11.16.2022

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

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.”

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.

- 2022

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

VENDORS

Abel Putu, Abraham Aly, Aida Peery, Amina Washington, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Anthony Pratt, Archie Thomas, August Mallory, Betty Everett, Beverly Sutton, Bob Davis, Brianna Butler, Brandon Archer, Candice Wilkes, Carlos Carolina, Carlton Johnson, Carol Motley, Charles Armstrong, Charles Woods, Chon Gotti, Chris Cole, Chris Sellman, Conrad Cheek, Corey Sanders, Cortney Signor, Daniel Ball, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon (Gigi) Dovonou, Don Gardner, Donté Turner, Doris Robinson, Earl Parker, Eric Glover, Eric Thompson-Bey, Erica Downing, Evelyn Nnam, Floyd Carter, Franklin Sterling, Frederic John, Fredrick Jewell, Gerald Anderson, Gracias Garcias, 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, Joshua Faison, Juliene Kengnie, Justin Blakey, Katrina Arninge, Kenneth Middleton, Khadijah Chapman, Kym Parker, L. Morrow, Laticia Brock, Laura Smith, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Malcolm Scott Jr, Marcus McCall, Mark Jones, Mango Redbook, Maurice Spears, Melody Byrd, Michael Warner, Michelle Mozee, Michele Rochon, Mildred M. Hall, Morgan Jones, 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, Sasha Williams, Shawon McCrary, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Susan Westmoreland, Susan Wilshusen, Sybil Taylor, Warren Stevens, Wendell Williams

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, Winston Duncan, Amelia Stemple

OF ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS

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

FROM STREET SENSE MEDIA’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

With this issue, we commence the 20th year of publication of Street Sense. Our very first issue, published Nov. 15, 2003, was compiled by a small group of volunteers, including founders Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, out of the offices of the National Coalition for the Homeless. It was distributed by about 20 vendors recruited at local shelters.

We began as a monthly, publishing 12 issues a year. Front page articles in that first issue reported on a hub of services in McPherson Square for persons who were homeless, the plight of families living at the large, overcrowded 2nd and D Street Shelter and proposed new federal legislation to address homelessness then being considered in Congress. That first edition also included pieces written by persons who were homeless, a vital feature of our paper that continues to this day.

Twenty years later, we are one of only five street papers in the world that publish a new edition weekly. No longer overseen by volunteers, a professional, full-time editorial staff of four produces the paper, including an editor in chief, deputy editor, production editor (who focuses on layout on design) and a staff reporter. And about 100 vendors are out on the street today, distributing this edition.

Until recently, vendors who published articles, photography or art in the paper were given free papers to sell in exchange for their contributed work. Today, vendors are paid for any work we publish. We believe that these contributions are essential to our effort to accurately report on and understand homelessness.

In 2003, Street Sense founders Osuri and Henson introduced the two-pronged mission of the paper to readers with these words: “Homelessness in Washington, D.C., is at its highest level since 1996 and is increasing, yet the attention the media is giving the issue remains very low and inconsistent. As a result, the main objective of Street Sense is to make the public more aware of issues related to poverty and homelessness. Its secondary goal is to provide homeless people with an economically beneficial opportunity and forum to be published.” (Street Sense Mission Statement and Editorial Policy, Street Sense, Volume 1–Issue 2, December 15th, 2003)

Back in 2003, the digital age of journalism was in its infancy. It was an inauspicious time to be launching a new print outlet. The common wisdom was that our efforts would not be sustainable. Thus, it is with great pride that we have not only survived but evolved from a monthly, to a bi-monthly and now weekly newspaper that annually takes home awards for our journalism and commonly informs debate amongst legislators in the halls of the Wilson Building.

While we are proud of our growth, we are discouraged by how little has been done to end homelessness in our community. It’s easy to believe that homelessness will always be a problem. We refuse to accept that and know with certainty that it can and must be ended. We work very hard to pave the path out of homelessness for all of our vendors via our case management program and partnership with local housing providers. And our reporting is meant to impact the way that our readers understand and involve themselves in the issue.

As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, we will spend the next year looking back at some of the stories we published in 2003 and updating readers on how those issues have and have not changed. We thank all of our readers for being a part of our 20-year journey and hope that you will continue to support us and your vendor as we continue this journey together.

Brian Carome, Chief Executive Officer

Editor’s Note

Sometimes, I’ll be sitting in our newsroom on the second floor of the Church of the Epiphany, when a thought will suddenly come crashing over me. It happens whenever I’m on deadline, staring at an ever-growing pile of hand-written editorial submissions, listening to the warm air from the radiator rattle the windows, the bleating of trucks backing up in the alley next to our office. In these moments, I’ll wonder how in the world did my predecessors manage to pull this off? How have we kept this going for 20 years?

It is not long before I am reminded how. As the editor-in-chief, I see the impact we make on people’s lives every day. I feel grateful for having the privilege to work in a field where I help people tell their own stories. This week, we’re publishing a special 32-page edition filled with stories and art from our many vendors. On pages 4-5, James Davis reflects on the early days of the paper. On page 17, Lori Smith talks about the inspiration behind her new comic, Grayman X, and what she hopes to achieve from it.

In addition, this week’s edition also features several hard-hitting news stories – the kind of journalism we have always produced – to keep our audience informed and people in power in check. On pages 10-13, we have printed the results of a several monthslong joint investigation with DCist/WAMU and the Center for Public Integrity on student homelessness. And in keeping with our long-standing tradition of watchdog journalism, this edition also includes a story about the city’s winter plan to keep people warm through hypothermia season.

As you read through this week’s edition, I ask that you please take the time to talk to a vendor about your favorite stories. And ask them about how they came to know the paper and what they look forward to seeing in the future. If you have the time, please feel free to drop us a note at editor@streetsensemedia.org. We would love to hear from you. Thank you for your continued support as we celebrate our 20-year anniversary. Wishing you all a happy holiday season.

Will Schick, Editor-in-Chief

VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The office will be closed Thursday, Nov. 24, and Friday, Nov. 25, for Thanksgiving. There will be no November vendor meeting.

• The Street Sense holiday party will be Friday, Dec. 16, at 1 p.m. Food, fun and gift bags!

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

• Newly designed vests are here! Every vendor gets a free one.

• Reminder! Show us your CDC card and get free papers.

Street Sense Media celebrates its 20-year anniversary. // File photo

REFLECTIONS FROM OUR VENDORS

From the beginning, an anthology of Street Sense

A vendor’s perspective

JAMES DAVIS Artist/Vendor

In the early days, what I call “B.S.S.” or “Before Street Sense,” two college students named Laura Thompson and Ted Henson had an idea. They wanted to start a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. They began their approach by getting in touch with the late Michael Stoops at the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH).

Mr. Stoops had the experience and the knowledge of how to start a nonprofit. He was also excited by the idea of D.C. having its own street newspaper. Many other major cities in the United States and Canada had their own.

The idea was for the NCH to first sponsor Street Sense until it could later break off and form its own 501(c) 3. This would happen in 2005, two years after the paper was first formed.

August Mallory was vendor number one. The vendors were given badges with their photos and vendor number. The office was first located at 1012 14th St. NW in the middle of downtown D.C. This location was a block away from the Franklin Shelter for the Homeless and Franklin Park. On any given day, there were scores of homeless men at the park, who lived on park benches with belongings they kept stored in plastic bags, crates or suitcases.

On the same floor of that building, were the NCHA offices. Street Sense initially shared its office space with the NCH until it could find a place of its own. The first story and cover page for the paper was about an organization that was giving out toiletries, food and free haircuts for the homeless at Franklin Park.

When I finally joined Street Sense in 2003, I ended up joining the NCH the same day. I have been with the organization ever since. In those early days, we did some investigative reporting. One of the stories was later picked up by the Wall Street Journal which really put us on the map, so to speak, in the homeless community. It also showed people in the journalism sphere how serious we should be taken as a force.

At the time, the suggested donation for the paper was $1. Vendors purchased the paper for 25 cents. The model was set up this way to help teach people entrepreneurial skills. Vendors were also encouraged to write for the paper and help with the monthly distribution.

The average vendor could make about $40 to $50 a day if they purchased around 25 papers. I usually bought around 20 papers in the morning and 20 in the afternoon and averaged around $100 or more on a given day. I had an easier time recruiting new vendors by telling them, “I can show you how to make $100 a day.” And it was true because I was actually doing it. I would recruit homeless folk in the streets and day labor. The day labor places hated to see me coming around their establishments because they felt like I was taking their people

“I had an easier time recruiting new vendors by telling them, ‘I can show you how to make $100 a day.’ And it was true because I was actually doing it.”

John Littlejohn (left) and James Davis (right) sell papers near Metro Center.

Photo by Will Schick

L. Morrow, one of Street Sense Media’s first vendors, sells papers in downtown D.C. // Street Sense Media file photo

away from them. But the truth was, these places were exploiting their workers. Some of the workers would invest 12 hours of their day in the hopes of being called for a job, and only then, would get by on minimum wage.

Of course, many people did not think I was honest when I told them what they could expect from selling the paper, and becoming independent contractors. But people who took the chance were very grateful for this opportunity. Some of these early vendors ended up becoming our top sellers and even took on positions on our board.

At the time, vendors who were in good standing and exhibited a willingness to promote its work and help the organization grow were recommended to serve on the board for two years. Only two vendors could be selected for this period. It was a great experience for some of us and gave us valuable insight into the operations of a business and all the things that were required to sustain it.

I served on the board initially for two years. However, at the end of my term, we were on the verge of becoming our own 501 (c) 3, so I was asked to serve for another year during the transition period. I had some knowledge and insight into the business and they felt it was important that I be there to help with the transition.

Michael Stoops was on the board at the time and also served as its chairman. Robert Egger, founder and executive director

2007- 2013

During this time of organizational growth, Street Sense started to expand and geared up for adding on some limited social services.

Money was raised to hire a part-time case worker to help vendors get help with obtaining permanent supportive housing. Pathways to Housing was the medium in which those who were vulnerable and had been on the D.C. housing list would obtain a place in which they could call their own.

Our in-house case worker would also help vendors with anything involved with housing, immigration, social security, health care, food stamps, obtaining an ID or a birth certificate

A speaker’s bureau was created with vendors who wanted to share their stories about experiencing homelessness. There was even friendly competition among the vendors garnering the top 3 vendors McDonald’s gift cards for the most papers sold in a month, There were vendors, including moi, who generally sold between 1,000 and 1,800 papers a month.

2014-2020

of DC Central Kitchen was also on the board. There were also others on the board who had no experience in nonprofit start-ups.

We decided to have a retreat at the old O Street Mansion in Dupont Circle to hash out the details of how we would be operated as a 501(c) 3. We had to come up with a mission statement. We also examined strategies for recruiting staff, an editor and setting up vendor training.

After we submitted all the paperwork, we became our very own nonprofit. We later relocated to the Church of the Epiphany in Metro Center. It was a cheap office space, and we began by renting our office. It was a cramped space filled with all our staff and papers. Later on, we acquired more space as we grew.

Street Sense continued to grow. The organization provided a variety of workshops for the vendors. There were classes for photography, film, theatre, knitting, computer skills and advocacy training. Training new vendors took place and still does today on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. The only requirement for new folks is to show up. You are not even required to give your legal name.

This is important because women experiencing homelessness, a lot of times were because of domestic abuse and it would make them easy to locate by a past partner, a old boyfriend or ex-husband.

By this time, we had a vendor’s lounge with computer stations and ample room where vendors can come take a break and get out of the elements. It looked as though we were on a takeover of the church. We now had an executive director’s office on the fourth floor, an editorial office, a vendor management office, and a case worker office in addition to a lounge.

2020- Present

In March of 2020, the Street Sense offices shut down. There was no printed paper as the organization shifted to its online content. The government shut down in-person work and we had to shift our operations completely online from March onward. It was July before we began to print again. During that time period, vendors had to seek other means of income if Street Sense was their sole source of income. There were vendors who died of Covid-19 and others who relocated or got other part-time and full-time employment.

Being unhoused can prove to be very difficult when you are in survival mode 24/7. Imagine what it would be like if you are in that situation and your only source of income was taken away. Some solace was given when in 2022, the Cares Act provided vendors who were active during that period from March to July of 2020, with a payment of up to $3,000.

Vendors who are new as well as those who feel they need sales pointers and a way to enhance their sales can attend the ‘Beat the Streets’ training on 3 p.m. right after the training orientation.

As we look forward to the next 20 years, we can only hope that homelessness becomes a thing of the past. But as long as the economy seesaws and natural disasters like fires and medical costs rise, this doesn’t seem foreseeable. In my opinion, the lack of a universal living wage will always be a roadblock to those trying to find housing. I also predict that domestic violence will continue to be common among women who are entering the unhoused arena for the first time.

Various estimates place a $10-15 billion price tag on what it would take to end homelessness in America now, which is infinitely smaller than the US defense budget which costs taxpayers hundreds of billions each year. The money to end homelessness is there but the will of the majority needs to embrace it so that this can become a reality.

