We were seated immediately, and within minutes the server, who said his name was K.C. or Casey, appeared with menus in hand asking us what we preferred to drink. I mention the server’s name because his

manner and explanation of the courses offered on the menu added considerably to the comfort value of our experience.

We soon found that the food measures up to the service.

For an appetizer we chose the coconut jumbo fried shrimp with orange marmalade sauce. Mr. Sellman ordered the “Fried Fisherman’s Platter,” which consisted of shrimp, scallops, clams, scrod (which is a light fish similar to codfish in taste and texture), calamari, coleslaw and French fries. I chose the special of the day; mahi-mahi stuffed with crabmeat, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

We were both satisfied with the large portions presented for each dish, and how appealing they looked situated on the plates. The mahi-mahi in two words was extremely enjoyable.

The fish and the crab complemented each other, and it was more than enough to eat. The shrimp appetizer tasted nice, with a subtle coconut taste, and the orange marmalade dip was exquisite. I will also add that the pleasure received from the taste of the meal is a testament to the skill of Chef William Garcia.

I believe the prices of the meals were quite reasonable.

The appetizer was $10.95, the Fisherman’s Platter was $23.00, and the special, mahi-mahi, was $16.95. I will add that the special changes from day to day, depending upon what the chef decides to present.

I must say this was my lucky day. I highly recommend the Legal Seafoods in Chinatown for anything from a casual lunch to a classy business dinner. The service is outstanding, and very welcoming, and the atmosphere is friendly and conducive to enjoying the most important thing of all – a delicious variety of excellent seafood, and plenty of it. So if you’re looking for a taste of the sea right here in downtown Washington, be sure to visit Legal Seafoods.

• • • • • • •

2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp. salt 2 sticks butter at room temperature 2 large egg yolks 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. strawberry or grape jam

Preparation • In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.

• In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy.

• Add egg yolks to butter mixture and beat until smooth.

• Add in flour and mix until thoroughly combined.

• Put dough in covered container and let chill for at least an hour.

• Roll out dough to be about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into medium size circle.

• On a greased baking sheet, place circle • Top circles with about 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of jam.

• Top jam with another circle to form a sandwich.

• Bake for seven to nine minutes.

Legal Seafoods 704 7th Street N.W. Washington D.C. Phone: 202-347-0007 www.legalseafoods.com Jesse has been the vendor manager since November 2001 ane loves now being a fulltime member of the Street Sense family.

Gift Giving Without Breaking the Bank The holiday shopping season is in full effect and if you are like millions of other people, you are probably ready to hit the stores for decorations, foodstuffs and gifts. The holidays signify a time of sharing, spending time with loved ones and demonstrating appreciation for each other. However, the message that seems to prevail throughout the season is the material – gift giving is equated with the holiday spirit.

It is, then, no surprise that many households find themselves stretched thin after the holiday season. In fact, a survey conducted this year by VISA USA found that Americans say they spend an average of $1,224.82 on gifts and entertaining over the holiday season. Moreover, these costs are on top of the rent/mortgage, food shopping, clothes, transportation, loan payments and other bills that need to be paid.

In a report published in 2003 by Consumer Credit Counseling Services Inc., statistics gathered in November showed that 54% of consumers were still paying off credit card debt left over from the previous holiday season. It’s become commonplace for households to spend so much money during the holidays that the only way they can pay is by using credit cards, and that ends up being debt that takes much longer than anticipated to erase.

Although the statistics seem alarming, there are well-known strategies that you can adopt in order to avoid the debt-in-

Ingredients

duced blues during the holiday season.

Budgeting In order to control your financial security during and after the holidays, always draft a budget; people tend to get in trouble when they don’t set a limit on how much will be spent on different items. And don’t forget to include absolutely everything in your budget – a lot of the money spent ends up on the floor on Christmas morning, like wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and cards. If you sit down and figure out how much you are willing to spend on each item, you will be more likely to stay within that budget and avert the nightmare of trying to catch up with the debt incurred during the holidays.

This recipe was prepared by Connie, who is a student at Community Family Life Services culinary arts training program. The runner-up recipe was chocolate and coconut macaroons by Patricia Bridges.

These students work at Third and Eats Restaurant and at the U.S. Tax Court cafeteria. Many also work for New Course Catering.

New Course caters all events from corporate lunches to weddings to 500-person galas. For more info visit www. newcoursecatering.com or call (202) 347-7035.

We

care.

We

help.

We

heal.

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

Gift Alternatives If it turns out that you do not have the extra income to spend on gifts, entertainment, wrapping paper, etc., you could consider other options like homemade gifts, baked goods, heartfelt letters, or inexpensive, practical items like books, puzzles, journals or picture albums.

When it comes down to it, none of your loved ones would want you to face financial difficulty and would support your attempt at being financially solvent and economically secure during and beyond the holiday season.

This regular financial column is presented by Capital Area Asset Building Corporation (www.caab.org). Send your questions on this topic or ideas for others to saving@caab.org.

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

We want to help. We want to help you.

