01.18.2023

BUSINESS MODEL

How It Works

Each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street Sense Media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.

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Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

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VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

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goes directly to your vendor, empowering them to overcome homelessness and poverty

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As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow a code of conduct.

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

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

3. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media but an independent contractor.

4. While distributing the Street Sense newspaper, I will not ask for more than $2 per issue or solicit donations by any other means.

5. I will only purchase the newspaper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not distribute newspapers to other vendors.

6. “I will not distribute copies of “Street Sense” on metro trains and buses or on private property.”

7. I will abide by the Street Sense Media Vendor Territory Policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes with other vendors in a professional manner.

8. I will not sell additional goods or products while distributing “Street Sense.”

9. I will not distribute “Street Sense” under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

10. I understand that my badge and vest are property of Street Sense Media and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing “Street Sense” and will always display my badge when distributing “Street Sense.”

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW

The Cover

IN

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community.

Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing.

At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347 - 2006 streetsensemedia.org

info@streetsensemedia.org

VENDORS

Abel Putu, Aida Peery, Amina Washington, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Archie Thomas, August Mallory, Beverly Sutton, Brianna Butler, Carlos Carolina, Carlton Johnson, Carol Motley, Charles Armstrong, Chon Gotti, Chris Cole, Conrad Cheek, Corey Sanders, Daniel Ball, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon (Gigi) Dovonou, Don Gardner, Donté Turner, Doris Robinson, Earl Parker, Eric Thompson-Bey, Erica Downing, Evelyn Nnam, Floyd Carter, Franklin Sterling, Frederic John, Freedom, Gerald Anderson, John Alley, Henry Johnson, Ivory Wilson, Jacqueline “Jackie” Turner, Jacquelyn Portee, James Davis, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jenkins Daltton, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jermale McKnight, Jet Flegette, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Juliene Kengnie, Katrina Anige, Kenneth Middleton, Khadijah Chapman, Kym Parker, L. Morrow, Laura Smith, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Marcus McCall, Mark Jones, Mango Redbook, Marc Grier, Maurice Spears, Melody Byrd, Michael Warner, Michelle Mozee, Michele Rochon, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Phillip Black, Queenie Featherstone, Reggie Jones, Reginald Black, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Ronald Smoot, Sasha Williams, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Susan Westmoreland, Susan Wilshusen, Sybil Taylor, Warren Stevens, Wendell Williams, William Mack

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jonquilyn Hill, Greg Jaffe, Stanley Keeve, Clare Krupin, Ashley McMaster, Matt Perra, Michael Phillips, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Brian Carome

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Doris Warrell

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Darick Brown

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT

Thomas Ratliff

VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES

Aida Peery, Clifford Samuels, Amina Washington

VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS

Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Madeleine McCollough, Dylan Onderdonksnow, Amelia Stemple

MANAGER OF ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS

Maria Lares

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Will Schick

DEPUTY EDITOR

Kaela Roeder

PRODUCTION EDITOR

Athiyah Azeem

STAFF REPORTER

Annemarie Cuccia

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

Ariane Mohseni (Film), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Lalita Clozel (Film), Willie Schatz (Writing)

ARTS EDITOR (VOLUNTEER)

Austine Model

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)

Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Bill Meincke, Candace Montague

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

Josh Axelrod, Ryan Bacic, Katie Bemb, Lilah Burke, Chelsea Ciruzzo, Lenika Cruz, Alison Henry, Kathryn Owens, Nick Shedd, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin Smith, Rebecca Stekol

BY WILL SCHICK. PHOTOS BY ALEJANDRO CARTAGENA, CAMERON WALTEN AND JAKOB ROSSEN // UNSPLASH.COM

Big Issue Taiwan vendor Hong Chinying: ‘I can’t give up’

CHEN ZI-HUA Big Issue Taiwan

SSM FAMILY UPDATES

• Are you a vendor? Do you want to speak at Street Sense Media seminars and events? The speakers’ workshop will be Tuesday, Jan. 24, 11:45am - 1:15 p.m.! It’s one-time only.

• The next vendor meeting will be on Friday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m.

Due to injuries, Auntie Hong and her husband lost their jobs as cleaners six years ago and had to sell chewing gum to make ends meet. Having been recommended by a vendor at the train station at that time, her husband started working at Chang Jung Christian University as a street paper vendor. But things took a sharp turn and her husband passed away unexpectedly not long after. Auntie Hong couldn't stay down for long, but instead asked if she could take over her husband's job so she could support herself. "The paper was very accommodating and let me take over without hesitation."

During her early sales at the university, Auntie Hong said that many familiar teachers and students came to support her, buying several copies at a time, asking if they could hug her afterwards, and some crying after hugging her. The warmth there probably made Auntie Hong enjoy her time there and remain motivated to travel to her workplace despite moving to a more remote area and having to commute more to reach the campus.

Nowadays, Auntie Hong sells the magazine in multiple places: at Chia Nan University of Pharmacy & Science on Mondays, Chang Jung Christian University on Tuesdays through Fridays, on holiday afternoons at the intersection of Shennong Street and Hai'an Road, and at the National Cheng Kung University Kuang-Fu Campus during the summer and winter holidays, depending on the situation. Auntie Hong, whose work takes her almost all over Tainan, only taking days off on rainy days and when she needs to see a doctor. Isn’t she tired? We asked her. She laughed and said no. When the pandemic stopped her from selling on the streets a while back, she had worked as a dishwasher. For her, selling magazines is already a relatively effortless job.

"There is one less person earning money now and there is no alternative." The hard work Auntie Hong does seems to reveal the absence of her other half. She can still recall vividly the day her husband passed away, and the day after this interview was the sixth anniversary of his passing. In the years since, she has missed him many times, "but it's not necessary to keep missing him. I just live my life and take good care of myself."