The number of badged vendors would slowly climb even after the Covid-19 virus shutdown.

Daniel Ball proudly displays a copy of a 2012 issue of Street Sense/ Street Sense

Media file photo

Ivory Wilson approaches a potential customer for Street Sense // Street Sense Media file photo

REFLECTIONS FROM OUR VENDORS

My love of going to Bowie predates my actual breaking my ‘maiden’ (first outing to the track); walking through an unlocked stable gate, dusk on Christmas Eve, snowflakes and discarded race program pages blowing into my face. Resultant dividend, over $600 payout from a nag called “Little Buttsie.” Talk about beginner’s luck…

No, when I still had my walk-up at the northeast corner of 56th and Second Avenue, Turtle Bay, Manhattan — one flight up from NBC Saturday night’s resident madman Mike O’Donoghue — my “second home” was the Off-Track Betting (OTB) office adjoining Goodfellow’s (not goodfellas) Pub. A block from my crib, it was a convivial hub for yours truly. Here, I was “Jay,” my leftover handle from recent madcap summer nights at Spring Lake, Belmar, Asbury, Central Jersey Shore (which had been my Mom’s stomping grounds, in the shadow of the majestic Monmouth and Essex/Sussex luxury hotels). The older, red-faced regulars (over 40) would decamp around 3 p.m. to Monmouth Park Course, after a few ‘caps at the Stone Post Tavern. I was just learning to quaff, in part due to the undertaker’s wife, whose ‘office’ was the third stool to the right in the darkened bar of the Allaire Inn.

These grown-up enablers, like “Miz M,” whetted my taste for not only drinking but gambling, particularly “playing the ponies.” I couldn’t tell for sure, but while splashing in my pal

Jockey Club, Natch, by the time I landed my “city” apartment, OTB had to be Jay’s main hangout. Extra work in films just didn’t take up enough of my week. Rather, I’d be sipping stout, munching on Irish boiled beef, and punching little canarycolored tickets from the OTB ticker on Second. Often, retired boxer Rocky Graziano would open the door for me in his silk bomber jacket reading ‘Rock’ with a peacock interwoven in the shiny black fabric.

But, these days “Jay” would be loath to bum a bet from the Rock. No, a wizened, part-time Daily Racing Form hawker named Whitey and perpetually scowling Crazy Tony, whose greasy brown locks flopped out from beneath his battered beret; not to mention Angelo, my Greek landlord’s homie who had allegedly “Lost a million dollars in Lefta!” — no, they were my slaveholders in a two-buck wager at the scuffed-up Plexiglass shield in the OTB office.

Now, if I had just received an ‘infusion’ by wire to Citibank, courtesy of my patient Dad (also known as Moose), or a small chit for movie work from the guild, why, then I’d go wild with ‘exotic’ bets in the name of trying to ‘nail the Double’ — or the Exacta.

At that point, Crazy Tony would loom large in the window, wagging a cautionary index finger. “You! You playin’ too many dam’ combinations — slow down, kid, slow down!”

By the time I made it back (figuratively, on my chafed elbows and blown-out kneepads) to old D.C., my mom and dad

were gone to their greater reward, and I was soused with drink.

But now Laurel Park track in PG County was my adult nursery. As I sobered up by 1992, I still campaigned the aisles

Perhaps by this juncture in time, my nose for the longshots had become more attuned to beloved chance — and the improved fortunes of outsider steeds with hidden high pedigree. At any rate, my friendly detractors from the Laurel fan base steadily grew.

This bunch was led by “Clever Chuck,” a wiry furnituremover who cautioned me unfailingly that ‘his’ picks were “That horse by far and away much the best!” (usually close to ‘chalk’ or the program favorite). ‘Bean,’ who was apparently zonked all the time on ‘dust,’ would hail me, beaming, as “Here he comes … The Caped…Crusader — How ya makin’ it?”

But the most menacing had to be Karl, a Baltimore trust fund baby, who loved to dump a bundle in the newly-minted, electronic “Sports Handicapper’s Palace.”

Particularly the day I nailed a $326 win on a broken-down looking colt, “Mr. Napton.” I shambled, instinctively, down the tarmac – double time – as Karl caterwauled in my ear, “Hey — let’s get Jay!” As I dodged the thunder of angry Adidas thumping closer and closer, I could just make out Karl’s resentful snarl: “D’ya know how much scratch you just cost us…” (Incidentally, the jockey, initials P.S., very soon relocated from Laurel, Md. to Singapore race tracks).

Memories of Street Sense

SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

Iwant to thank Street Sense for allowing me to work and sell papers during my times of struggle with dealing with homelessness. This job has turned my life around. It showed me new ways of life, new direction and insight.

Daniel Ball has been in my life since 1996, he also sells Street Sense. He is the kindest spirit, and kind-hearted and we both struggled and survived the streets together. He lost his job at Wendy’s. I lost my job, too, and then lost my place and that’s how I became homeless. We

stayed down at Union Station, slept in chairs and laid on the floor. We spent time at the 24-hour McDonald's on 13th Street and Burger King. We slept in churches, too. We stuck together through it all. We had nowhere to go. We cried together, we prayed together. We spent hours together at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on very cold days. What a hard road to face. I’ve been at Street Sense for 14 years. I really want to thank Street Sense for all the love and support they have given me. Danny and I love what we do. I love all of the workshops. What a joy to have a stress-free job. My memories are shared through these collages.

Playlist:

Memories by The Temptations

They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) by Pete Rock and CL Smooth

How to find shelter this winter

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

When the temperature dips below 32 degrees, everyone in D.C. has a right to shelter under local law. This winter, people experiencing homelessness can go to one of the city’s low-barrier or overflow shelters.

The winter’s extreme cold poses a particular risk to people who sleep outside or spend most of the day there. On below-freezing nights, D.C. aims to provide an indoor space for everyone experiencing homelessness, operating overflow shelters for people in search of a place to stay warm. These temporary shelters are especially important this year, since D.C.’s low-barrier shelters, which operate year-round, were full long before the start of winter.

The Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) voted Oct. 11 to approve this year’s winter plan, which guides hypothermia prevention. While much of the plan remains the same yearto-year, this version is the first in several years to exclude seasonal shelters, which are open for the entire hypothermia season. Other shelter locations may be different from previous years and are subject to change throughout the season. The fundamentals of the plan haven’t changed, though: Anyone seeking indoor shelter for themselves or another person can call the D.C. Shelter Hotline at 202-399-7093 for information on and transportation to shelter.

Forecasts for the upcoming winter vary, but some predict it will be even snowier than in past years. Temperatures typically fall below 32 degrees on more than 100 days of D.C.’s hypothermia season, which lasts from Nov. 1 through April 15. Over the last seven years, 13 people experiencing homelessness are known to have died of hypothermia in D.C., according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Given the large number of people who die unhoused each year — 69 in 2021 — this number may be an undercount.

Be on the lookout for symptoms of hypothermia — shivering, slurred speech, weak pulse, low energy, and confusion — and frostbite — redness and pain, white, gray, or yellow skin, and numbness. If calling on behalf of someone else, many mutual aid organizations suggest trying to speak to the person before doing so. Many people who are homeless choose to stay outside because of poor shelter conditions; in some circumstances, those who refuse to go with outreach workers during a hypothermia warning could be involuntarily hospitalized.

The Winter Plan

Last winter, 1,393 men and 526 women in D.C. sought shelter during the busiest night of hypothermia season (shelter beds are divided by a gender binary, though some homeless people identify outside of it). Since the city’s shelter system provides 1,994 year-round beds and 70 overflow beds, the ICH initially planned not to open many additional shelters this year, ICH Director Theresa Silla explained in meetings this summer. However, the demand for shelter has turned out to be much higher in recent months. Migrants bused into the District are turning to low-barrier shelters. And shelters are still operating at a reduced capacity to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. So throughout October, D.C. identified several additional overflow shelters that will operate this winter. The below lists of shelters are accurate as of Nov. 14 and may be outdated later in the season. Residents should call the shelter hotline

for an updated list.

During hypothermia season, the city will announce two kinds of weather alerts: a hypothermia alert when the temperature is predicted to fall below 32 degrees, or below 40 degrees with rain or snow; or a cold weather emergency alert when the temperature falls below 15 degrees, or below 20 degrees with snow or ice. Residents can call the shelter hotline to find out if the city is under an alert, or sign up for alerts at hsema. dc.gov/page/alertdc.

Three types of shelter are available for individuals: low-barrier shelters, overflow shelters, and warming sites. Lowbarrier shelters, shown in the first chart, are open throughout the whole season. Overflow sites, in the second chart, are open on alert nights but may operate on other nights as well. Warming sites are only open on cold weather emergency alert nights. Those seeking shelter should check the alert for that day before going to either an overflow shelter or a warming site. Despite the expanded services, there are still gaps in D.C.’s hypothermia response. Overflow and warming sites are not open during the day, when temperatures can still drop below 32 degrees. While D.C. has three day centers — Adams Place, Downtown Day, and Zoe’s — they have limited hours, especially on Sundays and holidays. Many public facilities people may rely on, such as libraries and recreation centers, also have restricted hours. Last year, 28 alerts on Sundays and holidays left people without many options.

Hypothermia season services

The city’s low-barrier shelters are operating 24/7 and serving at least two meals daily, except for Blair and St. Josephine, which are open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every night. The other

low-barrier shelters may cease 24/7 operations during the winter with 60 days’ notice. Intake generally starts around 4 p.m.

All low-barrier shelters are currently at or near capacity. According to the winter plan, people who go to a low-barrier shelter will be encouraged to stay there until spring.

When low-barrier shelters are full, people seeking shelter will be directed to an overflow site. Once an overflow shelter opens for one night, it may operate as well non-alert nights, depending on the availability of sufficient resources. Overflow shelters are open from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. when operating, and provide dinner and a grab-and-go breakfast.

Two facilities attached to low-barrier shelters will serve as overflow sites throughout the winter; these are 801 East for men and Adams Place Day Center for women. Both sites are now open and will stay open for the whole season. A third overflow shelter at Salvation Army is also open, as is an overflow space at the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter, and the

The Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter will be open throughout the winter.

Photo by Kate Santaliz

Chart by Annemarie Cuccia

Chart by Annemarie Cuccia

city expects to stand up shelters at the Church of the Epiphany, Sherwood Recreation Center and King Greenleaf Recreation Center in mid-November. All three sites should be available on non-alert nights, according to the ICH. But it’s still possible the overflow shelters will change throughout the season, so it’s best to call the shelter hotline to find out where to go. The

chart on page 8 only lists sites that are currently operational.

On especially cold nights, the city opens overnight warming sites in public buildings, including libraries, recreation centers and senior centers. These sites are generally open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and do not stay open during the rest of the winter. These sites do not serve meals. The city is working on an

updated list of warming sites, which will be found at snow. dc.gov/service/warming-centers-and-facilities.

Families seeking shelter during hypothermia season can either call the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center at 202-526-0017 or visit Monday-Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Friday between 8:30 a.m. and noon. Staff will refer families to shelters.

Shelters are also available for ages 24 and younger.

Unaccompanied minors can call the Sasha Bruce Youthwork Hotline at 202-547-7777 for transportation to a shelter. Youth between 18 and 24 can call the shelter hotline to ask about placement in a youth shelter. If there’s a shortage of beds, young people over 18 may seek shelter in the adult system, including at overflow sites.

In addition to on-demand transportation, the city provides scheduled transit service between shelters and service centers. A complete schedule can be found at ich.dc.gov/page/winterplan, on Page 23 of the winter plan.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

The first edition of Street Sense, published Nov. 15, 2003, included an article on the District’s annual winter plan. At the time, about 17,000 people were experiencing homelessness in D.C. The winter plan provided for 1,100 emergency shelter beds. The below article was inspired by the 2003 version.

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INVESTIGATIONS

Street Sense Media, WAMU/DCist and the Center for Public Integrity found that school districts where over a fifth of students are homeless have not received federal funding for homeless students in recent years.

KAELA ROEDER AND AMANDA MICHELLE GOMEZ Street Sense Media and WAMU/DCist

Towanda Chew has gone to extraordinary lengths to prioritize her children’s education.

Like many parents navigating homelessness, keeping this promise remains a harrowing challenge. It requires that she first keep them safe and sheltered.

“I wish I could have walked on the stage,” said Chew, who didn’t graduate from high school, but got her GED. “And that’s why I’m so hard on them about finishing school, going through that … I stay on them about that,” said Chew. She is a single mom to five daughters and two sons,

two of whom still live with her.

After experiencing homelessness on and off for three years, Chew and her children finally moved into a subsidized apartment along Martin Luther King Jr Ave. in Southeast D.C. in 2020.

But her housing troubles were far from over. Soon after moving in, her toilet began overflowing, creating a stagnant two-inch pool of water that left a feces smell in her apartment. Even after contacting her landlord, she said she could not get the necessary repairs or relocate to a vacant unit within the building. The stench lingered for months. Then in September,

someone broke into her apartment and damaged the lock on her front door. Again, she said her landlord failed to adequately respond. But these could be the least of her problems — her rental subsidy is time limited, so she’ll have to search for a new home regardless.

