$1
suggested donation
Do-Gooder Dossier:
Tammy Holder, pg 4
Your donation directly benefits the vendor. Please only buy from badged vendors.
Ohio is a slave market
State begins studying human trafficking, pg 3
May 2010 Local
Country doctor in training, pg 3 Because, pg 8 Obituary: Curtis Streeter, pg 7
National Man in the van, pg 4
Poetry Words Fail, pg 5
Reviews Family House, pg 8
Extra
Hoboscopes, pg 15 Sodoku, pg 15 We are a 501(c)3 non-profit under fiscal agent
You can find us online:
toledostreets.org
Page 2
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
April 2010
Drowning? We’d like to thank you for purchasing this copy of Toledo Streets. We hope you’re enjoying it and discovering a new facet of your community. Please continue to support our vendors when you get the chance. For other ways to support them and the paper, contact us or visit our website for more details. Toledo Streets is a monthly publication called a street paper. We are part of a worldwide movement of street papers that seeks to provide simple economic opportunities to homeless individuals and those experiencing poverty. Our vendors purchase each paper for 25¢, and ask for a dollar donation. In exchange for their time and effort in selling the paper, they keep the difference. They are asking for a handup, not a hand out. By purchasing this paper, you have helped someone struggling to make it. Not just in terms of money, but also in the dignity of doing something for themselves. Many thanks again! We are a non-profit organization operating under a 501(c)3 fiscal agent. This means that any donations made to us c/o 1Matters.org (our fiscal agent) are tax deductible - not to mention greatly appreciated. Our mission is to empower individuals struggling with extreme poverty to participate on a new level in the community through self-employment, job training, and contributorship.
www.toledostreets.org 419.825.NEWS (6397) facebook.com/toledostreets twitter.com/toledostreets
There was a spider in the bathtub the other morning. He was tiny - just a baby one - but I prefer to shower alone. This meant getting rid of him in the most expedient and handy way possible; namely, rinsing him down the drain. A task a little easier conceived than done. He was a fighter. He whirled around a lot. I find stopping the faucet from running helps, so I did that. He was able to stop about a third of the length of the tub from the drain. While all the water drained around him, he staunchly held his fiberglass ground against the tide. I couldn’t help but admire his tenacity. But here was the odd thing... once all the water drained, he was still trapped. Somehow, a drop of water just large enough to encompass him was domed over his tiny body. He continued to hold his ground - all while drowning. I wondered at this. Did he not realize he might shake himself loose from the
Amanda F. Moore, Managing Editor bubble of water? Did he still think himself surrounded by a swirling tide? Was he so exhausted from fighting what must have seemed like a tsunami to him that he didn’t have the energy to crawl out of the little bit of water holding him down? And I also wonder, how much like that spider are we? There are several people in my life, myself included, for whom giving 110% on some days is simply getting out of bed and going through the motions. And these are people with their own beds. We have our medications, our therapy, and a community of people who care to help us cope, to keep going, even to overcome. What holds you down? Depression, anxiety, addiction...? Is it a bubble or an ocean? Does it matter? After all, submerged is submerged. Imagine being without the stability of a place to call home, without access to care, combined with the isolation of extreme poverty. What are the odds of successfully
fighting such a tide... alone? Survival itself seems to be quite the accomplishment. These three things make up the raft to get our unhoused citizens to shore: stability, access to needed resources, and community. Exactly the things we need. Certainly the current tsunami of the economy seems to be overwhelming for most of us. How can we rescue anyone else? But rescue happens everday, in hundreds of ways. Street papers are bought from vendors, rides are given to someone who needs to see a doctor, conversations are started over brown bag lunches, organizations offer meals, housing, and programs. Rafts are loose on the water, and they’re being grabbed. Rescue is happening in Toledo, and each of us can take part. It’s as simple as realizing... THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SMALL CHANGE. Cover photo courtesy of Daniel Tiriba.
Vendor code of conduct While Toledo Streets is a nonprofit, and paper vendors are considered contracted self-employers, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and representing the paper. The following list is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads through and signs before receiving a badge and papers. This Code is also printed on the back of each badge. We request that if you discover a vendor violating any tenents of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should be positively impacting the city. All vendors must agree to the following code of conduct: • Toledo Streets will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than
a dollar or solicit donations for Toledo Streets by any other means. • I will only purchase the paper from Toledo Streets staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers). • I agree to treat all others— customers, staff, other vendors— respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers. • I agree to stay off private property when selling Toledo Streets. • I understand I am not a legal employee of Toledo Streets but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income. • I agree to not sell any additional goods or products when selling
the paper. • I will not sell Toledo Streets under the influence of drugs or alcohol. • There are no territories among vendors. I will respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer. • I understand my badge is the property of Toledo Streets and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling papers. • I understand Toledo Streets strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.