Six years have passed, and the days are flying by. Auntie Hong takes her life seriously. During her free time, she will do her housekeeping chores. When she’s out for work, she will actively promote her goods to passers-by. While magazine sales have been affected by the pandemic, Auntie Hong hasn't let it affect her morale. "I can't give up; we can't say that. " In order to prove her belief, Auntie Hong not only introduces the magazine to people passing by, she also actively approaches people, asking enthusiastically and energetically, "Do you want to buy The Big Issue?"

• The office follows the government for severe weather delays and closures. Search online for “opm. gov/status” or call the main office line.

• Vendors continue to receive free papers for proof of vaccination.

Translated from Mandarin via Translators without Borders Courtesy of The Big Issue Taiwan / Very Mulan / International Network of Street Papers

Vendor Hong-Chin-ying holds up a Big Issue Taiwan newspaper.

Photo by Chen Zi-Hua

Examining violence: How people without homes in Germany cope with the dangers of life on the streets

Editor’s Note: People experiencing homelessness in the United States and abroad are often the victims of crime and abuse. In September 2022, a man in Stuttgart, Germany began dousing homeless people with paint. This story shared by the International Network of Street Papers, goes behind the scenes to ask the people most affected by the attacks what they thought about these horrifying events.

DANIEL KNAUS International Network of Street Papers

In September I asked several homeless people if they were scared by the paint attacks (their real names have not been used). The first answer is usually the same and may baffle citizens from so-called mainstream society. "What paint attacks?" Almost all my contacts are still unaware of the attacks

even after they became a regular occurrence. My first insight is that homeless people are disadvantaged by so much that they hardly bear witness to many issues in the media — not even a series of terrifying violent crimes.

Anti-homeless architecture is also an example of structural violence — these blocks here in Stuttgart are meant to keep homeless people from finding a place to stay dry.

by Daniel Knaus

The horrors of life on the streets

Information about the attacks interested almost all my contacts; but their reactions hardly correspond to what you may expect. No one single person expressed fear of a potential

Photo

threatening paint attack.

Not Markus, who claims he’s already afraid enough as people kick him, spit at him and threaten him with all kinds of things. Nor Harald, who exclaimed that a paint attack sounds humiliating, but he’s been set on fire before.

“Paint? What a joke. Anyone who does that belongs in the circus!”

He explained that he was under a bridge and some boys came from both sides — he would have had no escape route even he’d woken up in time. There were burn marks on the concrete like in the war, from the melted plastic of his sleeping bag.

Many of the reactions of homeless people surrounding the paint attacks may even irritate a lot of people in mainstream society.

Justus has been living on the streets for 20 years and snorts at the idea. “Paint? What a joke. Anyone who does that belongs in the circus!"

Only one thought makes him angry: “Paint is expensive, I could use that money to buy lunch.” Experiencing violence and worrying where the next meal comes from seems so normal for Justus that he’s hardly affected by the news.

The same goes for Sabine who is at particular risk as a homeless woman. “If I'm sitting begging, guys press up against me or sit across from me drooling. Guys come after me, even if I'm on the move, as soon as I look just a little bit homeless — which happens quickly when the toilets are closed. Homeless women are just fair game."

A sad trick for deterrence

Sabine knows all the possible methods of self-defense. However, things don’t always go to plan on the streets. “Pepper spray also blows back in your face sometimes, so I never trust that. But when I was still on heroin, some friends told me a trick to scare off attackers — keep a syringe that is still bloody. Everyone is so afraid of HIV that when you show them the syringe, even angry young guys give you a wide berth,” Sabine explains.

So, could this be a solution for more safety? I asked her.

Dunja says she worries about where she can get some warm food, where the next toilet is and whether she’ll be attacked there

What are people without homes most concerned about?

For Carlos, its apprehension towards strangers passing by. “You lie there and just see shoes and you know that people are looking down on you both physically and morally."

Nadine worries about being treated unfairly by law enforcement officers. “They have me on their radar because I look different.”

Tarek is afraid of exploiters and fraudsters, such as recruiters for illegal employment (in the construction sector for example).

“There are guys who make us promises but break our bones rather than pay us."

For Alan, it’s the frequent panic when loud footsteps approach in the dark. “If you are alone, you can never sleep in the same place more than once, otherwise someone will be waiting for you. And when you're somewhere new, you don't know who you'll provoke there — shopkeepers, residents or psychos — and what kind of trouble you'll soon be in.

Home isn’t between four walls

Homeless people of course also talk about the stress of never being able to come home to their own four walls and constantly fighting for their sheer existence.

Dunja says she worries about where she can get some warm food, where the next toilet is and whether she’ll be attacked there.

She says, “If I am sick, how do I cure my cold before it hits my lungs? Where do I wash my underwear when I don't want to go back to my drop-in center because someone is hostile to me there? Will I see my family again and will they take me in?"

So, there are many fears for people on the streets, yet they often remain in the dark — just like many homeless people themselves. Most of the worries of those affected don’t even make it onto television and at best here in our street paper. Now, however, it’s come to light that the suspected perpetrator of the paint attacks was homeless himself.

HELP!

WE’RE LOOKING FOR volunteers

Become a Street Sense Media volunteer and help further our mission to empower people experiencing homelessness. Get to know the vendors and make a difference in their lives and yours!

We’re looking for someone to help us transcribe editorial submissions from our many artist/ vendors.

If interested, please contact editor@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x202)

For more information about these opportunities and other volunter positions, visit StreetSenseMedia.org/volunteer

“Of course not, that’s absurd,” she reassured me. “The drugs destroy you. Once addicted, you suffer from your own fears, for example, it can be scary to go through withdrawal on the street without medical help, which can easily be fatal. In the end, you never have a good chance of defending yourself out here. Unless you want to carry a machete around in your backpack? Whoever has the bigger knife, may be attacked less often. I used to know someone like that but, at some point, the police checked him and that was the end of that.”

Sabine’s take on it is that if other poor people are beating each other up, there’s no solidarity. However, she’s not surprised. “Life on the streets can break you. Sick people become even sicker, some become numb or even go crazy. If, like the victims, the perpetrator too was homeless, society has two reasons at once to help us more."