For a year, Chew tried to move the family into another apartment but her case manager, she said, was no help. Instead, Chew turned to an unlikely source: the staff at her children’s high school. In the end, it was her children’s school — not her government assigned caseworker – who finally helped her family find temporary shelter at a hotel.

DC receives funds to help homeless students. Why are so many schools missing out?

Towanda Chew (right) and L'Tanya Holley (left), the school’s director of operations who’s coordinated services for unhoused families for over a decade, walk the grounds of Maya Angelou Public Charter School. Photo by Tyrone Turner // WAMU/DCist

Chew is just one of countless parents across the country who turn to their children’s schools for help while navigating housing instability. Under the landmark McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, the U.S. Department of Education provides states, including D.C., with funding to support equal access to public education for homeless children and their families. Last academic year, D.C. public schools counted over 6,600 homeless students. However, a joint DCist/WAMU and Street Sense Media investigation using data from the Center for Public Integrity found some local schools serving a significant number of homeless students have not been getting those federal dollars.

In fact, for both school years analyzed (2018-19 and 201920), school systems with the highest percentage of homeless students were not awarded McKinney-Vento dollars. While some opted out of applying for the funding, the third-party reviewers for D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) rejected applications from others. Among the schools that have missed out on this federal support is Maya Angelou Public Charter School, the place where Chew and her family received help navigating their housing issues. Despite the staff’s best efforts to support the increasing number of homeless students enrolled there, the school only sometimes receives McKinney-Vento funding. And they are more fortunate than most.

What is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant?

Federal law requires state education agencies, D.C. included, to ensure each homeless child has “equal access” to “appropriate public education.” The law is a section under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which also authorizes the U.S. Department of Education to provide money to states to help achieve that mandate: the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant.

But it’s not nearly enough. U.S. Department of Education data shows that D.C. received $274,000 in 2018 and $289,760 in 2019. With somewhere between 7,700 and 7,100 homeless students in D.C. schools those years, which some advocates believe to be an undercount, that would be roughly $35 to $40 per student. Instead, the federal government requires the subgrants distributed by states to be competitive, and some D.C. schools with the highest rates of homelessness don’t receive help.

Between 2018 and 2020, there were eight local education agencies — all charter schools — where over a fifth of the student population was considered homeless for both school years, according to the federal data analyzed by DCist/ WAMU, Street Sense Media and Public Integrity. Only one of them received McKinney-Vento dollars those years: Maya Angelou Public Charter School, which has multiple campuses. It also educates incarcerated young men at the city’s New Beginnings center. The school received the subgrant in the academic year 2018-19 when 26% of the student population was counted as homeless, but not the following year when that number jumped to 31%.

Meanwhile, D.C. Public Schools received the subgrant both years, with 6-7% of its student population counted as homeless. That still accounts for several thousand homeless students because DCPS is the largest local education agency — with 115 schools — and has nearly 50,000 students. Students in D.C. are split almost evenly between DCPS and the various public charter schools.

Fred Lewis, an OSSE spokesperson, said the local agency uses external reviewers to determine which school systems receive funding. “Grants are awarded based on ranking, which considers the strength of the LEA’s application,

the number of students served and the amount of funds available,” Lewis said in an emailed statement.

Charter officials said applying for the opportunity can be challenging for smaller public school districts – and if they are lucky enough to get the money, how schools may spend those dollars is restricted. For instance, it generally can’t be used for food or housing.

Schools that don’t get the subgrant do what they can to support unhoused families. But some parents have described instances where their school community fell short of ensuring their kids have educational opportunities comparable to classmates with stable housing.

Historically, the McKinney-Vento grant was the only government funding routinely available to specifically support homeless students, which the law defines broadly as children who “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” The only other recurring government support for local schools serving poor communities is the D.C. government’s funding for “at-risk” students, an even broader category that describes nearly half the students in D.C. As a temporary response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The American Rescue Plan released unprecedented dollars to states for homeless students, which OSSE said enabled D.C. to provide federal funding to all 69 local education agencies (DC Public Schools and 68 charter school systems).

The kinds of support homeless students need to learn

Maya Angelou Public Charter School is partially paying for Chew’s hotel through American Rescue Plan dollars, according to L’Tanya Holley, the school’s director of operations who’s coordinated services for unhoused families for over a decade.

But those dollars are temporary – Maya Angelou is spending down its second and final round of funding. And the school does not regularly get the McKinney-Vento subgrant.

“We went through hell and back, but they was here helping me,” said Chew of school staff, “I call Ms. Holley my angel. Because she’s been there.”

The pair met in 2017, around the time when Chew was looking for a school to enroll her son in before he turned 18. After getting “the run around” at other schools, the family landed at Maya Angelou. The school opted to arrange temporary shelter for Chew and her family after Holley visited the subsidized apartment. Chew was also able to lean on the school’s monthly grocery distribution for toilet paper and food, a program made possible by private donations.

“Kids cannot learn on an empty stomach and they can’t learn worrying about where they’re going to sleep or worrying about their mother or their parents,” said Holley.

But not every school is as nurturing as Maya Angelou — Spring Woodall experienced the headache of an unsupportive staff at Plummer Elementary, a DCPS school a mile away from Maya Angelou. Woodall enrolled her son in the 2021-22 school year as a pre-k student while they were living in a shelter across town.

During that time, Woodall said despite repeatedly reaching out to her son’s principal and homeless student liaison, he was never given a free uniform or a backpack, even though McKinney-Vento dollars are intended to go toward purchasing items like these and DCPS is routinely awarded the subgrant. Woodall had to pay about $100 for uniforms out of pocket — money she didn’t have to spare.

“I just had to do it, you know?” Woodall said.

Nearly a month into the school year, Woodall was promised a “Kids Ride Free” card to get her son to and from school. But since her son was 4 years old, he was too young

Maya Angelou Public Charter School has multiple campuses. It also educates incarcerated young men at the city’s New Beginnings center. Photo by Tyrone Turner // WAMU/DCist

INVESTIGATIONS

Meanwhile, some of the largest local education agencies received funding despite significantly lower rates of student homelessness, including $85,600 for DCPS and $38,000 for KIPP DC Public Charter School. But several smaller charters were also awarded McKinney-Vento funds during that time, suggesting headcount is not the determining factor.

Within the large DCPS system, some individual schools have higher percentages of homeless students. Anacostia High School considers 13% of its student population to be homeless. And the school’s homeless liaison, Jocelyn Coleman, believes that to be an undercount. She attributes undercounting to the stigma associated with homelessness.

“Nobody, especially a teenager, wants to be known as somebody who doesn’t have a family or the family has kicked them out. Or they’re living from house to house,” Coleman said. “To them, it’s an embarrassment. And so a lot of the teenagers don’t say anything to anybody.”

Coleman also says the school doesn’t have enough money to support unhoused students, requiring staff to solicit donations, particularly anything extra like non-uniform clothing for the weekend. “We look at their needs, but they also have wants, too,” Coleman said.

A separate analysis from the Center for Public Integrity estimates that thousands of public school districts are undercounting homeless students, missing an estimated 300,000 students nationwide.

While OSSE data shows that the total number of students experiencing homelessness in D.C. has largely trended down since 2016, that’s not every school district’s experience. For example, the charter Rocketship Public Schools counted twice as many homeless students between 2016 and 2020, according to OSSE data.

to qualify. Eventually, the school offered her a SmarTrip card, but the commute to and from the shelter was also an hour and a half each way.

“It’s like a slap in the face,” Woodall said. “Waking up early, giving them a bath, only to bring them into this system that barely cares about him. And this is the nation’s capital.”

Woodall struggled to get her son to school and was almost in “the danger zone” of absences and truancies. This would have been preventable if the school offered Lyft or Uber credit for her to use, she said.

Woodall eventually sought legal help at the National Youth Law Center. Her lawyer suspected Plummer was in violation of the McKinney-Vento Act and filed a dispute on behalf of Woodall.

In emails obtained by WAMU/DCist and Street Sense Media, Woodall and her lawyer were told in response to the dispute that Plummer lacked the funds to provide transportation services other than the “Kids Ride Free” or a SmarTrip card. After a couple of conference calls with representatives from D.C. Public Schools, the case was considered resolved but resulted in little additional support for Woodall and her son. Woodall now lives in an apartment she moved into in February, with her son attending a different school.

Plummer Elementary did not respond to requests for further comment.

DCPS spokesperson Enrique Gutierrez says grants go to its central office to support all schools with homeless students. In testimony submitted to the Council last year, DCPS said McKinney-Vento dollars are budgeted for professional development, technology equipment like 150 Wi-Fi devices, school supplies and uniforms and transportation support.

Gutierrez declined to comment on the situation at Plummer, only saying: “We will continue to work tirelessly

of homeless students

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education distributes the McKinney-Vento funding as subgrants to schools with significant student populations navigating housing instability. They range between $600 and $86,000 and may go toward specialized personnel, supplemental instruction, referral services, school supplies. Yet several school districts that fall under this category and others OSSE prioritizes were not awarded dollars in the two school years analyzed: 2018-19 and 2019-20.

The school districts with the highest percentage of homeless students for 2018-19 – Monument Academy Public Charter School and Cedar Tree Academy Public Charter School – applied for McKinney-Vento dollars and requested $20,000 and $16,000 respectively, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. However the OSSE rejected their requests. (Both schools have applied for and received funding in subsequent years.)

Various charter officials have attributed their relatively high percentage of homeless students to their mission of serving vulnerable populations and their process of identifying homeless families who may need extra support during enrollment. Monument CEO, Dr. Jeffrey Grant, says the boarding school was founded to serve young people in the foster care system but has since expanded its pursuit to include other at-risk youth.

The charter school had among the highest percentage of homeless students among local education agencies in academic years 2018-19 and 2019-20 but did not get McKinney-Vento dollars. Public records show Rocketship Public Schools has never applied for the funding since 2016. The charter did not respond to requests for comment.

In the years that Maya Angelou PCS didn’t get McKinney-Vento dollars, Holley said her school has had to dip into the school’s budget for other expenses and fundraise more. She’s even asked her friends to chip in.

“It is very stressful because you got to steal from Peter to pay Paul,” said Holley. “I hate to have to tell a parent or a child ‘I’m sorry. I can’t.’ In my 15 years, I’ve gotten very creative.”

The application process is thorough, asking school districts to provide a detailed budget and plan for tracking spending and evaluating its impact, according to Anna Scudiero, the development director at Monument Academy Public Charter School. “I, full-time, work on writing grants and things like that for the school. A lot of schools don’t have a dedicated person to sit around and complete applications,” she said.

Having recently taken on that role, Scudiero didn’t write the applications for the academic years Monument Academy’s requests for McKinney-Vento funding were rejected. But when she reviewed them afterward she said she thought they were “bare.”

“It just didn’t include the level of information that they were looking for. Even though it answered the questions,” she said. “I kind of think if you’re serving the student population that you should automatically get additional funding to support them instead of making it a competitive

to ensure that every displaced child and youth experiencing homelessness has the equal and necessary resources to academically succeed regardless of their current housing situation.”

Unpredictable and insufficient dollars for growing number

Why smaller schools have a harder time securing McKinney Vento funding

Maya Angelou Public Charter School received the McKinney-Vento grant in the academic year 2018-2019 when 26% of the student population was counted as homeless, but not the following year when that number jumped to 31%. Photo by Tyrone Turner // WAMU/DCist

process.”

The principal of Roots Public Charter School, where over a quarter of students are homeless, said her staff has given up on applying for McKinney-Vento dollars. “I have been told by my Homeless Liaison that the reason we’re not interested is that it takes too much time and effort to apply when it’s already known that only the big schools ever get it,” said Bernida Thompson. “It’s a waste of time for small schools to put the energy and time into trying to compete.” The school has roughly 120 students.

The OSSE spokesperson contested that claim, saying “Although larger [local education agencies] may be perceived as having a slight advantage due to typically having larger numbers of students experiencing homelessness, LEAs with a smaller number of students served have received funding in the past as well.” For example, Lewis said a school with only eight reported homeless students received McKinney-Vento funds in 2015.

In the 2018-19 academic year, 17 local education agencies applied for new funding, and five were awarded, according to public records. For the 2019-20 school year, four local education agencies applied and one received it. OSSE told the D.C. Council only one school district was awarded new funding that year “due to limited available funds.” (Three other schools that received money the previous year also received some continued funding for 2019-20.)

Schools with high rates of homeless students are not receiving subgrants at the state level because there’s simply not enough federal money to go around, according to Maria Foscarinis, the founder of the National Homelessness Law Center. She was also involved in the creation of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act – which she believes to be the last time Congress passed a sweeping bill

on homelessness.

“The funding for this program has always been very limited,” Foscarinis said. “If this were actually an entitlement with these funds, then they would be awarded based on how many homeless kids there were. But it’s not, it’s a fixed amount of money and it has to be divided some way.”