LITERATURE

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

13

bOOK rEVIEW

Marvin Hammerman A mystery novel in parts BOOK 3, PART 11

By August Mallory

Several days have now passed. Daryl “Gutter’’ Williams is now in custody, but Smith and Handler are still on the loose. As Hammerman and Jamison continue to recover from gunshot wounds, Capt. Mick Chadwell decides it’s his turn to look for Smith and Handler.

“Gentlemen, I think it’s time I went undercover myself to find these two dirtbags. I am going to arrange for assistance to work the skid row areas of town,’’ Chadwell says.

“Captain, I want to work with you,’’ says Anna Jackson.

“Anna, no,’’ Chadwell responds.

“Captain, are you sure this is what you want to do?’’

Hammerman asks. “If they find out that you are a cop, it could mean triple jeopardy for you.’’

“If they take out a cop, they better have a deep hole to hide in, and I mean a hole so deep it will never be found,’’ Chadwell says.

“Marvin, listen to me, this could be something worth doing,’’ Chadwell tells the detective. “And besides, they have never seen me before, so they will have no idea as to who I am.’’

“Captain, will you allow me to work with you to catch these guys?’’ Hammerman asks.

Capt. Chadwell ponders the thought for a moment.

“OK, I will allow it. But only on one condition, that I bring in a female detective to work alongside of you. She is Det. Marlene Greer. Det. Greer is with the crime victims unit and is highly trained in her field. I want you to work closely with her and follow her instructions. Got it?’’

“I got it, Captain,’’ Hammerman replies.

“Jamison, Hammerman, I will keep you posted on what’s going on.’’

As Capt. Chadwell prepares to work the streets of Atlanta to catch Smith and Handler, both he and Anna Jackson meet with Det. Marlene Greer. They go over plans on how each will work the streets and hopefully find the two men, Smith and Handler.

Somewhere down in Jacksonville, Fla., Jeffery Handler is trying to evade arrest as news from Atlanta is aired on television stations across the area. He manages to find a local drop-in center for a hideout. The staff does not ask for his ID to use the services, which is a relief to Handler, because he is a wanted man.

However, back in Atlanta, Daniel Smith winds up getting into a scuffle with another individual and gets barred from a facility. His name is placed on the barred list and the staff sends a notice to police. Smith has brandished a knife and severely injured another person.

Once again on the run, Smith now realizes that his options for hiding out are running thin and that he will eventually be caught. It is now starting to rain, and it’s getting very cold. Smith wonders where he will go. His name and his face are flashed everywhere. He has to make a move somewhere - but where?

Rural Homelessness at its Roots

The misconception that homelessness is only a problem in urban areas plays a major role in the inadequate attention given to the plight of rural families across this country.

Yvonne Vissing, a pediatric sociologist at Salem State College in Massachusetts, spent six years interviewing dozens of current and formerly homeless families and individuals to gain an understanding of rural homelessness, with emphasis on the emotional and physical well-being of children and adolescents.

The result of this study is Out of Sight, Out of Mind, full of personal accounts and sobering statistics offering a glimpse into a homeless population that many do not believe exists. Each chapter in the book addresses a major component of the struggle of rural homeless families, highlighting the specific conditions unique to rural communities.

The book points out that housing displacement is the most common form of homelessness in small town America. Vissing provides statistics showing that families, single mothers, and children comprise the largest number of homeless people in rural areas, and that single parents make up the majority of those with housing problems.

The relationship between foster care and homelessness is also examined. Vissing interviewed adolescents who chose to run away from abusive foster homes, preferring to live on the street in the company of other young people.

However, she points out that most rural communities have difficulty identifying who is homeless or on the verge of it, because of a lack of a broader definition for the term homelessness. Many people are not counted as homeless because they aren’t technically living on the street, Vissing explains. Due to a lack of shelters in rural communities, agencies are not able to use them as an accurate measure of the homeless population.

Another aspect of rural homelessness examined in a chapter called “The Catastrophic Assault on the Family” is that adults and teenagers often work full-time but remain homeless because their jobs pay poorly or are only temporary. Vissing points out that in this situation, there were few jobs for the unskilled, and employers could afford to be picky. Few rural areas have public transportation, making it much harder for homeless people to keep a job.

Vissing also explained the difficulty of maintaining parental control in shelters where the providers sometimes undermined parents by exerting their own authority. Parents talked about the tremendous stress they were under, and said they knew it could make them more prone to tak-

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

By Yvonne M. Vissing (The University Press of Kentucky)

ing it out on their children.

Due to the higher proportion of people who live in rural poverty, and the lack of medical facilities in rural areas, children and families who are displaced are at a greater risk for health problems, Vissing said. Rural areas are facing a declining economic base and educational system that is ill-equipped to help homeless children and those in poverty, the book explained.

Vissing also examined the lack of affordable housing.

Families in some rural areas are less likely to own a house today than 20 years ago, mainly due to the declining construction of new homes.

The thoroughness of the research and the first-hand accounts in this book allow for a greater appreciation of what it takes to maintain a family in an environment not equipped to provide adequate assistance.

Since rural areas have fewer places of residence and few social service resources to help distressed individuals, the most effective social interventions to eliminate homelessness are at the community and institutional level, according to the book. To accomplish this, Vissing urges communities to develop “safety net programs” that can help displaced residents, which can in turn benefit the community as a whole.

