08.03.2022

VOL. 19 ISSUE 37

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NEWS IN BRIEF

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AT A GLANCE

National Alliance to End Homelessness lays out new priorities ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

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NAEH’s new CEO Ann Olivia addresses conference attendees on July 27 at the Washington Hilton. Photo courtesy of NAEH

E

nding homelessness is not just a job for Ann Oliva, the new CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH).

Oliva’s parents came to the United States from Cuba with one young child and another on the way. They left with just one suitcase and nowhere to stay, Oliva shared in her introduction to the NAEH at the organization’s annual conference, but the help they received when they arrived shaped her family for years.

“Ending homelessness is both personal and professional for me,” she said.

Oliva succeeds Nan Roman, who has led the NAEH for over 20 years. Oliva is the first Latina to head a national organization devoted to ending homelessness and brings experience from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Community Partnership in D.C. and advocacy and policy organizations.

A new leader wasn’t the only change at NAEH’s annual conference held July 25-27 in D.C. The organization pledged to center racial justice and equity in their work and asked local organizations to elevate people with lived experience to all levels of leadership. The group is focused on ending unsheltered homelessness and homelessness for older adults, Oliva said, and changing

the often-derogatory public understanding of what it means to be unhoused.

The NAEH is a national organization that connects service providers, governments, advocates and people with lived experience.

In addition to advising local organizations, the NAEH serves as policy advocates at the national level.

In her opening address at the conference, Oliva asked attendees to think about how their own practices exacerbate racial inequities. Nationally, people of color are overrepresented in the population experiencing homelessness due to centuries of racist housing and income policies. The NAEH was not fully engaged in racial justice work before the pandemic, Oliva said, but the topic permeated sessions over the three-day conference. Panelists encouraged providers to employ staff that looks like the population they serve, implement training on cultural sensitivity and distribute vouchers and other housing resources to promote racial equity.

Another theme woven throughout the conference was how to include people with lived experiences of homelessness in decision-making. While some providers have advisory boards or positions, few have given over power to lived experts.

To encourage progress, Oliva announced NAEH staff will only speak at events

if people with lived experience are also featured.

Attendees discussed this year’s successes.

For many regions, new federal emergency housing vouchers were a first chance to prioritize unhoused people for vouchers.

(D.C. and other jurisdictions do this through permanent supportive housing). Oliva will push for more, with an ultimate lofty goal of making vouchers universally available to people who qualify for them.

New ideas were aplenty. Service providers touted the success of shared housing programs, streamlining voucher applications, landlord incentives, master leasing units, giving people cash and working with the foster care and penal systems to prevent homelessness before it occurs.

These are some ideas that could be implemented nationwide as regions face challenges of increasing unsheltered homelessness and a dearth of affordable housing, Oliva said.

“We’re changing and growing, but we’re still here doing the work and trying to do better,” Oliva said. “If we’ve learned anything over the past two years it is hopefully that we are more powerful when we work in unity and towards justice.”

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NEWS

Inside the academy working to train DC’s violence intervention workforce JENNY GATHRIGHT DCIst

Students listen to a session of the DC Peace Academy in an Anacostia conference room. Photo by Jenny Gathright / DCist/WAMU

W

illiam Johnson has always taken care of his neighbors.

The 29 year old grew up in D.C.’s Bellevue neighborhood, where he assumed a role early on that felt natural.

“I’m always making sure everybody in the neighborhood good,” Johnson says. “We used to throw a lot of cookouts in the summertime. I’m always the one on the grill. I’m the type that’d give the shirt off my back if I could. That’s how I was raised.”

It was exactly that instinct that led to his eventual career.

Johnson is one of dozens of violence interrupters across the city — skilled workers that build trusting relationships with people at risk of perpetrating violence in order to help mediate it.

These violence interrupters work for multiple organizations across the city, and they’re tasked with a huge responsibility, especially as the rate of violent deaths in the city has ticked steadily upward for several consecutive years. It’s a job that violence interrupters say requires support — some argue, more than the city is currently providing — and continuous education.

That’s why Johnson applied for The DC Peace Academy, a new, privately-funded training program for D.C.’s violence intervention workers.

This summer, Johnson and about 20 other students have been attending classes twice a week in Anacostia. The Peace Academy’s curriculum — taught over 13 weeks – includes lessons in mediation, negotiation, and public speaking and

advocacy, with D.C.-based violence interruption experts and activists. All of the students work for the city in some form, through programs like The Office of the Attorney General’s Cure the Streets program, the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement’s violence interruption program and others.