And for over a decade starting in 1995, the District chose to not accept McKinney-Vento funds and thus was able to skirt federal law. The Department of Education’s only means of enforcing equal access to public education for homeless students is to withhold funding from a state.

“It was the only jurisdiction that did not accept the money and did not participate in the program,” Foscarinis said. By not accepting funds, the District remained in legal standing with a lawsuit filed by unhoused families and the National Homelessness Law Center, against the city for treating their students unfairly.

The District did not accept McKinney-Vento funds until 2006, when the D.C. Board of Education requested the superintendent reapply for funds, according to Foscarinis.

Schools try and fill in the gaps without federal homeless dollars

Tameka Harris and her two children experienced homelessness in late 2012 and early 2013. At the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, Harris enrolled her two sons at Kingsman Academy, a public charter school near Kingman Park that teaches six to 12 graders.

Kingsman has not received McKinney-Vento funds since at least 2016. But Harris said the school provided

an abundance of resources for her family, including transportation, therapy, laundry services, a food pantry, and laptops for her children to get their work done.

“It’s life-saving, actually,” Harris said. “It got us through. I was able to save money.”

When Harris was working as a bus driver and tour guide she would have to be at work by 6 a.m. and was unable to bring her children to school. But Kingsman provided Uber rides to school for her kids — like Woodall had hoped Plummer Elementary would do for her situation –and eventually modified the bus route so her kids could be picked up right in front of her apartment.

Back at Maya Angelou, L’Tanya Holley strategizes how she can help her school’s families without McKinney-Vento dollars. She’ll advise parents without internet access to go to the local Starbucks for free WiFi or guide students to shelters that have available beds. Acting as a case manager, Holley will even try and get parents a job so they can be self-sufficient.

Chew just landed herself a job with help from Holley. She is now working at a church in Northwest. Holley identified the opportunity and helped her prepare for the interview. Before that, Chew had been cutting people’s lawns for cash.

“I’ve got to do what I got to do because I got my daughter, and my other daughter, and I got a 13 and 17-year-old,” said Chew. “They can’t do it all,” she said of Maya Angelou staff, “because it’s for other people out there too, not just me.”

This article is co-published with WAMU/DCist.

Towanda Chew (right) has relied on L'Tanya Holley (left) for help navigating housing. Photo by Tyrone Turner // WAMU/DCist

Learn how Mr Ueda, a street paper vendor in Japan found his ‘temple’

KAZUHIRO HIEDA The Big Issue Japan

“One day out of the blue, a little after I turned 40, I found myself unable to go to work. I wasn’t having any issues with work or personal relationships, but rather it was as if my internal battery had died, my body couldn’t muster the strength to move.”

Mr. Ueda, 57, who sells The Big Issue Japan at Osaka’s JR Ibaraki Station, is the one behind this story. After growing up in the southern part of the Hyogo Prefecture, and studying mathematics at a prestigious government university, he landed a job in an up-and-coming IT company. He was thriving at his job as a system engineer and was even entrusted as a leader to manage many subordinates in his 30s — but he couldn’t change the sudden state of his body.

“During my 40s I went back and forth between taking leave and going back to work, but I finally decided to quit after feeling as if something was obstructing my performance and I couldn’t see any progress. By that point I had no motivation or drive to work and didn’t mind if my life just ended that way.”

During this time, he also experienced a divorce — and at the age of 54, he used up his savings and began sleeping on the streets. Amidst this turbulent time is when he came across The Big Issue Japan, and he explains that his experience working as a street paper vendor opened his eyes to a whole new world.

“Simply being told ‘Thank you’ after handing customers the magazines of course makes me happy, but the way customers buy the magazine is very courteous. They don’t make it seem like they are buying for charity or out of pity, they just casually come by, wish me ‘good luck’ or ‘a good day’, and naturally walk away. It’s as if they are saying ‘this is your job, and I am receiving an important service from you’, and this ‘winwin’ dynamic is what I enjoy about this job. This dynamic is an inevitable part of doing business, but was nonetheless refreshing to me.”

Around 80% of his customers are women who often converse with him, sometimes for one or two hours. He also has customers like preschoolers who would run up to greet him, young ladies who would write him small letters, and even a foreign man who he gets along well with and went hiking with on one occasion. He finds it mind-boggling that just by standing in front of the station he is able to meet so many different people that he had never interacted with before and now finds the fun in the experience.

“I had thought to myself in the past that when I became homeless I would be like a monk and cut all ties with my family and friends to be completely alone, but unexpectedly I found my ‘temple’ — The Big Issue Japan — and it felt like I found my reason to live again. Conversations with customers are diverse and can range from small talk to deep discussions

about work and families, but there’s so much I learn from them. So, in hindsight, I’m grateful to my past self for not being able to move and go to work. If I had continued working as I had before, I might have a lot of money, but I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see this part of the world.”

Moreover, Mr. Ueda also actively participates in school lectures that The Big Issue Japan holds for students, and uses this platform to share his experiences. By candidly talking about his story, he hopes to spread the significance of human interaction and the importance of choosing your own life path for yourself without being swayed by others’ opinions.

Although he is currently living in ‘Step House1,’ a housing system that offers low rent prices to support financial and social independence, his one-year contract is about to end. While he is thinking about finding another job, he wants to continue working at The Big Issue Japan for the near future.

“When I was a child, I used to be the type to enjoy playing and studying alone, and often found myself shouting at my parents, teachers, and friends: ‘Don't bother me!’ So when I got a job in adulthood, I became the typical overworking businessman. But now, through The Big Issue Japan, I have finally learned to enjoy interacting with others.”

“I’ve had a variety of experiences in my life, but for now I’m hoping I can continue to learn more from where I currently am.”

Since this interview, Mr Ueda has moved on from being a street paper vendor and into the next stage of his life.

Translated from Japanese by Haruna Suzuki

Courtesy of The Big Issue Japan / International Network of Street Papers

‘It felt like my reason to live again’

Big Issue Japan vendor Mr. Ueda.holds a copy of his paper’s latest issue. Photos by Yoshihiro Kinoshita

Ueda makes a sale near the west exit of Osaka's JR Ibaraki Station

vendor profiles

Liceulice vendor Jelena Radeta: “I am not ashamed of being a person with a disability”

MILICA TERZIĆ Liceulice

Jelena Radeta is a vendor of the street paper Liceulice in Belgrade, Serbia. In spite of all medical diagnoses she received, starting from the doctor’s recommendation that her parents leave her in an institution, through the inadequate therapy she received in the early days, this she has a positive outlook, now works two jobs and is one of the most experienced vendors of Liceulice magazine. She proudly points out that the wishes of people with disabilities are no different than anyone else – to find a permanent job and start a family.

In order to attract buyers, you need to smile and be cheerful. The buyer must not see that you are in a bad mood. I have been selling the magazine for 12 years in Knez Mihajlova Street, the high street in Belgrade; I am a walking salesperson, not a sedentary type. I like to be on the move.

Apart from selling magazines, I work in a hotel as an assistant housekeeper. I deal with some mild mental health issues, and these are in my employment records. Persons with disabilities are subjected to heavy discrimination. The word was that it will be made mandatory for the companies to employ persons with disabilities, but nothing came out of it. In practice, no one is adhering to that. It is being said that you should only trust what you are seeing, and I do not see that the government is trying to help us.

I wish to find a job with a normal contract so I can get back on my feet. My father is right, my parents will not be there for the rest of my life. I always had their support. When you find out that you are suffering from epilepsy and that your parents fought like lions to help you start to walk and talk, it is normal that their support is the most important for me. There is no greater desire or motivation to fight than when you have the support of your friends and family. My mother was told that she should leave me in a children's home, that nothing will ever become of me. But I’m still here.

Not every kind of epilepsy is the same. I have a mild form. Until I was 18, I was wrongly treated with medicines which were not suitable for me. Only when I changed hospital did I start to get better. Until then, I was falling on the street out of the blue. I would leave my home for school normally, and I would end up in the ambulance. Luckily, It does not happen anymore because now I am receiving appropriate therapy.

I switched between three primary schools. First, I went to school for visually impaired children, from first to third grade. Back then, I was told that I couldn’t attend regular classes, so I had to go to other schools where everything depended on the goodwill of the teachers. Later, I graduated from vocational school, a course for assistant bookbinder. I felt good in that school. Everybody was equal there. I never pursued that career, although I went to the job interviews at several printing houses. They always said that they would call me back, which never happened.

I am not ashamed of being a person with a disability, I always put an emphasis on that in my CV. I embraced my situation because I cannot change it. I would like others to do that as well. If I allow myself to fall down and become stuck at home, I know that it will bring me no good. I have outdone and overcame all of the doctors’ diagnosis and prognosis. I managed that only with positive energy and struggle. Whining

will get you nowhere.

I wish to start a family with someone I love. I have had a boyfriend for more than 10 years. He is also a person with a

Who is Grayman X?

The creator behind the hardhitting comic strip that interrogates homelessness

LORI SMITH Artist/Vendor

I’m a neurodivergent, differently-abled, homeless survivor of domestic violence. My work is largely produced by my non-dominant hand, though I draw and write with both my hands. I’m also a mother who misses her kids. I do the cartoon for my kids.

Through this cartoon, I’m trying to express something very

a variety of deep, hard emotions that come with homelessness to the point of being almost ludicrous and ridiculous. I want to make other homeless people laugh. When I started, other homeless people were my first audience. I'd show them my work, and they would share their very blunt and honest opinions with me. They are, to this day, my best critics. Whenever I got a laugh or managed to crack a smile on someone’s face, I knew I was on the right track. I needed to make them laugh. Though Grayman can’t be every homeless person, I created him for the homeless. I want this work to help people totally reevaluate what they think they know and their assumptions about homeless people.

There are a few defining features of Grayman. You never know what’s going to happen in his world. It’s unpredictable. He’s uprooted often. His world is gray to amplify what it feels like to be him, and to play up how invisible he can be, fading into the background and surroundings unnoticed. I also drew him short in stature on purpose, for the same reason.

You’ll never see Grayman speak. His eyes are always covered by his hat, his features hidden by his beard. He’s voiceless, and he’s relatively featureless. He is a bit of a blank

way, a reflection of my first readers.

One question I often receive from readers is regarding the rabbit that accompanies Grayman. The last item I had of my children’s was a three-eared rabbit. It was quite tattered, quite loved. But a shelter I was staying at considered it garbage, and after a bag search, they insisted I throw it away. I soon left the shelter and lost that rabbit to the streets of D.C. Now the rabbit has gone to cartoon-land, where he stays with Grayman wherever he goes.

People who buy my work are supportive. They try to reassure me to keep trying as a “struggling artist.” The truth is I am still struggling with homelessness. Art, cartooning and writing reduce the struggle. It also gives me an outlet I wouldn’t otherwise have.

Feedback or ideas on Grayman, especially from those actively living and experiencing homelessness are very important to me. People experiencing any kind of displacement, financial struggle, poverty, loss, food insecurity, instability, and violence matter to me. If you are interested in my work, please contact the editor at editor@streetsensemedia.org. That is the best way to reach me. I want your voice, feedback, thoughts, and interest.

Thanksgiving fun

AMINA WASHINGTON Artist/Vendor

It is good to be thankful, gifts are good. I love to eat, drink cider and have family fun on Thanksgiving. The family cooks, my friends visit, and we fill our bellies with homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, and rice with gravy. We all watch football and hope it won’t snow. It is so amazing how much fun and how busy one day can be. After we do all those things, we gather and thank our family and creator for the food, fun and gathering, but we’re not done yet — I could never leave out what’s left behind after the fun: lots of leftovers and the house smelling of turkey, lots of cleaning and a very hungry dog! (The only reason for the hungry dog is that she never stops eating!) I can’t wait to go to bed. I’m tired and my friends went home. Good night and happy Thanksgiving!

Gifts from my childhood

BRIANNA BUTLER Artist/Vendor

I was so excited about getting a cabbage patch doll. I begged my parents for days. Dreaming that I was in a cabbage patch with the dolls all around dancing and swinging in the wind. My parents finally agreed to let me have this toy to play with. They went to the store and they were sold out. All the people around then were looking for the same doll for their little girls too. Then the store manager told them to get in this long line to put in an order for next year. So they put their names on that list but they didn’t know how they were going to tell me it’s not going to come in right away. They bought me this nice lookalike doll. At first glance I thought

to myself, this is not what I wanted or what I asked for. The second look was: it’s nice, pretty, and I could play with it like this is the real doll I wanted.

I believe that my parents were very thoughtful in giving me the doll until my real doll showed up.

The next year the real doll showed up in a pretty green striped dress. I was so thankful I played with it all night taking care of it like a child of my own.

A year after that I got a baby version of this doll. I appreciated it. Later in the year we heard of some poor families whose children didn’t have toys like me. We decided to give these precious dolls up, and bless another little girl with the dolls. I knew that some little girl would love those dolls like I did.