- Jennifer Singleton

Coming up next month: The confrontation between Smith and Capt. Chadwell, as Anna Jackson plays decoy to lure Smith into the open.

(From left to right.) Vendor manager Jesse Smith, vendor Anthony Crawford, vendor Mark Jones, co-founder Ted Henson, and vendor Cliff Carle pose for a photo with outgoing Mayor Anthony Williams at the Homeless Walkathon.

14 PUZZLES

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

Cryptogram

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

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

Note: We apologize for the double 8’s in last month’s puzzle.

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

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

B YXND KAERO ZYXZ XSARJ BZU AZYDF Last Month’s Solution VDRDKBZU, JBNBRJ TBVDFXZDU ZYD UAET AK ZYD JBNDF. – SXGX XRJDTAE Hint: X = A

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“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

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November’s Answer Key

1 Drains energy 5 False bible god 9 Frog’s cousin 13 SOS! 14 Women’s magazine 15 Big 16 Realm 17 Same 18 Many times 19 De facto day shelter 21 Kind 23 Vendor who had cancer 24 Insert 25 Poise 29 Mr..’s wife 30 Sympathize 32 Fish eggs 33 Cocktail 36 Damage 37 __ feeling 38 Fresh

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39 Alerts 40 Rave 41 Excavate 42 Manservant 43 Mayor elect 44 Estimated time of arrival 45 Greasy 46 Key ingredient of monthly recipe 47 Tables 49 Large vehicle 50 Adam’s wife 53 Tigers 55 Varied 57 Confuse 60 Jellystone’s bear 62 Former magistrate of Venice 63 Make used to 64 Place 65 First man 66 Capital of Switzerland 67 Evils

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www.CrosswordWeaver.com

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1 Will 2 Eagle’s nest 3 Commoner 4 Mast 5 Hairy face coverings 6 __ resin 7 Boxer Muhammad 8 Loaned 9 Owner of Street Sense (the horse) 10 Halloween mo.

11 To be 12 Vendor who want to start his own biz in ’07 15 Cleaned the floor 20 American Association of Retired Persons (abbr.)

22 Stories 26 Musical instrument 27 Get on 28 Miss Boop 29 Kitten’s cry 30 Vendor who loves lasagna 31 Relative 33 Has too much 34 Unify 35 ____ Seafood in Chinatown 36 Fence 39 Midriff 40 Radioactivity unit 42 Long trip 43 Quick 46 Frozen orange drink

U M A C T E R O E S I N S E R N S A E A D A L S T L C H O R S T E E M W A E D T D I C T I V A L C A R E

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Cheese Shirt protector Compass point Pelt

HOMELESS PERSONS’ MEMORIAL DAY Homeless people die from illnesses that affect everyone, frequently without health care.

Homeless people die from exposure, unprotected from the heat and cold.

Homeless people die from violence, often in unprovoked hate crimes.

Health care is a human right.

Housing is a human right.

Physical safety is a human right.

Remember our neighbors and friends who have died without homes.

Remember why they died.

DECEMBER 21 The First Day of Winter. The Longest Night of the Year.

www.nhchc.org

www.nationalhomeless.org

FEATURES 15

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

“Pursuit of Happiness”: A Close-to-Home Tearjerker

I was given the great opportunity of seeing “Pursuit of Happiness”; this movie is the greatest since “Forrest Gump.”

The thing that struck me the most is that as hard as the main character, Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith), tried to provide for his family, the less things worked out. Gardner’s wife left him and later returned to get their son (played by Smith’s real son) but Gardner refused to let his son go with

her. I think this gave Gardner balance, keeping his son in his life as a man.

The reason I feel so emotional about this movie is because my teenage son came to town during the summer while I was on the street. We spent one night on the street and by 12:30 p.m. my son could not stand how people passing by stared at us as if we were animals or monsters. I had about $120 so, as a father, I took him to the Holiday Inn to rest for two days. On the third day, after a long wait, one of my legal claims came through and my prayers were answered for a few thousand dollars.

I started tearing up at this movie because the script seemed to be written about my life. It truly showed a real picture of homelessness. In one scene, they showed a homeless man waiting in line to get into a shelter where he got in a fight because another homeless man tried to jump the line. This is, in fact, something that I have experienced.

In another scene, Gardner and his son were waiting in the subway station in vain, and his son said, “Daddy where are you going?” to which Gardner replied, “I don’t know.” This was the most depressing point in the movie because this is also an experience I had riding the Metro to stay warm while homeless.

I would never wish this homeless thing on anyone. It is one of the most dreadful things to happen during a lifetime.

To keep my drive up while being homeless is almost impossible for me, so I was very impressed when Gardner was able to. While homeless, he was able to get an unpaid internship as a stockbroker and managed to support his son and work through the hard times.

I never did the self-worth test, afraid that I would come up way short. But I will tell you this: I have never been lazy, I am someone that really tries hard to be self-sustaining. Because of this, I could relate to Gardner. There are times when it is hard but I know that if I do nothing, I will get nothing.

