01 22 2020 by Street Sense Media

Vol. 17 Issue 6

Jan. 22 - Feb. 4, 2020

Real Stories

We look out for each other. streetsensemedia.org

@ streetsenseDC

Real People

suggested donation goes directly to your vendor

Real Change

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busINEss MoDEl

info@streetsensemedia.org VENDORS

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each vendor functions as an independent contractor for street sense media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.

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street sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00. i agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for street sense media by any other means. i will only purchase the paper from street sense media staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors. i agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. i will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices. i agree not to distribute copies of street sense on metro trains and buses or on private property. i agree to abide by the street sense media vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes i have with other vendors in a professional manner.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS mary coller albert, blake androff, Jeremy bratt, cameron curtis, Jennifer Park, michael Phillips, dan schwartz, John senn, aaron stetter, daniel Webber, shari Wilson, corrine yu

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

i understand that i am not an employee of street sense media, but an independent contractor.

brian carome

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eric Falquero

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elizabeth duan

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10. i agree to support street sense media’s mission statement. in doing so i will work to support the street sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

INTEREsTED IN bEING a VENDoR? new vendor training: every tuesday and thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 g st., nW

The Cover

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

michael harris (left) resided on K street until a new policy took effect on Jan. 16. he is now neighbors with anthony cosby (bottom-right), who has lived in the L street underpass for about a year, they are both d.c. natives. photos By Rodney choice

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.

and BenJamin BuRgess // Volunteers

shuhratjon ahmadjonov, Wanda alexander, gerald anderson, charles armstrong, Katrina arninge, Lawrence autry, daniel ball, reginald black, mathew bowens, rashawn bowser, clarence branch, debora brantley, andre brinson, Laticia brock, brianna butler, melody byrd, Juan callejon, anthony carney, conrad cheek, anthony crawford, Louise davenport, James davis, david denny, reginald denny, ricardo dickerson, Patricia donaldson, nathaniel donaldson, ron dudley, Joshua Faison, Queenie Featherstone, Jet Flegette, Jemel Fleming, aaron garland, anthony gary, James gatrell, Kidest girma, chon gotti, george gray, marcus green, Levester green, barron hall, dwight harris, Lorrie hayes, Patricia henry, derian hickman, Vennie hill, ibn hipps, dan hooks, James hughes, Joseph Jackson, chad Jackson, henry Johnson, mark Jones, morgan Jones, reggie Jones, mathew Jones, matt Jones, Juliene Kengnie, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, scott Lovell, michael Lyons, Jermale mcKnight, Jennifer mcLaughlin, Jeffery mcneil, ricardo meriedy, Kenneth middleton, L. morrow, collins mukasa, evelyn nnam, moyo onibuje, earl Parker, terrell Pearson, aida Peery, hubert Pegues, marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Portee, abel Putu, ashshaheed rabil, robert reed, corey sanders, gerald schwinn, mary sellman, chris shaw, Patty smith, ronald smoot, david snyder, Franklin sterling, Warren stevens, James stewart, beverly sutton, sybil taylor, Jeff taylor, archie thomas, eric thompson-bey, martin Walker, michael Warner, Vincent Watts ii, sheila White, angie Whitehurst, Wendell Williams, ivory Wilson, charles Woods, Latishia Wynn

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR VENDOR MANAGER DIRECTOR OF CASE MANAGEMENT Lissa ramsepaul

CASE MANAGER nikki d’angelo

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT maddie cunnigham

WRITERS GROUP ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Willie schatz

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) rachel brody, arthur delaney, britt Peterson

EDITORIAL INTERNS avi bajpaj, ben cooper, Julia Pinney, sahda Polonko, Katherine randolph

DESIGN INTERN camille rood

ADVISORY BOARD John mcglasson

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS ryan bacic, roberta haber, thomas ratliff, mark rose, andrew siddons, sarah tascone, Jenny-lin smith

OFFICE SALES VOLUNTEERS bill butz, Jane cave, roberta haber, ann herzog, Lynn mandujano, Leonie Peterkin, eugene Versluysen

streetsensemedia.org

EVENTs

// 3

aT a GlaNCE

Second NoMa Town Hall on Homeless Encampments Thursday, January 23 // Doors: 5:45 p.m. // Program: 6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. The Father McKenna Center, St. Aloysius Church // 900 North Capitol Street NW Building on the attendance, engagement, and positive feedback from our first community town hall on the noma encampments, street sense media is hosting a second event with a similar format. by request from NoMa residents who attended the first event, the panelists will be exclusively community members proposing specific, actionable solutions. We’re returning to the same venue and inviting a variety of city officials to join other stakeholders in the audience and participate in the conversation. MORE INFO: https://tinyurl.com/noma-town-hall-2 saturday, Feb. 1

uPdates onLine at ich.dc.goV

Memorial: Alice Carter 1 p.m. Foundry United Methodist Church 1500 16th St NW

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings Youth Committee Jan. 30, 10 am // 441 4th Street NW *the Jan. 28 strategic Planning committee meeting is cancelled.

courtesy oF @JacKiebensen / tWitter

This list features only committee meetings. For issue-focused working group, contact ich.info@dc.gov.

saturday, Jan. 25

Happy Hour to support The H3 Project 5 p.m. Union Pub // 201 Mass. Ave NE nuboXX has arranged for a fundraiser where $1 from purchase of every select beer will be donated tothe h3 Project, a new organization “mobilizing to end homelessness and human trafﬁcking in D.C.,” according to its website.

Submit your event for publication by emailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

AUDIENCE EXCHANGE LaVerne Byrd @LaverneByrd

ACLU of DC @ACLU_DC

@streetsensedc has published an intimate poetry series [with @uWnca], #humansWithouthomes. showcasing the voices of our neighbors in transition. https://tinyurl.com/uWnca-hwh1

devastating op-ed by @bcarome1 of @streetsensedc: “her death reﬂects a collective failure of our shared responsibility to the most vulnerable members of our community. our safety net failed to protect Alice Carter.” https://t.co/bdkVrs4Pxg?amp=1

8:58 PM - 15 JAN 2020

8:11 PM - 13 JAN 2020

Street Sense Media Artist/Vendor Angela Pounds died on Jan. 1, 2020. Her family held a service shortly after we learned of her passing.

“Angela was affectionately known as “Angie” by her family and close friends. To know her was to love her ... On May 3, 2016, in Washington, D.C., she married the love of her life, Frederick Hubert Bennett, Sr.” Funeral Program

coRRections in the previous edition of street sense, the package of coverage surrounding homeless Persons’ memorial day included street sense media Vendor/ artist alice carter among those remembered for having died without a home in 2019. however, ms. carter was recently housed. this does not change the fact that she is sorely missed. in the same package, a statement made by dana Woolfolk of the national coalition for the homeless at the dec. 20 interfaith memorial service was misattributed to steve thomas. the online edition will be updated.

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NEWs

Fundraiser aims to distribute 1,000 sleeping bags across DC

At Charlie’s Place, homeless services are managed by someone who has been there

By KatheRine RandoLph Editorial Intern

By cLiFFoRd samueLs Editorial Intern

Although the constant narrative for homelessness is doom and gloom, for Reggie Cox, it was a stepping stone to higher heights. Currently standing as the executive director of Charlie’s Place, Cox stands not only as an example, but an inspiration to everyone who walks through those doors. As a child, Cox was already accustomed to a nomadic lifestyle, moving from Ohio, to New York to D.C., then Baltimore. “I just say I’m a local D.C. resident, because I lived in other places, so I try to condense it a little bit,” Cox said. His father, who was a professor and attorney, and his mother, who was a nurse, emphasized the importance of education by sending him to private schools and boarding schools. As a young adult, he attended multiple colleges, including Morgan State University, Coppin State University, and the Art Institute of Washington. Being a history and education major, Cox always sought after more knowledge. “I never finished my degree, and, rightfully so, that’s one of the things I’ll be working on,” Cox said. “ I don’t want an education just to get a job, but it’s something that I crave.” In 1998, Cox was hired by the media monitoring company Burrelles which was headquartered in Livingston, New Jersey, and had a D.C. office on Connecticut Ave. Starting out at entry level, Cox worked his way up and found great success. Everything was going well until 2013, when the company abruptly told the workers they were going to shut down the D.C. office. Cox was confident because he had some money saved up and he figured he could get another job with relative ease. However, this wasn’t the case. “It just didn’t work out that way,” Cox said. “It was a time where there was economic turmoil, a lot of people were losing their jobs, it was bad, man.” Cox had to think quick. He told his landlord he’d be moving out and he ended up renting a room from a friend he ran into for a six-month period. Although he had put out his resume for potential employers, there were no responses. “I had to make a decision, it’s either I need to hold on to some money because I don’t know what’s going to happen, I can’t just keep paying rent and not have any income coming in,” Cox said. Cox made a decision. He put some of his things in a storage unit and attended a going away party for his sister. That night would be the first night he slept outside.