April 2010
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Ohio is a slave market
State begins studying human trafficking
Farming in the city:
From a “Country Doctor” in training
Gregory Flannery Ohio is one of only eight U.S. states that have not enacted laws against human trafficking. Yet Ohio is a thriving market for human beings, according to a new state study. “Report on the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio,” issued by a subcommittee of the Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission, is a first step in quantifying and addressing the problem of human trafficking in the state. Some of its findings are startling: • As a proportion of population, Toledo is the busiest slave market in the United States. • Children who have been involved with the juvenile-justice or fostercare systems are at high risk for being trafficked. • Police, hospitals, social workers and others largely do not understand and therefore do not properly respond to evidence of human trafficking. The report includes first-person accounts by former slaves in Ohio and concludes that the state has failed to respond to the tragedy of slavery within its borders. Recommendations include legislation banning human trafficking, treating child prostitutes as victims rather than criminals and the establishment of safe houses across the state where slaves can seek refuge. ‘Most vulnerable’ Trafficking in humans is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, exceeded only by illegal drug sales, the report says. Quantifying the number of victims is difficult because the trade in people is conducted underground, so the study used a series of models to develop estimates. The numbers show the problem is not rare, with 783 foreign-born persons estimated to be trafficked into the labor or sex trade in Ohio and 1,078 youth who have been trafficked into the sex trade over the course of a year. A variety of factors make Ohio fertile ground for the slave trade. One is
geography. “Ohio’s proximity to the Canadian border makes it possible for victims to be moved through Michigan and be trafficked in various venues throughout Ohio,” the report says. “Toronto’s international airport has been identified as one of the arrival destinations for some victims who are trafficked in Canada, while others are moved through to the United States.” A growing population of immigrants also means a higher incidence of human trafficking. “Most of the migrant labor in Ohio and the United States is concentrated in poorly regulated industries that demand cheap labor,” the report says. “Such industries include textiles (sweatshops), agriculture, restaurants, construction and domestic work.” But not all slavery in the United States involves immigrants. Ohio’s growing poverty rate makes U.S. citizens vulnerable, too. “Those domestic populations who are most vulnerable to human trafficking are the poor,” the report says. “In 2008, 1.5 million Ohioans lived below the poverty level. This is the highest rate since 1994. Since 2002, the population in Ohio grew a total of 1.2 percent while the number of those who are poor grew to over 40 percent. … According to the National Center on Family Homelessness State Report Card (2009), Ohio is ranked 20th among the 50 states for child homelessness, but is ranked 42 out of 50 states for children’s vulnerability to homelessness, which in turn contributes to a higher vulnerability to child sex trafficking.” Perhaps the most disturbing marker for children at risk of becoming trafficking victims is having been involved in the very systems that are meant to help troubled kids, namely foster-care, children’s services and juvenile court. “In Toledo, 77 percent of the trafficked youth had been involved with child welfare at some point in their lives and 52 percent had been involved in the “Slave market” continued on page 6
Page 3
William James O’Fahey
Photo: Angel Fragallo
In the inaugural edition of Toledo Streets, I shared some thoughts about city farming as a possible solution to many chronic “city problems”. In December, we explored the concept “Foods for Healing”; January’s column was devoted to the true story of an unhoused pregnant woman and her husband that moved me as a parallel of the biblical Christmas story. In the February edition, the controversy over the safety of genetically modified seeds was touched upon, and April’s edition featured some thoughts on building local economies. It occurs to me there is a common thread woven throughout all these columns: city farming is a remedy, a panacea, if you will. City farming can cure many societal ills. City farming can provide a foundation for building local economies, preserving heirloom seeds and our right to farm in accord with the God-given cycles of nature, and can alert us to the modern relevance of Biblical stories allowing us to heal the body and ultimately heal seemingly incurable urban sicknesses. At present I am a university student studying botanical medicines, “plant medicines”. And that brings to mind a story about a seller of botanical medicines, that is to say, a snake oil salesman… There was a country physician who
attended a produce auction and flea market on a gray November day. He was immediately drawn to the snake oil salesman’s table. The physician said, “We use these leaves to cure flu ailments.” The snake oil salesman turned to the voice and saw the country physician studying the salesman’s tabletop display. “Which one?” he asked. “Boneset” replied the physician. “Eupatorium Perfoliatum is the Latin name.” “What does it do again?” asked the snake oil salesman. “It treats flu ailments,“ replied the country doctor. “It contains an immunostimulant called heteroxylans that helps fight some influenza strains, you know, the flu. What do you use it for?” The snake oil salesman hesitated, and then snapped back, “OH, YES! The flu. We use Boneset for the flu!” The country physician continued to marvel at the bottled tinctures of the medicine show, and the snake oil salesman wondered quietly to himself that one of his small brown bottles contained a medicine that actually worked! Maybe, he thought to himself, it’s just as much work to make a fake as to bottle a real medicinal elixir. Something that actually helps the sick. From that day the salesman sold only true medicinal herbs, mixed from the ancient formulas he read about in the Bible.