Everyone should definitely go to see this movie.

Will Smith was good, but his son was well-spoken and articulate and could have been the lead in the movie. His performance was heartfelt. The movie also represents the spirit of family and is a great movie for everyone to see. If you still have your family together, it will make you give thanks for what you do have.

- Jake Ashford Jake has been a vendor for two-and-a-half years. He hopes to soon return to Germany and visit his son and daughters.

What our REaders are Saying...

Letters from Seattle

A Change Of Scenery Dear Street Sense Readers, May I begin by saying thank you for all of your support. I now reside in Seattle, and I want everyone to know that it has been my true pleasure to have been a vendor for Street Sense and having you as my customers. As I make the transition from Street Sense to the Seattle street newspaper Real Change, it may take a little while to get my “On the Road” stories going again. Although Real Change is very much like Street Sense, I may have to go through a few hoops and hurdles to get things going again.

Many of you who like Marvin Hammerman can rest assured that the story will continue. I am in the process of finding new plots for the story. Hopefully I will have everything all figured out in time for the next issue of Street Sense. In the meantime, I have continued the previous story.

It is a very nice day here in Seattle – no rain, no severe cold weather, no nightmares – and that’s a good thing. I like the city already. There are quite a few services for the homeless here in Seattle which will probably toss D.C. out of the ball park in comparison. I cannot believe that there is so much to offer the homeless here in Seattle. Seattle is a good town to do business in, and working on my small business is my primary objective.

To all of my former customers at Farragut North, thank you so very much. I do truly miss you. But, one must move on to better things, and things are getting much better for me. I used to watch a commercial years ago that went like this: try it, you’ll like it. I am trying Seattle, and guess what, everybody – I like it!

Having been the frontrunner for Street Sense for three years taught me a lot. And your being my customers has shown me that there are good caring people in this world. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your willingness to want to get involved with Street Sense. And, Street Sense, thank you for allowing me to be active in the organization. The Baltimore Sun once titled an article about newspapers for the homeless “A Sense of Worth.” That’s how I think of Street Sense: It has a lot of worth.

Take care, God bless, and I hope to talk with you soon.

- August H. Mallory

August was a vendor for the first three years of Street Sense. He moved to Seattle at the end of November 2006 and is now vending for Real Change, the street paper there.

For comments please contact him at carriergroup2009@yahoo.com.

Dear Ms.Thompson Osuri, Thanks for the blurb regarding Street Sense’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race. It is nice to know we have fans on the East Coast.

Best of luck to you and your cause.

Patti Boni Assistant to James B. Tafel (the owner of the racehorse Street Sense) Dear Street Sense: Whenever I see the vendors selling Street Sense, I generally buy two or three – one to share with others and one for me. I have read every issue I’ve purchased and continue to be well informed. The pieces on the housing locator scam by Daniel Horner, and Homeless Youth “Sofa Surfing,” by Peter D. Cohn, in your November/December 2006 issue, were particularly enlightening. I also enjoy reading the thoughtful poetry Street Sense is especially valuable for me because, as a volunteer proposal writer for a small grass roots non-profit organization, From Streets to Skills Social Services, Inc. (FSTS), it is a good resource for providing leads to current information about homeless issues, policies, and data.

Street Sense also helps me learn more about other nonprofits. In the rush of writing, researching, meeting deadlines, and working a part time job, I see names of other nonprofits, but often don’t have the time to read in depth about their missions and services.

Again, thank you for your hard work.

Appreciative, Willette Coleman Street Sense, Thank you for your reporting on issues that are often ignored. Also I appreciate the personal stories and the way you, as a group, remind us all of our common life and responsibility – not to mention threads of love and caring – for one another.

Peace, Diane McCarthy Laura, I live in Logan Circle and buy Street Sense from vendors in front of the Whole Foods on P Street. First, great paper, great cause and congratulations for doing something so worthwhile. Second, I wanted to pass on my compliments about a vendor named Mark. I’ve bought several papers from him at various times. He does a great job of marketing the paper and presenting himself and he’s so nice and courteous.

Tonight when I saw him, I told him I would buy a paper on my way back out of the store.

He looked at me, recognized me as someone who has bought from him before, and said I think you already have this issue but thanks anyway. I stopped back by anyway just to check, and sure enough he was right. I gave a small donation anyway. I was so impressed and flattered that he remembered me - what an enviable skill that most of us have trouble with in day-to-day networking - not to mention that he did not solicit me once he realized all on his own that I already had the current issue of the paper.

At any rate, I wanted to pass on the compliment. Mark has incredible customer relations skills and is an excellent representative of Street Sense.

Best regards, Amy M. Smith

16 EDITORIALS

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

A Tale of Two Shelters

By Hannah Klein

I

was struck by the Washington Post’s tale of two shelters: “Maximum Bliss at the Pound” (10/21/06) and “Families in District Struggling for Shelter” (10/22/06). The first article introduced Washington Animal Rescue League’s (WARL) privately funded, $6 million animal shelter. Its residents enjoy memory-foam mattresses, an oxygenated waterfall and harp music. Nothing is spared to ensure their physical and emotional healing.

