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Encampment updates: Most closures postponed due to cold weather
MADI KOESLER AND FRANZISKA WILD Editorial Interns
D.C. closed two encampments in early February, after rescheduling several times due to the cold weather.
In addition to the closures, the city’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) also conducted one full cleanup and rescheduled two major encampment closures, one in Brentwood and one in Foggy Bottom, to mid-March due to weather concerns.
The city had originally scheduled several encampment closures for January, but rescheduled most of them across February and March due to hazardous weather.
The full clean-up, during which encampment residents had to move their belongings but were technically allowed to move back, was on Feb. 4 outside of Carnegie Library on K Street. One person, who declined to speak to Street Sense, lived at the encampment.
As outreach workers and city officials looked on, the resident moved her possessions into shopping carts and sorted them into two sections, one of which she gave DMHHS permission to dispose of. The clean-up was finished by 10:30 a.m. Afterward, DMHHS officials traveled across the city to conduct the first site closure of the week.
The city primarily interacts with encampments in two ways: through clean-ups and closures. At clean-ups, like the one outside Carnegie Library, residents have to move for a period, but can generally return to the encampment the same day. But after an encampment is closed by DMHHS, residents may not return to camp at that location. Sometimes the city will erect fencing or other infrastructure to block people from returning to the area, like at San Martin Memorial Park in Foggy Bottom.
During the Feb. 4 encampment closure, DMHHS displaced one resident who lived outside the Cleveland Park Metro entrance. Outreach workers and DMHHS arrived just before 11 a.m., but because of confusion and disagreement between the resident, police, and DMHHS, the closure didn’t begin until 12:28 p.m. The resident did not want to move and argued DMHHS did not have the authority to force them to leave the area.
“Do you understand what’s happening here?” a DMHHS official asked the resident multiple times.
“I understand I’m being robbed,” the resident responded. He spoke with Street Sense about his frustrations at having to move, but asked not to be named to protect his privacy while living outside. After some back and forth, DMHHS provided trash bags and gave the resident roughly 30 minutes to move.
Encampment closures can be emotionally and physically difficult, and sometimes confusing for residents. While the city puts up signs announcing closures two weeks in advance, the terms the city uses, like“scheduled full cleanup” and “encampment site closure,” are not defined. The signs also do not specify if an upcoming action is a cleanup or closure. Outreach workers, advocates, and residents have told Street Sense this lack of information can make it difficult for residents to know what to expect.
This story is continued on the next page.
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Encampments, continued.
DMHHS closed a second encampment on Feb. 5 on Lincoln Road, next to the Harry Thomas Recreation Center. The city had previously rescheduled the closure due to the weather, and when DMHHS and city officials arrived, the structure appeared to have been abandoned for at least a few weeks. Officials sifted through the contents of the structure, but did not store any belongings.
Throughout the closure, city officials cracked jokes and shared their thoughts on the shelter system. Emery Men’s Shelter, which has both a low-barrier shelter program and a work bay, a shelter specifically for men who are employed or in job training, is located on the other side of the recreation center. A staff member wondered aloud if the encampment was a “party tent” where shelter residents go to take part in activities typically prohibited by shelter rules. The same staff member noted encampments partially exist because of the strict rules shelters have and because shelters can be crowded and inconveniently located.
Following a drop in temperature and forecasted rain on Feb. 6 and 7, DMHHS rescheduled two previously scheduled encampment closures due to the hazardous weather conditions — the city’s encampment protocol recommends postponing closures when the temperature is below freezing.
The first encampment, in Brentwood, is home to four tents and residents who have been previously displaced from other nearby sites. DMHHS rescheduled its closure to March 11.
The second closure, at Whitehurst Hill in Foggy Bottom, was originally scheduled for Jan. 14, a date advocates strongly objected to, then rescheduled for last week, and is now rescheduled to March 12. Whitehurst Hill is relatively large and has only grown as DMHHS and the National Parks Service have closed encampments throughout the city, including two large ones over the summer in Foggy Bottom.
Miriam’s Kitchen, the homeless service provider for Foggy Bottom and surrounding neighborhoods, has been advocating against the closure of Whitehurst Hill, arguing closures can distress and uproot residents, sometimes causing them to lose contact with their caseworkers.
“There’s, you know, more and more evidence that involuntary removal from encampments has negative health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness,” Andy Wassenich, director of policy at Miriam’s Kitchen, told Street Sense. “Irrespective of time of year and temperature, they’re detrimental to people’s health.”
Wassenich also noted safety concerns, a common reason DMHHS cites for closing encampments, are often localized to a single resident and tent. Rather than work with that person, Wassenich said, DMHHS chooses to close the entire encampment, which can be difficult and unfair for other residents. At Whitehurst Hill, a tent burned down before Thanksgiving, but the resident who lived in the tent has since moved, according to outreach workers and encampment residents.
Mr. G, who lives at Whitehurst Hill, spoke to Street Sense about his feelings of anger and frustration at having to move. He thinks the reasoning about the fire is “BS” since the resident has moved on. He also said that had it not been for his caseworker and Street Sense, he wouldn’t have known that the closure had, yet again, been rescheduled.
“I was going to start moving stuff,” he told Street Sense the day before the closure was scheduled in February. “I wish they would give us better notice — but also if it’s not bothering anybody — if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
This isn’t the first time he’s been forced to move. This summer, he was displaced in a closure along the C&O Canal conducted by the National Parks Service. He wondered aloud whether any space in the city would still be available for camping.
“They haven’t told us where we can go,” he said. “There’s a dog park, but no park for the homeless.”
Mr. G, who describes himself as “a working individual” who’s just trying to “bounce back” is proud of his tent set-up. It includes multiple space heaters, a sitting room, and a bedroom complete with a rug and bed frame holding his bed off the ground, and isn’t easy to move, he said.
“Where do you want us to go?” he asked, before adding, “I’m not moving all of this in the winter.”
Upcoming encampment engagements: a closure at 2nd and D St. NW on Feb. 12, a closure at the L St. underpass on Feb. 13, and a full cleanup at 15th and P St. NW
Belongings left behind at an encampment engagement on Feb. 4. Photo by Madi Koesler
A city worker stands over an encampment during an engagement on Feb. 4. Photo by Madi Koesler
The Mount Pleasant Library is temporarily closing. Here’s how services are impacted.
ELLA MITCHELL Editorial Intern
The week before the Mount Pleasant Library temporarily closed to the public, patrons of the library crowded the computer desks on the first floor. Each of the over a dozen stations was filled by a community member perched on a wooden chair as they used the library’s services to connect to the internet, hunt for jobs, or just enjoy a reprieve from the cold. But on Feb. 10, the historic Carnegie building closed to the public, leaving users without the shelter and resources the library offered.
The Mount Pleasant Library is slated to be temporarily closed from Feb. 10 until June 23 for repairs, leaving the Ward 1 neighborhood without the library’s services. The temporary closure will impact community-based services at the library, such as access to technology, career-oriented programming, and the distribution of supplies like blankets, hygiene kits, and COVID-19 tests. The closure will also impact people experiencing homelessness who rely on the library to have a safe and warm place to spend the day.