Translated from German by Naomi Bruce Courtesy of Trott-War / International Network of Street Papers

“If I am sick, how do I cure my cold before it hits my lungs? Where do I wash my underwear when I don’t want to go back to my drop-in center because someone is hostile to me there? Will I see my family again and will they take me in?”

Environmental devastation?

Scientists concerned about consequences of plan to build railway in Mexico

CASSANDRA GARRISON Reuters

Parts of Mexico’s remote southern jungles have barely changed since the time of the ancient Maya.

In the eyes of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a railway his government is building — known as the “Tren Maya” — will bring modern connectivity to areas for generations deprived of significant economic benefits.

But the railway and its hasty construction also critically endanger pristine wilderness and ancient cave systems beneath the jungle floor, droves of scientists and environmental activists say.

The railway “is splitting the jungle in half,” said Ismael Lara, a guide who takes tourists to a cave that shelters millions of bats near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. Lara fears the train, due to pass close by, will disrupt wildlife routes and attract too much development to fragile ecosystems.

Over almost a year, we photographed construction at points along the full length of the planned rail track, documenting the evolution of the flagship project which Lopez Obrador has pledged to finish by the end of 2023.

The 910 miles of rail are set to carry diesel and electric trains through the Yucatan Peninsula and connect Mexico's top tourist destination Cancun to the ancient Mayan temples of Chichen Itza and Palenque.

The railway has deeply divided Mexicans and the controversies surrounding the construction exemplify struggles developing countries across the globe face to balance economic progress with environmental responsibility.

FONATUR, Mexico’s tourism agency charged with the project, has said the railway will lift more than a million people out of poverty and could create up to 715,000 new jobs by 2030.

Construction costs are seen at up to $20 billion, Lopez Obrador said in July.

But with the project already billions of dollars over budget and behind schedule, scientists and activists say the government cut corners in its environmental risk assessments in a bid to complete it while Lopez Obrador is still in office.

Earlier this month, United Nations experts warned the railway’s status as a national security project allowed the government to side-step usual environmental safeguards, and called on the government to protect the environment in line with global standards.

FONATUR defended the speed with which the studies were produced. “Years are not required, expertise, knowledge and integration capacity are required,” it said in response to questions. It declined to comment on the UN statement.

Cenotes

The Tren Maya route cuts a swathe up to 14 meters (46 feet) wide through some of the world’s most unique ecosystems,

bringing the modern world closer to vulnerable species such as jaguars and bats.

It will pass above a system of thousands of subterranean caves carved out from the region’s soft limestone bedrock by water over millions of years.

Crystalline pools known as cenotes punctuate the Yucatan peninsula, where the limestone surface has fallen in to expose the groundwater. The world’s longest known underground river passes through the caves, which have also been the site of discoveries such as ancient human fossils and Maya artifacts like a canoe estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.

If built badly, the railway risks breaking through the fragile ground, including into yet-to-be explored caves below, says Emiliano Monroy-Rios, a Mexican geochemist with Northwestern University who has extensively studied the area’s caves and cenotes.

Diesel, he adds, could also leak into the network of subterranean pools and rivers, the main source of fresh water on the peninsula.

With less than 20% of the subterranean system believed to have been mapped, according to several scientists interviewed, such damage could limit important geological discoveries.

The government’s environmental impact study for Section 5, the most controversial stretch, says environmental impacts

are “insignificant” and have been adequately mitigated. The study says the risk of collapse was taken into account in the engineering of the tracks, and that the area will be observed through a prevention program.

Dozens of scientists disagree, writing in open letters that the assessments are riddled with problems, including outdated data, the omission of recently discovered caves and a lack of input from local hydrology experts.

“They don’t want to recognize the fragility of the land,” said Fernanda Lases, a Merida-based scientist with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), calling the problems identified “highly worrisome.”

The names of the 70 experts who participated in the government study were redacted from the publication.

One piece of research used by the government to support its conclusions was taken from a blog by Monroy-Rios, who says he was never contacted by the authors of the report. His research highlights the need for extensive surveillance and monitoring for any infrastructure project in the region. He says this has not happened.

“I guess their conclusions were pre-formatted,” Monroy-Rios said. “They want to do it fast and that’s part of the problem. There’s no time for the proper exploration.”

An expert who participated in the reports and spoke on

A house stands on the edge of forest which has been cleared for construction of section 5 of the new Mayan Train route, in Solidaridad, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Nov. 6, 2022. Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez // Reuters

condition of anonymity, said the work had been done quickly.

“There was pressure, especially due to delivery times,” the expert said.

The expert expressed concern the government would not properly mitigate risks experts had highlighted in the government’s impact studies or dedicate the necessary resources to the train’s maintenance.

FONATUR said the project would have resources and follow-up care in the future, including programs established for environmental protection.

“The Mayan Train project is of course safe, monitored and regulated by the environmental authorities as has happened up to now,” the agency said.

Inecol, Mexico’s ecology institute which produced the reports, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. A spokesman for Lopez Obrador did not respond to a request for comment.

Forgotten Southeast

Despite the concerns about the railway, it has the support of many in villages that for decades have felt largely forgotten in national development plans.

In Xkuncheil, a small dusty town of about 140 people on Section 2 of the train that runs through Campeche state, Luz Elba Damas Jimenez, 69, owns a small store selling soda and snacks near the tracks. Many of her neighbours, especially the young men, are working on the project, she said. She also has more customers now.

“The government is working on good things for the country… Sometimes there just isn’t work in these small towns, but now they have jobs,” she said. “The truth is that we have benefited.”

Martha Rosa Rosado, who was offered a government payout to move when an earlier plan for the tracks was set to go through her home in Campeche’s Camino Real neighborhood, echoed those sentiments.

“No government ever remembers the southeast. Everything goes to the north, and the southeast is forgotten,” she said as she grilled pork outside her home of 40 years.

Some 280 miles away, in Playa del Carmen, near the beach resorts bustling with tourists, a group of volunteers — clad in helmets and head lamps — descend into the caves at weekends to monitor their condition.

Roberto Rojo, a biologist in the group, says the train will put the entire ecosystem above and below ground at risk.