Meanwhile, the Post’s second article described Kishi Washington and her 12-year-old brother, who share one twin mattress on the floor of a friend’s mouse-infested public housing unit. In addition, D.C. Village, the largest family shelter, experiences “frequent water and sewer breakdowns, electrical problems and infestation of vermin.”

Apparently, cute puppies command more sympathy than the 138 homeless children who spend a typical night at the Village.

Sczerina Perot, staff attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, cited a “lack of political will [and funding] to solve the problem.” Perot pointed out that many people erroneously believe that homeless individuals are responsible for their misfortune and that the government will aid them.

In reality, more than 1,000 D.C. families who applied and qualified for shelter from January to August were denied.

We need not search far to discover the “lack of political will” that Perot described.

In a gross understatement, Scotlund Haisley, director of WARL, conceded that his animal shelter is “nicer than some shelters for people.”

Deputy Mayor Brenda Donald Walker euphemistically calls D.C. Village “not an ideal situation for families.” When people hesitate to speak forcefully about a problem, they may be unlikely to act decisively.

We tend to sympathize with neglected animals, who are not responsible for their fate.

Yet we overlook homeless children, who are equally blameless for theirs. We need to promote homeless rights as staunchly as animal rights.

Lest I be pilloried for hating animals, let me mention Mitzi and Nibbles, two starving

stray cats that I adopted. Nibbles has been with me for 7 ½ years. Mitzi, an outdoor cat, apparently met a brutal end from a neighborhood gang.

Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, reports that we build “more animal shelters than people shelters.” Homeless people like outdoor pets - are frequent victims of violence. Stoops is working to add protection for homeless people under hate crimes statutes.

Two years ago, I made friends with a loving street family, consisting of Michelle, David and their 11-year-old son, Matthew. Michelle is an active Street Sense vendor who also writes for the paper, and many of Matthew’s poems and artwork have been featured in the paper.

Their story is particularly apt at this season, which commemorates another couple and child who sought, and were refused, shelter.

Child and Family Services subsequently took Matthew away; he has now lived in four different foster homes.

The resulting stress and despair caused Michelle and David to split up. No one offered aerated waterfalls or harp music to ease their heartache.

I do not profess to know the complex factors leading to this tragedy. According to one view, Matthew was taken away because his parents made themselves visible in their homelessness and vocal about incompetence in Child and Family Services.

In Michelle’s monthly column for Street Sense - ironically entitled “We Are Family” - she observed that “Childhood is short, but the scars from homelessness can last forever” (2/15/06), and she wondered, “How many more families will be destroyed before we bring all our resources to the table to solve this problem?” (9/15/06) Certainly, unwanted pets deserve comfortable living conditions. Still, to afford them such luxuries, while some fellow human beings lack basic housing, medical care and social services, reveals our obscenely misguided priorities.

Apparently, cute puppies command more sympathy than the 138 homeless children who spend a typical night at the Village.

Hannah is an avid Street Sense reader and a friend to many vendors.

GIVING, from p.1 (things like shampoo, soap and toothbrushes) to last me two years— no exaggeration. I ate so much that, if I could gain weight, I would’ve gained about 50 lbs. These are the two most redundant types of gifts.

Those who’ve been giving these things should continue to do so (lest we end up with the opposite problem of not having enough food or personal care kits). However, we don’t need any additional people doing the same things.

There are plenty of other things homeless people need. Just think in terms of getting them to work: They can use work boots, public transportation tickets, hard hats, lunch boxes and much, much more.

My Story on the Streets: Drugs, Cancer and Rebirth

By Herman Lee Mayse

T

his is the story about my journey over the past 12 years, from being homeless, becoming ill and almost dying, to my recovery and a new life.

In December 1993 I came to Washington, D.C., from Charlotte, N.C., for my aunt’s funeral. During the course of the winter I was out using drugs and drinking. My family put me out, and no one would let me stay with them. I found a job at Shoppers Food in Hyattsville, Md. and was able to have food and wash up in the locker room. I was living out in the woods in cardboard boxes put together to make walls and a roof until it got so cold I had to sleep in a dumpster till the weather broke and the sun came out. This continued off and on until 1995 when I got tired of my life.

I decided to try to get some help, so I went to D.C. General and checked into a rehab program. I stayed there, in the Second Genesis program on Harvard Street, NW, until two days before Thanksgiving, when I got into some trouble.

The day I was put out, it started snowing. I asked some people for money, and then called a friend to pick me up and take me to a shelter. As I sat there with my clothes and the cart, towel and washcloth the shelter issued me, I noticed the many different nationalities and different colors of the homeless people around me. But I also knew that I was not brought up like this and that this was not my life.

I called my friend to pick me up and take me to my niece’s house. I asked if I could stay with her until my friend took me to his sister’s house in Maryland, but she wouldn’t let me. Luckily, my friend took me straight to his sister’s house and she welcomed me with open arms. She didn’t charge me any rent and would buy clothes for me at the thrift store. I stayed there for three years until I started to get myself together.