During construction, D.C. Public Library (DCPL) officials will complete “much-needed” repairs at the Mount Pleasant Library, according to DCPL’s website. Workers will install a new heating and air conditioning system, complete roof repairs, add new flooring on the lower level, upgrade furniture for the Teen Space, and repair the exterior doors, which were last renovated in 2012. The renovations are among a string of library facelifts by DCPL.
Public libraries play an important role in serving homeless people, offering heat or air conditioning in a space away from the elements, partnerships with community groups like transitional housing facilities, food banks, or faith-based organizations, and regularly scheduled programming events. At multiple meetings of the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness in January, community members said people experiencing homelessness in Ward 1 relied on the library for access to shelter and restrooms during the day.
Generally, libraries are a significant resource to communities in D.C. Over 48,000 people used the Mount Pleasant branch alone from July through September, with 8,475 using the library’s public wifi and 10,643 using computers, according to DCPL’s Fiscal Year Quarter 3 report.
Library users are being directed to the Petworth, Cleveland Park, Shaw/Watha T. Daniel, and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial libraries for services, according to a pamphlet distributed at the Mount Pleasant Library.
The Petworth Library, located at 4200 Kansas Ave., will serve as the primary interim library for Mount Pleasant, offering check-out materials, study rooms, public computers, and voter registration information. The Petworth Library, which is more than a mile away, or 30 minutes by bus, will also take over the Mount Pleasant Library’s weekly sessions of the Peer Outreach Program, a DCPL service that provides mentorship to library customers experiencing homelessness.
The Peer Outreach Program rotates between the MLK, Woodridge, Anacostia, Shaw, Benning, West End, Northeast, and Mount Pleasant libraries weekly and helps patrons find shelter, housing, mental health services, food, and clothing, according to DCPL’s website.
Until the Mount Pleasant Library closed, people could request peer support on Mondays from 9:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Those seeking the program’s services are encouraged to visit the Petworth Library at the same time.
“Peers are role models who demonstrate competency in personal recovery, and by serving as a consumer advocate who provides clients with information and support,” the DCPL website states. “Peers build rapport and trust with a customer so that the hard work of moving out of homelessness, and/or into recovery, can begin.”
Ahead of the closure, officials with local Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D expressed concerns about the impact of the library’s closure in a letter to DCPL and other District officials.
“Without local access to these and other resources, many residents — especially those who are elderly, have low-income or have limited mobility — will face significant barriers in meeting their informational, educational, and personal needs,” the resolution from ANC 1D reads.
The letter urges officials to consider supplemental community-based services like pop-up sites with book checkouts and printing and mobile units to provide regular neighborhood support and collaboration with local organizations. DCPL officials did not provide comment about additional plans the library has to support patrons experiencing homelessness.
The pamphlet detailing the closure at the Mount Pleasant Library shares contact and address information for neighborhood services — ranging from health, housing, shower, social services, warming centers, and immigration support — like the Columbia Heights Community Center at 1480 Girard St. NW, La Clinica del Pueblo at 3166 Mt Pleasant St. NW, and Martha’s Table on 1474 Columbia Rd. NW.
Those impacted by the closure can also seek out neighborhood services like immigration and housing support at CARECEN, a nonprofit that offers low-cost immigration legal services, located at 1460 Columbia Rd. NW; housing, youth, and job support through Collaborative Solutions for Communities, a nonprofit that supports families, located at 3333 14th St. NW; youth, health, job, and social services support at the Latin American Youth Center at 1419 Columbia Rd. NW; food, showering, social services, and housing support through Thrive DC, a nonprofit that aims to prevent and end homelessness, located at 1525 Newton St. NW; and health services at Unity Health Care at 1660 Columbia Rd. NW.
These resources aim to connect library patrons to vital community support in the four months the Mount Pleasant Library is out of service until the building is projected to reopen in June.
“Our residents rely on DCPL not only for books and resources but as a cornerstone of community engagement and support,” the resolution from ANC 1D reads.
D.C.’s Mount Pleasant Library closed on Feb. 10. Ahead of the closure, the library handed out pamphlets directing users to other services. Photo by Ella Mitchell
Trump temporarily froze federal funds, and D.C. nonprofits are still feeling the chill
KATHERINE WILKISON Editorial Intern
On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget issued a sweeping memorandum freezing nearly all federal aid, including funds for homelessness and domestic violence service organizations. While the decision was quickly blocked by a judge, the future of federal funding remains uncertain. And, for the 48 hours funding was frozen, D.C. organizations that serve the city’s most vulnerable residents scrambled to figure out if they would still be able to provide services and make payroll.
Nationally, some organizations have already been forced to fire employees and curtail spending on critical programs. At least 50 Head Start programs around the country, including in D.C. and Virginia, were still unable to access federal funds as of Feb. 10, leaving low-income families uncertain about their children’s education.
D.C.’s homelessness service providers, many of whom rely on federal money to fund housing and outreach programs, worry about what permanent cuts would mean for those they serve.
“This seems like the most difficult five-year period of the 29 years I’ve been here, that we’ve ever had,” George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City, which provides food, medical, and legal services to low-income D.C. residents, said.
But it’s not only the federal government causing D.C. homeless service providers to worry about their budgets. D.C.’s Department of Human Services (DHS) has failed to fulfill several grants and contracts since Oct. 1, 2024, as Washington City Paper first reported. It’s a perfect storm of confusion around grant funding that’s forcing nonprofit leaders to make some hard, cost-cutting staff decisions to continue to serve some of the most vulnerable populations like homeless youth and domestic abuse survivors.
“This is unprecedented,” Deborah Shore, the longtime executive director of Sasha Bruce Youthworks, said. “What they’re doing is unprecedented, getting their hands on the levers of payment for all of these programs.”
Shore founded Sasha Bruce Youthworks more than 50 years ago to support D.C.’s homeless youth. Now, the organization serves thousands of young people every year with housing assistance, counseling, education, and case management services. Shore estimates 25% of their funding comes from the federal government. Sasha Bruce isn’t alone — about one-third of nonprofit revenue nationally comes from the government.
Nonprofit leaders like Shore are used to uncertain budgets and adapting to new administrations, but after the pandemic and the arrival of the Trump presidency, they are facing new obstacles. Most D.C. service providers rely on some funding from D.C. or the federal government. For many, losing either means cutting staff and serving fewer clients.
Bread for the City, for instance, lost more than $4 million in revenue following the rescission of Covid-era direct federal funds, and had to let go of nearly 20 staff members. So far the organization has avoided cutting any service programs, opting to do more with less. Now, the more than 10% of their funding that is derived from federal grants may be at risk.
Jones, the Bread for the City CEO, and other providers worry about the “chaos” and “lack of empathy” they say the Trump administration is displaying.
“The government’s not concerned about hurting everyday people,” Jones said. “That’s who Bread for the City serves.”
Funding at Sasha Bruce, like many nonprofits, was already tight. In addition to the federal freeze, the organization had the added struggle of waiting for DHS and the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to fulfill their contracts. While Shore said DHS fulfilled its grants in the last few days of January, several months late, the organization was still waiting on the DBH contract as of Feb. 7.