“They are doing studies now that needed to be done at least four years ago,” Rojo said inside one cave directly below where the train is due to pass.

Behind him, tree roots descend from the ceiling of the cave like coarse rope, stretching down to be quenched by the water pooled at his feet.

“This is our life. We are putting in risk and in danger the stability of this ecosystem,” he said.

Courtesy of

Reuters / International Network of Street Papers

A protestor holds a sign that reads "If the train were Maya, it would know how to respect the earth" as activists and locals protest the environmental impact of the new Mayan Train route, outside the Yorogana cave in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Nov. 5, 2022.

Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez // Reuters

Workers clear trees for the construction of section 4 of the new Mayan Train route, near Nuevo Xcan, Chemax, Mexico, March 3, 2022. In the eyes of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the railway his government is building — known as the “Tren Maya” — will bring modern connectivity to areas for generations deprived of significant economic benefits. But pristine wilderness and ancient cave systems beneath the jungle floor are critically endangered by the railway and its hasty construction, droves of scientists and environmental activists say. Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez // Reuters

Why DC keeps falling short of its taxi accessibility requirements

AMANDA MICHELLE GOMEZ, SARAH Y. KIM DCist/WAMU

Kelly Mack wasn’t surprised when the taxi she booked over a week in advance for her Sept. 26 doctor’s appointment never arrived. There’s a 50/50 chance of a no-show, says Mack, which is why wheelchair users like herself can’t rely on D.C.’s taxis. While they waited in vain at her one-bedroom apartment in Cathedral Heights, Mack and her husband Richard recalled other similar disappointments.

There was the time a few years ago when Richard’s medical provider asked that someone pick him up after a procedure as he’d be groggy. The cab Mack pre-booked to do so never showed. More recently, they were forced to book a hotel near Reagan National Airport the night before their flight when a taxi company said they couldn’t guarantee an accessible ride would arrive on time, despite her advance reservation. Just the previous week, the couple missed their dinner reservation at Jaleo by José Andrés because the taxi they booked with Yellow Cab Company weeks in advance canceled at the last minute. The taxi company booked another driver but not in time for their reservation. They ended up ordering Chipotle delivery.

“There’s a misconception that people with mobility disabilities don’t have the interest in getting around and going places,” says Mack, who has used a wheelchair since her childhood diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She enjoys concerts at the Kennedy Center and Blues Alley Club, as well as a nice meal with her husband and friends — “I definitely am interested in taking taxis,” she says.

Mack isn’t alone: even after legislative attempts to democratize the service, advocates say that D.C. taxis are still inaccessible for many of the city’s over 115,000 residents with a disability. D.C. passed a 2012 law requiring taxi companies with over 20 vehicles to have a minimum 20% wheelchairaccessible fleet by 2018. An advisory commission created by that same legislation recommended that number eventually reach 100%, and that the city create a central dispatch for accessible taxis via a smartphone app. The commission also recommended various incentives for taxi companies and drivers, such as giving accessible taxi owners a tax credit and waiving their licensing fees, and penalties for those who do not provide accessible service.

But much of these efforts never materialized. According to the city’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV), which regulates the industry, D.C. never enforced the 20% requirement, instead opting to hold companies to a lower threshold. Today, wheelchair-accessible taxis represent just 4% of the city’s roughly 5,300 total cabs. Of the vehicles that do exist, even fewer drivers are willing to operate them, said D.C. government and taxi company officials in recent public meetings of DFHV’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, which is tasked with making the city’s for-hire vehicles more accessible. (DCist/WAMU reviewed recordings of these meetings).

“There is no accountability,” said Heidi Case, a longtime disability advocate who chairs the committee. “I don’t think the city council’s paying attention.”

Consequently, residents who require wheelchairs have fewer options for getting around the city, according to multiple advocates and people with disabilities interviewed by DCist/ WAMU. Mack says her best option is Metro, but that has its own problems given that station elevators sometimes

break. (WMATA did not respond to a request for comment.) Interviewees added that ride-hailing companies are also unreliable: Lyft doesn’t even have a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) option and while Uber has one, drivers are challenging to access. The former director of the Office on Disability in the US Department of Health and Human Services, Henry Claypool, told The Verge in July that he’s never successfully hailed a wheelchair-accessible Lyft or Uber from his home in Arlington.

When reached for comment about Mack’s recently canceled taxi, the general manager of Yellow Cab Company of DC, Roy Spooner, told DCist/WAMU that Mack could file a service complaint with them or DFHV. Mack has filed a complaint with DFHV and D.C.’s Office of Human Rights and a decision is pending, according to email correspondence shared with DCist/WAMU.

Kelly Mack and her husband negotiate trying to get a wheelchair accessible taxi from their Northwest DC home to a doctor’s appointment. But the taxi does not arrive and they take the bus downtown.

The false promise of accessible taxis

In the Accessibility Advisory Committee’s July meeting, which was open to the public, the DFHV’s senior policy advisor at the time, Wendy Klancher, told members that only 12% of a taxi company’s fleet is expected to be wheelchair accessible. In the same meeting, DFHV shared a presentation of June data which found that only 229 of the 5,149 total cabs in the city were wheelchair accessible that month. All trips

provided by wheelchair accessible vehicles decreased, from 9.6% in June 2021 to 4.63% in June 2022. Those numbers have not improved in the months since.

“We are meeting the letter of the law, the spirit of the law,” Klancher assured the committee, adding that increasing the number of WAVs wouldn’t improve service because companies are struggling to get drivers to operate those vehicles.

Klancher cited June data showing that only 80 of the city’s 229 accessible vehicles took trips that month. Representatives of two taxi companies added that many accessible vehicles are sitting in garages, unused.

“What people with disabilities are sick of is that we are unable to be spontaneous,” Ian Watlington, a D.C. resident who is a senior disability advocacy specialist at the National Disability Rights Network told DCist/WAMU. Watlington said he doesn’t ride cabs often because they “just really aren’t an option” and instead relies on Metro.