Reggie Cox stands in his ofﬁce at St. Margaret’s Church, which houses Charlie’s Place, the program he now runs. Photo by cLiFFord samueLs.

“I did have some money, but that was to survive, you know,” Cox said. He would sleep on a bench at Lafayette Park near the White House. It wasn’t as bad at first, but as hypothermia season began to kick in, it became clear survival outside was much more than having some money. Police officers would often go up to Cox and tell him about places to go, including Charlie’s Place. One night, a hypothermia van spotted Cox and the workers implored him to get out of the cold and into a shelter. Cox, not knowing anything about shelters, declined the offer at first. They pleaded with Cox and he gave way. The place where the workers took Cox was familiar to him. It was Banneker Recreation Center, where he used to play basketball and go swimming as a kid. “It felt odd to be coming back in that situation,” Cox said. He wasn’t let inside immediately due to other activities, such as karate and yoga class taking place in the recreational center, leaving him to stand out in the cold again. “You make a lot of these mental notes and you say to yourself if you’re ever in a situation to help, what would you do?” Cox said. Cox took it upon himself to visit Charlie’s Place for the first time. As he approached the doors, volunteers eagerly greeted him while nurses asked to check his blood pressure. The nurses told him he had high blood pressure, to Cox’s surprise. Volunteers continued to offer him things such as T-shirts and a hot meal. “The atmosphere was nice, man, it was calming,” Cox said. He recalled being able to sleep well because of the soothing atmosphere. Cox would volunteer and assist the floor coordinator on a day-to-day basis, becoming more acquainted with the work and everyone walking through the doors. Eventually, the program director recognized Cox’s work ethic and determination and hired him as the Executive Director. “I believe in you making your destiny,’’ Cox said. “Sometimes destiny come upon you and you gotta seize it and then sometimes you gotta make your own destiny.”

This winter, Kirk “Scooby” Ellis is hoping to improve the nights of people experiencing homelessness through his GoFundMe fundraiser “Sleep Warm Tonight” Sleeping Bag Event, an initiative in which he is working to collect donated sleeping bags or purchase enough sleeping bags to distribute 1,000 sleeping bags to homeless individuals in D.C. In an interview, Ellis said he personally knew three people who have died recently while experiencing homelessness and hopes the sleeping bags will prove valuable to those who cannot or choose not to access shelters during the NovemberMarch hypothermia season. “It gives you a sense of independence and freedom because now you’re not necessarily dependent on a place to get warm,” Ellis said of sleeping bags. This is not his first time organizing for the homeless community. In November, 2019, he organized an event in which he distributed 300 pairs of long johns to people experiencing homelessness between Union Station and Georgetown. As he passed out the thermal underwear, however, Ellis realized sleeping bags were a more pressing need. “This is a plus and a minus because the need was for sleeping bags,” he said. “Here we go coming into the Christmas holiday when I should’ve been pushing this priority agenda a little earlier. That’s the thing though, I come with experience, I know better for next year.” Michael Harris, who lives in a tent in NoMa, had some concerns about the plan. He pointed out that for residents who already have a lot to carry, sleeping bags can add to the burden. He added that more expensive cold weather sleeping bags are

OneTRIBE outreach participants distribute resources to encampment residents in NoMa. Photo courtesy oF KirK eLLis.

most helpful. He recommended that Ellis cut his goal from 1,000 sleeping bags to 500 in order to make distribution easier and ensure that the bags are of high-quality. “The sleeping bags I think are okay, but I’d say he should think about bringing down the number,” Harris said. Based on his own experience being homeless for roughly six years, Ellis said not all outreach to the homeless community is helpful. He plans to give residents the sleeping bags and ask nothing in return. “A lot of charity groups come out there with agendas,” Ellis said. “‘We wanna take pictures with you. We wanna give you God like you don’t have God because you’re homeless. You need to be prayed on and not for.’” Ellis, who says he never used the shelter system, said there isn’t a cure-all for homelessness and that outreach efforts should respect people’s choices when it comes to shelter. “Let’s not forget the part that the shelter is an uprooting process. Imagine you living in your home, and every night instead of you going to your home, you gotta go somewhere on the other side of town and stay there for eight hours.” For his next project, Ellis wants to partner with D.C. government to offer standardized storage containers to people experiencing homelessness, similar to blue recycling bins. He said recognizable and portable bins could alleviate issues with property being thrown away by city employees or passersby. But for now, he’s focused on the cold temperatures in the District and hopes that Sleep Warm Tonight will prove helpful. “It’s giving you the chance to fight the elements on your own terms,” Ellis said.

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Two men experiencing homelessness move their belongings from an underpass in NoMa while the Department of Public Works cleans an encampment. The frequent cleanups are a challenge for homeless people with disabilities. Photo by Joseph Young

New community responses bring hope to people experiencing homelessness in the District, but more permanent housing is needed There is a way out of America’s homelessness crisis. It starts by meeting homeless people where they are with daily outreach and ends with access to affordable, permanent housing. By Joseph Young and Robert Warren

Editor’s note: This story was produced as part of “The Right to a Home,” a Community Based News Room (CBNR) series produced in partnership with four street newspapers to examine homelessness issues across the United States. CBNR is a project of Law@the Margins, and the series is supported by a Solutions Journalism Network grant.

enry Wilson, 46, woke to the sounds of Washington, D.C., police officers scuffling by his tent in the M Street NE pedestrian underpass on this summer night. A woman’s body lay on the sidewalk in front of the tent parked next to Wilson’s. None of the other people living in the homeless encampments that have sprung up in the NoMa neighborhood seemed to know much about the deceased woman now covered in a white sheet. Wilson, her neighbor, only knew that she went by the name Tink. Michelle Hydier, 52, who has been living at the M Street underpass for the past six months assumed this woman died from a drug overdose. “They could send drug counselors here,” Hydier said. “If the city was supportive of [people with substance use disorders], I think that would eliminate the problems they are having.” Hydier has bouts with schizophrenia. So does her friend, Ricky McNeill, whom she shares a tent with. In the NoMa neighborhood, the underpasses at K, L, M

and First Streets shelter just a fraction of the more than 600 homeless people living on the street — out of the 6,521 people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. — including McNeil, Hydier and Wilson. McNeill, 46, also has a bipolar disorder. He has been homeless since the age of 14 and self-medicates with illegal substances. “He is just hurting himself,” Hydier said. Hydier wants the city to do more. She said the city has failed to provide mental health services to those living at the homeless underpass encampment. Of all “unaccompanied adults” counted as homeless in D.C. by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in January 2019 — sheltered or not — 30 percent had a history of mental illness and 20 percent had a history of substance abuse. However, a Street Sense Media survey of 25 NoMa encampment residents at the K, L, M and First Streets NE underpasses found that 52 percent of respondents reported a problem with drugs, such as K2, PCP, marijuana, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. Of that 52 percent, approximately 31 percent had a problem with more than one type of drug. A staggering 80 percent of the encampment residents surveyed reported having a diagnosed mental illness, including schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, depression and bipolar disorder. “Some of the people that are mentally ill should be getting medication, and they are not getting those services,” Hydier said. “That causes a problem in the encampment.” The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) in the District of Columbia is listening. It also has the financial resources from the District to act and is implementing an action plan

to better serve the needs of individuals who are experiencing homelessness. In 2019, the budget for DBH was $285 million, a $7 million, or nearly 3 percent, increase from 2018 (after adjusting for inflation). In 2020, the proposed budget is $319 million, a 10 percent increase. A lot of that money is going toward outreach services, such as the DBH Community Response Team (CRT), which is a new 24-7 direct service team that includes homeless outreach, mobile crisis, and prearrest diversion. “We had three different programs that merged and then expanded,” said Jordan Gulley, the homeless services coordinator at the Department of Behavioral Health. “We had our mobile crisis, which responded to the crisis concerns throughout the community. We had the homeless outreach program, which did outreach in the community and tends to work specifically with people with more complex behavioral health issues. And then our pre-arrest diversion programs, which identify individuals through low-level offenses that might be directly related to behavioral health concerns. And rather than arresting them, they will be diverted into the prearrest programs. The community response team is a merger of [those] three existing programs that were at DBH and then expanding our services.” The response team does active outreach into the community to identify individuals living on the streets who need help with health concerns, mental health issues, substance abuse problems, and they actively engage with them. “We try to get them connected to resources, determine the level of care of service that they might need and then kind (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