While nonprofits often face uncertain funding, Shore said the issues with grant disbursement from DHS are at an all-time high and come when nonprofits worry they won’t have federal grants to lean on in the near future.
“I’ve been at this for a long time — 50 years — this has never happened before. Not getting paid is something that has happened many times before, but not getting contracts when they start months earlier than the end of the contract period?” Shore said. “It would be great to have more reassurance that this is not going to continue into next year.”
In early 2024, DHS demanded homelessness service providers cut their spending, citing “spending pressures,” according to City Paper. Since October, DHS has failed to pay out many of its fiscal year 2025 grants and fulfill its contracts with D.C. providers. For months, nonprofit leaders have been asking the agency to pay out with little success. Some leaders were forced to take out personal loans to make payroll, City Paper reported.
By early February, many organizations said they had received some or all of their DHS grants, but a few are still waiting on contracts and reimbursements for services already rendered.
“The delays are devastating,” Rachel White, DC Action’s policy director, said. White has repeatedly called out DHS for their failure to pay, including in a public advocacy letter released on Jan. 10. “Shutting down or reducing services [means] young people will be left in unsafe situations, potentially sleeping outside in freezing temperatures.”
According to a DHS spokesperson, the agency is aware of the delay and working on fulfilling the contracts. “We have been in close communication with providers and understand the impact. We are working diligently to ensure all FY25 grants are fully executed and to process invoices as quickly as possible,” a DHS spokesperson wrote to Street Sense Media.
White urged DHS to immediately pay all costs incurred by providers since Oct. 1 and focus on future, long-term solutions.
“This happens year after year, and so what can we change in the system to ensure that it doesn’t happen next year? And then [we need] transparent communication from DHS so that providers aren’t left in the dark about when they’ll be paying as they provide these critical services,” White said.
Providers say the impacts of any reductions in funding will directly hurt the people they serve, as D.C. residents may no longer have access to programs that help them find housing, apply for benefits, or stay fed. As news about the freeze flies around the city, providers say Washingtonians are already concerned they’ll lose services.
“We throw families in a tremendous chaos when they don’t have services. What if we were not here for a family that’s fleeing domestic violence?” Sandra Jackson, CEO of House of Ruth, asked. “That’s a big reason why many families don’t leave those situations, because they don’t want to become houseless, they don’t want to find themselves on the street.”
House of Ruth serves women and children fleeing domestic violence and provides them with housing, childcare, and mental health services. Jackson worries about what would happen to the more than 1,000 clients her organization serves if they were to lose the more than $2.6 million in federal funding the organization received in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
“We’ve already had some of our existing families call us and say, ‘Okay, does that mean I have to leave?’ Because they don’t know what it means,” Jackson said. “That is a terrible message to send in the way that it was sent, without any explanation, without any reasoning, it’s just unthinkable that that would have happened and thrown the system in such chaos.”
As of Feb. 7, Shore said the federal government has had no communication with Sasha Bruce about the future of their funding. In spite of struggles at the federal level, Jackson said, local agencies like DHS and the mayor’s office have been quick to support her organization.
The future of this new, “chaotic” system remains uncertain, leaving providers feeling uneasy.
“I’m really concerned about the lack of empathy and concern there seems to be about what it means to be so disruptive in an environment where we are providing very essential services to people,” Shore said.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development froze grant payments after an executive order from President Donald Trump. Photo courtesy of Chris Kain
Marbury Plaza apartments in Anacostia are under new management
CARA HALFORD Editorial Intern
Tenants of the Marbury Plaza complex in Anacostia, now renamed Langston Views, are hoping for improved housing conditions as the building comes under new management. Years of housing code violations eventually led the city to sue the former property owners in 2021, ordering them to repair the property.
The Clear Investment Group purchased the 674-unit complex at the end of December in partnership with the offices of the mayor and D.C.’s attorney general. In a press release from the group, management promised to upgrade security and crumbling facilities, which continue to plague current residents. The purchase is part of a larger settlement agreement negotiated by Legal Aid DC and Arnold & Porter on behalf of tenants against the previous owner. A case involving the property’s former owners is ongoing in the D.C. Superior Court.
One Marbury Plaza resident, who referred to himself as Mr. Stevens, said over the last several years, tenants have dealt with ongoing mice infestations, widespread asbestos problems, and broken elevators.
“Hopefully the building will be brought up to code,” Stevens said. “They need to speak with the tenants.”
Since 2021, Marbury Plaza tenants have been fighting for compensation as well as protections due to worsening conditions. Health issues, such as asthma, and rampant safety concerns pushed residents to go on a rent strike in 2021. Then-owners MP PPH, who bought the property in 2015, agreed to make repairs by mid-2022, but residents said conditions continued to deteriorate. In 2023, the D.C. Attorney General asked a court to appoint a guardian to oversee the building in light of the owners’ absence. Soon after, MP PPH declared bankruptcy.
The settlement agreement between MP PPH management and Legal Aid DC went into effect on Dec. 31, 2024, the same day the sale of the property to the Clear Investment Group closed. According to a press release from Legal Aid D.C., the agreement also guaranteed MP
PPH could not collect back rent from tenants, the owners would not pursue pending evictions against about 80 tenants, and the about 240 tenants in bankruptcy proceedings would receive a combined $810,000.
In addition to the renovation of common spaces and basic facilities, new ownership has promised a new fitness facility with upgraded locker rooms and an in-building convenience store. Stevens said he has not seen any new management personnel, and, so far, the potential building improvements have “only been talk.”
The management team is attempting to forge new relationships with residents in light of the distrust between tenants and Vantage Management, the company MP PPH contracted to run the building, Amy Rubenstein, founder and CEO of Clear Investment Group, said in an interview with Street Sense.
“We are hosting meetings with the tenants over the coming weeks and have a full staff in the office to answer any questions residents may have and to ensure a smooth and successful transition,” Rubenstein said.
The new management of Langston Views did not grant Street Sense’s request for a tour of the property.
“We have a lot of changes coming up and improvements will take time. We hope that the tenants will entrust us with the place they call home, and we look forward to improving the community and seeing the residents flourish,” Rubenstein said.
Because of legal battles with previous management, many residents are wary of any promises of change for the building. Issues like flooding, lack of ventilation, mold, vermin, and three shootings within six months in 2023 pushed tenants to form an ad hoc committee and seek representation from Legal Aid DC and Arnold & Porter to file a lawsuit against Vantage Management in the fall of 2024.
Eleni Christidis, a supervising attorney for Legal Aid who oversaw the case against Marbury Plaza’s former managers, said residents were highly organized before working with Legal Aid. The organization “helped them understand their rights so that they could file claims in the bankruptcy and have a voice in that process,” Christidis said.
Residents at Marbury Plaza are not alone in their fight. Through organizations like Legal Aid and the D.C. Tenants Right Center, tenants across the District are demanding access to adequate and affordable housing. The Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act has allowed some to attain full ownership of their complexes.