Page 4
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Do-Gooder Dossier: Tammy Holder
Tammy Holder (middle, on floor, with glasses) and residents.
Each month, Toledo Streets will feature a profile on a Toledo area citizen who’s working (or volunteering) to make a positive difference in our community. You can nominate someone for this feature by emailing amanda@toledostreets.org.
federation that Beach House is a member of. Helen Beach Jones strategically placed an altruistic magnet here. Once you are in… you’re in!
What keeps you passionate about performing your name? Tammy Holder service? The miracle of the human spirit. Every How long have you been a day I get to see defeat transformed Toledoan? into hope. I watch adults and children All my life. laughing, playing and learning. I work with staff and board members who pour What’s your favorite place/ their hearts into our mission. I experience thing/activity in Toledo? the excitement of those who come in for Our parks! We have great parks! the first time to help and I am amazed and extremely grateful for all the people, What action do you think businesses and organizations that have would make the most positive helped Beach House remain viable for so impact for Toledo(ans)? many years. Increased employment, education and housing opportunities for impoverished What is the organization’s and displaced individuals and families. greatest need right now? For the community at large to know that What do you do and for for 89 year years Beach House has been what organization? providing so much more than emergency Executive Director, Beach House Family shelter! We help women and families Shelter. regain independence. With the help of all of our partners, we foster positive changes How long have you been through structured programs focused on involved, and how did you goal setting, employment, education and get involved? life management. I have been involved for almost 4 years. I was the Case manager for 3 years You’re on a soapbox and all and have been the director since July of Toledo is listening - what 1st of last year. Prior to joining Team do you say? Beach House, I worked for a workplace Thank you!
April 2010
Man in the van Denver VOICE (USA) – Artprize is a national contest for fine artists and emerging artists from all around the world. It is said to be one of the largest prizes that an artist can hope to win to get recognized for his or her craft. All of the winners are chosen by the public. The top prize is $250,000. For most, when they think of somebody that would be part of a contest like this they would not think of a poor man, a homeless man, as one of its participants. Artist/ driver Aaron Heideman aka “The Man in the Van” proves this theory wrong. “I don’t want to panhandle,” reiterates Aaron Heideman. After losing jobs during the recession his life was more than just a struggle. He hit rock bottom. But he took a creative angle on his situation and found some freedom from a 9 to 5 with a road trip that would eventually take him through at least 30 States in America. His mission: to make an enormous tapestry of people’s experience of the recession. State by state, city by city, he collected words. His project started out in Medford, which he calls home. Driving through places like Portland, Fresno, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver, he met all types of people and had them share their experiences from a sagging economy and what it has done to their lives.
Dwayne Pride People wrote their individual stories on rolls of 50-foot waterproof, tear-proof white tyvek paper. All he asked them was, “How has the recession affected you?” “There is No Recession” As people pass by he hands them cards that say: “Help A Homeless Guy Make Art. History.” The card is how he starts every meeting with individuals before they write their stories on the van. TELL ME YOUR STORY, is written boldly on the side of the van to entice the public to participate in what he is offering them, a way to vent their feelings. People stop with a variety of comments. “There is no recession, that’s a myth,” one man says as he refuses to take a card. “The only reason people think there is a recession is because they say there is one.” Heideman says he is amazed by how many people blame Obama for all of the country’s problems. Despite his views, though, he has tried to keep his project open to everyone. “I’m not a Republican. I am not trying to be political. It is not about what I have to say, it’s about what Americans have to say. I would like to have as many perspectives as possible. The object is to stay neutral,” he says. “Man in van” continued on page 9
People participate in the “Man in the Van” project. Photo: Aaron Heideman
April 2010
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Poetry
Michael Grover
Words Fail (For Stephen Baratta) Words fail Become monotonous, Routine of writing. Self delusion Calls it sacred. Me I have no envy, Idols dead, or on the way. I seek the living, A real human connection. I have seen the greatest minds Of my generation Go insane, No patience. All instant Gratification.