In addition to helping train these workers on how to better address the kinds of crew-related conflicts that drive a significant portion of the city’s gun violence, the training academy is also a chance to gather D.C.’s peacemakers to think through big questions about what they want out of their careers.

The D.C. government offers trainings of its own to the violence interrupters it employs — but the Peace Academy is the only training that brings violence intervention workers from across different city agencies and community-based organizations together for an intensive course.

(The D.C. government is also partnering with the University of the District of Columbia to launch a four-week class of their own for violence interrupters.)

The hope is that better equipping D.C.’s violence intervention workers — and fostering collaboration and coordination among them — can help them address the city’s rise in killings.

Homicides in the District are up 14% from this time last year, when the city saw more murders than any year since 2003.

On a Tuesday in June, the students gathered for class.

Their discussions were a glimpse into the curriculum, which ranges from analysis of specific incidents to bigger-picture examinations of the field of violence prevention.

The day began with a discussion of how trauma affects the

human brain — and how those lessons could be applied to two high-profile shootings that occurred the previous weekend: One that killed a 15-year-old boy and injured three others at an outdoor go-go event in Northwest D.C., and an incident at Tyson’s Mall where popular local rapper No Savage allegedly fired a gun (no one was injured).

Both incidents occurred in public, crowded places. And both, according to clinical social worker Mywen Baysah, were examples of conflicts that quickly escalated to violence because someone became too agitated to think clearly, and no one was around to calm them down before they reached for a gun.

“Those two are very strong examples of poor impulse control,” Baysah said as she led the session. “We want to give people options of alternative ways of behaving in the community, and that’s what you guys do every day.”

In a class discussion about how they would work to prevent these types of incidents, several students brought up the importance of consistent mentorship: A mentor has the ability to constantly remind someone of the positive things in their life, so they’re less tempted to throw it all away in the heat of an argument.

One student emphasized the need to let the young people he mentors know that “they could lose their life just by publicly addressing certain things.”

“We’ve got to show them the pros and cons” of acting that way, he said.

Many of the students also emphasized the role of social media and the need to coach people to have a different

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Clinical social worker Mywen Baysah leads a class discussion at the DC Peace Academy, with Peace for DC Executive Director Lashonia Thompson-El behind her. Photo by Jenny Gathright / DCist/WAMU

relationship with it: The incident involving rapper No Savage, for example, occurred after a person taunted him and recorded it to post online.

Johnson said the recording was an example of one of his cardinal rules: “don’t open doors to stuff.” When the person antagonizing No Savage pulled out his phone, he was opening a “big ass door” for the situation to escalate.

“Teach them critical thinking,” added Johnson. “Teach them what to do in this scenario … teach them how to think for the next person.”

There is a long history of violence intervention in the District: in the 1990s and 2000s, groups like Cease Fire: Don’t Smoke The Brothers & Sisters and Peaceaholics took on violence intervention work in a less formal capacity. But in recent years, D.C. government agencies have formalized violence intervention in the District and increased the amount of money directed towards it.

Now, an estimated 300 people work in some form of nonpolice violence prevention capacity through city contracts, through programs like: The Office of the Attorney General’s Cure the Streets program, the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement’s violence interruption program, the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Service’s credible messengers initiative and the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Roving Leaders Program. The Office of the Attorney General’s Cure the Streets Program is expanding to four new neighborhoods, and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement is adding three new sites this year as well.

The programs don’t often collaborate with one another, and that lack of coordination has been a critique of the city’s broader violence intervention strategy in the past. But at the Peace Academy, workers from across organizations (and across the city) have the space to seek support and to ask questions of one another and their work.

Later that June day, the class got into an animated discussion about gender and healthy masculinity in violence intervention work.

Lashonia Thompson-El, the Executive Director of Peace for DC — which funds the academy – led the session. She

posed a question: “Can somebody tell me what is the role of women in the work?”

“The same role as everybody,” answered one male student.

“I actually think they’re better,” chimed in another.

The students talked over each other, the discussion sometimes growing contentious (but mostly just cacophonous). Nneka Grimes, one of only several women in a classroom full of mostly men, made a point about how most of the learning materials violence intervention workers receive and pass out focus on how violence and incarceration affect men.

“Most of the (public education) and the conversations we have are geared towards men, and the women are just trying to figure it out,” she says.