AMINA WASHINGTON

Artist/Vendor

ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor

AKINDELE AKEREJAH

Artist/Vendor

How to stay relevant

JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor

When you try to do good: help people, feed the hungry, listen to those who are down in spirit and try to lift them up, teach what you know is right, care about the people of the world.

Don't forget: People, plants and animals have to live together. Remember: You are not alone! There are many others like you.

And, God will not forget.

Becoming a teacher

SHEILA WHITE Artist/Vendor

What is a teacher? A teacher is you. We learn from our parents, grandparents, family and friends and mentors.

GIGI DOVONOU Artist/Vendor

Gift of sharing

ERICA DOWNING Artist/Vendor

Many people spend their time frivolously, not realizing that time is the one thing you can’t get back. Learning, teaching, caring and sharing are the most productive ways to spend time. Learning and reading — indulge your mind in the opinions, perspectives and experiences of others and broaden your own. Teaching allows you to expose others to your mind, experiences and perspective. Caring and showing empathy will increase understanding of the life and knowledge of others. Sharing and philanthropy create a legacy for the masses to remember you.

Dare to share your energy with the world by spending your time discerningly.

As a child I was taught how to tie my shoes, dress myself and make my bed. My parents also taught me how to say thank you, yes sir, no thank you and look people straight in the eye when spoken to. Now it's my turn to teach lessons learned: teaching my peers what was taught to me.

Growing up in the heart of Washington, D.C. I became a teacher’s aide in the D.C. Public School System. My daily tasks were to grade papers, work the copy machines, tutor students and substitute different grade levels. This gave me the sense of belonging and giving back what I was taught. Everyone has a gift to share with someone else. We learn something new every day of our lives and to teach someone else a valuable lesson can change the world.

There is a saying “each one teach one” is true. As a child you are a student as an adult you become a teacher. Let's teach each other the joys of life. Share what you learn with others, whether it’s about learning to teach a child to read or write. We learn something new every day of our lives. We are all teachers in our own way. Let your talents show through teaching someone else.

The lesson I learned the hard way was when I became a teen mom and had to grow up fast. Teaching my kids without a high school diploma was hard. So I decided to volunteer with the school system and learn what they were teaching the students and apply the skill to help my children. We studied countless hours and I decided to go back to school. I did, and now I can teach others what I’ve learned. My children excelled very well in school and stayed on the honor roll. Now they are all grown up and living productive lives in society.

As for me going back to school and then on to college was hard but it was worth it. Learning something new every day. I teach students how not to becoming teen mom it brings on too many challenges. Finish school first and enjoy the world and then have and raise a family, because without an education how can you teach your child what you don’t know?

JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor

ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor

ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor

DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor

Dear Street Sense Media

WARREN STEVENS Artist/Vendor

It’s cold season time. People are planning to have Thanksgiving at home or traveling out of town to be with family and friends. My sister and family are cooking Thanksgiving at home. I will be taking pictures during the holiday season. My son and his family are going out of town for the holidays. I hope things get better in 2023. Stay safe.

The route

CARLTON JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

Walk the route that will not end, move with every step quick; time is the gold for the full.

Touch by the new

CARLTON JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

To be touched by something You have no control of for It’s unseen by night but A eye opening by daylight

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS

Helping make Toledo the most disability-friendly city

in America

ED CONN Toledo Streets

first met Stuart James, executive director of The Ability Center, when he was the keynote speaker at a Maumee Chamber of Commerce luncheon in the spring. In 20 minutes, his thoughtful first-person accounts and storytelling introduced us to a concept which has now become the Think Differently Then Act! campaign.

Stuart joined The Ability Center at the end of 2021, after serving as executive director for The Center for Independent Learning in Berkeley for seven years. During his tenure there, he renewed The CIL’s commitment and vision for a truly inclusive world and nearly tripled the organization’s endowment.

“My approach to independent living is to be very aspirational. We can give you these services, we can give you the assistance, but if you don’t know what direction you are going you may never get anywhere. It becomes quite a quagmire. So we need to set goals for individuals, realistic enough so they understand if we are going to go this way we figure out together what you will need to get there, so that we don’t spend a lot of time doing

things that are not helping you.

“One of the people we helped in Berkeley is a guy named Jose Rivera. Jose was as smart as you can get. He speaks seven languages, he graduated Georgetown, MBA from Wharton, executive for Microsoft. He had it all. Wonderful wife, big house, nice car. The recession of 2008 hit, and Jose went upside down financially. He had an epic meltdown. He went from a luxury lifestyle to basically eating out of dumpsters.

“His wife divorced him; would not let him see the kids. He tried to commit suicide, but his brother found him and got him into a mental health facility. He went through electroshock therapy and finally ended back on the streets. He came to The CIL because as smart as he was, he could not figure out how to get out of the system. He was $8 million in debt; his wife was calling him a deadbeat dad.”

Stuart said the first order of business with Jose was to get him stable. They then asked him, “Where do you want to go?” He said he wanted to get a PhD in language and go teach. “Once his goal was set, we knew we had to get funding for his schooling. We helped him get into the school he wanted. He reestablished his relationship with his oldest daughter. He

graduated with his degree a year early. He has been published three or four times and now he has become a big advocate for changing social service systems.”

Locally, Stuart said there have been numerous success stories that have come through The Ability Center. “We have one man who has spinal bifida, he wanted to be a mechanic. He is in a wheelchair. We ended up giving him a scholarship to BGSU in engineering. We are working hard with various contacts we have in his specialty to see if we can make a connection for him.”

Stuart said his approach to aspirational growth has been more receptive here in Toledo than it was in Berkeley. There, he was constantly pushed to provide more social services and getting his clients benefits. Stuart did not disagree but said if that is his primary focus than this program never solves itself. He had to ask, “Is this a numbers game or is it an outcome game?”

“If I provide services for 300 people, and they keep coming back for the same services am I really helping them or just checking off the boxes on some government form? Or do I focus on 20, 30, 40, 50 people like Jose Rivera and really get them off the street?”

Photo courtesy of The Ability Center

We pivoted our discussion to the launch of the Think Differently Then Act! campaign. Stuart likened it to his presentations to government agencies. “Sometimes when I talk to them, they get my words but they don’t really understand what I am talking about. Part of the campaign is to get people to have the same picture on people with disabilities that I do.”

“I have four-year-old twins. Once I was shopping and my kids were running around like four-year-olds do. A few concerned shoppers noticed this and went to get store personnel because they thought the kids were unsupervised. It did not occur to them that I was their dad. It is these types of prejudices that the campaign is trying to resolve.”

One of the misconceptions is that all people with disabilities are poor. There is a disproportional amount that are poor. This is not always the case. “There are a great number of people with disabilities with a high share of wealth and when I talk to businesses about accessibility, I say if you want my money to be your money you better make your shop accessible.”

Sometimes change is slow. The City of Toledo just passed an ordinance requiring restaurants and bars to use closed captions when television sets are on. The chamber, however, pushed back on this and did not want to agree to this even though the cost was nothing. It made very little sense to Stuart and to many in the community.

In looking at other cities that have a higher level of accessibility, Stuart points to places like Austin, Texas and

Eugene, Oregon as cities that are doing a good job in several areas. Newer cities as well are building out accessibility from the beginning which is far easier and cheaper than retrofitting older urban areas like New York City.

Advocacy is a key pillar to The Ability Center’s mission. Besides individual advocacy, public and government advocacy plays a significant role in the work of The Ability Center staff. The staff assists private and public partners in their efforts to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), fair housing, Medicare, and other disability rights legislation.

Partnerships are critical to the success of The Ability Center. Metroparks Toledo and their effort to work with the campaing to solve accessibility issues throughout the park system is one example of a successful partnership. “I was at the ribbon cutting for the Maumee River Walk. That project is fantastic. They provided a huge swath of pavement which makes it wheelchair accessible as well as removal of the riverbank growth so that the view is unencumbered.”

Another example is how the incredible staff at Metroparks worked to set up an inclusive tree climbing event where anyone who wanted could have a tree climbing experience.

You cannot change a city or attitude if you don’t have community partners. The Ability Center is fortunate to have a lot of them. Whether it is the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Imagination Station, the partners here are key to The Ability

Center's goal of making Toledo one of the most disabilityfriendly cities in America.

Socialization through recreation is another concept at The Ability Center encouraging people to participate in outdoor and indoor activities. Besides the park program, The Ability Center is working with schools and other facilities to create sports leagues and venues for wheelchair basketball and hockey, as well as lacrosse which is a sport Stuart played and coached.

The Ability Center will continue to expand the work with the homeless community through the Cherry Street Mission, and Toledo Streets. “The homeless represent one segment of our community and if you are on the street, we have to help you because you are like family. We just have to figure out how to make that happen and I don’t think we have an answer yet.”

Courtesy of Toledo Streets / International Network of Street Papers

Photo courtesy of The Ability Center

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS

Transforming the discarded

Fiercely independent, scavenger John Torres shows it is possible to transform what one sees as trash into another person’s treasure

GILES CLASEN Denver Voice

John Torres hates when people look at his amputated leg and pigeonhole him or feel sorry for him.

“Some people look at my leg, stare at my leg — but I don’t give a fuck,” Torres said.

“Some people think I need a lot of help, but I get by fine on my own. It kind of pisses me off when people insist on helping. I can do about anything and will ask for help if I need it — which I don’t.”

Now, Torres spends his days scavenging anything he can from alleys and dumpsters. Torres makes an okay living finding, repairing, then selling items on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

Torres lost his leg nearly 18 months ago on account of

diabetes. He had faced infections and sores for a long time. His leg developed blisters, which caused painful wounds that wouldn’t heal, and those slowed him down.

“It wasn’t nothing to lose it. It had to go. It was making me sick. I had sepsis; it wasn’t good,” Torres said.

He has a very matter-of-fact demeanor when talking about the amputation.

Torres doesn’t lament his leg, and as he talked about losing it, he repeated several times, “It had to go.” Then, after a pause, he said, with a wry grin and in a soft tone, “I never thought I would have a leg like this, though.”

While he may not mourn the loss of his leg, Torres misses the community that was once North Denver and the neighborhood where he grew up, surrounded by family members who have

since passed away. To honor his loved ones, Torres had a custom tattoo designed with the names of his grandfather, grandmother, and mother listed in one work of art on his left arm. He calls it “the dead arm,” a living memorial to what he has lost.

Torres canvases neighborhoods, alleys, and dumpsters for anything of value. He considers it work that is good for his community, the environment, and himself. He is proud that he can find something broken, destined for the landfill — and by showing another person’s trash a little love, he can transform it into a new treasure for someone else.

Torres is always on the hunt for items he can make new again. One evening, he received a tip that a mini fridge was sitting in a nearby alley. There also happened to be an

Photo by Giles Clasen

abandoned grocery cart near the fridge, so Torres wasted no time getting the shopping cart just right as he positioned his motorized wheelchair. He then lifted his good leg out of the chair, and stood on the concrete, his amputated leg propped on the scooter’s seat. Leaning on the cart for balance, Torres pivoted quickly, wrapping his torso and arms around the fridge. His movement was practiced and intentional. Once he had the fridge within his grip, Torres lifted it and then quickly packed it for the journey home. Torres refers to what he does as both work and a hobby.

It gives him purpose and some money. He also enjoys the adventures scavenging offers.

“I see it as a treasure hunt. Every day I am searching for something new, something I can sell,” Torres said.

There is a lot of skill and a lot of luck in scavenging. It is tough to find a diamond in the rough; sometimes it is even harder to find the right person to buy what Torres has found, repaired, and returned to service.

He collects disability and has stable housing. But sometimes, money is hard to come by, and his disability payments only go so far. The extra income he earns helps pay the bills.

Torres is known to travel 50 blocks a day or more in his scooter, zigzagging through alleys and residential streets.

“I charge my scooter and I go,” Torres said. “Just because I’m disabled doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. Losing my leg won’t stop me.”

Torres said a lot of people go through depression when they lose a limb or face other serious medical issues. While Torres is upbeat, he acknowledges that he also suffers from depression but says he works hard to fight it and live as normal a life as possible.

Torres has the support of his girlfriend, which has been monumental for him.

“Sometimes I get down a little bit. But she says, ‘It doesn’t matter, babe. I still love you,’” Torres said with a smile.

Torres strives to be the first to find items he believes are worth selling, even though someone else cast them aside.

“I’ve got four mortal enemies,” Torres said. “The trash man, skunks, raccoons, and the pawn shop. The trash man’s doing his job, so you let that go. The skunk and raccoon — they don’t know any better. But the pawn shop... they’re thieves. They want to give you nothing in exchange for gold. Pawn shops steal from me, so I only have hate for them.” (And yes, Torres has been sprayed by skunks while working.)

When he comes across certain items, Torres sees them as small kindnesses that brighten his day. For example, he came across a TV placed gently against a trash can — as though it had been left there just for him. Torres looked the TV over and noticed a scratch on the surface of the screen, but there was no other damage. He was confident he could buff out the scratch and make the TV as good as new. He then put the remote control in his chair’s storage and lifted the TV to his lap.