I started working different temp jobs and began going to the church that my family attended, where I met my wife, Quillia, in 1997. We were married on Valentine’s Day 1998. Even then I was still getting high, but I didn’t think my wife knew. However, in the summer of 2000, I decided that I wanted to change my life, and I enrolled in a program called RAP. I completed this program in November 2000 and I’ve been clean ever since.

During the course of becoming clean, my body started breaking down and I experienced bodily aches and pains. In May 2004 I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitous and was hospitalized until June 2005. After coming home, my visits to the hospital continued till March 2006.

My wife came to see me each and every day, and prayed and anointed me with blessing oil. Through the grace of God I got through all the pain, and I’m just so grateful and thankful that I was chosen to be here today. I’m glad I can reach out and help the homeless because I feel - and I know - their pain. I go out and sell Street Sense to help give back to the community as much as possible.

I want to thank each and every person at my church, United House of Prayer for All People, and George Washington University Hospital. I want to thank my wife and all of her family, and my brothers and sisters who prayed for me to come out of the storm and make it through my sickness. Tomorrow is not promised to us, and we can only be thankful for each and every day that comes.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:14).

Lee has been a vendor since September 2006. He hopes to write a book about his life in a year or two.

Then there are the simple, inexpensive gifts that we forget about all too often like a hug, a kiss and a word of love and encouragement. So, if you are just getting by, and can’t afford to buy a gift for someone less fortunate than yourself, you can show love (and it won’t cost you a thing--except a few seconds of your time).

So, this holiday season let’s give plenty of good cheer. Let’s put away hatred (not just for the holidays). Most of all, let’s not forget about those inexpensive but priceless gifts of love and encouragement.

Eric Sheptock lives at the Franklin School Shelter in downtown D.C. He serves as a spokesman for the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter, which is now working to create a model shelter.

If you are homeless, formerly homeless or just in tune to poverty issues, your thoughts and editorials are welcome. Please e-mail content to info@streetsense.org or mail it to 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

EDITORIALS 1

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

MAURICE SPEAkS

Holiday Highs and Lows

O

nce again, we enter the holiday season, and it is a time of good cheer, or so it is supposed to be.

For homeless individuals, it is rather difficult to be cheery at a time of year when home and family are so important. All too often both home and family are sorely missing from their lives.

The holidays can be lonely times for many people, not just the homeless, who lack family units with whom they can spend the holidays.

However, on a brighter note, the spirit of giving and charity is definitely present at this time of year, as many people and groups make a concerted effort to reach out to those persons less fortunate than themselves. As I went on record saying in the past, the number of free meals made available on Thanksgiving to the homeless in the District is so numerous that no

homeless person need go hungry on Thanksgiving Day. Instead, subscribing to Weight Watchers might be necessary from the abundance of good food that is available. The same charitable spirit continues throughout the Christmas season as well.

Is all the charity a substitute for having a home? No. There should not be any confusion about that question. The homeless remain homeless and in need even though there are so many charitable deeds done on their behalf. That remains a cold, hard fact.

Yet it would be wrong to ignore the wonderful efforts made by so many organizations and individuals to make the holiday season special for people who might otherwise be overlooked.

I know that it is not easy for me to enter into the season knowing that it is my fourth since becoming homeless, and that brings a certain gloom into the air for me. I am only reminded of the years past and wonder how much longer it will be before I see a change in my situation. I know that I am not the only one who has these feelings; many others I know have similar feelings.

It certainly helps to receive the charitable attention that comes our way at this time of year, but it does not relieve completely the gloomy feelings that come with knowing that yet another year has gone by with no progress toward recovery.

There is no question that I, like the

others, appreciate the efforts made to make the holiday season a happy time. It is very reassuring to know that there are still people who care enough to go out of their way to help others. It almost seems wrong to show any feelings of sadness when these people are doing their utmost to bring cheer to a deprived population.

Still, it is only when this goodwill reaches legislative levels that the homeless will feel any long-term reason for rejoicing. It can be achieved, and the signs of hope are out there. When that day comes, the cheer will not be confined to the holidays alone; it will be for all time.

So, it is with mixed emotions that we enter the holiday season, wishing and wanting that the cheer will last beyond the holiday season but realizing that it might just be for the short term and nothing more. We are grateful for the help so generously bestowed upon us and can only be thankful that people do indeed care.

But we wish that government officials cared as much and would continue the efforts so that homelessness would vanish from our midst. It isn’t an unrealistic request. It can be done. It’s just a matter of doing it.

Maurice King has been writing editorials since January 2004, and is also in the process of publishing a book. E-mail him at benadam@cyberdude.com.

Not a Laughing Matter

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who is looking in a mirror, discuss important issues as Charlie Chaplin films them. By Jean-Jean. (For more info about his pictures, e-mail Jean-Jean at lion.777@hotmail.com.)

The Homeless Mindset

By Ralph M. Dantley

H

ow does one get homeless people to change their mindset of being homeless to becoming “unhomeless”?

This to me seems to be the root of the homeless situation: “mindset.”

Having talked to many who are homeless and having been homeless myself, it seems that many homeless people are very comfortable with this situation, even considering the hardships of weather, safety, food and shelter. Many feel that roughing it out on the streets rather than going into shelters is easier than complying with the rules some shelters enforce or than dealing with theft and safety issues.