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NEWs

Ricky McNeill (left) has schizophrenia and a bipolar disorder. He also has been homeless since the age of 14. He is 46 now. Michelle Hydier (above), 52, has bouts with schizophrenia. She has lived on and off the streets since she was 30 years old. Photos by Joseph Young

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4) of facilitate that connection,” Gulley explained. “There’s a lot of money toward homeless outreach services that are run through DHS [Department of Human Services]. So there’s a lot of coordination between teams right now, a lot of boots on the ground trying to really work with individuals who are experiencing homelessness on a gamut of services.” This robust collaboration has come together and grown over the past year, and in earnest since June. The first full alert of the season for the Community Response Team was a week before Christmas. “I worked until 5:45 this morning, from about seven,” said Gulley. “But with our team, we have three shifts so that we have 24-hour coverage. There are always people in the community. We are doing community outreach as well as crisis response.”

Getting People Into Permanent Supportive Housing First The Department of Behavioral Health is not the only organization responding to the needs of the community and connecting people to services. Pathways to Housing DC is on a mission to end homelessness through housing first and serves more than 3,500 adults each year who are experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness. Since 2004, when the nonprofit organization was founded, Pathways has moved over 900 people into its permanent housing program, with 92 percent of them remaining in its housing program and 100 percent of the people it serves overcoming mental illness, substance use or severe health challenges. “Some people just need more support. … It’s really hard to work toward any type of concrete goals without the stability of housing,” said Emily Hill, a program manager for Pathways to Housing DC and former outreach specialist. The nonprofit receives multiple contracts from city

government to provide street outreach and housing. It is a branch of the national organization founded by Sam Tsemberis, who pioneered the housing first model by documenting how much more expensive it is to pay for emergency services for people on the street than it is to pay for housing and supportive services. “When working with a population that has dealt with so many difficult things throughout their lives, it may be the first time they’ve had their own apartment in a long time or ever. And, really, that type of stability takes a lot of assistance,” Hill said. “That’s why PSH [permanent supportive housing] is so valuable, because the caseworker works with the consumer to be successful and maintain their housing, which we believe is a human right. The amount of support an individual needs is always different. Some people might need help setting up their utility payments. Or they might need help doing meal prep, things like that. Also being a resource for them if they need more intensive services, such as mental health resources.” The local government of Washington, D.C., formally adopted this “housing first” approach to homelessness in 2008, which focuses on housing people before requiring them to be employed, sober or on medication. “We need to improve access to housing for vulnerable individuals and families by ensuring we fund Permanent Supportive Housing programs that use a Housing First model,” states the city’s most recent strategic plan to end homelessness. “Some programs within our system have so many eligibility requirements that we are unable to place into permanent housing the very individuals and families that the programs were funded to serve.” Aaron Howe, a Ph.D. candidate and teaching assistant at American University in the department of anthropology, is passionate about ending homelessness. Howe has been attending homeless encampment cleanups about twice a week for over a year and knows many homeless residents and people at the organizations working with them, including the

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless (which provides legal services to people who are homeless) and Bread for the City (which provides food). He has done a lot of research, including interviews, on the government and private agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services and the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) and would like to see the city do more to create humanzing solutions that work. “Of course, non-punitive drug rehabilitation or maintenance, as well as mental health services for those who want it, should be provided,” Howe said. “I believe, however, that housing must be the first step.” Everyday people in the community agree. “There’s not enough affordable housing in the city,” said Antonio Haskell, 82, who rides the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro. “Being on the street is not healthy. It’s not safe.” There are some positive signs. According to a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments report, the 2019 annual Point in Time (PIT) count of homeless people in the D.C. metro region was 9,794, the lowest number of people counted as homeless since the count began in 2001. It also was the first time that the number of homeless has been below 10,000 people. One reason cited for the decline in homelessness was the region’s increased supply of permanent supportive housing. This year, 10,856 formerly homeless persons were counted in permanent supportive housing, a 2 percent decrease from 2018. But between 2015 and 2019, the region added 2,226 permanent supportive housing beds to its year-round facility inventory, a 26 percent increase since 2015. For the fiscal year that began in October, the local budget includes the largest one-year investment in permanent supportive housing for single adults in Washington, D.C.’s history, according to advocates with The Way Home Campaign. It’s enough to provide PSH for 615 additional individuals and 180 more families. The campaign also celebrated investments in street outreach, which includes supporting the largest outreach team Pathways DC has ever had to meet people where they are and help them pursue housing and any other services. Shifting priorities at the federal level were going to reduce street outreach funds based on previous budgets, but instead, Pathways now has a brand-new outreach team funded by the D.C. Department of Human Services. The approved budget includes $15.9 million in new funding to provide PSH to 586 individuals. This is just one-third of the estimated need of 1,644 slots, and it is just 59 percent of the target of 986 slots set by The Way Home campaign, according to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. “We’re taking a step in the right direction, but obviously we’re not able to get there yet,” Hill said. “We’ll get more data in 2020 in terms of how many people are experiencing homelessness. With the numbers [homeless people] being in the thousands and the number of [PSH] vouchers being in the hundreds, it’s clear we need more [investment].” Three percent of the city’s budget goes toward housing programs, according to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. A report from the nonprofit think tank shows the city’s FY2020 budget includes $291.3 million for its main housing programs, while the District’s general fund for FY2020 was $9.9 billion, up $780 million from FY2019. These resources are well spent. In 2015, The Advisory Board Company, an international health-care consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., found that the average annual cost to provide emergency services such as emergencyroom visits, ambulance rides, police interactions and in-patient hospital stays to chronically homeless people is $40,000 per person. The average annual cost to provide permanent supportive housing — including professional case management — is $20,500. According to 2015 HUD data cited in an Urban Institute report, rapid rehousing cost about $10,000 per family per year, or half the cost of permanent supportive housing.

streetsensemedia.org

That is a lot of savings on emergency services, but when you compare PSH to other programs that don’t include supportive services or are not permanent, such as rapid rehousing, other programs can be less than PSH. And yet despite the influx of investment in PSH, most of those resources will not reach encampment residents like Hydier. According to Hill, 25 percent of the 500 cityfunded PSH vouchers for fiscal year 2020 are available to unsheltered individuals. DHS has reserved the other 75 percent for people who stay in shelters, which would not include those living in encampments. “There’s inherent challenges in trying to engage anyone who is experiencing homelessness. We’re dealing with the most ostracized and failed group of society,” Hill said. “They’ve fallen through every other systematic crack. They have well-earned trust issues. And building rapport is a big part of our work. “That’s a real challenge because there’s less resources for the people Pathways works with most, and there’s not enough for all of those in need, sheltered and unsheltered.”