Salim Adofo, a Ward 8 advocate who ran for D.C. Council and helped organize drives for food and other living essentials for Marbury Plaza residents, said he wished the settlement could have ended in a handover of the property to the residents to create a cooperative housing complex.
“The residents have the strength and the power and the muscle to force these property owners to do right by them,” Adofo said.
Adofo hopes that, under Clear Investment Group, comprehensive goals and timelines can be set to achieve the adequate housing residents have been demanding for years. For Ward 8, in general, Adofo said it is “frustrating that we continually have these issues, and it seems like none of these things are ever resolved or fixed.”
The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia has filed multiple lawsuits due to unsafe and “health-threatening” conditions in Ward 8 buildings whose owners have contracts with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the Washington Post.
But residents at Marbury Plaza hope their story ends differently. In the aftermath of the December settlement and Clear Investment’s purchase of the property, Edward Russel, a resident of newly-renamed Langston Views, said he is hopeful new management may bring positive change to the complex in the coming months.
“I’m feeling that there’s been an effort towards improvement; they just might need more help to do it,” Russel said.
Clear Investment Group purchased Marbury Plaza apartments after years of tenant complaints about the building.
Photo by Gabriel Zakaib
A night with the organizations surveying D.C.’s homeless
FRANZISKA WILD AND FIONA RILEY Editorial Interns
When the group of fluorescently dressed volunteers reached the edge of the biggest remaining encampment in Foggy Bottom, they paused. Juwan Rosa, a caseworker at Miriam’s Kitchen, distributed handfuls of Visa gift cards to all six surveyors before explaining how to approach a tent or sleeping person.
“The key thing, especially this late in the night, individuals might be sleeping or may be trying to hunker down, we don’t want to startle anyone, so always speaking in low quiet, soft tones, getting low to meet them at eye level,” he told the group. He reminded the volunteers to mention the gift cards when they approached someone, since encampment residents could receive one after answering questions.
Then the volunteers, equipped with the cards and Rosa’s advice, fanned out throughout the encampment to survey people experiencing homelessness for the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count.
Among the first people Rosa surveyed was a pair of women sitting in chairs at the edge of the encampment. Their caseworkers told them about the survey ahead of time and they were waiting up for it together — mostly to get the gift cards, they told Street Sense.
“It’s census taking in my book, which can be beneficial,” one of the women, who declined to share her name due to safety concerns while living outside, told Street Sense. “It’s good to have a factual number and to come out to the field and know what you’re dealing with.”
Conducted every January, the PIT Count is a federally-mandated survey of people experiencing homelessness. This year, D.C. and Montgomery County conducted the count on Jan. 29, while Virginia did it a week earlier, on Jan. 23. The results from the survey, which will be available later this spring, are then used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to set funding levels for both state and local governments.
“It’s called the Point-in-Time Count because it’s supposed to give us a snapshot of what homelessness is at any given time here in America,” Andy Wassenich, director of policy at Miriam’s Kitchen, told Street Sense. “It gives us a baseline [for] knowing the severity of the problem, and just sort of lets us know that we can say that at least this many are experiencing homelessness.”
Christy Respress, president and CEO of Pathways to Housing, said this year over 300 volunteers at organizations across the city signed up to participate in the count, led by nonprofits like Pathways to Housing D.C., Miriam’s Kitchen, and The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness. Each group focused on an area of the city, with volunteers walking up and down every street in a few-block radius and speaking to each person they saw.
“The data collection analysis, all of this, is going into national numbers. We need this count to help the District and [wider] region bring more resources to the table to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring,” Respress said in a speech to volunteers gathered downtown ahead of the count.
The latest PIT Count comes after two consecutive years where homelessness has been on the rise in the District: it rose by 14% between 2023 and 2024 and 11.6% the prior year. In the past year, the city budget funded only 619 housing vouchers, a fraction of the number advocates say are needed, over 2,000 families were forced out of a Rapid Rehousing subsidy rental program, and encampment closures doubled.
With encampment closures continuing to displace people to further and further reaches of the city, Miriam’s Kitchen had to create custom detailed maps for this year’s volunteers. These maps had dashes and xs marking the spots under bridges, tunnels, and overpasses where people have moved.
“For the folks who are evicted in encampments, the larger ones in particular, they’re still in encampments, just in smaller encampments,” Wassenich said. “They’re in more dangerous spots, and more inaccessible spots.”
Miriam’s Kitchen had its volunteers walk through its service area twice to make sure everyone is counted. This measure also extended the count, meaning many of Miriam’s volunteer teams finished after 1 a.m.
“While the official walk doesn’t start until about 9, we typically try and do a second round through after about 11 p.m., because we find at 9 o’clock we may still have individuals walking around trying to keep warm rather than bunkering down for the night,” Rosa explained to Street Sense. “So, to make sure we can have an accurate count, we like to do a second walkthrough.”
Despite these measures, the PIT Count is widely seen as an undercount of people experiencing homelessness. Advocacy groups, like SchoolHouse Connection, note it tends to undercount family homelessness because visible homelessness can lead to parents losing custody of their children. It might also miss people who qualify as chronically homeless but find somewhere to stay one or two nights a week, or those who are just good at hiding, Wassenich noted.
The PIT also only counts how many people are without a home on a single night. Local numbers suggest the total number of people who experience homelessness across a year is much higher.
In fiscal year 2024, D.C. served 8,768 individuals and 1,431 families experiencing homelessness, a far higher number than the 3,960 individuals and 539 families counted in the
Pathways to Housing CEO Christy Respress greets volunteers gathered downtown for the Point-in-Time Count on the night of Jan. 29. Photo by Fiona Riley
January 2024 PIT Count, according to data presented at a December D.C. Interagency on Homelessness meeting. The average length of time people experienced homelessness increased in 2024, to 229 days for individuals and 130 days for families.
While nearly 1,200 of the families served reported finding housing in fiscal year 2024, only 750 individuals did. This is the lowest number of individuals experiencing homelessness who have exited to permanent housing since fiscal year 2016.
The data from the 2025 PIT Count will be available this spring through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which releases an annual report compiling the data from D.C. and the surrounding area.
But on the cold January night, volunteers fanned out across D.C. for the count. Across the city from Rosa’s group in Foggy Bottom, near Chinatown, outreach workers with Pathways to Housing talked to Elvis. He knew the count was that night and made his way to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, carrying his backpack and suitcase, just as a group of volunteers arrived.
Elvis lingered under the library’s awning until a volunteer was available to survey him, and later spoke with Street Sense about the resources he’d like D.C. to invest in for people experiencing homelessness. The PIT Count, which asks participants to answer questions about their identity, experiences with homelessness, and experiences using government-allocated resources, aims to collect data that can help officials provide what people need.
Elvis wanted D.C. officials to add charging ports around the city, specifically on benches. He said most people experiencing homelessness who have a phone also have a charging cord, but struggle to keep in contact with loved ones because they can’t always find a reliable place to charge their devices.
“If you’ve got a phone, you can stay in touch with your children, with a caseworker,” Elvis said.
He also shared his thoughts on the options available for shelter.