Watlington has a mobility disability and says the fact that Metro’s elevators don’t always work means he sometimes gets stuck at a particular station. There are free shuttles to help people get from station to station, but Watlington says it can take hours. One time, he missed a medical appointment because the elevators got stuck.

Fred Maahs, Jr., an international disability rights advocate who often commutes from Wilmington to the city for work, says the D.C. transportation scene was starting to show progress until “a couple of steps backwards” in recent years.

Maahs started using a wheelchair in 1980 — he became paraplegic after an accident at 18. Maahs says he books cabs a couple of weeks in advance, then calls the day before to confirm. He usually relies on the Royal Taxi company – he’s

Kelly Mack has used a wheelchair since she was a child and diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She’s struggled to get around D.C. because it can be inaccessible for people with mobility disabilities. She says there’s a 50/50 chance of getting an accessible taxi.

Photo by Tyrone Turner // DCist/WAMU

become good friends with the drivers and says their cabs have never failed to show up. Rarely, for special occasions, he might book a private driver. He never uses Uber or Lyft because he’s heard “nightmare stories.”

The city has a program that provides taxi service to residents with accessibility needs called Transport DC, but residents interviewed by DCist/WAMU say it’s not sufficient.

Case says the program was “life changing” when it first started in 2014. She used to be able to get limitless rides within 30 minutes of calling. After failing to budget for the thousands of monthly trips requested, however, D.C. officials started to limit the program in 2016, only allowing for medical- or work-related trips for half the month. Officials later limited it to 5 round trips per month but to any destination. A DFHV spokesperson said these changes were necessary to keep Transport DC sustainable.

Case says that as the city slashed Transport DC’s budget, accessible cabs became less dependable, with long wait times if they showed up at all. Both ridership and spending for the program has significantly decreased: in October 2018 the program spent roughly $484,000 and in October of 2022 it spent just $205,000.

Case suspects drivers started to withdraw from the program because ridership dipped. Spooner of Yellow Cab agrees, telling DCist/WAMU “when the [government] started playing with it, it discouraged some drivers.” He says some companies allowed their WAV drivers to withdraw from Transport DC completely, unlike Yellow Cab.

The pandemic has only made things worse, says Case, and she’s stopped using the service altogether.

“I leave the house, honestly, much less than I used to,” says Case.

The struggle to get and keep WAV drivers

A major barrier to wheelchair accessible vehicles is finding drivers to volunteer to operate the vans, which typically have a side or rear entry wheelchair ramp that can be expensive to purchase new or retrofit — and in both cases, pricey to maintain.

All of D.C. taxi drivers are independent operators, according to Yellow Cab, which means that companies cannot require them to operate accessible vehicles. Taxicabs owned by individual drivers are not beholden to accessibility regulations due to an amendment introduced by outgoing Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh to the 2012 legislation. A DFHV spokesperson says 27% of active WAV drivers are owner-operators.

The privatized industry is also why D.C. isn’t violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which regulates government entities but not private ones, says Kenneth Shiotani, a senior staff attorney at the National Disability Rights Network, who adds that wheelchair users face similar problems in many cities.

While there are several incentives through Transport DC, according to DFHV, such as an extra $10 per trip and a $200 gas card for top performers, disability advocates say more needs to be done to make it easier for drivers to participate.

In DFHV’s July and September meetings, Yellow Cab marketing manager Christopher Grayton, said his company has struggled to recruit or keep WAV drivers because those vehicles are so expensive for drivers to operate. In the July meeting, Ariel Emata of Transco said they have five wheelchair accessible vehicles but no one to drive them.

It’s only gotten worse during the pandemic — the decrease in ridership plus skyrocketing gas costs has made it hard for companies to retain any drivers.

“A lot of drivers have left the industry,” Grayton said. “Some drivers won’t come back.”

Saleem Abdul-Mateen was with Royal Taxi Company and drove Fred Maahs regularly until he retired last year. He says he began driving D.C. cabs in 1987 and was one of the first cab drivers to operate WAVs when he started in 2009. AbdulMateen rented his WAV from a taxi company, paying a weekly fee out-of-pocket. Buying a WAV when he started driving them would have cost around $35,000 (the equivalent of nearly $49,000 today).

Abdul-Mateen describes himself as ‘service-oriented.’ But for a lot of drivers, taking the initiative to drive a WAV is challenging, particularly in an industry where they already get irregular hours and pay.

“I just felt like it was time to move on,” he says. “I’m 71 years old, it’s time to stop. I’ve done my service to the taxi industry, and most assuredly to the wheelchair accessible industry.”

Drivers are also feeling less safe, with many getting exposed to COVID-19 and other viruses during the pandemic. “There’s no protection for the driver,” Abdul-Mateen says. Maintaining and driving a vehicle in D.C. also felt increasingly like a hazard – fatal traffic accidents spiked last year in the city and across the country.

A DFHV spokesperson tells DCist/WAMU that these challenges are why the government waived enforcement of the 20% accessibility mandate.

“If we were to impose fines, fees, or the 20% rule,” says the spokesperson, “the taxi industry would collapse in the District.”

The spokesperson added that the agency plans to give Transport DC drivers who own their vehicles repair money through a federal grant beginning in 2023. Yellow Cab already provides a 33% rental discount for WAVs as an incentive.

Abdul-Mateen says cab drivers need stronger financial incentives, given that their income depends on the number of trips they can do. The median annual income for cab drivers nationwide is $29,310, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Spooner of Yellow Cab tells DCist/WAMU that company and city incentives are insufficient. The nature of the job – which requires empathy, patience, and training – also dissuades some drivers, he says. He says if D.C. is interested in fixing the problem, then the city should support companies to employ WAV drivers full time, rather than as independent operators.

“What is the city willing to do?” said Spooner. “If you allow taxis to disappear when giving Uber and everyone a free ride, unregulated, what if the regulated side died? What will happen

to your wheelchair accessible program?”

After struggling to get a taxi, Kelly Mack and her husband take the bus downtown to a doctor’s appointment. However, having fallen victim to the “ghost bus,” she would like to have options.