Increase the supply of affordable housing The critical need is to increase the supply of affordable housing for the lowest-income households and provide appropriate supportive resources. “When any person — man, woman, child, elderly, veteran — does not have a safe place to sleep, then we have failed as a society,” says Scott Schenkelberg, the president and CEO of Miriam’s Kitchen, on the company’s website. The organization was founded in 1983 to meet the urgent needs of people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., and its mission is to end chronic homelessness in the city. “Housing is the solution to homelessness,” they preach, and it’s not an impossible dream. That’s why Miriam’s Kitchen expanded its operations in 2014 and started providing supportive services to 95 residents in the District’s permanent supportive housing program. In August, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a goal of creating 12,000 new affordable housing units throughout the city. To achieve the plan, 2,890 units are expected for an area dubbed “Central Washington,” which roughly spans from Foggy Bottom to NoMa, bordered by the Southwest Waterfront and the U Street Corridor. This goal seems to get to the root of the encampment issues: not enough affordable housing in a city found to have the most intense rate of gentrification in the country. The 12,000 new affordable housing units are central to a plan to build 36,000 new housing units by 2025. The plan is ambitious, and the mayor provides a detailed roadmap of where to distribute those investments. “Earlier this year, we made D.C. among the first cities in the nation to set neighborhood-specific affordable housing goals — part of our larger strategy to build a more equitable and affordable city by adding 36,000 new homes by 2025. Now we need to work together across all eight wards to reach our goals,” Mayor Bowser said in a December press release. “We have heard from residents in every part of D.C. that they want to be part of the solution. Joining these conversations is one way Washingtonians can get involved and advocate for policies and solutions that reflect our D.C. values.” The city will need to continue to scale these efforts in order to serve current residents. Those 36,000 units in five years account for approximately 10 percent of the 374,000 units the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimates are needed for the metro region by 2030 at its current growth rate, according to an Urban Institute report. Private investment has been floated as an idea for creating more housing. The Greater Washington Community Foundation has been working with the D.C. Interagency Council on

Homelessness to bring private-sector investment to the city’s strategic plan to end homelessness. “The Bowser administration has established a strong foundation,” the foundation’s president, Bruce McNamer, said in June. “But private sector engagement will be critical to long-term success.” Further complicating the issue of housing is what exactly is affordable. Twenty-three percent of D.C. renters spent at least half their household income on housing in 2018, an analysis by ApartmentList.com found. And according to the National Apartment Association, it’s one of the most difficult places to build affordable housing. However, one opportunity that has captured the attention of the public, lawmakers and activists is the potential to add legal requirements for affordable housing development to the city’s “comprehensive plan,” which guides land use in the city. The Bowser administration and the D.C. Council have been moving through revisions of the city’s “comprehensive plan” since 2016 and approved the first section in October. There are 326 mentions of “affordable housing” in the log of proposed amendments. A subcommittee of the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness is even hoping to add some concrete language to help realize some of the PSH goals in the strategic plan to end homelessness.

‘Why do we have to die on the streets?’ Washington, D.C., has a bold vision to end homelessness, and permanent supportive housing could play a leading role. The D.C. Department of Human Services is making the case that housing is health care to subsidize its investments into permanent supportive housing with federal money. The city’s strategic plan identifies “an opportunity to capture cost savings in the DHS budget by ensuring our State Medicaid Plan covers as many of the services provided in PSH as possible and by building the capacity of PSH providers to bill Medicaid.” “Not having a home kills people, not having a home destroys your opportunity, not having a home is one of the things that will keep you from reaching your full potential,” said Bobby Watts, CEO of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, during a demonstration across from the White House in May. He called it a violation of basic and fundamental human rights.

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Those living on the streets of Washington, D.C., need to see a sense of urgency. “I believe that we should be getting help from the city,” said Henry Wilson. “There is only but so many services, and they can only get to so many people. I understand it’s gonna be a waiting process. But I’ve been waiting six years. Something has to happen.” According to city records, at least 117 homeless people died in Washington, D.C., in 2019. The People for Fairness Coalition, a local nonprofit advocacy group, reports the number is 81, which still is more than the approximately 50 homeless people who died in Washington, D.C., in 2018. It’s hard to get an accurate count, but either way, the death toll is rising. Tink was one of them. On Dec. 19, the People for Fairness Coalition held a vigil on the streets of Washington, D.C. to remember all of the homeless in the District who died in 2019. They marched down 14th Street to Freedom Plaza holding signs with the names of the dead. It was the seventh straight annual overnight vigil for this group, which was founded in 2008 and is led by individuals who have experienced housing instability themselves. (They meet weekly at Miriam’s Kitchen every Tuesday morning.) But more than a memorial, the vigil was a call to end homelessness. A call on the mayor, city council, U.S. Congress and president — anyone who has the power to do something — to change this issue. “Why do we have to die on the streets?” the People for Fairness Coalition continues to ask. It deserves an answer. Reginald Black, Eric Falquero, and Sean McBride contributed reporting. Robert Warren is an artist and vendor for Street Sense Media in Washington, D.C. He has lived on the streets twice in his life. Joseph Young is a photographer and journalist living in Washington, D.C. His photography and journalism has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, The Washington Times, Washington AfroAmerican Newspaper and The Washington Informer. Community Based News Room publishes the stories of people impacted by injustice and aspiring for change. Do you have a story to tell? Please contact us at https://lawatthemargins.com/cbnr-contactus.

“I believe that we should be getting help from the city. There is only but so many services, and they can only get to so many people,” said 46-year-old Henry Wilson. “I understand it’s gonna be a waiting process. But I’ve been waiting six years. Something has to happen.” Photos by Joseph Young

8 // st reet sense me di a / / Ja n. 2 2 - Fe b . 4, 2020

NEWs

Tents banned from NoMa underpass after a ﬁnal clean up

By ReginaLd BLacK, JuLia pinney, and KathRine RandoLph

ith each box, duffel bag, and dresser drawer, the stack of belongings accumulating around the corner from the K St encampment grew taller. Volunteers, homeless residents helping their neighbors, and even reporters at times joined the effort. Among a collection of items belonging to encampment resident Michael Harris were plastic boxes filled with toiletries and clothing, a pair of glasses, and a copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” which Harris said needed to go back to the library. Only a few residents and their belongings were still under the underpass between First and 2nd Streets NE on Thursday Jan. 16, the morning of the scheduled clean-up. Aaron Garland, an encampment resident who said he’s been homeless off and on for five years, was planning to relocate to the L Street encampment, as were Harris and other homeless residents of K St. The K, L, and M Street underpasses near Union Station have served as shelter to a fluctuating number of people for years, most of whom utilize tents. The Office of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services coordinates the cleaning of a portion of these sites every few weeks; there were 36 such cleanups in 2018, according to city data. What made Jan. 16 unique was the new policy that had been posted for K Street; it stated that the sidewalks of the underpass must remain clear to ensure unobstructed passage for pedestrians and any personal property that was returned to the area would be disposed of immediately. Kim Trim, a resident of the District, said she visited the encampment at Christmastime to distribute scarves and gloves and had not been aware there would be an eviction

on Jan.16 eviction until she drove by as the operation was wrapping up. She said she didn’t think there would be enough room in the L and M Street underpasses for the evicted K street residents. She expressed anger at the effects of gentrification on people in the NoMa area. “You can tell that this [encampment] is families, people that work, that are just on hard times. Gentrification does that,” Trim said. “I mean, I wish everyone could afford $2,000 rent for a damn 2,000 square feet. But that’s not the real world. I’m pissed.” Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau visited the K Street encampment as the cleanup took place. She was the only elected leader to do so. Nadeau oversees homeless services in her role as chair of the D.C. Council’s Committee on Human Services but does not directly oversee cleanups. It was her first visit to the site, motivated, she said, by a desire to stand in solidarity with the homeless residents. “I really wanted to bear witness to the process and ensure that everybody’s rights were respected,” Nadeau said. The language used for the new policy on K Street was first mentioned publicly in an Aug. 21 open letter posted on the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID)’s website calling on the city to protect the rights of NoMa residents to safely navigate the neighborhood. The letter described how the presence of homeless residents and their tents in the underpasses at times forced pedestrians to walk in the street in order to navigate through the underpass. The letter also described the presence of human urine and feces and rotting food in the encampments. “It is essential that something be done to recognize and protect the right of D.C. residents, workers, and visitors to safely use and pass through public space in

Brandon Campbell’s belongings remained packed in carts as he tried to move to various locations but was not always welcomed. Photo by rodney choice, choicePhotography.com