Speaking before class the following week, Johnson said the healthy masculinity session made him rethink the language he uses to talk to young boys in his neighborhood. He said he planned to avoid using gendered language from now on, like telling them they “throw like a girl,” for example.

He also told DCist/WAMU that the Peace Academy is helping him acquire more specific skills — skills that have already proved useful. One striking example? In class, Johnson learned how to use Naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses — and shortly afterwards, he actually used it on someone in his community.

“I felt great,” he said. “I was like, ‘Dang, I saved a life.’”

And in addition to highly specific, concrete skills, Johnson says the program has also been useful in helping him learn about and navigate his own traumas so that he can better serve his community and family. He has access to a therapist through the academy, for example.

“I do counseling with him and it’s been productive,” Johnson said. “I’m learning [that] some things that I went through is trauma. And the last thing I want to do is give it to my son to inherit.”

In addition to therapy, the program’s instructors also say they want to give the Peace Academy students tools to navigate their careers for the long-term, since many of the city’s violence interrupters and credible messengers are formerly incarcerated and do not have extensive experience with formal employment.

Fierra Green, who is managing a new team of violence interrupters in Northwest D.C.’s Sursum Corda neighborhood, adds that the mental health resources and career development resources are a key component of the program for her. She plans to enroll in school for social work in the fall.

“No one ever worries about the violence interrupters,” says Green. “They just want us to interrupt the violence. So I’m glad that Peace Academy is here to help us with things like that.”

Violence intervention workers like Green are exposed to ceaseless trauma — and they’re also under immense pressure.

Residents are desperate for solutions to gun violence. And while Green says she sees the way her work changes lives every day — for example, she recently hired some of the young people she once mentored to work under her — she knows that some people are skeptical about whether the city’s violence intervention programs are really working. A recent report from the D.C. Auditor found that while some city violence intervention programs show promise, D.C. has not adequately evaluated them; in response, the Bowser administration agreed to further study the impacts of its violence prevention programs.

Green herself, like many other violence intervention workers in the District, is an example that people once involved in violence can turn their lives around: While she once helped to drive violence in the District, Green has now dedicated her life to ending it.

“They don’t understand the blood, sweat and tears as we go through, the trainings we go through, the things that we have to listen to from outsiders who don’t believe in the work that we do,” says Green. “And we are fighting every day to let the people know that what we’re doing works and if they just support us, it’ll work even more.”

This article was originally published by DCist

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NEWS

The gig economy’s latest adversary: inflation ATMIKA IYER Editorial Intern

Delivery drivers are having to contend with the price of gas with few efforts to alleviate rising costs. Photo by Viktor Avdeev // Unsplash.com

I

n 2018, Gwen Nguyen started working as a delivery driver to pay back student loans and cover her car insurance. During the pandemic, Nguyen was sometimes able to make $1,000 a week. But around March of this year, Nguyen began receiving smaller tips and gas prices started increasing. She decided to work less because the cost of the job was not covered by the profit.

More Americans like Nguyen are turning to the gig economy to sustain themselves. This form of work, however, becomes less profitable during periods of inflation as workers face rising gas prices, fewer orders and lower tips. Some workers are considering leaving their jobs or decreasing the amount of time they spend working because of reduced profits.

The gig economy includes freelance work, short-term contracts and independent contractors: freelance writers, delivery drivers and Uber drivers. These jobs are meant to be a flexible way to make money around individual schedules.

But the informal nature of gig economy employment can be its own obstacle, workers told Street Sense Media.

Gig workers do not receive traditional workplace benefits like a fixed salary, paid time off or sick leave. According to the National Law Review, workers’ classification as independent contractors prevents workers from unionizing without violating federal antitrust regulations, resulting in no professional avenue of self advocacy. Delivery drivers specifically are at risk of losing their jobs due to the threat of automation and rules requiring high service ratings, according to Georgetown Fritz Postdoctoral Fellow Katie Wells.

Because of these factors, Wells is conducting a study on working conditions for delivery drivers with undergraduate summer student analyst Isabella Stratta. The study follows 40 delivery drivers in D.C. to evaluate delivery driving experiences and asks 30 policymakers about their opinions on regulations that protect gig workers.

Inflation is driving people to the gig economy to make ends meet, Stratta said. At the same time, drivers report fewer orders

fielded by a growing workforce, meaning less work for each person.