I never asked Steve Why he shook As he slept On my apartment floor. Because it beat sleeping In the bed of a pick-up In the cold Hollywood streets. This wounded genius. I searched for the answer to save him, Which proved to me I was not a savior. I was only a mortal man Armed with compassion. He used follow me around Like I was a savior. When he should have been Working on himself. Steve knew I would protect him If no one else did.
Page 5
I left Steve behind, At the end of the line. To the point he could Follow me no more. He had to stand on his own. Sadly I knew he couldn’t, Some people are just too gentle For this jungle of a world. I left Steve standing Looking on sadly, On the curb of the bus station Clinging to my sleeping bag To keep him warm On those cold Hollywood nights.
Words fail, Become monotonous, This ritual I could never step away from. These words Have kept me breathing. Saved my life Time after time. The Muse my only friend. Visit me when no one else would. Looking back I understand Steve had this within himself This is all I ever Wanted him to know.
Page 6
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
April 2010
Slave Market, continued from page 3
Photo: Kay Charnush for the U.S. State Department
foster care program,” the report says. Toledo has received the most attention in Ohio for human trafficking, with more arrests than any U.S. cities other than Miami, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; and Las Vegas, Nevada. “Given that the city of Toledo’s population is 298,446 and Lucas County’s is 440,456, this area can be considered to lead the nation for the number of traffickers produced and the number of victims recruited into the sex trade per capita,” the report says. In just the past four years, 60 U.S. citizens in Toledo have been identified as child victims of sex trafficking. But the crime goes on throughout the state, with prosecutions for labor trafficking in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. Rescue is step one The study details the horrors to which slaves are subjected – not just lack of wages or freedom of movement but also beatings, broken bones, malnutrition, rape and torture. After being freed, victims often suffer long-term psychological problems, sometimes leading to suicide. “In 2007, one trafficked girl in Toledo who testified in a case outside
of the state of Ohio returned home to find little support, no safe haven and no escape from the internal depression and external stigma she found,” the report says. “With a baby left to care for, she ended her life at 17 years old.” The lack of support for victims isn’t merely a matter of tender feelings. Slaves are often treated as criminals – prosecuted for immigration violations or for engaging in prostitution, for example. “Ohio’s response to child sex trafficking is weak,” the study says. “There are three conventional institutions that will intersect with trafficked youth who are involved in the underground economy practices of sex trafficking. Those are the criminal justice system, the social-service system and the health-care system. Each system’s response, it could be argued, has been either ineffective or insufficient.” The study recommends several steps to improve Ohio’s response to the growing problem of human trafficking: • Stop arresting and incarcerating child victims of sex trafficking. • Pass a state anti-human trafficking law that includes provisions for protection, prevention and prosecution and that attends to “Slave Market” continued on page 9
April 2010
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Page 7
Curtis L. “Goon” Streeter Curtis L. “Goon” Streeter, 62 of Toledo, Died Sunday, March 14, 2010 at N.W.Ohio Hospice of Toledo. Curtis was born in Craven County, North Carolina on November 27, 1947to J.C. and Magadalene(Harris) Streeter. Through the years Curtis worked at various manufacturing companies including Globe Industries and Pickling Steel. He enjoyed dancing, roller skating, fishing, traveling and spending time with his grandchildren and family. Curtis was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Jesse Streeter and his sister, Tina ( Joyner) Streeter. Curtis is survived by his son, Curtis B. Streeter, his two daughters, Kimberly Sullivan and Kathleen Streeter, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren, brothers, Edward (Melinda) Streeter, Stanley (Pauline) Streeter and Eddie Benton and sisters, Barbara Streeter- Brown, Brinda Sullivan and Donna Streeter and a host of other loving relatives and friends including his special friend, Laurie Siwa. The family would like to thank Hospice of NWO for the awesome care they provided to Curtis during his stay there. When death stares me straight in the face, I do not become despondent, for my LORD is in charge of life and death. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” Philippians 1:21 Curtis Streeter (right, on bench) enjoying lunch with friends downtown during Food For Thought.