NoMa,” wrote Robin-Eve Jasper, the NoMa BID president, in the letter. Jessica Smith, a policy analyst for the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services, said at a community meeting two nights before the eviction that the sidewalks on K Street are much narrower than those on M Street and L Street and don’t allow adequate space for both tents and passersby, particularly for people with strollers, in wheelchairs, or with other reasons to need extra space. Orange signs had been hung on light posts in the underpass on Jan. 2 warning residents that any belongings left under the bridge on pedestrian passageways would be “subject to immediate removal and disposal.” The community meeting aimed to answer questions about the policy and see that attendees had a plan for where they would move and how they would get there. The next day, employees of the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services (DMHHS) walked along the K Street underpass encampment offering flyers with information for residents who were expected to move before the cleanup that was scheduled for the next morning. The employees declined to comment for this article and declined to provide a copy of the

A pedestrian walk through the K Street NE underpass on Jan. 15. Photo by Rodney Choice, ChoicePhotography.com

streetsensemedia.org

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A skid loader followed behind the Department of Public Works truck to throw away large items like tents. A grafﬁti and nuisance abatement team followed behind them to spray down the walls and sidewalks once clear. Photo by ben burgess, KstreetPhotographydc.com

materials they were distributing. Patricia, a K St encampment resident who was still in her tent on the morning before the eviction, described alternatives to kicking the residents out. One was mandating smaller tents. Another was the development of basic infrastructure for use of the homeless residents and the general public, noting that there are no trash cans along the underpass and few public bathrooms in the entire city. “If they’d do those things, we would have access to a bathroom, we would have access to a trash can. These are all things they should provide for the public to use,” Patricia said. The day before the cleanup, Patricia said she and her tent mate knew they would have to move but did not know where they would go. To her, the notices were not enough. “We learned we would have to move from a cheap piece of paper and two signs. They said that they were gonna clear us out and make us move if we aren’t gone by such and such date,” she said. “Essentially treating us like garbage.” The new policy in the K Street underpass is likely just the beginning of a larger reckoning in the District over encampments, Nadeau said. “This obviously is a hot button issue in NoMa, one that has the potential of becoming a broader issue with encampments in the District,” Nadeau said.

“There appears to be some uncertainty as to how these issues will play out further. It will be interesting to see what details will come out during the year, but for homeless residents of K Street in NoMa, it appears as if the journey has just begun.” Kabraknai Bonds, a former resident of the K Street underpass, said she wants to provide representation for encampment residents as the political situation evolves. Over the years, the NoMa neighborhood has undergone rapid development and an influx of new residents. Bonds said there are large apartment buildings on either side of each underpass in the area and none have offered to help the people suffering on the street to find a place to live. Her residual frustrations have driven Bonds to run for an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) seat. Bonds moved to the encampment after living in a shelter and feeling it was making her situation worse. She said that when she moved to the underpass the community immediately took her in as family. “They think least of us,” she said. “They think we don’t know what an ANC is or what a petition is. You want to play government games? We can play them back.” Brandon Campbell, a former K Street resident, spent Wednesday night relocating. As Street Sense Media previously reported, Campbell had tried moving to both L Street and M Street before the city held its community meeting; he said neither move had a satisfactory outcome: on one street, his tent had been cut up to show he was not welcome and on the other, he was also unwelcome and had been antagonized into a fight. Another man who was moving from K Street on Jan. 16 said someone had urinated on his tent and belongings when he tried to move to another underpass. He said he was left to find another solution with only his wallet and the clothes on his back. Community organizations such as HIPS, Black Lives Matter, and The Peace House had recruited many volunteers to help K Street residents move the night before the cleanup. The volunteers were helping people relocate as late as 2 a.m. Thursday, according to Campbell. “Last night was beautiful,” he said. “The homeless people that are advocates, that‘s honestly what’s helping us.” A labor-intensive part of the move involved setting up wooden pallets for people to pitch their tents on to keep them dry. Residents familiar with the underpasses said the L Street bridge leaks significantly and the sidewalks flood, unlike K Street. Most people had moved by the time of the scheduled cleanup Thursday morning. But several still had not and two tried to resist being forced out. More volunteers from faith communities and nonprofits such as Miriam’s Kitchen, HIPS again, and Pathways to Housing were present to help people transport their belongings elsewhere.

Though he had successfully moved again, Campbell remained wary of wearing out his welcome with new neighbors. Adding tension to the overcrowded situation, the city moved on after completing the permanent sweep of the K Street camp to conduct a standard cleanup in the M Street underpass. Earlier that morning, advocates had reported the city would only collect trash on L and M Streets in order to give people who had just moved from K Street a break. “We’ve only been residents here like for three or four hours. Already they want us to move,” Campbell said. At the Jan. 14 community meeting, Smith of the deputy mayor’s office said repeatedly that it was not the city’s recommendation or intention that people living in the K Street underpass move to L and M Streets. However, attendees at the meeting, including Campbell, said they had nowhere else to go without transportation assistance. While moving on the day of the cleanup, several former K Street residents said they worried the L and M Street underpasses were intentionally being allowed to become overcrowded with K Street residents in order to give the city a specific reason to justify banning tents in those locations, too. Aaron Howe, a PhD candidate from American University who did ethnographic research with the NoMa tent communities and who was present for the Jan. 16 eviction wrote on Twitter that “One couple moved all their stuff from K all the way to M and ended up getting their tent and a few bags thrown out thinking they would be safe on M, not knowing the ‘standard disposition’ was still in effect for M. They are now without shelter as winter weather approaches.” Howe later wrote that HIPS had helped obtain a tent for the couple. Campbell made it clear that even though the situation is difficult, underpass residents are complying with what is being asked of them. Although Campbell, Bonds, and others expressed frustration with a lack of support from the city to carry out relocations or maintain cleanliness in these spaces, they feel that there is concern and compassion from community organizations and many housed neighbors. When asked if the Jan. 16 cleanup was done fairly, Nadeau said It seemed that way to her and that she would wait to see what others have to say. Even officials like her are unsure of the details of the pedestrian passageway policy that was put into effect on K Street. When asked what is defined as a pedestrian passageway, Nadeau replied, “I was told that everything on this block from the curb to the wall is a pedestrian passageway.” The councilmember said she is asking the mayor to brief the full council on the new policy and any updates made to the encampment protocol. “I think it’s important that people know what the rules are and what their rights are,” Nadeau said.

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oPINIoN

The K Street Eviction: Lessons in power and a call to action By BRian caRome

At least 40 D.C. residents got a harsh lesson in the realities of power and politics last week as Mayor Muriel Bowser held firm to her decision to evict them from their outdoor encampment along K Street, between First and Second Streets NE. That lesson? That in D.C., money equals power. That money – more than extreme poverty, physical or mental illness, trauma or homelessness – gets the attention of the mayor. City officials have publicly stated that there’s not enough space for pedestrians to pass safely along K Street’s narrow sidewalks and that the tents present a dangerous obstacle. And yet look at what happens in other D.C. neighborhoods when the dollar signs of gentrification and redevelopment are dangled. With the full permission of the D.C. government, pedestrians are routinely pushed into the street for months at a time to make room for earth-moving trucks and cranes. A perfect example is the 1300 block of G Street NW, where Street Sense Media’s offices are located. For months now, pedestrians and cars have been forced to share the street. This to make way for progress, which in D.C. is measured in square feet of prime office and residential space added. City officials have also cited public health concerns when aggressively targeting for closure the encampments in NoMa and elsewhere in the city. Citing the presence of trash, human waste and hypodermic needles, both city officials and the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) have called for “clean up” and removal of the encampments in the name of public health. What of the public health of our homeless neighbors? It’s long been established that chronic homelessness reduces life expectancy by decades. In 2016, the Atlantic reported: “Housing is so important to health that those without a home die decades younger

than those with a home. While the average life expectancy in the U.S. is almost 80, chronically homeless individuals can expect to live only to their 60s. One study by Jim O’Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, showed that the average life expectancy for the homeless in select cities was between 42 and 52 years.” And yet the mayor continues to put the demands of wealthy residents, business owners and landlords above the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable residents of our city. In her defense, nationally, delivery of community health care in impoverished communities, especially mental health care, is in the stone age. The mayor is not to blame for the state of our mental health care delivery system. But her decision to forcibly remove these encampment residents is nothing short of callous, given the relationship between mental illness and other disabling health conditions and homelessness. Residents of the District who are homeless or living with housing instability can never compete on the same playing field where money determines political will and action. We are therefore issuing a call to action to all those who desire more compassion from their government. Registered voters acting collectively are the only democratic and non-violent force that have ever successfully challenged the power that money amasses. In the coming months and years, Street Sense Media will seek to use our resources – our voice, our unique perspective and expertise and office space – to gather and help organize those in this city who believe government should prioritize the most vulnerable amongst us. Join us and help build a better, fairer and more just community. Brian Carome is the executive director of Street Sense Media.