Many families are cutting back on expenses, including ordering food, due to inflation. The Wall Street Journal reported delivery spending and order volume for DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub and Waitr peaked in January 2021. As of June 2022, delivery orders and order volume have decreased by 141% and 121%, respectively.

“Around April, May or so — that’s when I started noticing a dramatic slowdown in orders,” Perry Chen, D.C. DoorDash and UberEats driver, said. “At the end of the day, food delivery is very expensive and it’s a luxury item. I think that’s one thing that people are cutting back the most on.”

Currently, most gig economy workers are also facing the detrimental effects of sticky wages — an economic term referencing salaries that adjust slowly to changes in the labor market. During a period of inflation, wages do not automatically increase to reflect rising costs — DoorDash and UberEats are no exception. According to Chen, some orders currently offer

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Fewer people are ordering from food delivery services with delivery orders decreasing as much as 141% since January 2021. Photo by Social Cut // Unsplash.com

as little as $3 in total.

“These are orders that tip very, very low at least compared to when the pandemic was more in full swing and people were feeling a lot more generous,” Chen said. “You’re going to average $3, $4 an order compared to like $7 or $8 in the past … Over a weekend you usually make like $150 in a single night, now you’re looking at getting $50.”

Nguyen, a D.C. Cornershop Uber grocery delivery driver, said that this trend makes her more selective when picking up orders, especially with the current cost of gas. According to the American Automobile Association, in 2021, regular gas in D.C. cost $3.28. As of early August, the average is $4.53.

Despite discounts from grocery shopping apps, which Nguyen credited for marginally reducing gas prices, the cost of gas is a large factor in determining the potential profit from an order.

At Cornershop, Uber is providing a .45 cent surcharge per batch of orders to help delivery drivers with the cost of gas.

But Nguyen believes Uber has the financial resources to better help delivery drivers combat inflation-related obstacles.

“They send out emails about how we can claim more on taxes because of the government rates being increased but they haven’t done anything to subsidize the costs of gas going up,” Nguyen said. “The prices have decreased for the amount of

work we do and not much hope has come our way.”

Both Uber and Doordash did not respond to requests for comment.

Drivers like Nguyen are now reducing the amount of time they spend working as a result of lower pay and decreased orders. Some workers now face the decision of whether or not the gig economy is a sustainable source of income, according to Stratta.

“Some are even considering whether this is a right option for them, whether they should continue this work,” Stratta said. “And we’re hearing a lot from workers that it’s making it harder for them on the daily.”

These obstacles also reinforce racial and economic inequities.

The Pew Research Center reported in December that 30% of Hispanic and 20% Black Americans earn or have earned money through the gig economy, in comparison to 12% of white Americans. One-quarter of Americans from lowincome backgrounds participate or have participated in the gig economy, while only 13% of Americans from middleincome backgrounds and 9% of Americans from upper-income backgrounds have.

The top two reasons why people join the gig economy, according to Pew, is to accumulate savings or earn money

to cover changes in income or other gaps. With smaller wages, Americans working in the gig economy have less of an opportunity to save up, cover those gaps or cover rising costs from inflation. Low wages can also erode opportunities of social mobility.

Wells described the current status of the gig economy as exploitative and predatory.

“We know this is a majority people of color workplace …

We know it’s an immigrant-heavy workplace, there’s low barriers for entry, which has all kinds of benefits,” Wells said.

“But I think what’s important to keep in mind is why? Why is it so many people are turning to this? Well, because we have failed all these workers in all kinds of other ways.”

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ART DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor

SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

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KHADIJAH CHAPMAN Artist/Vendor

ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor

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OPINION

Why DC needs more public restrooms LORI SMITH

E

veryone knows that going to the bathroom is a basic human need. People have no choice in answering this most fundamental call of nature. Any denial of it only increases its urgency and promotes greater levels of desperation and anxiety. The complete denial of it creates shame, humiliation and embarrassment. The whole experience is dehumanizing — for children, the elderly, the disabled, diabetics, pregnant women. Everyone.

Customers and potential customers — those who appear to have money — are rarely denied their needs. The rest are turned away, despite sharing the same needs and being just as human.

Currently, the public discourse doesn’t recognize bathroom access as a fundamental human right. We aren’t even prioritizing it for its importance to basic health and hygiene measures, public or individual. Bathrooms are a frontline issue. These spaces represent the forefront of debate and conflict over every social disparity we have. We should be discussing bathrooms in relation to all of them. Bathrooms are a major point in the battleground over the use of space and how to accommodate all who hold a stake in it.