Locals with disabilities are also empathetic to the challenges drivers face, so ultimately want the local government to step up.

Councilman Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), who oversees DFHV, told DCist/WAMU it’s ultimately the agency’s responsibility to propose a budget to the Council if cab companies need more resources. He also said that the “long times are unacceptable” and that DFHV “needs to do a lot more” to incentivize drivers. “It’s clear that what they’re doing isn’t working,” he told DCist/WAMU. “There needs to be strong enforcement from the agency, and to the extent the companies are not in compliance, then there need to be stiff consequences.”

Mack wants to see the D.C. government enforce some accessibility requirements. She says there needs to be “a middle ground” between doing nothing and withholding licenses. She encouraged innovation, like only providing new licenses to wheelchair accessible vehicles, because the 2012 legislation appears to have no teeth.

“I don’t think what we are doing now is working.” Mack says.

The day her Yellow Cab taxi was a no-show for her medical appointment, she took the bus. The bus is the most reliable and safe option, Mack says. However, having fallen victim to the “ghost bus,” she would like to have options.

A recent visit to the hospital underscored that point. The hospital scheduled her a taxi because she was recovering from surgery and couldn’t get home any other way. The cab that arrived couldn’t accommodate her motorized wheelchair, so she tried to book through the two different cab companies listed on the DFHV website for providing WAV service. Both companies had only a few WAVs operating and a wait list of riders, she said.

“A 20 minute trip home took 2.5 hours with the wait from beginning to end,” says Mack. “As you can imagine, I was exhausted by the experience as I needed rest for my surgical recovery—not stress and wondering if I would be able to get home.”

This article was originally published by DCist/WAMU

Kelly Mack and her husband negotiate trying to get a wheelchair accessible taxi from their Northwest DC home to a doctor’s appointment. But the taxi does not arrive and they take the bus downtown. Photo by Tyrone Turner // DCist/WAMU

Seeking equality

MICHELE ROCHON

For years, women have been fighting to have a voice in business and politics. Yet in 2023, we are still hitting glass ceilings.

Some women have found success in businesses such as Mary Kay, a multi-level marketing company I formerly worked with. The business is named after Mary Kay Ash, a white woman who founded the company during a time when discrimination against women was severe. Even as she worked just as hard as long as her male counterparts, she was paid considerably less for many years.

Her frustration led to the establishment of this company. Over the years, it became a very successful firm.

Race is not the only form of discrimination out there. Plenty of people are discriminated against due to their gender, regardless of their ethnicity. Plenty of statistics still support that gender impacts how much money a woman makes and how many barriers they face while advancing in business and politics.

Women are more than capable of multi-tasking and responsibly leading nonprofits, fortune 500 companies and addressing economic, political and social challenges in society.

Women must continue to remain steadfast and determined to achieve their goals. As a woman, I have faced a plethora of challenges in recent years. Yet, I always turn to my own gratitude list, reassure myself with positive affirmations and read scripture aiming for future happier times. I always keep my eye on my goals and never, ever accept defeat.

Who’s protecting us?

DONTÉ TURNER

In Colorado Springs, Colo., there was an unhoused vet by the name of Dalvin Gadson who was beaten by the police for basically doing nothing. The story was recorded on the news. So my question is, what do we do when someone who has a mental health condition is approached by the police for doing nothing?

Some people say “just comply,” but what are they complying to? Thousands of homeless citizens with mental health situations go through challenges every day, living their regular lives. Some homeless citizens have been through abuse and don’t know how to trust what’s next. Some have escaped death. When certain actions are taken and words are said, it doesn't matter who, they’d rather fight and try to make it to the next day rather than just give up and let certain situations happen again. Does this stuff go through the minds of the police when they

approach people? Yes, I understand not all cops are jerks but some act like thugs, and some people don’t react to thugs well. I know some cops have mental issues because of what they’ve been through protecting this country. And I commend those officers for their bravery and their service to keep us safe. But does that mean that every uniform has an excuse for their behavior? Certainly not. When you have situations like that, the officers need to be evaluated before they’re given a gun. This “I’m going to harass this citizen because I’m having a bad day or because they’re a person of color” is getting out of hand. You can’t expect people to just heed to your demands just because you’re of a certain authority. Some of us (such as I) exercise our rights to the fullest, like the federal law states that we have a right to do. People in power such as the police are expected to follow the law as well as uphold it.

- Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community?

- Want to share firsthand experience?

- Interested in responding to what someone else has written? Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding. We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate.

Am I saying that cops should never use necessary force in certain situations? No. What I’m saying is, people's lives are at stake when police make a mistake. People in power put their hands on the Bible and swore to protect and serve the community, not to do as they please and abuse power because they can.

Remember this, the Lord is still watching. For anyone who thinks that it’s a joke just look at some of these YouTube videos of people that have died and came back to life because the Lord said “it wasn’t their time.” I hope and pray that we can improve this situation because besides God, if we are not protected by the law then who is protecting us?

Donté Turner is an artist and vemdor with Street Sense Media.

Michele Rochon is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and equality for many people. Photo by Tom Coe // Unsplash

Respect for yourself and others

VENNIE HILL Artist/Vendor

You are not your addiction — unless you still have the behavior. If you have the behavior and don't do anything about it, you are becoming your behavior and don't even know it. You have a chance to get better. You can learn from yesterday. Give yourself some respect and others as well. Especially with using your phones — it's becoming a great part of disrespect. Respect is whatever you and that person decide. Don't try to change that. Having respect for another peer is the most precious thing you can do. When others are speaking to you, don't just get on your phone and talk to someone else. Addiction has no mind of its own, no power over you, unless you let it use you.

Stop putting expectations on others. Because you will get your feelings hurt most of the time. Help others, because recovery never stops. Use your tools always. Because it's a wonderful choice to have freedom from your disease. You have the opportunity for a lifetime to do it. Keep working on yourself, it keeps us strong-minded. And give some time to others, it's the one thing you can't take back. Mean what you say and say what you mean. We learn many lessons on this journey, so hold on.