With the shopping cart full, Torres flicked his chair’s joystick and motored forward, faster than any jogger or a Lime scooter could keep up with. Then, he proceeded to another neighborhood, another set of alleys to patrol, certain he could fit more in the shopping cart before he headed home.

Courtesy of the Denver Voice / International Network of Street Papers

Photos by Giles Clasen

Digital nomad hotspots grapple with housing squeeze

JOANNA GILL AND DIANA BAPTISTA Reuters

Among the glitzy new apartment buildings springing up in Mexico City's Juárez neighborhood, fashionable coffee shops are taking the place of taco stands and English is replacing Spanish on signs and posters aimed at an influx of newcomers.

The remote work boom sparked by Covid-19 has lured large numbers of "digital nomads" from the United States to the Mexican capital and other cities, drawn in part by lower housing costs south of the border.

But their arrival has fueled some residents' anger — and protests — about gentrification, which they say is pricing local families out of their homes and leading to evictions in areas coveted by developers such as Juárez, Roma and Condesa.

"We're starting to see posters on the street saying that (digital nomads) aren't welcome, and people are getting very angry," said Sofia Ramirez, director of the think-tank México ¿Cómo Vamos?.

Landlords in some popular districts are increasingly opting to let their properties to foreigners via Airbnb at higher rates, locals and researchers say, putting them out of reach of most existing residents.

Of the roughly 10,000 apartments listed on Airbnb in Mexico City, the average price per night is 1,450 pesos ($72), while 95 per cent of Mexican workers earn less than 518 pesos ($26) per day, according to an analysis of data from advocacy group Inside Airbnb.

As the global nomadic workforce tops 35 million, according to a recent estimate by the ABrotherAbroad.com site, researchers and locals say authorities must take steps to protect residents from surging housing demand and ensure they see economic benefits from the shift.

"Digital nomadism wouldn't be a problem if it was regulated to generate the least possible damage to locals. However, we see one population being affected to benefit a different one," said Sergio Ramirez from the 06600 Juárez Neighborhood Platform and Observatory, set up to shield local communities from gentrification.

‘Heart of the problem’

In Portugal's capital, Lisbon — another hotspot for digital nomads — authorities have taken some measures to address a housing crunch caused partly by sizzling demand for shortterm accommodation.

While Lisbon and Mexico City are relatively affordable for many foreigners, they were ranked the world's third- and fourth-least liveable cities based on local rents and wages, a recent study by CIA Landlord Insurance found.

"Here you are at the heart of the problem," said Susana Peralta, gesturing to the Alfama district, a formerly workingclass neighbourhood dotted with chic restaurants and bars dedicated to Portugal's traditional fado music.

"The concentration of short-term rentals in this neighborhood is this huge."

Some researchers estimate the proportion based on shortterm rental listings to be more than 50 % of all residential

"It's good to have nomads here," she said,

Maximize value

Blaming digital nomads as the source of housing shortages in Mexico City's up-and-coming neighborhoods is misguided, and highlights the need for policy to address such social shifts,

properties in the inner city district of Santa Maria Maior.

A change in the short-term rental law of 2018 gave power to the municipalities to limit the number of short-term rentals in certain neighborhoods, though it has not been strictly applied in some districts outside the center, said Luis Mendes, a geographer at University of Lisbon who studies gentrification.

When the pandemic hit, Portuguese authorities banned evictions and key workers were housed in short-term rentals left empty by tourists, but such relief measures have since been lifted in tandem with travel curbs.

For Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas, tourism is "essential for the city". He said he was not afraid of overtourism — it is simply a question of managing it.

He talked enthusiastically about supporting digital nomads and locals via tech startups and the “trickle-down effect” their presence in Portugal could have for the broader economy and local people.

There are signs of this happening, said Romanian fitness app entrepreneur Olivia Benton, who runs Lisbon's Digital Nomad Meetup Group.

The group attempts to create "deeper connections" with the local community through talks, visits and hosting events at local cafes and is open to Portuguese residents.

Benton said she had never felt resentment or hostility from locals towards nomads like herself.

At one recent cafe meetup, dozens of young remote workers

said Ramirez, the director of México ¿Cómo Vamos?.

"Mexican authorities are responsible for the absence of a plan to relocate locals or to provide credits to affected businesses," she said.

According to a May report by México ¿Cómo Vamos?, the lack of data on digital nomads has stopped the country from capitalizing on their presence.

It recommends creating a legal status for digital nomads that provides them with opportunities to invest, create startups, and pay taxes in Mexico.

Many other tourist hotspots have been quick to embrace the nomads, seeing the trend of remaining longer in one location as a way to recoup pandemic losses.

Destinations such as Aruba, Barbados, Cape Verde, Croatia, Estonia, Indonesia, Malta and Norway have created digital nomad visas, allowing people to stay put and work for up to two years.

Beyond the dollars nomads spend, they can collaborate with local workers, helping to share their skills and knowledge, said Prithwiraj Choudhury, an expert on the future of work and associate professor at Harvard Business School.

Instead of trying to limit their numbers, he said governments should seek to "maximize the value creation from nomads".

tapped away at their keyboards as cafe manager Daniella Siragusa served them cups of strong "bica" coffee.

adding that she was thankful for the business after repeated coronavirus lockdowns that she said had brought little by way of state support.

Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / International Network of Street Papers

Photo by Dave Weatherall // Unsplash

Mexico City skyline. Photo by Oscar Reygo // Unsplash

FROM OUR SISTER STREET PAPER IN SEATTLE

Patrick ‘Mac’ McIntyre puzzles us each week

TOBIAS COUGHLIN-BOGUE Real Change News

Patrick “Mac” McIntyre has been constructing crosswords for Real Change for more than 15 years. He estimates he’s done in excess of 750 unique puzzles for the paper, each one painstakingly constructed from scratch. He discovered the paper while working as the executive director of the Northwest Justice Project, which had offices near Zeitgeist Coffee on South Jackson Street in Pioneer Square.

“We would go there all the time when we went down for coffee. They had a vendor that I came to know. I’d always get the paper, so that’s how it started,” he said. Since then, he’s even served on the board, doing a stint as the treasurer. But before and after that, he’s made the crossword every week, without fail.

He quickly learned two things: that the newspaper’s editorial team craved the crossword — “So I wasn’t just sending somebody a lot of shit,” he said — and that the paper’s readership did, too.

“‘We have a lot of people who really like this. We are glad you do this. Thank you. This is really helpful to have this in the paper,’” Real Change vendors told him.

Helpful might be an understatement: The second edition of the crossword book — a sort of greatest hits album containing a little more than half the puzzles he’d done in the past year — sold better than the paper itself.

While Mac is a veteran crossword constructor now, he can’t really remember how he got into it.

“Somewhere along the line, I became one of the people that does them,” he said. “Then it occurred to me, like it might to a lot of people who do them, ‘Hmm, it might be interesting to try to put one of these together.’”

Like many first-time constructors, his initial efforts were not up to his own standard. Crosswords, he discovered, can be going swimmingly up until the last tiny little section, when a certain combination of letters — forced into the mix by the other brilliant words the constructor has come up with — simply doesn’t work.

“When one thing is wrong in a crossword, that whole damn thing has got to be pulled apart and redone,” Mac said.

Insert the classic Ira Glass quote about creativity and taste here. However, while Mac’s early attempts didn’t meet his standards as an avid crossword completer, he wasn’t about to give up.

Mac’s interest in crossword construction became serious after he retired. It was based on a very clear goal he’d set for himself: He wanted to get a crossword published in the New York Times.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m not just going to sit around and golf and all that. What I should do is I should set goals that, in all likelihood, I can’t possibly achieve.’ But ones that I want to do and really care about. So I said to myself that I would get a crossword published in the New York Times,” he said. “I’m just going to do it, and I know I can do it.”

Spoiler alert: he did, several times over. His new goal is to publish one for each day of the week. In the world of crosswords, different days of the week represent levels of difficulty and complexity. Achieving all seven in the New York Times is something like the seven summits for a crossword maker.

While he hasn’t completed all seven, he did get to speak with the person you probably meet at the top: New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz. One of the things Mac most

enjoyed about submitting puzzles to the New York Times, he said, was that they don’t just reject you outright. A lot of time he would get very constructive feedback. In one instance, it was from Shortz himself.

“It came to the point where I actually got a call from him directly,” Mac said. “He called and just said, ‘I like this puzzle and would want to use it.’ But he didn’t like what he would call the southeast quadrant. This is what he actually said: ‘Do you think you could reconstruct that portion and save the rest of it and do that by morning?’ I said, ‘Oh hell yeah!’”

What makes Mac’s crosswords so good? For starters, he cares a lot about language. If you’ve ever done one of his puzzles, you know he loves puns, double entendres, hidden words, backwards words, words within words and pretty much every form of linguistic brain teaser there is.

Like any good crossword constructor, he takes delight in bedeviling his audience. Specifically, the group of longtime friends he mails the paper to each week.

“Literally, it could be the middle of the night, and I get a call, and I’ll pick it up. There’ll be a little quiet, and then they’ll go, ‘You son of a bitch,’” he said. “Like that! And that’s very rewarding.”

However, he always gives you a hint. Most puzzles have themes, which go a long way toward helping you figure them out. There is one that doesn’t in the Real Change 2021 crosswords book. It’s the very last one, and he says he made it to be like a Friday or Saturday New York Times puzzle. Besides that particularly difficult one, no matter how obscure or obfuscated a clue is, there’s always a hint. Sometimes it’s an extra-easy cross clue or maybe an anagram of the answer. For multi-word answers, he tells you how many letters are in each. That’s on purpose, according to Mac.

“When I sit down and do them and think about them, here’s what my brain is trying to do: I’m trying to do this in a way that will get somebody who hasn’t yet fully become a puzzle person to become a puzzle person and get better at it,” he said.

“So, there are things in here — you can do shading or have circles, and they’re helpful, or they’re part of the theme. In a hardcore puzzle, they’re not going to do that.”

He also tries to keep the content relevant. He wants it to appeal to a younger audience — geriatric millennials with desk

jobs, perhaps — but still have some stuff older folks will like. Most of all, he wants the language to be fresh and interesting.

A clue in the 2021 book prompted puzzlers to guess a “genre of rap,” which turned out to be “gangsta,” so it’s safe to say he’s keeping it fresh for a man of his years.

Besides his enduring love of language, what keeps him doing it every week? Obviously, as one of the organization’s longest running volunteers, he believes in the cause.

“I love the premise that Real Change works on, which is this idea that you [can provide] some way of allowing people to advocate for themselves in part and to make a living from selling a product that advocates on their behalf directly,” Mac said. “It’s pretty much totally focused on dealing with people who society wants to throw away and fighting for them. I know it’s a cliché to say it, but it is cutting-edge stuff. You see a cartoon about Bruce Harrell that’s just honest, big time, from this little paper. That excites me. I feel like being part of that is really good.”

He also wants to help, he stressed, because, “I come from the broken family, foster care, removed from the parents into the system [background]; that is where I came from.” That experience, he said, gave him an understanding of why people need help. Without the right people helping him, he noted, he would never have made it through law school and had the long and successful career he did. For him, helping people less fortunate feels important.

However, he admits, doing that via the crossword is not exactly unpleasant. On the board, he said, “I sat through endless meetings and dealt with all the fundraising and internal problems that had to be dealt with, all that stuff. It took my law background and understanding of finance, and I gave it away and said, ‘OK, I’m doing it.’”

When it comes to the crossword, on the other hand, he said, “I look at this and say, ‘Yeah, it’s great that it contributes.’ But I feel a little guilty because I like doing it!”

Editor’s Note: This profile was originally published by Real Change News, Street Sense Media’s sister street paper based in Seattle, Wa. You can find a copy of Mac McIntyre’s crossword on page 31 of this edition. Readers can look forward to seeing McIntyre’s Real Change News crosswords in our upcoming weekly editions.

Patrick ‘Mac’ McIntyre is one of Real Change’s 2022 Volunteers of the Year. Photo by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS

Dispatch from Sweden Skyrocketing rents are pricing people out

SANDRA PANDEVSKI Faktum

Do you live in a cheap rental? I asked the question in a Facebook group. A discussion about what “cheap” means was triggered in the comments. For some, it’s the price per square meter that matters; for others, it’s how much of their income goes to the rent.

“Find a private landlord who hasn’t done any renovations or new plumbing,” writes one person. “I’d rather live cheaply than in a renovated flat,” writes another, who loves his original kitchen. I went to the homes of a handful of people in Malmo and Gothenburg who claim that they live on a “budget”.

I pass by Liseberg, Gothia Towers, Ica Focus, Scandinavium, Ullevi...then there is Gårda, with easy access to some of the biggest attractions in Gothenburg. Here are the “governor houses” (three story apartment buildings), long in danger of demolition. These have survived, amongst other things, the plans to turn them into parking lots.