I have seen the evidence left behind by individuals who couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time, covering the floor with toilet paper and napkins, not knowing what else to do in the aftermath.

The lack of adequate public restrooms for people abandoned on the streets, perhaps with mental health or other issues impairing them, also impacts those who must share those spaces with them. What about those who need more frequent bathroom access with nowhere to go, who are forced to relieve themselves outside? Or those with mobility issues, who can’t travel to find safe sanitary facilities? When they can’t find a convenient bathroom, they do what they

need to do. Safety is an issue. Rapes and assaults are also a risk for those who don’t have access, for both men and women.

This problem is a manifestation of broader social disparities, including access to housing, health care, education and social connection. Since communities have failed to comprehensively address these inequities, the symptoms spill out into public spaces. That is why the quality of public space and public hygiene are only as robust as that afforded to those living with the least. We all share in the commons.

One response has been imposing segregation by decreasing the number of bathrooms available to the public, as establishments designate them for “customers only” or close them altogether. Some people think they can isolate themselves and maintain their quality of life and access to amenities without having to consider resources available to all.

This is not a solution. First of all, it is destructive to the very concept and definition of community. But moreover, it is impossible to completely isolate yourself forever, and not really how most people want to live. It may be uncomfortable to begin to address social ills and disparities, or to even acknowledge and recognize how bad they have gotten, and to accept the notion of collective responsibility. However, not only is it the right thing to do, it is a matter of self-interest.

The alternative is an expanding deterioration that doesn’t just result in fewer bathrooms, but a whole host of problems we also will collectively experience. Some say, “To the victors go to the spoils.” But in a community, we can either all be winners, or we can all be losers.

There is no in between.

Lori Smith is a vendor with Street Sense Media.

Bucket drummers can teach us about street entrepreneurship MAURICE SPEARS

D

uring an event going on downtown on July 1, people were engaging themselves and a crowd gathered to listen to a group of bucket drummers.

I admire bucket drummers because they survive off the land. Bucket drummers are street entrepreneurs, which means they are people from the streets who do business. They are more like freelancers and not like your typical entrepreneurs. It’s hard to get a job if you don’t have an address.

They found a hobby and a gift to make a living for themselves.They came up with a way to use pots and pans to make music to change their living situations, and to get attention in order to get help in a positive way.

D.C. does not make it easy for street entrepreneurs to do their work and earn a living. The government makes people get licenses in order to collect taxes that pay for city services like the police department and for programs that provide people with assistance. People who try to do business without licenses are sometimes harassed by police officers, and usually they don’t benefit from some business grants and networking opportunities. Their income is always under threat because it’s not guaranteed. For example, if I didn’t have insurance while selling body

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oils in the streets and somebody had a bad skin reaction to my product, they could sue me.

But I have insurance now. I’m an entrepreneur who owns my own business, and I used to be a street entrepreneur. After getting a business license, I found that people respect me more, and I found it easier to get them to take me seriously.

Street entrepreneurs should try and get into entrepreneurship programs, like ones offered by the nonprofit United Planning Organization, but many of them require you to have a high school diploma or GED. I’m in one of these programs, and I like it because you get to learn a lot and network. It gives me ideas about what the city needs.

Street entrepreneurs also could benefit from social services case management. Some people experiencing homelessness hanging out in front of stores are harassing customers and following people, so they need support dealing with behavioral health. They also need a financial advisory firm that helps people manage their money. This could help people save instead of using money to buy drugs, and it could also help people to build their credit.

Maurice Spears is a vendor with Street Sense Media.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Two suggestions SHUHRATJON AHMADJONOV Artist/Vendor

My first suggestion is for the Dupont Circle Fountain. It is known that the original Dupont Circle Fountain was built in 1884. This historical fountain is closed during these hot days. Please help turn on the fountain.

After all, a special microclimate is formed around the fountain: humid air, and a slightly lower temperature compared to the environment.

In such an environment, people feel better — they breathe easily, there is a pleasant coolness from the water, and microscopic droplets refresh the skin.

The pleasant murmur of water seems to cut off the extra noise of the city, the sun shining on the spray gives joy, and the contemplation of flowing water brings peace and tranquility. People’s lives become better and happier, calmer and more comfortable.