A front loader follows behind city workers and a Department of Public Works truck as they sweep the sidewalk and throw away items left in the K Street underpass on Jan. 16. Photo by benJamin burgess/ K street PhotograPhy

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. Photo courtesy oF gage sKidmore / FLicKr

Democratic wokeness has me defending Bernie By JeFFeRy mcneiL

Whenever you think the Democratic Party has bottomed out, they seem to find new ways to embarrass themselves and the people who still remain Democrats. The Woke Twitter crowd and the Mainstream Media have become so vile and unethical with their smears and lies they have me defending old enemies such as Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang. I see them getting the same attacks many Trump supporters have been getting from the left for years. If Tulsi and Yang don’t find a way to unify the what’s left of today’s Democrats I see Republicans being in power for decades to come. According to CNN and MSNBC, all Trump supporters are white supremacists, while Sanders — who’s been a valiant warrior for social justice since the 1960s — is now a woman-hating misogynist. And Gabbard, who sides with Democrats on almost every issue except regimechange wars, is considered a Russian spy. The Democrats have now become a narrow group of Hollywood elites, outdated journalists, hedge fund managers and unelected bureaucrats who serve their own interests instead of the nation's. As someone who works for Street Sense and has fought passionately for the homeless I don’t know how those waiting on services such as housing and health care can sit idly and allow the powerful to run the Democratic enterprise into the ground. While you send your tax dollars to inflate the salaries of politicianws that have been in power for decades, they have wasted every dime of your money trying to remove President Trump — and he’s on the verge of being re-elected in a landslide. Unfortunately, the people that claim to carry the mantle of progressivism, such as Sanders, will never defeat Trump — let alone the cancers of today’s Democratic Party that alienated former Democrats such as myself. I don’t want a president who makes me feel good — I want someone who will create an environment that will allow me to live the American Dream, which Donald Trump has done for many Americans regardless of race or gender. If you're still someone who works and pays taxes and you still call yourself a Democrat, I don’t know how you allow CNN and MSNBC to continue to smear and defame the likes of Sanders, Yang and Gabbard. While I don’t agree with them you can see their hearts lie with the base, not the establishment. Instead of being a big tent where they let the base pick their nominee, the Democrats are doing everything they can to prop up a puppet such as Joe Biden or a deceiver such as Elizabeth Warren. Warren is a world-class fake!! Before she became a champion radical leftist she was a hardcore conservative bankruptcy lawyer who championed free markets and capitalism. As a bankruptcy lawyer, she worked on about 60 legal matters, advising clients with asbestos problems, corporations facing liability over ruptured breast implants and the former directors of Getty Oil. And every time Sanders has a chance to push back against the smears of the Fake News, he folds. Would Elizabeth Warren ever try a hot mic moment with President Trump? This is why his supporters will follow Trump, because the man has balls and courage and doesn’t buy into the identity politics of the left. The silver lining is many minorities and women are abandoning the Democrats. While this may not translate into supporting Trump it does mean that maybe a Gabbard or a Yang can form a new working-class left that will fight for working people. Jeffery McNeil is a vendor and artist for Street Sense Media.

s treetsensemedia.org

// 11

Freedom to think or not to think By JeFF tayLoR

Religion has been both a blessing and a curse on human civilization ever since our ancient ancestors first began seeking answers to all of life's questions. An unfortunate truth is that a significant percent of folks look to religion for the answers to all of life's questions — and they look no further than that. Of course our Constitution protects the beliefs of the minority, same as the majority. But a confounding irony is that protecting the minority in some specific instances means protecting the notion that the Constitution should be replaced by the Christian Bible. For example, have you ever heard of the Flat Earth Society? Yeah, it's a thing. These yahoos really believe the earth is flat, and only about 10,000 years old to boot. Sorry (not sorry), but not all beliefs are equally deserving of respect. It isn't in anyone's interest to perpetuate mythology as if it were scientific fact. Freedom of religion, belief, thought or whatever you wish to call it is a fine thing, so long as objective truth is part of the equation. I honestly believe that most people are interested in knowing the objective truth on any given subject, no matter how unpleasant that truth may be. But there are those who either out of fear or of corrupt intent will deny objective truth to their own detriment or that of others, even to the point of death. What we end up with is cyclical ignorance, bigotry, and yes, child abuse — psychological abuse at the very least. Extreme right wing white evangelicals (ERWEs) go to great lengths to keep any and all information away from their children that would conflict in even the slightest way with their particular brand of religious dogma. ERWEs represent a clear minority of the country. But given the politics of the GOP, one might easily get the impression that ERWEs are actually the vast majority, not just of self-identifying Christians but of the entire American electorate. Why does that matter? Because the minority would and will force their ERWE beliefs into legislation that affects, nay, denies the freedom of the majority. ERWEs chose to focus on pretty much two topics: abortion and homosexuality (which, interestingly enough, Jesus never discussed in any of the four gospels). Mainstream Christians (MCs) focus on a plethora of social justice issues; poverty, hunger, oppression and the like. MCs see human suffering and reach out to in an attempt to heal and reconcile. ERWEs are all about wrath, judgement and punishment for those who refuse to accept ERWE beliefs. I struggled needlessly much of my life as a victim of cyclical religious bigotry. Fortunately for me I got out of small-town rural America and was exposed to much more information, reliable information, scientific information, and because of that I have been better equipped to navigate my way through life. I was lucky, as are the thousands of others who were able to escape the bonds of ignorance. But not everyone is so fortunate. And my heart aches for them. I don't have all the answers to all of life's questions. None of us does, and none of us ever will. But as we seek those answers together as a civilization, if we put the dogma and religious BS aside, we can grow and learn together and find some of those answers based on shared values: the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jeff Taylor is a vendor and artist for Street Sense Media.

Legalize Buying weed By dan hooKs

How can weed be legal in Washington, D.C., but there is nowhere to buy it? The only way most people who smoke weed can get it is on the black market. So now we’re being set up to catch a case for buying what is supposed to be legal. I can’t understand why the mayor would set the working class up for failure in this way. But what’s alarming is this sets a lot of people up for danger by having to go to places they would never have gone before weed was legal. They’re being set up to be robbed or even killed trying to just get a jay to smoke. Please help me to understand why the government would do this to their citizens. I know for a fact how this can put people in jeopardy to find themselves in jail just to have a good time. That can

end up being the worst thing that could happen and make their lives end up never being the same. Something must be done about this and soon. Before people end up losing their jobs or their lives. Or before they catch a case and get locked up, which would be the worst thing for them. Getting a job would become very, very hard because they will have a big strike against them. And all because the mayor made weed legal. Why would the government set us up this way? PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND. Dan Hooks is a vendor and artist for Street Sense Media..

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aRT

Treading The Waters,

Angie.

Part 24

By Laticia BRocK Artist/Vendor

By geRaLd andeRson // Artist/Vendor

2017 Photo by rodney choice

Oh yeah, Shawty You talking about a ma This was her She was just as ﬁne as her fur She was a Dappa’ Dan dresser I wish she was my real mother I would have stayed in your dresser But because me and Matthew Burns knew you It was a blessing — our ﬁrst real ma Who kept Pwezzy and Sequan together When you told me you had your place by the zoo I should have checked on you A tattoo tear for my boo This poem was written in memory of Angela Pounds. a Street Sense Media aritist and vendor who died on Jan. 1, 2020 at age 54. Her funeral was held Monday, Jan. 13. She is sorely missed. A photo of Ms. Pounds is shown on page 3.