If God chooses that I die, I am not scared of an unknown destination. I am heading straight into his bosom, where the Scripture says of those who die in Christ, “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16-17 (A.C. Chukwuocha) Memorial Contributions may be made to New Harvest Christian Church C/O Food for Thought, 3540 Seaman Road, Oregon, Ohio 43616 (419) 693-6543
Curtis Streeter was a light in our world: Remember his name.
hes
? n o
o c ic d s u m f t m o m aals ull ds s of s o h c we me nt f rien ght van een in i f fiv a te ew o n ical llow ve n tw ed Ha m & ha lot
you
Tent City 2010 is October 29th - 31st
Tent City 2010
Planning is underway now. Get involved! Meetings: 7pm, Red Cross on Building W. Central
April 21 May 19 June 16 July 21 August 18 September 15 September 29 October 6 October 20 October 27 October 28
Help is needed with organizing: Food Donations Clothing Donations ...and much, much more!
www.1matters.org
Page 8
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Because 1Matters There is a big-ass elephant in the room. The national and local policy makers are working to “defund” most of the shelters and instead invest all of those resources into housing, essentially abandoning those who are deemed chronically homeless, because they are much too expensive to help. Instead, they are moving to a model they call “homeless prevention and rapid re-housing” (HPRP). Our community, like every other community in the nation is seeing evershrinking resources to help those in need. Therefore, like everywhere else, we must respond with increased efficiency and accountability. But holy-moley let’s quit lying to ourselves, get real and maybe even smart. First, though people build campaigns to raise money for this, sorry, but we will NEVER “end” homelessness. This may be sacrilege to some, but to “end” homelessness we first would have to eliminate the root causes - mental illness, chemical addiction, unemployment, job layoffs, home-destroying fires, domestic violence, and poverty. Instead what really IS possible is to create a system that could prevent homelessness for some, and end homelessness for every other individual and family with children who becomes unhoused in our communities, no matter the root cause. When THEY talk about homelessness Photo: Hollie Jeans
Ken Leslie
prevention, essentially they are talking about rent money or house payments. When WE talk about REAL homelessness prevention why not also talk about having enough available detox and recovery beds to prevent one from landing on the streets? Even though we KNOW chemical addiction and/or mental illness are primary causes for many of the more than 1.5 million Americans who lose domestic autonomy each year, over the past decade we have decreased rather than increased spending for detox and recovery beds. Why? Because it was not profitable: Insurance companies cut the amount of treatment available because it was too expensive and interfered with their profits; and those lacking insurance (most are underemployed, unemployed, and certainly many addicts and alcoholics), those who needed it most could not afford health insurance so they got no treatment at all. Instead your mom/dad/brother/sister/ cousin does not get the treatment needed early enough and they end up on the streets. And now the federal and local policy makers have decided your mom/dad/ brother/sister/cousin are too expensive to help and moving those funds to people less expensive to help. (Note: When we had the 1Matters meetings with 150 or so unhoused, the number one reason THEY, the unhoused, “Because” continued on page 9
April 2010
Shelter Review Family House
Bonfiles I like to begin these ‘evaluations’ with my focus on their Mission Statement, because it sets forth the agenda, and primary purpose of the organization. The Family House Mission Statement reads thus: “Family House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing homeless families in crisis with professional, comprehensive housing and social services in a safe, caring environment. Family House is a leader in creating community alliances and in empowering families with self-actualizing attitudes necessary to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency.” Located in the heart of the inner city, the building at 669 Indiana Avenue was previously a YMCA. I grew up only blocks away, and spent many afternoons playing in the facility. Its history as a homeless shelter began in 1985 when it was incorporated as the Toledo Community Service Center, established by the ministers of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA), and their congregations, who were actively involved in securing financing for operations, and furnishings for the families. One founding minister still sits on its Board of Directors. When established, Family House accepted single women as well as families. However, in 1998, in keeping with its mission statement, the decision was made by the Board of Directors to focus solely on the needs of families, recognizing there were other shelters in Lucas County community that addressed the needs of single women. Thus, Family House became dedicated to preserving the family unit during a time of crisis. As I surf through the resource materials given me by Executive Director Janet Boswell, there is little for me to do. On the job since December, 2004, Ms. Boswell leads a competent staff and some very comprehensive programming to families in times of crises. The Resident Program Director, Jori Wilson-Crittenden, is a tangible