My second suggestion is to extend the Sunday operating hours of the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market by two or three hours. Currently, the farmer’s market operates every Sunday from 8:30 a.m to 01:30 p.m. Please help extend it by two or three hours, that is until 3:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.

Extending farmer’s market hours will create the following positive outcomes.

First, farmers will sell more agricultural products to residents and visitors of the District of Columbia and receive more income.

Secondly, more income will allow farmers to create additional jobs in rural areas.

Currently, farmers do not have time to sell all the agricultural products they bring. Therefore, some of the products must be taken back. Unfortunately, these agricultural products will not last until next Sunday.

Some D.C. residents and visitors arrive at the farmer’s market around 1:30 p.m. and regret being late.

For comparison: the Eastern Market operates every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thank you.

Advocation in the streets CARLTON JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

Time could be kept by moving from corner to corner. Look for a good night sleepy ghost by homelessness.

The unforeseen has come to hand unkindly of time on the streets, looking for the way to sit that of the morning restful light.

But now that I am here I will look upon the light of life.

Your time daylight will come by nightly stars and moonlight, shining within the night.

The light of time at night, the unforeseen shadows happen before daylight forms on the eastern side of tower.

On this national Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. city.

DC housing opinion

Bumbling idiots!

ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor

LEVESTER GREEN Artist/Vendor

I pray that the D.C. Housing Authority will speed the process up, so I will be able to move. I want people to hear my story, because I’ve been given false promises of moving. I am trying to get in contact with the mayor, so maybe she can put pressure on the D.C. Housing Authority.

Maybe Street Sense can, too.

I’m getting tired of waiting. I want to leave where I’m at. My apartment was flooded in 2020. I hope my social worker can speed up the process, but I won’t believe it until I see action. I’ve been promised I could move since 2020, but my voucher hasn’t arrived. I always meet with her, and it’s still being processed.

Be more FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor

B’more Gritty city Rich with tensions, promise, and love

My goals are for more resources and options, because where are we going to go when things change? Too many empty promises. Too many people are looking for a job but can’t get one.

We want to know when the pandemic will end, so we can go back to how it was before.

When I talk to the social worker, she says she is working on everything, but how long is it going to take? I’ve been a very patient person, but how long can I be patient for?

I pray to God that I’ll be moved out soon.

I pray to God that the inspection will be done soon.

// 11

Now, I’ve attempted this doctor’s appointment at least three times now. In fact, I had to cancel the first two due to a lack of transportation or funding at those times. So tell me how when I finally actually make it all the way out there to Gaithersburg, this damn dummy denies me like it wasn’t a great enough task for me to even actually get there.

I saw I was going to be a tad tardy, so I called in. At that point, I’m about 15 minutes away, up the block and around the corner, but I’m damn near there, in spite of not being on the right bus. I just walked the rest of the way. A 15-minute walk! The guy tells me there’s a 15-minute grace period for their appointments.

Great! Cause I’m just only 15 minutes away. Unlike the other times, when I didn’t even bother to inform you, follow up, get out there, nothing... but, here I am and was today to my dismay, and they turned me away. At this point, I don’t even trust the bird at the front desk who went to “check and see,” or that fake I left on the phone, cause he couldn’t distinguish between a six and a two in a birthdate!

Why have I been given idiots and morons to work with?

Destruction ANDRE BRINSON Artist/Vendor

I come from a dope-infested place. I’ve seen death and destruction my whole life. Needles everywhere, I’ve seen people walk around with arms full of sores, as sick as it sounds, it’s very true in reality. Dope fiends, we called them then, literally paid us 1-2-3 dollars to shoot them up. I never did ‘horon,’ thank God. Maybe because I was raised in it and saw the walking dead. Every boy wants to grow up and imitate his father. I told myself that I don’t want to be like my father.

1 2 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G U S T 3 - 9 , 2 0 2 2

NEWS

Director of Horton’s Kids gives insight into her work with DC youth RILEY NEE Editorial Intern

Horton’s Kids 2021 summer camp staff and participants. Photo courtesy of Horton’s Kids

H

orton’s Kids is an education nonprofit dedicated to helping youth living in poverty graduate from high school. The organization was established in 1989, and was initially solely volunteer-run. After years of work and presence in one community, Horton’s Kids has expanded, now operating in two service centers and a community church.

Wellington Park and Stanton Oaks are in Ward 8, where Horton’s Kids is based. The 92% Black ward has been systemically disinvested in and presents kids with a set of obstacles in obtaining a high school diploma, according to Erica Ahdoot, Horton’s Kids’ executive director.