When we were last with Gerald in his hometown of New Orleans, he was kickin’ it on the streets with his friend Minew who getting in deeper with some major operators.... Glenn was my icon coming up as a young boy. He was a low-key dude. Right now he’s in the Fed for a life sentence. To tell you the truth, I can’t even tell you why they got him. Well... The ballistic got him up in that prison, for real for real. Dude was in the penitentiary fighting gun charges, dope charges. See the government is powerful. Only thing you gotta say is, “He the man.” Government’ll come get you. And that’s what got Glenn up in the prison. His name carry heavy weight. He only weighed like 130 lbs, but he carry weight. He was bigger than Rayful Edmond. People talk about Rayful Edmond, but my homie Glenn was a made man. So they jumped on his case, telling the government, “Yeah, we used to work for him”. So it’s like I say, the ballistic got him locked up. I can’t never say that he did do it or he didn’t do it. His wife was just released from prison. She also got a full life sentence. She just been released. She had been down about almost 30 years. Martha Stewart got her home… Martha Stewart was in the cell with her. And when she was in there, they was in the cell, and they was exchanging words. And she asked her, “What you in here for? What a nice lady like you?” And she say, “No, I want to help you.”

So, from what I heard, Martha Stewart delivered all them females in prison about $10,000. And from what I heard, right now today, Danielle is home. And I thank God that she out on the street. It took Martha Stewart to go in there. But Glenn never touched base. Good guy. He still a good guy. Stand up guy. His team stood up. Some of his good men went down. When I went in the feds, me and them sit out, my big homie, we sit out. I left up in New Jersey and I went to Cottonport FCI, Federal Correctional Institution, Cottonport, LA. And we sit at the same table. I never forget when I answered the prison guard to sit down, I didn’t even know he was there. I was sitting at the table. We was kicking it. That’s when a dude told me, “Man, you know who he is?” He say, “Glenn”. I say, “Glenn… .” He say, “Wassup, Third?” I say, “Wassup...” He say, “Man… Who you messing with in D.C.?” I say, “Man, I got caught up with them jokers. They busted us for conspiracy.” He say, “Man…” I say, “Man. Glen, man… I’m glad to see you, homie.” I wanted to cry when I seen the dude. Because I had never seen him in so long, and he was a good guy to me. Man, he was my icon coming up in the city. To be continued. Anderson’s ﬁrst book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon.com.

Getting into the Gold By maRceLLus phiLLips // Artist/Vendor

I am building a business based on a new payment system for the world. It all started a couple of years ago when I first heard of Bitcoin. There was something about it that I liked; I just could not pinpoint what it was. I also wasn’t sure how to get involved. Then I remembered that a few years earlier, one of my friends had told me about Karatbars International, a German gold-holding and selling company. I was pretty skeptical; I looked at it as a get rich quick scheme or something like that. But after listening and having a conversation, I understood Karatbars’ goals and became interested. It seemed almost too easy so I left it as an option, as I did with Street Sense Media when I first found out about it, a choice that has proved extremely valuable in my life. Over time I went back to Karatbars to learn more and

find a way to fit it into my life so I can benefit from it and change things for the better. After a conversation with one of my contacts there, we decided it would be amazing if Karatbars International had its own cryptocurrency. Then, presto! Two or three months thereafter, Karatbar International introduced to the world the Karatgold coin, which can be exchanged with other cryptocurrency coins such as Bitcoin and Etherum. Since the coin was introduced, the company has implemented several related products and services. One of our physical assets, “CashGold,” can be exchanged for different fiat currencies — those backed by the governments that issued them. Instead of using the American dollar, which fluctuates because of inflation,

we can use CashGold because it will always have value. We also have a cash exchange machine. The company’s ecosystem is set up to benefit users through its private network called the Blockchain. As part of becoming an entrepreneur, I have created my own course to train others about Karatbar International. I also designed my website and I promote the services and products by marketing online and by going to stores and talking to people in public. My main goal is to train others and spread the word about Karatbars International and cryptocurrency. In all this excitement, though, I never lose sight of my main goals: fighting my homelessness and not letting my seizure disorder impede my growth.

streetsensemedia.org

// 13

Where Are We? By ReginaLd BLacK, a.K.a. “da stReet RepoRtin’ aRtist” Artist/Vendor

Where are we today? Where are we as a country? Are we better off now? Or is it better to go back to the past? In my community you're lucky to last past 15 years old. With all the envy, the things, the dreams, wanting that house on the hill, seeing and hearing people getting killed by automatics, planes, and bad habits. Where are we? I think it's a good question, So I'mma ask it. Unmask it. Unpack it. Where are we?

A copy of “Homeless Jesus” by sculptor Timothy Schmalz was installed on G Street NW in front of the Catholic Charities D.C. headquarters in 2013. Photo by ian erasmus, 2017 / WWW.ianerasmusPhotograPhy.com

This is My Real Deal

Tell me before the next young R Kelly get shot for having fly shoes and fine girlfriend. Where are we? I'mma ask again: Where are we? We aren't there yet, where we see the human. Where are we? Don't want to lose sight. Where are we? The richest of the poor? So we don't matter anymore?

Libraries, McDonald's, and hospital cafes are my homes. You see, these are all the places, to which, and from which, I roam. Living this life is hard. Living this lie is hard. Sometimes these places, seem just too, too far. Yet still I roam To a different one of my homes. These homes are invaded by others, Who greet me as my sisters and my brothers. Yet they just roam in and out of my homes. They don't stay; I do.

Where are we? Is this really a place we haven't been? Or are we stuck in one place? Cities full of climate change, pride and poverty. Why can't you answer me? Honestly, tell me: Where are we?

By Queenie FeatheRstone Artist/Vendor

I often ask He, the one main man, who I know also roamed: Which place did He call home?

iLLustration by dWight harris

The Year 2020 Is Here By eVeLyn nnam // Artist/Vendor

Welcome 2020! We have entered and it’s wonderful We are all here and it looks beautiful This is the year that we will do great things Start afresh and look forward to great new beginnings

Welcome 2020! We have made it to another decade And we are also here for a great beginning of another decade Looking forward to the seasons, the holidays, And such more to come

We will make better choices and have better outcomes This is the year that we will take charge And make things happen for ourselves Success and happiness starts here and now We will continue to be great and continue To make this year the best it can be

This year should be about finding ourselves Having peace, being joyful, enjoying life And taking it one day at a time So to everyone out there reading this Enjoy this new year we have entered And enjoy every second of it

New Year Change By maRcus gReen Artist/Vendor

Spiritually, mentally, and physically, goal setting is a baby step thing; as you accomplish one goal, set another and on and on until you reach a level of expertise that you must sustain. Change is an action. I believe I shouldn’t talk the talk if I’m not going to walk the walk. Spiritually, I need to pray and do good deeds. Mentally, see the Doc, take meds, and go to support groups. Body wise, I need to work out, eat right, and get proper sleep. Thank you all for your support, and keep me in your prayers. God Bless,

1 4 // st reet sen s e me di a / / Ja n. 2 2 - Fe b. 4, 2020

FuN & GaMEs

Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 1

Sudoku #2 9

2 4 7

8 2

3 6 1 5 4

6 5 1

Answers

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each Sudoku 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9. #1

SUDOKU: Fill in 8 3 without 6 5guesswork. 9 4 2 7 1 squares If youthe useblank logic you can solve the puzzle so that each row, 5 a1logical 3 order 8 the9 puzzle. 4 2 to 6 solve Need a little help? The hints page7shows column andsquare you should solve. Or use the answers page Use iteach to identify the next 9 4 2 7 1 8 5 3 6 if youeach really3-by-3 get stuck. block contain all of the 1 6 3 2 4 7 9 5 8 digits 1-9.

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

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

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

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

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

2 7 6 3 1 2 4 9 8 5

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

8 1 9 5 7 4 2 3

3 7 1

2 4 6

8 5

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

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

5 1

5 6 2

4 1 9 7 8

3 6 4 8

I have discovered the art of fooling diplomats: I speak the truth and they never believe me. -- Camillo Di Cavour

5 8 6 2 9 4 1 9 8

Carnivore's Revenge By James daVis Artist/Vendor

I have a taste for some mac n' cheese I'm not in the mood so keep the gluten, please.

the Weather

By anthony caRney // Artist/Vendor

The winter months are very cold. It's very hard on the homeless. I cope by dressing in layers and wearing boots, gloves, hats, and a hoodie. Many homeless people get sick and some die due to the freezing weather while they're sleeping outside. The weather really wears on your body, your mind, and your soul. Some people think homeless people are invisible.They are not. A helping hand can go a long way. So remember to always help a homeless person. Spread love.