liaison between residents and staff, while both administrators promote the intimacy of the organization. “The comprehensive, mandatory programming Family House provides, assists homeless families in moving toward self-sufficiency by providing Emergency & Basic Needs Assistance, Individual Case Management & Client Advocacy, Early Childhood & SchoolAge Education Programming, Life Skills Training, and Aftercare Support. As a result of the programming, participants will receive crisis intervention, move toward stability, and increase their ability to maintain permanent housing.” Families receive counseling and referrals for transitional housing, subsidized housing, or the open housing market. Finally, former residents who move into permanent housing receive twelve months of follow up programming and referral assistance. The largest family shelter in Toledo, and the second largest in Ohio (106 beds), the primary population served by Family House is low income, highrisk families, which are primarily single mothers with an average of three to five children. Family House shelters an average of 800 individuals, 70% of whom are children each year, while programs and services help 200 families each year. Quite simply, Family House is one of our community’s most vital assets. Family House provides safe housing for families up to 90 days. A typical day in the life for Family House residents: 8:00am: Breakfast 8:30am: School-aged children go off to school; Resident chores posted 9:00am – 12:00pm: Resident Programs: Life Skills (Mon), Preschool for infants (Mon-Fri) 12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch 1:00pm-4:00pm: Resident Meetings (Wed); Preschool for infants (Mon-Fri) 5:00pm-6:00pm: Dinner 6:00pm: Resident Programs - Parenting Class (Mon), New Seasons Children & Adult, Art Classes for Children (Wed), Adult Group Counseling (Wed), “Family House” continued on page 10
April 2010
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Page 9
Slave Market, continued from page 6
Because, continued from page 8
the overall issue including supply (victims), demand (customers) and distribution (traffickers). • Improve the oversight of massage parlors, agriculture and other “traditionally exploitative” markets • Train health departments on human trafficking. • Ask the Coalition on Homeless and Housing in Ohio, when interviewing homeless youth, to ask whether they have traded sex for housing or if pimps or boyfriends take their money. • Appoint an ongoing committee to coordinate anti-trafficking activities of Immigration Customs Enforcement, the FBI, state and local law enforcement, child welfare, and the juvenile justice system. • Have Ohio included in the national Human Trafficking Reporting System’s database to obtain better understanding of the problem in Ohio. If Ohio is to stop human trafficking,
cited for becoming and still being on the streets is the lack of detox/recovery beds.) So here is the big-ass elephant in the room no one is talking about. The articulated community plan by the homelessness board and the city for federal, state, and city funding: “Defund” all the shelters except those who can adapt to the HPRP model. Sounds benign and logical right? Well here is what this means: The shelters that provide the most services to those most desperately in need will lose all government funding and most likely have to close because they provide services instead of housing. These include Family House, Aurora Project, Harbor House, Beach House, and others. Only those agencies that have adapted to the HPRP model will continue to get funded. Guess what? They have funded only one organization for this model, FOCUS. They say it is because “they are the only one who has ‘adapted’.”
a systemic overhaul is in order, according to the study. Rescuing slaves is only a first step. Take the case of “Julie,” a 12-year-old Toledo girl pressed into sexual bondage, servicing men at a Pennsylvania truck stop. “With the help of a truck driver and an adult friend, also recruited from Toledo into the sex trade, they were able to escape and call the police,” the report says. The traffickers were prosecuted, but Julie’s troubles didn’t end with her apparent liberation. “Rescue out of the sex trafficking is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a longer, more difficult road to recovery,” the study says. “After returning to school, Julie was ridiculed by her classmates for being a ‘prostitute.’ As a result, she refused to attend school, quickly fell behind and quit.” Six years later she was struggling to overcome another kind of slavery – addiction to crack cocaine.
Man in van, continued from page 4 About five percent of the people that walk by the van take the card from him and disagree and keep on moving. By the end of his stay in Denver, he came up with approximately 137 stories from people that just wrote what they felt as he stopped them, or they stopped to see what all of the commotion around ‘the van’ was all about. Some guy named VonHellFire ’09 on MySpace writes, “Thug Life” hoping all his criminal endeavours will pay off. One man writes, “I sold my body!” Another person after responding to an onlooker’s comment of “get a job” writes, “Give me one.” A New Stage The project is putting Heideman in a new stage in his life. A better understanding. He has never made a living at art before, but has been doing it since he was 18 years old. Most of his work has been two-dimensional oil paintings. Some galleries in Seattle have displayed the paintings. He was supposedly the youngest artist to
ever display his work in the Woodside Braseth Gallery. Before starting “The Man in The Van” project, Aaron was working on a screenplay. He eventually scrapped it, deciding that “The Man in the Van” project was a more motivating way to express himself. He wants to try to build relationships again, so why not just start with the general public. “I wanted to be less selfish… have empathy,” he said. By letting others write he thought that he could reach out more to people. “This is much more rewarding. I don’t want to become a preacher. I don’t want to be political. The real goal is to get people out of their rut.” Since his visit to Denver, he has travelled the country in the van experiencing setbacks along the way. Sometimes he thought that he would not make it. But he never gave up. After reaching his destination of Grand Rapids, Mich. to be part of the Artprize competition, things did not end up quite as he had planned. “The Man in The Van” did not even place in the top 100.