The nonprofit offers literacy support, tutoring sessions, mentors and community involvement.

The organization’s name is inspired by the Dr. Seuss book, “Horton Hears a Who.” The children’s story follows an elephant who listens to a town of tiny people living on a clover, who no one else can seem to hear. Metaphorically, Ahdoot said Horton’s Kids represents the elephant and they want the residents and students they serve to be heard and seen.

Street Sense Media caught up with Ahdoot to learn more about the nonprofit and its work in the Wellington Park and Stanton Oaks neighborhoods.

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you become involved with Horton’s Kids and what you do with the organization?

I’m actually a social worker by training. I’ve always done community-based, place-based work, primarily in New York City. I eventually came back to the D.C. area, which is where I was born and raised, and got to know Horton’s Kids and felt like it was the perfect marriage between everything I had done previously.

What motivated you to get into this kind of work in the first place? How did you end up doing this?

I never really talk about it, just for the first time last week, I kind of explained my personal connection to it. I actually am a first-generation American and my family came from very limited means in another country. My grandmother was very young, raised five boys on her own. In her mind, a ticket out was educational opportunity. That was the way to overcome the barrier that they were dealing with. I think that early on that was really embedded in me that it is important to take opportunity seriously, and that it can really change the game for individuals and for entire families and entire generations.

What makes the neighborhoods you work out of unique?

I think Wellington Park is interesting. When I first started I was alarmed at the condition of the buildings and of the neighborhood. A lot has changed.

Still, you see a really high level of unemployment, you see a lot of people needing to get involved in this sort of alternate economy to make ends meet. That is something that triggers a lot of potential violence. I’ve always worked with kids and families, and I think children that are living in Wellington Park do have a high level of exposure to trauma, to violence, to things that really impact their lives. And I remember one time somebody came in and said, “Okay, so what percentage of children would you estimate have been impacted by trauma?”

We sat around the table with some of our staff who had worked in the neighborhood, and said, 100%, there’s no question.

Tell me a little bit about what you think education can do for people. Is it really the ticket out?

What education does for people is that it gives you more choice. Having more choice with what you want to do, and what direction you want to go in your life is something that is universally beneficial. When you’re very limited, or your pathways are narrow, for some folks, there’s no real way to

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 1 3

Senior coordinator of health and wellness, Kaamilah Mitchell, leads participants in an after-school cooking class. Photo courtesy of Horton’s Kids

see yourself into something that feels successful. That can be really hard. Having that foundation, having strong literacy skills, knowing how to write, how to communicate, even the skills that come from the math and science side, all of that together, I think really opens up your world to consider possibilities that you could have access to. That’s why it’s such an essential thing.

How does Horton’s Kids offer those educational opportunities?

There’s three key things in our approach. One is obviously the provision of direct services and programs. Many of them are very youth focused, over the years that we’ve gotten more intentional about how we can directly support adults and caregivers with programming, not just services or essential items or things like that.

Another way is to develop strategic partnerships with organizations, corporations, entities around the city that can offer kids exposure, opportunities that can bring additional resources directly into the neighborhood. Whether they be health care resources, or mental health resources.

Then the third way really is to advocate. That’s also not for us directly, but also we partner with parents and adults in the neighborhood, working closely with city council or with the district attorney’s office or thinking about how to be more impactful in your child’s school, navigating the special education system. There’s a lot of ways in which if you have the information, the tools, and the strategies to navigate, you can get results more quickly.

You mentioned there’s been a lot of growth. What kind of change has

happened during the past two years?

The biggest way it showed up in the organization is the expansion into a second neighborhood. For 30 years we were based in Wellington Park, just an eight minute walk away from the Stanton Oaks neighborhood. Stanton Oaks and Wellington Park actually have the same property manager. They know of each other, but they have a historically antagonistic relationship. Operating in Wellington Park, even though it was just a few minutes away did not mean that (Stanton Oaks) kids and students had access to those resources and supports and programs.

We’ve been in dialogue with the neighborhood around what are the kinds of things you want to see, we just did a series of focus groups, and they were talking about having more Horton’s Kids, more days of programming, more opportunities, which is just great for us, because that means that whatever we’re doing, you feel like you’re benefiting from and it’s impactful. Ideally, over the next year or two we want to get to 150 children enrolled in our programs, which means that translates into hundreds of people because once a child enrolls it’s the entire household. And once a child enrolls in Horton’s we make a 13 year commitment.