Some have been homeless for a seriously extended period of time and have now become so content that it seems normal to them to be on the streets in their present situation. Now that’s a “mindset.”

How do you change this homeless mindset to an unhomeless mindset?

Realize this: No amount of housing and funds for the homeless will help without first changing people’s mindsets from homeless to unhomeless.

First, one needs life-skills training for things like finding work, keeping work, how to work, finding shelter and more work-related subjects.

Second, there are money-management skills to be addressed, like what to do when you get paid, how to save for a rainy day, how to make sure you have transportation money to get to work until you get paid again, how to have some money for food and personal expenses until the next payday, how to pay rent regardless of where you stay . . . the list goes on.

Next, there are social skills that help one deal with people from day to day. No more “He made me mad and I quit my job” or “They said something I didn’t like, and that’s how I got into a fight,” or stuff like “I told my supervisor how I felt, and the next thing I know, I’m on the way home.” We all need skills like these in order to survive the pressures of life.

No programs or political changes will help until homeless people change their mindset. Not everyone is willing to make this change of mindset, and many people may be left behind. But the few who do decide that change is long overdue must step forward and realize that they cause many of their problems. Then a real step toward unhomelessness can be made.

Then the programs one attends can become lifechanging, because one is changing the way he or she thinks about himself or herself, others and the whole homeless lifestyle. The few who change must encourage those who are stuck.

One then must continue on the path of his or her own success and look back only to see whether others are following.

The mindset change will be hard work, but in the end, one can succeed. Many who are homeless have not always been homeless, and many who are homeless have a mental file of better days.

So I urge all who are about to change to press on and to press that mental delete button in their minds, loading it with a “better days are on the way” mindset, and get to steppin’, because you can have success!

Ralph works with the homeless and is the president of Good Success Servant Services and can be e-mailed at: Rdantleygoodsuccessservantservices@yahoo.com.

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

18 COMMUNITY PAGE

Provider Profile

Health Care, Housing in Upper NW

By Desiree Stephens Founded in 1991, Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place (CCHFP) enables many homeless individuals in the upper Northwest area of Washington, DC to rebuild their lives by providing outreach, hospitality, health care, case management and both short-term and long-term housing.

The organization serves homeless individuals in the vicinity of Ward 3 in upper Northwest. More than 250 volunteers, a board of directors of 52 community members and a staff of 25 make CCHFP unique for its community-based homeless services. In the last two years CCHFP has served 444 homeless men and women.

“We make outreach a priority so we can meet those in need on their terms, which develops more meaningful relationships that better help them move towards stability,” executive director Jean-Michael Giraud said..

Last year alone, CCHFP made 380 street contacts. Each month about 20 new people walk through the whitetrimmed door on the house complete with a blue porch CCHFP calls home.

Transitional housing is also a priority for CCHFP. It partners with six congregations to host transitional shelters and sponsor long-term transitional housing, including Church of the Annunciation, Metropolitan Memorial, St. Luke’s, St. Paul’s, St. Alban’s, and St. Columba’s. Additionally, CCHFP is devoted to finding permanent housing for those with disabling mental illness.

“Community of Christ Church and Anne Frank House help us offer housing to 28 men and women needing ongoing supportive services for mental illness,” Giraud said.

Both medical and psychiatric care are offered at CCHFP from Unity Health Care, which provide in-house consultations.

To remain a viable program in the community, CCHFP is looking into the long-term future and is conducting research to monitor the effectiveness of its programs. Earlier this year, it launched a study evaluating people who entered a program in 2006 to examine each individual’s progress through 2010 using a strategic planning process. “Outcome measurement studies are important for long-term solutions to end homelessness,” said Giraud. “It’s important to us to give people the tools to facilitate community involvement.

Vendor Notes Street Sense vendor August Mallory has officially left the Washington area, but he did not go without a big send-off. On Nov. 29, we held a party for August complete with great food, friends and touching memories. Familiar “One dollar. One dollar!” impersonations were heard, and there were many stories of August’s dependability and persistence.

Toward the end of the evening volunteer associate editor David Hammond “retired” August’s vendor number complete with a three-foot tall badge with his photo. And the evening closed with a great surprise – a gospel trio singing two songs.

The group, brought to the party through vendor Charles Nelson, sometimes sings near Farragut North and they were also quite sad to see August go.

From this small white house in Tenleytown, CCHFP has served the area’s homeless community for 25 years

CCHFP can’t be successful by itself.”

Goals for the study include establishing advocacy priorities, increasing activity with the D.C. Council and optimizing the use of existing resources.

Organizing staff trainings on the second Thursday of every month and conducting educational workshops help CCHFP maintain standards that motivate the Northwest community to be involved citizens. Regular and ongoing meetings with priority and secondary constituencies helps CCHFP educate them about its services and the nature of homelessness in the community.

CCHFP receives most of its funding from individuals, foundations and government. Its annual fundraiser, called “Friends and Neighbors Breakfast,” is held each year in May. Additionally, each year the organization distributes the Benjamin E. Cooper award to honor individuals who contribute substantially to CCHFP. For more information about Community Council for the Homeless, visit http://www.cchfp.org.