At Fabriksgatan 41, where Karin Nilsson lives, it is the Familjebostäder Göteborg (Gothenburg Family Housing), the public housing company, that manages the flats. She has lived here for 15 years, first in a three-room flat, then after the kids moved out, she downsized into a smaller one. Today, Karin lives in a 52 square meter two-room flat and pays 4,800 kronor (about 450 Euro) per month. The rent goes up about 100 kronor (about 9 Euro) annually, with the central location as justification. The standard has not changed, however. Karin has spruced it up herself in order to enjoy the place more. She painted the bedroom walls dark green and installed a stainless steel fan in the kitchen. She loves to cook and has worked in a pantry earlier. She is now a pensioner, but before that, she was on disability for many years.

With an income of 11,000 kronor (about 1,015 Euro) including the housing allowance, Karin Nilsson would not be able to afford a higher rent. She says that her son recently moved into a new two-room flat in Sisjön, outside the city. He pays 10,000 kronor (925 Euro) for the flat. “Fortunately, he has a partner — how else would he be able to afford that?”

Karin wonders. The most important thing for her is to have low monthly expenses in order to save up for her interests: travel, and the Frölunda Hockey Club. The hockey team’s home arena is one block away, which means that she saves on the tram ticket when she goes to watch the match.

In the green bedroom, there is an extra fridge and freezer. She bought it in order to make room for the frozen food she finds in the close-to-sell-by-date boxes at Ica Fokus, as a way to keep costs down, what with the increasingly higher food prices.

Few flats in the area have balconies; instead, neighbors take to the large courtyard on sunny days. There are several patios with tables and chairs, flowers, and vegetable plots. Karin

Nilsson helped push through the latest project: a pergola. Gårda is described as a neighborhood with a strong sense of community among its residents. On Christmas Eve, one prepares a Christmas table in the clubhouse, while barbeque evenings are organized during the summer. One of Karin Nilsson’s neighbors, Lasse Edfast, says that there is often a festival vibe on the grass in summer afternoons. He himself got the offer to come and look at his new flat during the Way Out West festival in 2014, which he believes was the reason for the small number of interested suitors. But mainly, it might have been because the 30 square meter, fairly run down, oneroom flat was not decorated in an attractive manner. The sofa was wrapped in plastic, and big, thick curtains darkened the room. Even though Lasse Edfast hadn’t been in the housing line for very long, he got the flat. Those who had priority turned the offer down, and so Lasse got the contract, and that in the middle of town.

He renovated the kitchen himself, using, among other things, wood that he found from a facade renovation. He took out the plastic carpet, revealing the light colored wooden floor, then he painted the walls yellow to give the south facing flat even more light.

When he moved in, the rent was 2,400 kronor (220 Euro). Today, he pays 3,000 (280 Euro). The low cost means that he doesn’t need to spend on his accommodation a substantial part of the income he receives working as a freelance journalist. Lasse ticks off neighbors who have left various well-paying jobs to move here and have lower rents so that they can work on things they’re passionate about. One guy used to be an engineer in Telia, but now he produces music. Another left Volvo to create pop-art which he sells online. But one can never be sure that the low rent would stay low. Lasse mentions a concern around the courtyard: should the bathrooms be completely tiled. Some people have beaten the landlord to it and done the tiling themselves, because you can’t do it twice. Good tip!

Renovations in the bathrooms could easily turn into a rent increase. In addition to the tiles, heated towel rails are another much-debated feature. Currently, they are in every second

bathroom. Last year, the landlord Poseidon gave out information to residents in some of their properties in Gothenburg. They proposed improvement measures with three alternatives: micro, mini, and maxi. The only problem was that microwaves would be installed in a maximum of 20 % of the flats. Thus, everyone didn’t get to choose the cheapest alternative, which was the only way to avoid the towel rails. The tenants went against Poseidon, who then appealed to the rental board—and lost. During the hearing, one of the tenants stated that the city of Gothenburg has a plan to reduce energy use, and that installing heated towel rails ran counter to that plan.

I took the train to Malmo to find out about their “Gårda”. On the way there, I thought about the time when I lived in Barcelona. It was ten years ago, and I never saw a heated towel rail there. Instead, the balconies and the sun do the job. The flat where I lived had noticeably lower standards than in Sweden. The kitchen was barely functional, and the stairs were hard to climb, but I never lacked in anything, neither a tap with good water pressure nor a plastic toilet seat. I was thankful to have a place with low rent because I wanted to work fewer hours and live my life in one of Europe’s most beautiful places, where everyone hangs out outside and home is more of a stopover, and people often dine out rather than at home. In Sweden, we have a different relationship to our home. It’s a place to invite people to, and to show off. For many, it’s important to have the “right” wineglasses and kitchen chairs. In Barcelona, I didn’t buy much furniture: I found most of it on the street. People tossed out the things that they were tired of. I particularly remember one worn-out white cabinet that, after a makeover, became my wardrobe.

When I moved home to Sweden and entered the secondhand rental market in Stockholm, it was different. A sublease of a high-end renovated flat could cost over 10,000 kronor, even one-bedroom flats. That was before you could get compensation for unreasonable rent according to the tenancy law.

I never obtained any lease, be it firsthand or secondhand. The waiting time for a firsthand contract was over ten years, and remains so today. In Gothenburg, as of spring 2022, the average wait is 6.4 years, according to Boplats. But in some

In addition to the tomato-covered balcony, Cecilia Paulsson has a planter in the courtyard where she grows kale, colorful carrots, rhubarb and wild strawberries.

Photo by Maja Kristin Nylander and Emma Larsson

neighborhoods, like Majorna, it is significantly longer— closer to 10 years. It’s shorter in Malmo, “only” a few years, depending on the area.

My contacts in Malmo assure me that there isn’t any area there like Gårda. In the end, I got a tip about a run-down but beautiful house, where several cultural workers lived. When I got in touch with the residents, I understood something different. It might be a house with lower standards, but there was no such thing as low rent.

I keep looking and find a 27-year-old tenant called Oscar. He has been living in a large two-bedroom apartment in Norra Sofielund for a year and a half. The place is 70 square meters and costs SEK 5,900 per month. When I tell him about the difficulties in finding cheap rental properties in Malmö, Oscar is surprised. According to him, rents are low in comparison to the neighboring city Copenhagen. None of his friends there can afford their own apartment because it is too expensive. He also brings up London as an example where many people spend more than half of their income on housing. He doesn’t spend more than a quarter on housing. Here the rents are kept down with the help of, among other things, the original kitchens and bare courtyards.

Oscar's monthly cost recently went up by SEK 80 after he received help with revealing and sanding the wooden floor in the kitchen. He helped remove the layers of plastic matting. “It was like scrolling through history,” he says. When the wooden floor finally was visible, the kitchen floor had been lowered by approximately 25 millimeters.

Previously, Oscar lived in a 39 square meter one-bedroom apartment, which cost the same as the apartment he lives in now. There he had his own washing machine and dryer in the apartment. However, these were appliances he didn't want, he preferred to use the laundry room. For him, it is a benefit that the new landlord is not really up to date. He would rather have slightly draughty windows than pay thousands more per month for “uglier” windows. The spacious corner apartment with balcony and bathtub is a dream home for Oscar. Especially thanks to the neighbors. He describes it as a kind of Seinfeld house. A friend of his has lived here for eleven years and has become the private landlord's go-between when it comes to proposing new tenants. This has led to Oscar having his friends on the other side of the walls.

I also signed a contract through a private landlord. I had been subletting the two-bedroom apartment in Majorna for a year when the direct tenant contacted me. She had bought a house with her boyfriend and wanted to leave the apartment, but recommended me to the landlord. And I emailed him a personal letter. A few weeks later the contract was mine. I had thought this would be impossible to get with less than ten years in the housing queue. The feeling was indescribable.

After years of countless temporary homes, I suddenly had a place to call “my home”.

Next to the pedestrian street in Malmö is Davidshallsgatan. There Fanny Rosberg, 28, and Axel Friberg, 30, welcome us to their hundred square meters. A bedroom, a dining room with adjacent living room, bathroom with bathtub, kitchen with windows facing a leafy courtyard, and after the kitchen are two smaller rooms in a row. Here, Fanny and Axel each have their own study, as both work more from home since the pandemic. She is a linguist and he is a programmer. They lived in Östra Sorgenfri before. There, the landlord was about to change the main drainpipes, and, among other things, towel dryers would be installed … so they chose decided. Axel Friberg had been in the housing queue for nine years and was offered a viewing of the apartment here in Davidshall, which belongs to the public housing stock in Malmö and is managed by MKB.

Others had been in front of them in the queue, but had declined or failed the credit checks. So Axel and Fanny got the old “top floor”, with stuccos and high ceilings. And which had recently been carefully renovated.

Fanny Rosberg says that she thinks it feels “insane” to have such a large home when there are only the two of them. But Axel Friberg does not quite agree. Because that is unfortunately how the rental market looks today. The newly renovated threebedroom apartments they had looked at in during the search cost over SEK 10,000, and were in worse locations. They probably never would have been able to live this centrally, if it weren’t for this opportunity. Equivalent apartments cost between six and seven million SEK. But they didn’t want to buy an apartment. Because it’s far too expensive, and if they had bought an apartment, they would only have been able to afford something smaller, and at the same time they would have been “up to their eyeballs” in debt from the mortgage. By renting, they can live in a five-room apartment and also avoid unexpected expenses, like recently when the dishwasher broke. The landlord is responsible for that.

Fanny and Axel pay SEK 11,400 per month. Compared to the SEK 5,000 they previously paid for student apartments of around 20 square meters, it is cheap.

Their neighbors have lived here for many years and maybe it will be the same for Axel and Fanny. Before I left their home, Fanny Rosberg said “We are completely ordinary people who now live in the middle of the pedestrian street in Malmö. It is very luxurious”. There is something to that. As city centres become more and more expensive, they only exist for one type of people: the rich.

For a year I lived in a collective in Malmö. The apartment was on the ground floor on Helsingborgsgatan, right by the Babel nightclub. It was a noisy time. Three of us shared a threebedroom apartment, and the living room was used as a bedroom

so that we would all have our own. The kitchen and bathroom were common areas. We paid just under three thousand SEK each, a third of our income as students. It was a good time. For the first time, I didn't have to work extra in the evenings and on weekends just to earn enough to pay the rent and live.

On the same street, opposite my old room, Cecilia Paulsson greets me. She has lived here on and off since 2009, also in a collective. On the door hangs a colorful note that says “Kvarken”. It was set up after a Noah’s Ark themed party, but the collective’s name originally comes from the neighborhood being called “Kv”. The ark.

Here, three people share an 88 square meter, four-bedroom apartment for SEK 9,130. Depending on the room size, they pay more or less. Cecilia's room is the largest and costs her SEK 3,400 per month. She doesn’t want to pay any more than that. Low costs have always been important to Cecilia Paulsson, even more now that she only works part time 2 days a week. However, she has been thinking that maybe she should try to find an apartment of her own, because it’s hard with roommates when it’s not a 100 % working out. The current ones will move out this summer and new ones will arrive in the autumn. It will be a last try. At the same time, Cecilia doesn’t know if she actually wants to live alone. Because the beauty of a collective is being able to choose when you want to be alone. To close the door around you, and only open it when you want to talk to someone. Community is not as readily available in a single household.

This autumn I will leave Gothenburg for southern Europe for a few months, and I am now looking for accommodation in Lisbon and Barcelona. It’s not easy. “Tech people” who no longer have permanent jobs are apparently making a pilgrimage to Portugal. They prefer to work in cities where it’s warm, not rainy, and where the food is cheap, not overpriced. It has driven up the prices in Lisbon, says an acquaintance who is trying to help me. In Barcelona, where I used to live, things are also different now. Many apartments in the city centre have been bought up by investors who have rented out expensively through Airbnb. In 2021, the city decided to ban short-term rentals through the service. Hopefully, this will lead to Barcelona regaining its character and people who want to live in the city long-term. I myself finally found an apartment to rent. It is located in one of my favourite neighborhoods right by the sea, but far away from other tourists. It “only” costs SEK 15,000 per month…

Translated from Swedish via Translators without Borders

Courtesy of Faktum / International Network of Street Papers

Lasse Edfast has renovated his apartment himself, and most of the things he has in his home have been found or given to him. Photo by Maja Kristin Nylander and Emma Larsson

20th anniversary

GIGI DOVONOU Artist/Vendor

Time was tight

Tears were shed Diversity has been embraced Many colors mixed around Many languages have been spoken Many nations came over Many smiles distilled, over and over Many tears have been shared and shed Many lives crossed, and gone

Thank you, Street Sense

Happy 20th anniversary

Your girlfriend

KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor

Once, we danced.

Once, we were happy to make love to the music.

Our words would beat to the rhythm of our souls.

Our bodies were waves in the sea.

Your girlfriend, she loves with passion, she takes care of everyone.

I am a girl, always a girl.

I am beautiful, wonderful, unique, and strong.

When God created me, I was a flame from the star, a beautiful shining angel.

I love it when we dance, I love to listen to music.