Late this past year, December of 2021, (we) purchased a community church that was for sale, exactly a half mile from both neighborhoods. It’s equidistant. It’s also what’s considered as neutral territory. On a block that does not have any specific affiliation with any neighborhood in Southeast, and that’s crucial in terms of making it a space that feels safe, welcoming, that we can bring in additional neighborhoods and students and families so that we can expand our partnerships and expand the direct service work that we also do. So within that half mile radius, there’s also 16 additional neighborhoods that could potentially be served.

Are there any success stories or individuals you can share, who you’ve seen graduate and move through Horton’s Kids in an impactful way?

Our graduate who is at a law firm this summer, she actually has a full ride to Vassar College and is now home and doing this internship over the summer. I called her last week, and I said, “we’re going to the law firm to present to all the summer interns and a new staff member. Do you want to join?” And she’s like, “Sure.” We co-presented in their big conference room. It was awesome. And she mentioned to everybody, just like hot off the press, I want to go to law school. She had like, five people come up to her afterwards and say, like, let’s talk, I’ll coach you through it. Let me tell you all the good, the bad, and the ugly with all that.

We have another person who really credits the organization for helping her to graduate from high school, and sort of supporting with life lessons and success and thinking about her pathway beyond graduation. She’s continuing to be a part of Horton’s Kids in the Wellington Park community by working as our community resource manager, which is awesome. And she’s that person who the kids show up and see her and just because of her presence, like a smile just will come across your face, just a wonderful, warm, positive presence that I think is doing tremendous things for the kids and families.

OnlineCrosswords.net 1 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G U S T 3 - 9 , 2 0 2 2

This is the Daily Crossword Puzzle #1 for Jul 29, 2022

Find the solution at https://onlinecrosswords.net/8936

FUN & GAMES

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Welcome home!

Sudoku #8 2 8 3 6 1 1 4 9 5 8 7 6 5 2 4

© ONLINECROSSWORDS.NET

Sudoku #3

.

By Lori Smith, an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free 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 - 1700 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

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

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

// 1 5

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-888-793-4357

Laundry Lavandería

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

JOB BOARD Team Member Chipotle // 3255 M Street, NW, 20007 Full-Time, Part-Time Prep food, ensure all food meets food safety and quality standards to eliminate cross-contamination

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

REQUIRED: Communicate in primary languages of location

BENEFITS: Tuition coverage, medical, dental So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

and vision insurance, free food for workers APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/chipotlegeorgetown

Retail Merchandising Associate Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 924 G St., NW catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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

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

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

Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1820 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.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 // 202-540-9857 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

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 // 202-529-5261 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

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

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.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, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3946 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place NE, 810 5th Street NW, 850 Deleware Avenue SW, 65 Massachusetts Avenue NW, 4515 Edson Place NE

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

Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

Last updated May 25, 2022

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

Home Depot // Washington D.C. Full Time Display merchandise, conduct maintainence, keep products stocked, executing special merchandising projects REQUIRED: N/A APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/home-depotmerch

Team Member Potbelly // 301 Tingey Street Part-Time Prepare food, maintain workspace, discuss Potbelly history with customers REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/potbelly-member

Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

ART

What we believe in

KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor

Some say there is a way to talk to God, they say prayer works, because of faith and belief, some of us are strong.

What is love? Why are we strong?

To be a strong, beautiful being, to be a strong king.

To be gay, to be bisexual, to be transexual, who says this is wrong?

Because God loves us all, she made us equal: Black, white, Asian, Hawaiian, Latino, there is no mistake in her creation.

We should all love each other.

We should love our differences, to be depressed, to be schizophrenic, she still loves us.

Love is what makes us strong in this world.

Playground in my palm JAMES DAVIS Artist/Vendor

My father’s palm had many lines, where it said he’d have many kids.

My palm shows that I would have three, I would have more if I could.

My palm also says I’d be born a leader or a king, my father said, in life son, you can be anything.

This playground in my palm said I’d be married, it ended three quarters the way across my hand Instead of looking at my lifeline, I’d rather go into a playground and count the sand.

CHRIS COLE Artist/Vendor

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

From your vendor, AUGUST 3 - 9, 2022 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 37 NO CASH? NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN APP! SEARCH “STREET SENSE” IN THE APP STORE

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