“Stop warehousing people,” Elvis said, referring to traditional congregate shelters where people might sleep between six and 24 in a room. “I think it’s better, personally, if we do things that look more like hotel rooms, where you have the basics.”
An important function of PIT Count is its ability to give service providers insight into the barriers that exist when it comes to accessing shelter, according to Wassenich. D.C. is currently in hypothermia season, a period when the city opens additional shelters to protect people from the cold. Wassenich worries about what an excess of unfilled beds could mean for the quality of shelter, as the city often reports it has 100 beds for men unoccupied, despite the frigid weather.
“It’ll be interesting to see though if our unsheltered numbers are going up,” Wassenich said. “But people aren’t taking advantage of [shelter] or refusing it outright — so what does that say about the facilities that we’re offering?”
A woman sitting under the MLK library awning, who didn’t want to share her name with Street Sense due to privacy concerns, said she often avoids shelters because she doesn’t want to give up her personal belongings that aren’t permitted inside the shelter.
“We can’t bring blankets and towels and stuff inside because I think bed bugs is an issue, but then you don’t have dirty ones, and they don’t always have new ones to issue,” she told Street Sense.
She said while she understands items like blankets and towels can carry lice and nail clippers can be used as weapons, the thought of having to throw away her belongings without knowing when she’ll get new ones is daunting.
She suggested D.C. create “tiered” requirements for people experiencing homelessness who are entering shelters. People without a history of mental health issues or misusing resources could then retain more of their belongings.
Mr. G, who chose to give his initial to protect his privacy while living outside, also expressed frustration with shelters, noting they “seem like jail.” He lives in an encampment in Foggy Bottom, Whitehurst Hill, which is facing closure in mid-March, and expressed to Street Sense his frustration at the possibility of having to move his stuff in the current temperatures.
Mr. G had never taken the PIT Count survey before, and thought the experience was fine, but wished more people understood how difficult living outside can be.
“You feel like you’re an outcast,” he said. “Dealing with trash and the environment and things you have no control over is really exhausting.”
Even though she lives across the city from Mr. G., the woman staying under the MLK library awning expressed similar frustration at how little control she has over certain things and at how well-meaning people often misunderstand what she needs.
For example, she said the bulk of “diverse products” she receives, like toiletries, meals, and clothes, come from churches and nonprofit organizations, not groups that are associated with the
government or receive federal funding. People also often come by with toiletry bags, which, while needed, can result in her having an excess of certain products.
“I don’t know how many bars of soap people think I need, but there are things that I just get repeats of,” she said. “I don’t need 10 toothbrushes, but I always say thank you because I can’t seem ungrateful.”
She said she’d like to see people hand out more Benadryl, ibuprofen, and cold medicine –only receiving a few at a time doesn’t get her far when she’s sick.
“You get a two-pack of cold medicine, and it’s like if I have a cold, I’m gonna need more than two pills,” she said.
In addition to asking about people’s needs, the survey aims to understand the circumstances that might cause homelessness. For example, it might ask participants if they experienced homelessness as a result of fleeing domestic violence or aging out of foster care.
In the process, it asks about difficult topics, including substance abuse, childhood abuse, and trauma — questions one of the women Rosa surveyed did not feel comfortable answering.
“It does touch upon things like sexual abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence [and] foster care. I can see why we want those included. Usually the follow-up question, if anyone says yes to one of these, is: ‘Is your experience of homelessness a direct result of the aforementioned thing?’” Rosa said.
While Rosa said the questions are important, he acknowledged PIT Count volunteers are practically strangers to most survey takers. Survey interactions are quite quick, usually between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning if a topic triggers someone or makes them emotional, there isn’t usually time to fully process these feelings.
“We’re asking these questions, we’re bringing up these emotions, but we don’t have the follow-up,” Rosa said. “We’re bringing up some traumatic stuff and then, ‘okay, thank you’ and then we’re gone.”
On 26th Street in Foggy Bottom, it was near midnight when volunteers began to reach the end of their second pass. But before they could turn back to Miriam’s Kitchen, they met Wendell.
He was sitting in the awning of an apartment building, preparing to go to sleep. A pair of volunteers sat with him as he answered the questions one by one, and afterward agreed to tell Street Sense about it.
Having been surveyed once before, four years ago, Wendell told Street Sense he felt “comfortable” answering all the questions.
“Well, you’ve got to understand the situation,” he said. “I filled out the survey because I thought it was meaningful.”
Andy Wassenich from Miriam’s Kitchen gathers volunteers for the Point-in-Time Count on the night of Jan. 29.
Photo by Franziska Wild
The state of the nation: Did Trump drain the swamp or flood it?
JEFFERY MCNEIL
As the weather warms up and Donald Trump gets to work spring-cleaning Washington, D.C., I’m starting to wonder: Did the Democrats leave tripwires and booby traps for him as he drains the swamp?
There are things I approve of — the return of federal workers and cracking down on the worst elements at the border — but some things I don’t buy into, like blaming DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) for the American Airlines crash that killed over 60 people in Washington, D.C.
I’m no fan of Joe Biden, but millions of flights happened under his watch without a catastrophe like this. This happened within one week of Trump taking office. Take ownership.
Trump supporters, don’t get cocky
A lot of Trump supporters are spiking the football, bragging about how the Democratic Party is dead. Slow down.
I lived through Obama’s first term. After his landslide victory, everyone said the Republican Party was finished. Then came the Tea Party, more radical and stronger than ever.
Democrats are not dead. If Trump doesn’t play his cards right, people will resent him, and the Democrats will rise again.
People elected Trump to fix what was broken — not to throw salt on the wound. Trump’s biggest obstacle — The media
If Trump doesn’t figure out how to rein in the media, they will spin every move he makes into a doomsday narrative. I don’t know how anyone can still call these outlets “news.” NPR, ABC, CNN, The New York Times — they’ve abandoned journalism and turned into nothing more than a propaganda arm of the Democratic Party.
Outlets have 24/7 anti-Trump hysteria. They don’t even pretend to hear both sides anymore. Forget conservatives — they’ve blacklisted even left-wing independents like Jimmy Dore, Russell Brand, and Tim Pool simply for questioning the establishment.
But the public is waking up — and the mainstream media’s stranglehold on public opinion is slipping fast.
The media has mastered the art of manipulation — using the poor, elderly, and disabled as human shields. They scream that Trump wants to cut school lunches, defund Meals on Wheels, throw grandma off Social Security, and abandon the disabled.
It’s propaganda — pure and simple. Lies, distortions, and twisting the facts. The truth is, Trump won because Americans were fed up with politics as usual.
To my fellow Trump supporters — We have to be smart
Some Trump supporters are too eager to blame everything on DEI.
The bodies weren’t even cold from the American Airlines crash before people started parading a transgender woman, Jo Ellis, as responsible.
Then, she made a video saying she’s alive — and Trump supporters looked ridiculous.
My vote
If we want to win arguments, we have to use facts, not conspiracies.
Immigration: Focus on the right problem
I support deporting criminals, but not every immigrant is a freeloader. I’ve seen Americans panhandling in front of “Help Wanted” signs while immigrants take those jobs, work hard, and try to build a life.