Until then be safe, and stay clean.

Poetry

NIKILA SMITH

Clock rodeo (last wound-up) —

Based on ‘thanks’

FREDERIC JOHN

Artist/Vendor

Words can’t express The joy in my face –Faith, fate Saved my place!

My Story

RICARDO MERIEDY Artist/Vendor

Before getting to my story, I’d like to thank all my donors in Silver Spring, Md. You are so many I can’t remember all your names; fortunately, you know who you are. I just want you to know I’m grateful for everything you do for me. God knows that in my heart I truly appreciate all the hugs, the communication, the laughs and the fun we have every Saturday. Thank you, thank you, everybody!

Now, my life story.

I was born Jan. 2, 1960 in the District, the eighth child of Julia and Otis Meriedy. They had another after me, so I grew up with four sisters and four brothers. Our childhood was difficult because I lost my mother at the age of six. My mother was young when she died in a tragic accident, which meant my father had to raise nine kids by himself. He can say he did a wonderful job. He made sure we had a home and food to eat. I will always love you for that, daddy. God bless your soul.

My mother’s accident happened when she was straightening her hair over the stove — that’s how they did it back in the day. My father came in the kitchen, slipped on a skateboard and fell on top of the stove, where there was a pot of hot grease. The grease spilled all over my mom and she burned to death.

I remember that day like yesterday. What haunts me so much is that my father slipped on my skateboard. As I’ve gotten older I fault myself for what happened, like if I just had picked up my skateboard in the kitchen mom wouldn’t have died so young. So I know from experience it hurts a lot growing up as a kid without your mother.

Life’s journey

JOSIE BROWN

Artist/Vendor

From 1999 to 2005, I stayed at a shelter in D.C. At the time, I was homeless and living on the streets with my children. But one day, a social services worker picked us up and took us to a shelter and helped us get into transitional housing and assisted living housing.

I soon found employment and found our own housing. I began working for a temp agency and did work at restaurants as a prep cook, cashier and cleaner. This was the first time I got to work in a long time. Before I became homeless and stayed at the shelter, I was in college majoring in special education. I wanted to work with people who had developmental disabilities and this is still something I am very passionate about.

To give or not to give

JAMES DAVIS Artist/Vendor

As a giver, I gave all my love until it hurt, and all my possessions that were valuable meant nothing to me anymore.

I was still young on my journey, and life has shown me the beauty in giving, but I need to have limitations.

Takers surround me like sharks, thirsty for blood from my heart like water.

Now, in the late years of my journey, still not free from giving; now, I give my all to me.

Beauty

JACKIE TURNER

Artist/Vendor

The look of her eyes is bright, shining like onyx sparkle. Built like a perfect model. Nothing overbearing or out of place. She looks well, healthy. She has good hygiene. Keeping a low profile and being humble improves the personality. Mastering the art of listening — that is beauty.

This is my concept of beauty. What I believe is true beauty.

Angels

JEN MCLAUGHLIN

Artist/Vendor

There are angels all around on the street, over the highway, looking over us. When we fall, even in our darkest hour, they've picked us back up and guide us through the light. You are never alone —- the angel is smiling right at you.

Respect

KYM PARKER

Artist/Vendor

When we learn, we learn this at an early age: when we were children our parents told us to love, respect, and show compassion for all of God’s children; in our mid-teens, we are filled with everything that She has taught us —faith, respect, love, self-love, these are all lessons given to us by Her. When we learn to do these things, our world is better. Respect, when we learn this, it helps us as we get older; it is like a comforter, a blanket, it shields us when we are cold, and it never goes away. Respect one another, when we pass, we understand our soul goes to a better place. We find love when we respect and love ourselves. The spiritual path is different, there is no Good or Evil; it is what it is. Ask me the same thing, Truly, I still don’t get it; I feel the pain, when I feel the pain. I acknowledge Evil when it’s in front of me, but it helps to understand that it’s all in God’s hands now. Respect

Mywish

JEANETTE RICHARDSON

Artist/Vendor

I wish I had a nickel, I wish I had a dime. I wish I had the right day, the right time, so I could use my birthright, my mind to channel the culture of my ancestors.

Light of the angels

Ariel above me, Michael beneath me, Rachael to my feet, Gabriel to my right, by the power of these angels, surround me with light.

The hold of time

CARLTON JOHNSON

Artist/Vendor

Time will work on the daytime, what can come to one, the hold on time helps me hold.

Heatly touched

CARLTON JOHNSON

Artist/Vendor

The touch of the drill

Heat fingernail

Fold to the hour of heat

The cream of the love held pure.

January

RONALD SMOOT

Artist/Vendor

Roses are red and the sky is blue. Soon I will go to work and may you will too. In the landscape of January days this is always true. But at the end of time maybe you and I believe the world will be beautiful like you and God too. I realize now that we all will be blessed for the rest of our lives and the sun will shine like the rest of us too.

Spring morning begins

AMINA WASHINGTON

Artist/Vendor

One day I woke up, Rain fell in my cup.

Two birds sing a song, They sang all day long.

Early bird gets the worm, oh, how the day gets warm. Children play, it’s spring — oh, what a beautiful thing!

Rain, shine, and sun

how fun. A new season begun, this is how I describe the day. Come all children and play, this can be so good to do, I’m having fun today; how about you?

No taxation, no representation

JEFFREY CARTER

Artist/Vendor

Just because you buy a house in Washington, D.C., it doesn’t mean you own that property forever. If you don’t pay your property tax, your home could be taken from you by the government. And if you do pay your taxes, the government can still take your property from you if they really needed it for a community improvement project or something similar. So, you don’t really own anything in Washington, D.C. You’re just borrowing.

New Year’s Resolutions

ANGIE WHITEHURST

Artist/Vendor

I will not walk, bus, drive, taxi, Lyft, Uber or bicycle by a homeless or housing-challenged person either on the street, the avenues, in tented villages or in the parks and look and act as though:

• You are invisible, homeless, smelly or unkempt.

• I don’t see you.

• I don’t know you.