I'd like a nice juicy burger to eat; make sure it's the real deal, not ALMOST MEAT.

I could also go for a nice rib-eye steak but hold the quinoa and ﬂaxVolume seed 20, Book 1 Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, for goodness sake!

Sudoku #2 1 I've 4 a9 sweet 3 7tooth, 5 8 6 2 so no vegan mufﬁ 3 5 2 1 8 6n; 9 4 7 just a real good chocolate 8 6cake7 with 9 icin’. 2 4 3 1 5 5 2 4 6 3 9 1 7 8 9I know 8 6to 5you1vegans 7 2 3 4 my food choices might seem strange 7 3 1 8 4 2 6 5 9 But, this is my ﬁght! 4Carnivore's 6 3 5 9 1 7 8 2 revenge! 2 9 3 7 5 1 4 8 6 8 7 Commons 2 3 6 1 5 4 /9Wikimedia Photo courtesy of Archaeodontosaurus Sudoku #4 8 3 2 7 1 9 4 6 5 6 7 4 2 8 3 1 7 1 6 2 4 5 9 3 3 2 8 5 9 4 5 8 6 7 1 9 Sudoku #6 3 2 1 9 6 5 8 4 4 7 9 6 8 9 2 3 1 6 7 5 5 3 4 2 9 4 3 1 7 1 6 8 2 8 5 7

1 3

2 5 9

8 6 7 4

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

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

6 2 9

7 8 1

4 3 5

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

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

iLLustration by danieL baLL

author gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for the Washington Post. author dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. many thanks to gene Weingarten and the Washington Post Writers group for allowing street sense to run barney & clyde.

streetsensemedia.org

CoMMuNITY sERVICEs

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place ne aohdc.org

Bread for the City 202-265-2400 (nW) // 561-8587 (se) 1525 7th st., nW // 1640 good hope rd., se breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 good hope rd., se calvaryservices.org

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

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 massachusetts ave., nW missiondc.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 connecticut ave., nW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 columbia rd., nW christhouse.org

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

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 e st., nW cﬂsdc.org

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

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 mississippi ave., se covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 massachusetts ave., nW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 eye st., nW fathermckennacenter.org

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

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

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin ave., nW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin ave., nW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd st., nW jobshavepriority.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 newton st., nW loavesandﬁshesdc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 elvans road se 2204 martin Luther King ave. se

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia ave., nW miriamskitchen.org

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

// 15

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 new york ave., ne

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th st., nW Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th st., nW samaritaninns.org

Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 hamilton st., nW 202-889-7702 // 1345 u st., se samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th st., se sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 o st., nW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 calvert st., nW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 newton st., nW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care // 202-745-4300 3020 14th st., nW unityhealthcare.org

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 u st., nW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 g st., nW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

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

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th st., nW // 202-745-7000 2301 mLK Jr. ave., se // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 n st., nW nstreetvillage.org

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

HElP! WE’RE looKING FoR

volunteers become a street sense media volunteer and help further our mission to empower people experiencing homelessness. get to know the vendors and make a difference in their lives and yours! you’ll support hard-working newspaper vendors by volunteering your time, four hours a week, distributing newspapers at the street sense media office. if interested, please contact brian carome brian@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x12)

Photos from a Nov. 22 visit to the National Children’s Center.

Photos by Victoria Ebner

This DC child care organization has grown a lot over the past few years. Now they’re helping others do the same. By Victoria Ebner Editorial Intern

The sound of children’s gleeful screams and teachers’ singing can be heard in most every room of the National Children’s Center’s Early Learning and Early Intervention Center. There are about 180 children age 5 and under at the center and all but a few are funded through subsidies. In recent years, the organization has put a huge focus on nutritional support and education for students, including educational opportunities for children with disabilities in Wards 7 and 8. The NCC Baby Bloomers program, which teaches children how to plant and grow fruits and vegetables, is vital. “Our goal is to share policy and practices to support the whole child,” Patricia Browne, the center’s president and CEO, wrote in an email. She pointed out that NCC is “child centered and family focused.” Nutritional issues are a huge problem across D.C., especially for those in Ward 8, said Paige Pokorney, the organization’s Anti-Hunger Program Associate for Child Nutrition. “Access to good nutrition throughout [younger] years is really formative on cognitive function, on their behavior, on their ability to succeed in school,” Pokorney said. She said that early nutritional support is especially important in D.C., “where there’s so much poverty, [notably] in Wards 7 and 8 where it’s very segregated and people of color are experiencing way higher rates of nutritionrelated disease and poverty.” Obesity and diet-related diseases are a national problem, she said, and it hits some areas of D.C. hard. “It’s very racially divided here in D.C.,” Pokorney said. “A person’s rate of getting diabetes is, I want to say, 3 times more [for] someone in Ward 7 or 8 versus someone living in Ward 2 or 3.” At NCC, even the pickiest eaters can be taught that eating healthy is fun. Chef Nelson Molina finds creative ways to make fun snacks that appeal to kids, like carrots with honey. Browne believes healthy eating habits should be instilled as early as possible. “For some of us, we’ve developed habits and we’re kicking and screaming our way to healthy eating. But for the children, if we can teach them now, they’ll grow with those habits embedded in them, it’ll be a part of their DNA,” Browne said. “This is an investment in the next generation.” Consequently, the center doesn’t just provide children with nutritious snacks –– they incorporate programs that help children and their families know the value of good nutrition on sustaining happy, healthy lives. For example, NCC has monthly cooking classes where families learn how to recreate the healthy snacks the kids receive at the center so they can have them in their

homes. Molina also sells the snacks to parents in a ‘market’ outside the school. “If we don’t find a way to replicate it at home, and bring the families into the loop, then the work that we’ve done with the children is for naught,” Browne said. “It’s very important that we support the families and the child so they can grow with it together.” Almost 30% of the approximately 180 children enrolled at NCC have special needs, said Keesha Blythe, NCC Executive Director for Early Learning and Intervention. She explained that special needs children at NCC are mainstreamed, not sequestered in separate classrooms. “Child development is not daycare,” Browne said. “It’s not babysitting –– brain development happens 0-3. So if you don’t address some of the issues at this time, by the time you go on to preschool, kindergarten, and above, you may have missed some very important milestones.” The center has also been working on educating other organizations about how to improve their own facilities, while still brainstorming how they will improve their own work in the future –– effectively working to implement better child care not only in D.C., but the world. The first piece –– educating other entities –– comes through conducting visits with officials from other countries. Browne said NCC has welcomed international guests from Tunisia, South Korea, Egypt, and, most recently, China to tour the program and take lessons back to their respective communities. “Inviting international visitors gives us an opportunity to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in our field globally, in addition to sharing best practices with those centers that may be impactful in their home countries,” Browne wrote. Visiting delegates receive a tour and have a chance to inquire about the center’s cutting edge programs and see a new side of learning. The topics shared with the delegates usually center around advocacy efforts and methods of inclusion for all children, with or without disabilities. Aside from teaching others about their successes, NCC still looks to improve internally. According to Browne, the center is in the process of building new infant and toddler suites to accommodate 56 more children, due to an initiative led by Mayor Muriel Bowser. They’re also aiming to improve educational and financial opportunities for their teachers. They want all their teachers to have an associates degree by 2023. Browne said they’re also pushing for funding so they can give their teachers higher pay.

“Our teachers deserve much more. If you think about some of your early teachers that really impacted your life, you probably still remember them and maybe even connect with some of them,” Browne said. “We want to make sure they’re valued appropriately so that their quality of life is good.” Another initiative they’re exploring is hiring unemployed adults in the community to work with them in urban agriculture, which includes farming and distribution to grocery stores. Whether educating others or working on their own initiatives, Blythe said that she hopes the center continues to grow, improve and become more of a high-quality facility. “We’re getting there,” Blythe said with a laugh. “Started from the bottom, now we’re here.”

Thank you for reading Street Sense! From your vendor Jan. 22 - Feb. 4, 2020 | Volume 17 Issue 6

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