They’re not all in gangs, slinging dope, or committing crimes — many just want a shot at a better life. If I lived in a poorer country, I’d try to come here too. Instead of demonizing immigrants, maybe we should hold corrupt world leaders accountable for creating the conditions that force their citizens to flee.
That being said, Democrats do not serve the interests of immigrants. If you wouldn’t leave your own front door wide open, why do you think it’s okay to leave America’s borders unprotected?
Democrats scream about the horrors of slavery yet ignore the human trafficking happening at the border. Women are being sold into sex slavery, and drug cartels are exploiting the system. And what did the last administration do about it?
Nothing.
Democrats have lost their way
I voted for Trump, but I want Democrats to be serious again. Right now, they’re a joke. They talk about Medicare for All, free college, reparations, and paid maternity leave. But once in power, what do they push? Sanctuary cities, corrupt teachers’ unions, and defunding the police. No wonder Trump won in a landslide. People want sanity and common sense. They want their kids to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic — not excessive pronouns or that America is an irredeemable, racist country.
They want our tax dollars building roads here in America — not funding Ukraine. No extremism — just common sense
I’m not an extremist. I look at both sides.
I’m not pro-Israel or pro-Palestine — both have committed atrocities. Neither side is innocent. We should be able to say that without a well-funded special interest group trying to destroy us.
I’m ecstatic federal workers are coming back. If people want to quit, fine. This should have been done years ago.
But Washington needs to look in the mirror. I didn’t cause food prices to skyrocket. I didn’t create the crime wave. I didn’t let businesses collapse. Listen to your voters instead of spreading lies no one believes.
When Democrats stop pushing unpopular issues — like health care for unauthorized immigrants or abortion rights for men in transition — and start talking like regular Americans, things will change.
Until then, Democrats will keep losing. America is moving on without them.
Jeffery McNeil is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
Free and fair elections, bought and paid for. We don’t care to know anymore about the rule of law. A trade war with our neighbors, is that what our vote was bought and paid for?
I don’t know why folks don’t barter any more crypto coins with the New King’s face on them.
Poor people need another stimulus check. It’s feeling like people are starting to wish old Joe was back. Gas prices are going up along with the price of eggs.
The Lord only knows why people let their vote be bought and stolen, and history rewritten. Will there be any mention of the words “they’re eating the cats and dogs in Springfield?”
Tom makes Americans hate the red, white, and blue again, if people only knew that to hate is a sin. And then again, the Lord hates when you say you will do a good thing and you don’t do it, right?
Just keeping it tight, trying to shed some light. It’s not normal to pardon criminals when you first come into office as the leader of the free world, right?
The Supreme Court or the Senate oversight should have another impeachment investigation done, right? Our constitution is being ruined in this fight, stamped to the ground and almost dead, right?
I thought after George Floyd we would get it right. Racial equity under the law. Diversity, equity, and inclusion sound like strange words for a Black man in America like me.
I still believe in the goodwill of those who believe Jesus Christ the Messiah will return and bring peace and justice one day, right?
Justice is not free, you have to stand up and fight for the red, white, and blue, the green land, and Black folks. Would it really make a difference if people knew The Holy Mother of Christ could have been a proud Black woman too?
In these times and days, we need all of us not just to pray, but to stand up for justice each and every day. When Christ returns, what will he say about justice for the children of Israel and the people of the DMV? And who believes in the home of the brave and the land of those who would be free of fear and fair to another human being who doesn’t look like you or me?
If you are migrating in the name of the Lord, let the angels bring the children forward to freedom and the goodwill of men and a vote for redemption within.
Robert Warren is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
Read more of his writing on his X, @ big_crusher1000
ROBERT WARREN
Rolling on the river: To Bratislava, part two
WENDELL WILLIAMS
When we last left Wendell, he was behind the Iron Curtain on a river cruise through Eastern Europe. The tour had taken him to Christmas markets in Budapest, but now it was time to head to the next stop.
I made it back to the boat in the nick of time for departure. I had to let my friend see my face, so I hustled down to our cabin. She knew I was the last passenger unaccounted for. I sat on my side of the bed, facing out to the river, and wondered, would she have really let them leave me?
“For sure,” she said, “But be glad we didn’t have to find out.”
Just then, the boat engines came alive, jerked us slightly forward, and in a minute, we were rolling down (or it is up?) the Danube River with all its history ahead of us. At this point, I had no idea what the next stop was, because I hadn’t read the itinerary. I only knew we were moving east by watching the live “ship cam” channel. I had never heard about Bratislava. I didn’t remember the breaking up of the Czech Republic or the non-violent 10-day Velvet Revolution in November of 1989, which created the new country of Slovakia with Bratislava as its capital, a little more than a hundred miles upriver from Budapest.
As we moved away from the bright lights of Hungary’s capitol, it was pitch black outside. On occasion, we were able to make out shapes of things sitting on the high bluffs overlooking the river. The water was very calm, and with the clear, cold sky, you could see the mountains come right downriver. The moon backlit the outlines of houses and farms along the way, and every now and then, there’d be a home or tree lit up for the holidays. The holiday decorations were simple, stylish, and tastefully done. The low, strong, steady hum of the engines rocked us to sleep. Having breakfast before disembarking from the boat was one of the great pleasures of being on this cruise. With all the choices, we were provided with enough nourishment to carry us through our long day of sightseeing. We were amongst the last group to make it to a circle in the middle of downtown for the walking tour with a local guide. We met the group at an interesting statue of an important Slovakian historical figure. The park was also the main transfer point for the city’s public transportation since no private automobiles were allowed on the center city streets. It was plain to see this part of town was designed to be walked.
The guide gathered us all up, did the headcount, and we were off to see the legendary Christmas markets of Bratislava. After a nice, short 20-minute walk from the river, we came into the main city square, and it was 360 degrees of Christmas markets. The big crowds this early were puzzling to me, especially given the cold weather and grey skies. Yet there were thousands of people out. Our first stop was not on the itinerary, but impressive nonetheless. I found the nicest and cleanest bathrooms this side of Iceland, well worth the one-euro cost. The bathrooms were down some well-lit stone steps in the middle of the square, with an older woman as the attendant. After our senior pit stop, we crossed the square for our first cultural stop: A small century-old church built to pay for a nobleman’s transgression. Inside, it was very tight and only sat fewer than 50 people. But what came next was heavenly. An Eastern Orthodox priest came out and briefly spoke on the history of the church and its importance to their Christmas tradition. And then the music started. First, it was from an old organ, then from a choir of what must have been young boys before their voices changed. I wasn’t sure because we couldn’t see them. Their voices were literally coming from above. I’d never heard the voice of an angel before, but I think we did this late morning, a few days before Christmas, in Bratislava. No mics or sound system were needed for the wallto-wall sound of joy in this tiny, perfectly constructed building. It took us over 45 minutes of standing in line in the cold to get in, and in less than 20 minutes we were back outside, walking past other tour groups waiting for their chance to experience a piece of heaven.