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

A longtime reader and friend presents August with a gift.

And speaking of parties, Street Sense will hold its second annual Vendor Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m. in the Parish Hall of the Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G Street NW, where our office is located. The party will honor our vendors with gifts and good will, and tasty food from Fresh Start Catering. All readers and volunteers are welcome to stop by if you want to meet some of the vendors and wish them happy holidays.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, vendor Patty Smith went back to her hometown of Pittsburgh for the first time in three years. She surprised her mother, 69, and had Thanksgiving dinner at her aunt’s house and saw many relatives. Patty said her favorite part of the trip was going through her aunt’s basement and looking at old family photos.

Michelle McCullough also recently went back home after many years away. But her visit to Jensen, Fla., was on sadder terms, as her mother Margaret Marris is very sick with cancer. Michelle plans to stay for about a month, spending every moment she can with her mother. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Fulltime Editor Wanted With our anticipated push to go semi-monthly, we are making plans to hire a fulltime editor to oversee production, and help with layout, writing stories and story ideas.

So if you are interested in joining the Street Sense staff, please send a cover letter, resume and writing samples to info@streetsense.org. For more info call 202-347-2006 and ask for Laura.

We are looking for an editor with: • Newspaper editing and writing experience • Knowledge of InDesign or similar layout program • Ability to manage dozens of volunteers • Dedication to our mission and helping homeless individuals

Street Sense . Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007

SERVICE PROVIDERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 19

Community Service Index

Hypothermia Hotline: 1-800-535-7252

SHELTERS Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 783-6651 Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-7118 CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-1909 Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-7356 DC Village (Family) 2-A DC Village Lane, SW Washington, DC 20032 (202) 561-8090 Franklin School (Men) 13th and K streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 638-7424 Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1731 House of Imagene Shelters 214 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 518-8488 House of Ruth: Madison Emergency Shelter (Women) 651 10th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-2600 John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8469 La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 673-3592

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

Community of Hope 2250 Champlain Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-9022

Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-8870

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

Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW

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

Whitman-Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 797-3500

Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-5298

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

OUTREACH CENTERS

McKenna’s Wagon 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 452-8926 So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 797-8806 Wash. City Church of the Brethren 337 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-5924 The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635 Zacchaeus Community Kitchen (“9:30 Club”) 10th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-9144 EMERGENCY FOOD

N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE Washington, DC 20011 (202) 269-2277

SOUP KITCHENS

MEDICAL RESOURCES

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

Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100

Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-4300

Downtown Services Center 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-5400 Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 338-8301 Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-1005 Sasha Bruce Youth Work 741 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9340 Friendship House 619 D Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9050 Comm. Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 364-1419 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Byte Back (computers) 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-3395 Capital Area Food Bank 645 Taylor Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 526-5344 x223 Catholic Community Services of DC 924 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 772-4300 Catholic Comm. Services Emergency Center 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100

Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 347-0511 Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW 20036 (202) 332-4010 Hermano Pedro DC Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way Washington, DC 20010 (202) 332-2874 JHP, Inc. (Jobs and Housing) 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-5300 Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-8970 National Coalition For the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 462-4822 Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE Washington, DC 20020 AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202)889-7702 St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 607-4394 Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Mass. Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 371-1937 Virginia Williams Family Resource Center 25 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 (202) 724-3932 Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-5500

If you are an area nonprofit serving the homeless and wish to be included in this index please e-mail all the relevant information to info@streetsense. org.

VENDOR PROFILE

PHOTO FINISH

DC’s State Bird: The Crane

By Cliff Carle

Vendor Photographer

Corey Bridges Corey Bridges, 34, is from Baltimore and spent most of his life there. He grew up the oldest of two half-sisters and two halfbrothers. While in Baltimore he held a number of jobs including security officer and warehouse laborer. He also supervised other security officers for some time.

Corey came to D.C. in October 2006 and has been a vendor for Street Sense since then. He now lives at New York Avenue Shelter and is working towards going back to school and getting his own place.

How did you become homeless?

I have been homeless on and off since 1995. That was after my grandfather died.

I moved in with him after my mother died. In October, my apartment in Baltimore kept flooding, so I decided to move out and headed to D.C. for a change of scenery.

Why do you sell Street Sense?

I joined Street Sense after seeing other people in D.C. selling it. My favorite part is meeting different people and speaking to others about the paper.

Six cranes stand tall, representing the redevelopment direction and new construction of the city for better or worse for those that are homeless.

What advice would you give someone who is homeless?

Don’t give up and try harder for yourself.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to see myself in a nice new home with a college education. I am already planning to take some college courses.

StreetFact

Favorite music?

I’m into everything except country.

Demand for emergency shelter in 23 major U.S. cities increased an average of 9% in 2006. Demand for emergency food in these cities increased an average of 7% during the same time.

Source: US Conference of Mayors

Favorite movie?

I don’t really have a favorite movie. If it’s good, I really get into it.

Favorite food?

Lasagna.

Favorite book?

I’m really into science fiction comics.

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

Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007 • Volume 4 • Issue 2

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

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