“That’s okay. It wasn’t about winning a big prize…. I’ve been able to inspire a lot of people, and spread a message of empathy and compassion,” Heideman says about his trip. Now, after a long road, Heideman is trying to get on with other parts of his life. He is moving to Seattle after a new found sense of adventure. He has had a few offers from movie producers to discuss “possibilities.” Aaron says, “I’m also hoping to write a book about the whole experience (including actual transcribed stories), but that’s tough right now because things are a little stressful. I’ve been living in a van for over one year now, and I’m ready to move on with my life.” He goes on to say, “It’s amazing what kind of rewards come when you have the courage to serve others.” I guess winning is not everything.
Really now? This might be because FOCUS is the only agency they gave money to in order to “adapt” to the HPRP money. Give any agency the money to do it and they can adapt, too. Is this right? I don’t think so. I think we should be raising the level of capacity for all the shelters, especially those heroic shelters that have a MISSION to serve those most in need, NOT the agencies that cherry pick the easiest, give them rent money… Don’t get me wrong, I think HPRP is a great model and much needed program. And I think FOCUS does a great job on many levels, including HPRP, so it’s not about either of those. To me it’s about the shelters that provide the most services are about to get crunched when the elephant sits on them. And the people who need the services most? They are about to get hosed by the elephant’s trunk. Let me ask this; so what are YOU going to do about it? 1Matters, don’t you?
Think you Can’t afford advertising?
think again! An ad this size only costs $35. What do you get in return? - Reach a loyal readership of over 1,200 Toledoans who support local economy via the paper - Mentions on our Facebook page, Twitter updates, and on our site, reaching several hundred more fans and followers
what do you think now?
we think it’s time you called!
419.825.6397
Page 10
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Family House, continued from page 8 Budgeting & Nutrition Classes 9:00pm: Curfew I was also given a “Vision Statement” which I think encompasses what this organization hopes to accomplish: “Our vision for the Lucas County community is to be a caring community committed to providing a systematic continuum of care for at-risk individuals and those in need of permanent housing. The primary purpose of this community of alliances and collaborations of organizations and businesses is to provide a wide range of services to support individuals and families as they move from crisis to selfreliance. As a recognized leader in providing comprehensive services to families who are homeless, Family House provides families with the tools to become self-sufficient and is a facilitator of linkages with other service providers. We dedicate our efforts to creating an environment that is compassionate, valuing all individuals and treating them with respect regardless of the factors contributing to their homelessness.” Last year we learned that 42% of the unhoused were families. I cannot say exactly how disturbing this single statistic is. Foreclosures were up 600% in Lucas County, so what is already a disturbing number, promises to get worse. And while we are ‘retooling’ our skills for green energy, unemployment, as high as 25% locally, is unlikely to improve very dramatically. I don’t believe we have seen the worst of this circumstance. As you know, I am very fond of the Cherry Street Mission Ministries, its programs, and people. I have dubbed it the “granddaddy of them all”. Well, Family House is an organization that means to families what Cherry Street means to single men. She is our great-grandmother. One thing more: the annual operating budget for Family House is $700,000 per year. The shelter is funded through federal, state, City of Toledo (HUD) Funding, United Way of Greater Toledo, foundations, donations, and special event
fundraising. In recent years, revenue across the board has decreased by an average of 30%, while the demand for, and cost of, services is on the rise. If you can help, your financial support is desperately needed. Send your check to: Family House, 669 Indiana Avenue, Toledo, Ohio 43604. bonfiles. . .