We were on the move again, hurtling towards my destiny, and I was to realize the Creator’s reason for allowing me to be the recipient of this Random Act of Kindness in the first place. We crossed the main town square and went down one of the many old streets built long before motor vehicles. It was cobble-stoned, paved, and narrow. It reminded me of the movies we watched set in Europe growing up in the 50s, or a time travel episode of Star Trek.
As the group made its way through the crowded streets (again, think of Times Square on New Year’s Eve,) it became increasingly difficult to stay together and move as a group, especially when the average age of said group was around 70. I was trying to balance my need to look in every shop window. It reminded me of the displays of long ago in downtown D.C. I began to fall further and further behind the group, and I started to get anxious and nervous in a way I hadn’t felt in decades, thanks to therapy and medication. I now know the feeling as separation anxiety, and this moment on this street brought back the horrifying dreams of my childhood, where I was always left behind, no matter my efforts to catch up. Before leaving the ship, I’d asked my friend to wear this loud yellow hat so I could visually pick her out in the crowds quickly, but she refused. Readers who have met me or regularly get their Street Sense from me are only seeing the finished product. They have no way of knowing how far I’ve gone or come from with some of my mental health issues. Once upon a time, they crippled me and factored into my chronic depression and homelessness, which led me to this moment on the street in a country I’d never heard of behind the old Iron Curtain.
As the group got out of eyesight, I thought, no worries, I could still hear the guide on my earpiece. Then I lost audio connection with them. In my substance abuse work, I used this statement to get clients thinking about solutions: “I have met the enemy, and he is me.” It also goes in the opposite direction: “I looked around for a friend and found one in me.” I saw groups of people headed through an archway into a church courtyard and another huge Christmas market and followed the flow right to “the me” of long ago. There I stood, about a foot shorter and half of the weight. But it was me. It was very cold out and started to snow as I walked closer, noticing his vest and the newspaper in it. I watched for almost 10 minutes as he tried to pitch his paper to hundreds of passersby, with no takers, before I approached him with my standard opening, “Do you speak English?” He didn’t understand that. But our eyes locked, and right then, the panic attack went away. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I felt the emotions he was going through because I had felt them myself. I had been there in Cincinnati when I started with street papers, out on a corner in the freezing winter weather near Fountain Square Ice Rink, without the proper winter gear, just like he was. I wanted so very much to just take my big warm coat off and give it to him, remembering the many times I was shown similar kindness, but it was just too big for him. If someone was watching, I’m sure it sounded like we were two cavemen just making grunting sounds in hopes of connecting. I could tell he was getting frustrated because I was too, trying to point to the paper in the sleeve of his vest to let him know of our kinship and that he had a sale. There were so many questions I had for him about his paper, but I was on vacation. His being out in this weather demonstrated (like my situation long ago) that he needed to sell papers to survive, and he was desperately selling me in his language. I was trying in every way I could to let him know that I understood until I put my finger on his paper in that sleeve, pulled out my phone, and showed him a photo of me holding up a copy of Street Sense. I shook my head up and down, he lit up, and we fell into each other’s arms for the biggest reassuring hug ever. Every street paper vendor knows what it’s like to go through what feels like personal rejection after personal rejection until one person comes along and connects with your humanity, even if not in the same language. I know the trauma vendors experience daily, only I’ve gotten better at not personalizing it. And you could see he hadn’t arrived at that space yet.
Without words, we acted like long-lost brothers reunited before I realized it was getting later. It gets dark at 4 p.m. in that part of the world. So, I pulled out my wallet and saw his eyes. I’m used to traveling to where people are more than happy to accept U.S. currency, but I forgot about the difficulty of a homeless person to convert it. His smile turned to sadness as I tried, without language, to let him know we still had a sale. And then the universal language jumped into my head as I hollered those three magical letters if you’ve ever had teenagers, “ATM euros?” And off he led me to an ATM that dispensed euros, which was not an easy task in those crowds. I gave him a healthy donation for the paper and a Christmas tip, asking him to pose for a photo holding up his paper. For him, I imagine it felt like a strange foreigner came along who didn’t know about his paper, but knew the movement, and didn’t speak his language, but knew him intimately and helped break his streak of no’s on a snowy day in a Random Act of Kindness for them both. I forgot about the panic of being separated while focusing on relieving him of his pain and didn’t realize until walking away from him and saying goodbye that the audio had returned with instructions on how to return to ship if you were out on your own. And that would be me, except I wasn’t alone. He thought I gave him something, but in reality, he gave me back so much more.
On the way back to the ship, I took my time looking at cultural landmarks I didn’t have time to stop to admire on the square, like the opera house, parliament, and McDonald’s, which seemed out of place, yet fit in. Then I headed back to the main square where everything was now lit up, including buses and trollies, with more people arriving every minute and that gigantic Christmas tree in the center of the city’s largest Christmas market. You could only imagine what the night before Christmas would be like.
It was an easier walk the rest of the way to the ship for dinner now that I’d been reintroduced to myself through that vendor and understood that because of our many shared experiences, I’d never be alone. It’s kinda like what Tom Joad said in Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath:” I’ll always be walking or traveling with them or for them.
Wendell Williams is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media
The street paper vendor. Photo by Wendell Williams
I miss you
KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor
When I’m feeling bad
When I’m feeling sad and That pain doesn’t go away
When I pray
I know she’s listening
When I talk to God
I know all of that pain
Will go away
I miss you
When I smile
When I wake up in the morning
I miss you
When I get in that deep pain
That I can’t get out of I miss you
I know the reason why God took you
That pain, that grief, that feeling
Of melancholy that doesn’t just go away
I understand it for what it is
And I am blessed to know
I feel that pain
Blessed to know that God’s
Going to take it away
I miss your passion, your laugh
I miss your pain
I wish I could help right now
But I know you’re in a
Better place
That’s the reason I cry is to understand
That pain
It helps, it cleanses me
God told me tears help
It cleanses the soul, free of thought I miss you
At night, it helps to know
You are in a better place
So, I miss you
Every second of the day
Every inch of the day
I miss you
Tasks for today
WAYNE
HALL Artist/Vendor
It’s time to turn the TV off and put the phone down.
No “good mornings” no “have a nice day.”
Why would I respond when you’re going the wrong way?
Rude.
Awkward silence on a train with nowhere to move.
Apologizing
TONYA WILLIAMS
Artist/Vendor
When you apologize to people,
You must do it and leave it alone
It’s like forgiveness: when you ask for forgiveness, let it go
When you keep thinking about forgiveness, that will bring you down
God says once you ask for forgiveness, you’re done
Apologizing is good because it helps you feel good about yourself
It also helps the person to whom you apologize forgive you
Apologizing and forgiving are good for the soul
So, apologize to someone you feel needs it
And either forgive or ask for forgiveness
New year birthday
JOSIE BROWN Artist/Vendor
Birthdays are a time to celebrate
Birthdays are a time to get gifts and honor the gift-giver Birthdays are a time to deliver and be a giver for whatever Birthdays are a time to wither the gift given for neither or meaner, Living leaner or nearer, Happy birthday with a demeanor!