A mother like you

DON GARDNER Artist/Vendor

Full of love, originality, determination, honor, kindness, creativity, strength, courage, and a will to say I will do what I can

Persevering through lives, trials, and tribulations

As she contemplates her every move A mother who never quits when the going gets tough And storms get rough

Where you seldom hear her say I’ve had enough Feed the hungry Clothe the naked

Educate and nurture, those that are, in her surrounding And never, ever hesitate to help one in need A mother like you

Who prays to “Almighty God”

Knowing He alone will listen to every word She has to say and not leave her Nor forsake her without a way To make it each and every day Holding me close to her when I was sick Made a mess of myself, bad choices, mistakes

And through all the wrong I have done She still loved me and said do better

My son…

Contrary to popular belief and statistics that say A women can’t raise boys to men, She not only raised one or two But three and a girl to survive in this world And she did not contend, what “God” did intent I thank you for the empathy and tenderness That only a mother can give I thank you for your unconditional love, patience, And for all the little things that go unmentioned For “God Almighty” has given you a unique capacity For showing gentleness and compassion And being the influencing force Behind my spiritual growth and direction Words cannot express my gratitude and love For truly you were sent from above And I am blessed

To have a mother like you

Choices

JOHN ALLEY Artist/Vendor

Who did I choose to be?

Without realizing in the process that I don’t know, that I don’t know, that I don’t know …

This road leads to nowhere. There are no levels to this multi-level platform.

The only true level is the platform

And in this being the only level the multi-level platform is nonexistent, is just a verb.

Am I this platform?

Am I not? A stone?

I decide — one, two, three — action!

Affliction breeds challenge.

What if I just feel, without accepting reality as it is until it is not?

Now, a challenge could bring anger, then hatred, then the inescapable importance of suffering.

Unaware of all this love, full of wisdom, full of absence within hollow, then solid, then laughter, then a stone just like a stone; resting in a river bed waiting to get dissolved to become what is not possible to be, or not?

How to wait for the next from without?

A madman waits…place after place, level after level, wanting more of nothing.

There are only virtues in this empty bag.

Thank you all

L MORROW Artist/Vendor

“Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time” (Proverbs 15:23).

In this broad DMV world that we all live in, there are some special people who have the heart, soul and kindness at taking the time to do for others as you would do for yourself. In life we all should never look down on anyone or pity them. You have to look into your heart and show compassion, love, prayer and give the bread of life to your own fellow humble man. We thank you for simply being you. Bless you all!

My sincerest and neverending thanks to Street Sense

JEFF TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

It's coming upon the three-year anniversary of the passing of my dearest friend — Street Sense Media vendor and poet Alice Carter. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere and endless gratitude to Street Sense for all they did to help Alice.

Street Sense staff showed kindness to Alice. They made her feel welcome and loved, two things that she desperately needed, yet that she all too often found in short supply in this cruel city. For a city that touts having some of the strongest human rights laws aimed at protecting transgender and homeless individuals and those with mental illness, I find it horrifying how badly Alice was treated by so many people in so many situations. Alice was particularly fond of Colleen Cosgrove and was fairly devastated when Colleen departed the Street Sense

staff. I wonder if Colleen knows how much she meant to Alice. Selling the paper gave Alice, as it does I presume all vendors, a sense of purpose and dignity. And Alice was always thrilled to see her poetry in print. That truly meant a lot to her. Street Sense was a metaphorical home for Alice. And even more than that, Street Sense provided a literal home for Alice.

Alice had, through Pathways to Housing, obtained her very own one-bedroom apartment. Unfortunately, she lost that apartment and after having been back to homelessness for several months Street Sense got her into a single-room occupancy with her own private bathroom. She was so happy to have regained housing. And it's both heartening and disheartening to reflect on how great it was that Alice spent the last few months of her life knowing she had a place to stay. Yet as much as it meant to her there remained a void, a void she continued to look to the streets to fill. She was lonely. And that was the unfilled void that, in my opinion,

Ode to Thanksgiving!

EVELYN NNAM Artist/Vendor

Oh, Thanksgiving! The time we all come together as one to give thanks and show gratitude for everything we have experienced and shared throughout the year. This year has been full of twists and turns, many ups and downs. We've been through victories and failures, but all that matters is we are still here, living and breathing. We have a purpose to fulfill and Thanksgiving reminds us of that. There are times we feel like we’ve been knocked down and have given up, but I love that through it all I am still waking up every morning experiencing another day of life. Oh, Thanksgiving —- the time that reveals what life is really about. It doesn’t matter about the things we have lost in life, but what truly matters is our loved ones and that we get to live another day.

With a passion

LEVESTER GREEN

Artist/Vendor

All of our thanks are to be given to our Lord, Jesus Christ. With all of what we have done, he still shows us mercy and grace. Showing gratitude to Him so we can effortlessly show gratitude to all. Sometimes we don’t show enough gratitude to those who really helped us and gave us opportunities to move forward, and experience life the way we need to, but it’s never too late to let those know that we are appreciative of their help and selfless actions. Gratitude, everyone! It’s a great feeling regardless of how great or small a situation is, saying thank you means a lot to someone. Even though Thanksgiving comes once a year, the meaning of the holiday should be expressed every day. Care, gratitude, selflessness, love and grace should be displayed all the time.

lead to her foregoing a warm bed to roam the streets on an exceptionally cold December day and night. She braved the bitter cold in search of human interaction. She was also in search of a release from her emotional and psychological pain, in which her loneliness played a significant part.

Street Sense did its part in trying to save Alice's life. Unfortunately, Alice wasn't able to do her part. I will go to my grave believing that the staff at the emergency room were not up to doing their part to save Alice. I think saving the life of a poor trans addict just wasn't a priority for them. I believe had Alice been taken to another hospital, she'd have survived, as she had on so many occasions under similar or worse circumstances.

And though it's repetitious, I just want to close out with one more big thank you to Street Sense for all they did for my friend Alice and for so many others.

I never thought to apply to a job that was geared towards what I was passionate about — marketing and advertising, trying to get and chase money. The exception was I always considered myself as the talent, even when I was at the studio. It was to get my foot in the door for some potential studio time but I ended up working at the front desk because the contacts I'd accumulated by then were assets.

I only just now started going deep in my research for jobs, starting with Paramount Network. I followed up the food chain, applying to places like Bet, Viacom and VH1, but those places were accumulated by parent companies. I'd considered it a sellout really. I mean, after all, I did start out by going to a historically Black university.

What do you think Thanksgiving is all about? Everyone should self reflect and take a moment to understand what Thanksgiving is and share it, discuss it and make sure we do better and show gratitude as much as we can in our lives. It’s also a good time to set goals for the remaining two months we have left in the year and finish it off with a bang! Expressing gratitude, enjoying life and being happy is what I want for each and every one reading.

Who’s ready for the food? Who’s ready to be stuffed? I know I am! The big, baked, juicy turkey and ham, with macaroni and cheese, potato salad, greens, yams, and the list goes on and on! Especially the deserts! My favorite is apple pie. What is your favorite? I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving.

FallMICHELE ROCHON Artist/Vendor

As the leaves bear the color of autumn, it feels like summertime. It’s 76 degrees outside. Earlier today I nestled in the corner of a window and watched where small children played in the sand and jumped on a colorful playground.

I reflected on my grandkids, watching the other children, and recalled what they looked like at 18 months. What a beautiful circle life can weave — reflecting on stages at various age's colors from nature and beautiful, energetic children.

Each stage of life provides an opportunity to look back and smile at the many gifts that God sends during our journey. Time really flies when you're having fun, I relish getting older and asking God to give me the energy of a two-year-old and the wisdom of Solomon.

Finally, may I be like a tree planted by the rivers of water and produce my harvest in its due season, to walk and not faint.

CROSSWORD

Across

Bonkers

How a jolly swagman might greet a mate

Flower holder

Pueblo brick

Actress Skye

Shakespearean villain

Unit used to measure how much muscle a muscle car has

Records, especially those maintained on ships

U.S. gov’t decryption org.

Some cameras, for short

Mexican bread

Slangy phrase that means: “No need to kill yourself; just do the bare minimum necessary.”

Explorer Hernando de ___ (Spanish explorer who was the eponym for a bygone American automobile make)

One consulting a thesaurus is looking for this 33. The “P” in the SPA mnemonic used to remember the classical trio of Greek philosophers

How military academy cadets are expected to sit 36. 911 respondent (abbr./acron.)

“____ Mustard, in the Library, with the wrench”

Something we all inspire?

Gator suffix

Insubstantial beverage...or argument

It can refer to a banana dessert or a bowler’s downfall 46. Offensive football maneuver designed to counter an anticipated defensive blitz 50. “Easy____ it!”

Shout you might hear after a sketchy dude carrying a woman’s purse runs by 53. Theater collectives 56. Artist Salvador who said “I don’t do drugs. I am drugs”

Certain Pontiac muscle car (abbr./acron.) 60. Poet Khayyam 61. Defensive maneuver that may greatly relieve a reliever...or a hint to what can follow each half of 17-, 29-, and 45. Across (2 wds.) 64. Have the nerve (to) 65. Golden State school up the coast from L.A. 66. “It’s good to be the queen!” 67. Common Latin list-ending abbr. 68. Like poorly applied makeup

CROSSWORD

Fashion icon Kate who testified in the Depp vs. Heard court battle

“Farming looks mighty easy when your ____ is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from a cornfield” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Eleven-member group mentioned in a muchcherished holiday carol

Head or belly preceder 24. If it’s not absurd at first, then there is no hope for this at all, per Einstein

Spelling of “Beverly Hills 90210”

The time of day when, in NYC’s Central Park, (per poet Teasdale), “(O)ne by one the lamps come

To thread the twilight with a gleam”

“Not too ____!” (classically understated way to offer a positive assessment of something)

Pie perch

Mi-mi-re-re-do, in a children’s farm song refrain (1-1-1-1-1)

Spies’ language, generically speaking

Part of a Latin trio

Lee that “Nobody doesn’t like...” in a cupcake ad

Overabundance

“And therein lies a ____...”

___ and terminer (criminal court)

Vietnam’s Le ____ Tho

South American tuber

Boston skyscraper named for an insurance 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

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

SHELTER HOTLINE

Línea directa de alojamiento (202) 399-7093

Education Educación Food Comida

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

YOUTH HOTLINE

Línea de juventud (202) 547-7777

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE

Línea directa de violencia doméstica 1-800-799-7233

BEHAVIORAL

HEALTH HOTLINE

Línea de salud del comportamiento 1-888-793-4357

Health Care Seguro

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Clothing Ropa Transportation Transportación

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

JOB BOARD

Kitchen Team Member

Sweetgreen // 1325 W St. NW, Washington

Part-time

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

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

Prepare food items, operate the oven and other prep equipment, follow food safety and quality standards

REQUIRED: Lift up to 25 pounds

APPLY: tinyurl.com/sweetgreen-member

Housekeeping Attendant

Washington Sports Clubs // 1835 Connecticut Ave. NW

Full-time

Maintain the cleanliness of the gym, address maintenance and equipment issues, ensure all supplies such as towels, shampoo, tissues and sanitizer are fully stocked for member use.

REQUIRED: List up to 20 pounds

APPLY: tinyurl.com/sportsclub-housekeeper Dishwasher

The Cheesecake Factory // 1426 H St. NW Full-time

Provide guests with spotless cutlery, plates and glassware. Keep pots, pans and kitchen tools clean and ready at all times.

REQUIRED: Lift up to 35 pounds

APPLY: tinyurl.com/dishwashercheesecakefactory

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

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

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

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

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal Showers Duchas

Laundry Lavandería

All

The greatest holidays

RONALD SMOOT Artist/Vendor

The holidays are coming and it’s going to be a great season. No season in the world is better than the holidays. When I was a kid, I used to love it when the holidays came around. On the fourth of July, I loved the fireworks. I used to go down to South Carolina every summer. When I was a kid, we used to have all kinds of fireworks. They had all kinds of stores to buy fireworks on the road to South Carolina.

I used to go down to my grandfather’s house in the country out in Maryland to do fireworks. But I’ve never done fireworks in D.C. They said that back then, it was the law.

My grandmother would take me down

south when she learned how to drive, and we would ride together. As I get older, I don’t really play with fireworks anymore. I think that I am too old for it now. It’s my little cousin’s turn to get their chance to play with fireworks. They also will go down to Maryland to play

I love Thanksgiving because I love to be with my family. My aunts love to cook turkey, mac and cheese, candy corn and greens. And I love to sit down and eat all of their food. I also love to cook myself.

I used to live with my grandmother and she was always in the kitchen. I would eat anything she would cook for

me. Thanksgiving is a good holiday if you like food. Christmas is another good holiday if you like gifts.

When I was a little kid, I loved when Christmas came because I would wake up early in the morning to look under the tree to open my gifts. I would be happy to see my cousins open their gifts, then I would go back to the house to help my grandmother to cook Christmas dinner.

When my family sat down we would eat our Christmas dinner and I would play my games and then I would watch Christmas movies. I love to watch my Christmas holiday movies, that’s why I love the holidays. Don’t you?

RITA SAULS Artist/Vendor