Counter-clockwise, from top: Preschool room at Family House; part of the exterior of the building; and one of the classroom/meeting areas. Photos: Robin Charney
April 2010
April 2010
Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission
Hoboscopes Aries | Do you ever feel more like a number than a person? Like you can barely remember your own name, but #24601 rings a bell? We all get shuffled around in the system these days, Aries, and it’s hard to feel like anybody even sees you, much less respects your innate humanity. There isn’t much you can do about how the system treats you, but there’s a lot you can do about how you treat those you come in contact with. Go out of your way to make those little human connections today. Those moments will be their own reward. Taurus | Hope can be a dangerous thing around here. What if it just stays like this forever? What if you don’t get what you want? What if you dig, and dig, and dig and it never gets you anywhere? So I suppose you can hope, or I suppose you can stop hoping. It’s really up to you. I guess it comes down to one simple choice, Taurus. Get busy living, or get busy dying. Gemini | I know it’s lonely out there, Gemini, but from the look on your face, I’d think you’d been sentenced to live out your days mining dilithium on the icy Rura Penthe asteroid; hurtling through space with no hope of escape. Chin-up, compadre! Just because things aren’t going the way you’d hoped doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. You’ve got friends here...and they’ve got phasers. Cancer | Half the time I don’t know why you do the things you do, Cancer. Didn’t your mama ever tell you not to play with guns? And when I think what you did in Reno! Yet, here we are again, listening to the trains go by and wishing we were on them. Don’t hang your head and cry, Cancer. That won’t get you anywhere. You made this bed and your going to have to sleep in it. Sure would be nice if it were a sleeper-car on that train, though. Leo | Yours is a forbidden love, Leo. You’re not just on opposite sides of the camera, you’re on opposite sides of the law. But The Stars would have you take the advice of a friend and make due with what you have. If there is no meat, eat fowl. If there is no fowl, eat crawdad. If there is no crawdad to be found, Leo, eat sand. Take
Page 11 Mr. Mysterio
whatever you can find and step boldly into that future where all parents are strong and wise and capable and all children are happy and beloved. Virgo | What we have here, Virgo, is a failure to communicate. I know you feel like you aren’t the one to blame in this scenario. I know you feel a little pushed around. It’s hard to believe that communication would even do any good here, why not just take your lumps and get on with it? But, listen, eventually both sides of this story need to be told and need to be heard. Listen, talk, listen. It’s the only way through this mess. Libra | You executed your plan perfectly. You thought it out to the last painstaking detail. You gained the respect of your enemies and just when the moment was right you exacted the justice they deserved. So why is it that now nobody remembers your ingenious and diabolical revenge, they just think you make a great fried sandwich? You never know what your legacy will be, Libra. Perhaps you’ll be known for what you accomplished, perhaps you’ll just be a namesake for a diner menu item. You can’t write the future so you’ve got to live in the present. Scorpio | For all the good you do around here it seems like you’re only ever repaid with a mouthful of flies. You feel it all, but you can’t fix it all. All The Stars have to offer this month is this: keep it up. Even if you aren’t properly appreciated or understood, all you can do is live the best life you know how and give of yourself where you see a need. Sagittarius | Why would the warden throw a party at the county jail? Where did Spider Murphy get a tenor saxophone? And what, exactly, was going on between prisoners #47 and #3? Sometimes, Sagittarius, things happen that don’t make any sense at all. When faced with such a scenario you can make one of two wise decisions. Either stick around and get your kicks, or make like Shifty Henry and make a break. Capricorn | You’ve got this blame
thing down, Capricorn. The excuses roll off your tongue like second nature. “It’s not my fault.” “They made me do it.” “It wasn’t me, it was the one-armed man!” You may feel like you’ve covered your tracks by throwing the blame in every direction but your own, but one day soon the blame is gonna track you down. When it does, you better have something more to show than excuses. Aquarius | You seek a great fortune, Aquarius, and you will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek. First you must travel a long and difficult road, a road fraught with peril. You shall see things, wonderful to tell. You shall see a cow on the roof of a cotton house. And, oh, so many startlements. I cannot tell you how long this road shall be, but fear not the obstacles in your path, for fate has vouchsafed your reward. Pisces | Who doesn’t like soft things, Pisces? You know, like soft music. Maybe a soft little baby duck on Easter morning.
Keep it soft and take it slow, Pisces. Ease up. Breathe deep. Think smooth and fluffy thoughts. The world has enough jagged edges. Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a convicted jaywalker or a court-appointed attorney. Hoboscopes appear courtesy of The Contributor street newspaper in Nashville, TN. Want more tidbits of timeless truth? Follow Mr. Mysterio on twitter at: http://twitter.com/mrmysterio Each of this month’s Hoboscopes feature a reference to a prison-themed movie, book, song or TV show. If you can name all the prison stories referenced, you’ll be entered to win a 1 year subscription to Toledo Streets! Submit answers via email to amanda@toledostreets.org or by mail to 2625 Oak Grove Place, Toledo, OH 43613. Please include your name, phone number, and mailing address. Submissions should be in by 5pm EST on May 11th. Drawing will be held May 12th.