• I don’t speak with people like you.

• I will not remember you.

• I will not go out of my way to give you either food, clothes, information, a dollar or a fare card, much less an ounce of sense recognizing the time of any sun- or a moon-lighted day or anybody’s circadian clock.

No, I am not going to do that!

Yes, I am going to recognize, speak, appreciate and make a special effort to acknowledge that human is excluded. They are born in this city and they do exist. This New Year’s Resolution is as old as human existence: Housing is a human right! No more human displacement. Housing now!

Cheers, my friends.

Reunions

PATTY SMITH Artist/Vendor

My sister Darlene visited me the other week and promised to visit again in March 2023. Last year, we met up with my Aunt Ruth and my cousin Tiffany. Aunt Ruth is retired and Tiffany teaches fourth graders. Both of them live in Maryland. But my sister Darlene lives in the state of Florida. We drove all over Washington, D.C. during her visit and ate a Japanese restaurant. Later that night, we checked into our hotel. Darlene stayed in town for three days and we had so much fun together.

FUN & GAMES

Across

1. Samsung or LG product, briefly (2 wds.) (3,2) (incls. abbr./acron.)

6. “Pencils down; your time ___!” (exam proctor declaration) 2 wds. (2,2)

10. One-time teen idol Corey remembered for his roles in “Lucas” and “The Lost Boys”

14. Not so pleasingly plump

15. Org. with many boosters? (abbr./acron.)

16. Folklore fiend

17. Classic board game with pieces called stones that uses a doubling cube

19. Like a tightrope, more so than a slackline

20. “I swear ____ stack of Bibles!” (2 wds.) (2,1)

21. Santa ___

22. Peace begins with it, per Mother Theresa

23. A stand-up comic’s stock-in-trade (2 wds.) (5,8)

28. Airport screening org. (abbr./acron.)

29. Toga alternative in ancient Rome

30. ____ bowl (health food offering)

33. Midler of “Beaches” or two-time Oscar winner Davis of the Silver Screen

34. Corporate cash flow tracker, for short (abbr./acron.)

37. Distinguishing facial feature of Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise

40. Tree that produces the state flower of N. Carolina

42. Nickname hidden in “The U.S. president with a beard and stovepipe hat was...”

43. “I love you” in Spanish (2 wds.) (2,3)

45. Flurries of activity (SODA anagram)

46. Sitting position, in yoga

47. Apple apps run it

49. When you do this, “...your dreams come true” per a well-loved song from Disney’s “Pinocchio” (4 wds.) (4,4,1,4)

54. Nay sayers

55. To the ___ degree

56. Word used in association with hotshot pilots and pitchers

59. Divisions of office bldgs. (abbr.)

60. Really, really dumb...or a hint to the starts of 17-. 23-. 37-. 40- and 49-Across

64. Place for un beret (Fr.)

65. Gumbo thickener

66. Common weather forecast for Seattle

67. Scottish Gaelic language

68. Russian leader before 1917

69. Word that can follow COVID or Jell-O

Down

1. Timber wolf

2. Israeli diplomat/statesman Abba

3. Joltless joe

4. Click of disapproval

5. Billie Eilish and Lizzo, dietetically

6. When holidays will occur on the 5th, 14th, 20th, and 29th during the coming year (2 wds.) (2,3)

7. Yosemite ____ (Bugs Bunny adversary)

8. G.I. entertainers grp. (abb./acron.)

9. Put down in writing?

10. Press conf. hazard that can make a private profanity public, briefly (2 wds.) (3,3 (incls. abbr.)

11. “Oh, no! Not ____!”

12. “My reign begins!” (2 wds.) (1,4)

13. Allots, with “out”

18. Legendary prima ballerina Pavlova

22. ____ Larsson, author of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

24. Gas or Elec., e.g. (abbr.)

25. A.A.A. recommendation (abbr.)

26. Surpass, as a competitor

27. Preposition appearing twice in the Golden Rule saying

30. 1977 double-platinum Steely Dan album

31. Certain red wine choice, briefly

32. Wide-eyed wonderment

33. Gas-X rival

34. Massachusetts’ Cape ___

35. Rock’s ____ Fighters

36. Excessive intake situations in an E.R? (abbr./acron.)

38. In-unison response to “Who’s there?” (2 wds.) (3,2) (SUITS anagram)

39. Tide type

41. “Fuzzy Wuzzy ____ bear...” (2 wds.) (3,1)

44. “You da ____!”

46. “Hmmm...of course. It’s all clear to me now” (3 wds.) (2,1,3)

47 Abbrev. aptly hidden in “Is that strip of land Panama?”

48. Group mentioned in the Golden Rule saying

49. What haste makes, proverbially speaking

50. Prefix for urban, national or planetary

51. Correction corrections (TESTS anagram)

52. Lend ___ (listen) (2 wds.) (2,3)

53. Communications/entertainment forerunner of television and computers

57. Word on a penny

58. Dreyer’s : West Coast :: ____ : East Coast

60. Web-crawling spam spewer, briefly

61. Gives the go-ahead (abbr./acron.)

62. Grp. that has ads for magazines in its magazine (abbr./acron.)

63 Sound at a spa

*This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Wa. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc)

219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Road SE

2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org

Samaritan Ministry

202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org

- Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500

- Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699

1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

House Cleaner

Please Assist Me

Part-time

Perform deep cleaning duties with attention to detail and care to maintain private residences and carry out essential household chores.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/assistme-cleaner

Food Runner

Farmers Fishers Bakers // 3000 K St. NW

Full-time / Part-time

Prepare tables for meals, run food and drinks from kitchen and bar to guest tables, perform cleaning duties.

REQUIRED: Must be able to lift and carry at least 50 pounds.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/ffb-foodrunner

Dishwasher

Bartaco // 1025 5th St NW

Full-time / Part-time

Responsible for maintaining cleanliness and sanitation of all cutlery, glassware and food machines

REQUIRED: must be able to lift up to 10 pounds and move objects up to 25 pounds.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/btaco-dishwasher

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

All services listed are referral-free