After the morning after
VENNIE HILL Artist/Vendor
Finally, after picking up the phone to figure out what was going on with my husband’s case, I got some answers. I’d been waiting six months for the prosecutor to call.
On Jan. 1, 2024, my husband, Harmon Bracey, was killed in a car accident. A year later, I’ve found out the suspect is on the run. He’s facing several charges, including negligence, so he’s going to do some time when he’s captured. I’d been mourning my husband even harder because I didn’t think the suspect would pay for his crime. But knowing he will face charges has made me a little stronger. I eat better and sleep more soundly. I’m relieved knowing that someday, there will be justice for Harmon.
I still dream of him at night. I miss his touch. I remember him lying in our bed, reading his Bible or listening to it on his phone. I miss his smile most of all. I miss waking up, seeing his face, and hearing his voice.
I know I’m not the only one experiencing this. But I feel as though I’m alone. I guess that’s because Harmon always had my back. Now it’s just me and our cat, Milwaukee. He’s my life now. I do my best to keep him happy and satisfied. I know you might not believe this, but one day, I really could have sworn I heard Milwaukee say “dada.”
So, for those of you out there mourning a loved one, remember you will get better with time and closure. And I close this by saying good luck and Godspeed. May God bless us all, and may you have a blessed one.
Born great
RONNELL WILSON Artist/Vendor
Peace be still
The time to change is here
Never give attention to the ones trying to push buttons
Yep, patience, love, and forgiveness are a few things it takes, it’s nothing
And remember, you’re already born, and only you can make yourself great... it’s nothing
Resource grind
WILLIE FUTRELLE Artist/Vendor
Resource grind, ain’t got time
My hands to unbind or to unwind
From this capitalist rope, stealin’ my hope, I ask for my rights, they keep telling me, “NOPE.” Still askin’ for my vote and takin’ my taxes, Givin’ me scraps but each other passes, Spend all day in line while they keep twistin’ the axis, All I can do is watch while this ride crashes!
My time at Street Sense
MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor
I’ve been writing for Street Sense Media for eight years now. I have found great people here in Washington who love to read our paper. I can’t forget to shout out to the young generation who also buy a copy of the paper. I enjoy writing for Street Sense. Where I was once doing badly, sleeping down at Union Station, asking for change with Amtrak Police tossing me out, now I have an opportunity to help myself in a positive way. I’ve still been struggling with normal things like transportation and household items like dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent. We all have our down days where we need help. Some people need a lot more help than others. So, reader, if you happen to be by Cleveland Park and UDC right by the CVS, and see me, please, enjoy your shopping and continue to support your local Street Sense vendor. A haircut is $30 now and I’m always going to write something so I can help keep the paper alive.
Thank you for your help and for supporting Street Sense. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Happy February
WARREN STEVENS
Artist/Vendor
Our president, Donald Trump, the first lady, and their family were sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025, in the District. It was a 20-degree, beautiful, and cold day for the parade. I hope and pray he keeps his promise to get this country on a straight and narrow path to a low cost of living. And good-paying jobs for the seniors to succeed, so they can get Social Security and Medicare. I hope there are no government shutdowns in 2025, so the government can continue to stay open all year long. The snowstorm is over, we are now getting better weather in February. I can go out and sell the paper to make customers interested and happy buying the paper. Some customers offer to buy food, drinks, or supplies from the Safeway store, which is showing love and kindness, a beautiful thing. Valentine’s Day is Feb. 14, 2025. People are going out to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones and give chocolate, candy, balloons, and cards to their wives, family members, and friends. Most people go out for dinner and dancing at a restaurant or club on Valentine’s Day. This year I will be sending Valentine’s cards and balloons to my loved ones and my family. My girlfriend and I will have dinner and chocolate candy and watch movies on Valentine’s Day. My son and his girlfriend are celebrating Valentine’s Day at their friends and family’s house. My sister and her boyfriend, who live together, will celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner, balloons, and chocolate candy. Love you all, enjoy Valentine’s Day in February.
A prayer for the city
ROCHELLE WALKER
Artist/Vendor
Father, you know we need this. I have never seen or heard of so much killing. Father, I will keep this prayer lifted. I pray for the streets and people too. We need your hope for the future, we need your prayer. The city needs no more pity. Help us today. Father, in your love, we will walk. If you believe in the power of prayer, I dare 10 people to walk and pray for your neighbor, declaring the blessing on the city.
Father, Lord Jesus, the city is not gone yet. My soul said yes, Lord. I will say yes, Lord. Help your children. Don’t let us die on the side of the road, but hear us; don’t let us get shot in the backseat of the car. Father, your victory, we will win the city.
Being chosen
RACHELLE ELLISON
Artist/Vendor
I was saved from the Lord up above
Who gave me his Grace with unconditional love
He chose me for assignments and many, I mean On my faith daily is where I always lean
I know being chosen is never easy, and full of pain
But it’s the only way to life’s biggest blessings, and with so much more to gain
He saved me so others would be drawn to my light
He put me back in the darkness to serve others with a spirit so bright
Healing and forgiveness are the ways I’ve made it out
Of a life full of trauma and self-doubt
I can guide others by building trust and helping them to see
Hot island jazz
BRIANNA BUTLER Artist/Vendor
Blazing bright and steaming hot against my skin. Skin rolling with pebbles of water sliding down it. It keeps me cool after a quick little breeze. Touching the pond that is intensely hot upon my feet makes me see. I could smell the beach water getting closer. My feet and body are waiting for that refreshing, cool water all around my body. Playing in it is fun for all and it will make you laugh. After almost half an hour, I could smell the food people were cooking on a few grills.
I sing, “Somebody lend me a burger!” I like it. I really, really like it.
Then we play with the watermelon. It’s just juicy and I want more and more and more of it!
Let’s go around under the big aqua-blue umbrella. Relax and release and be happy. Dance with a pineapple in your hand!
Help Street Sense out
GRETA CHRISTIAN Artist/Vendor
I wish Street Sense had a bakery, so when people come in we have something to eat. It’s not hard to do, bake some homemade cupcakes, cakes, and cookies to help celebrate Street Sense. That’s what Street Sense is all about. Giving some love is what it’s all about. Street Sense people love Street Sense. If people do what they’re supposed to do, it’ll be all right. When I need help, there’s no other place I want to go.
Black History Month
JAMES LYLES III
Artist/Vendor
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a major activist in the civil rights movement, strove mightily for equal rights for Black people, and called for equal-paying jobs, equal housing, and equal health care for all. His unyielding stances on nonviolence and justice for all made positive and powerful impacts on millions of lives around the world.
Beginning
Dear King dream
JENNIFER
Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. In this era of political turmoil, the promise made during the dream speech seems far out of our reach. We should protest and march until we get justice for every American.
They can have what I have with a lot of faith, and putting in the work to be free
He can choose you too, just like he chose me.
Being chosen is not easy by a long shot
Doing things for the common good
Standing alone sometimes, knowing you are doing things for the right reason
Can bring anyone who wants a brand-new season
I’m living proof there is life after feeling like you’re at the end of your rope And boom (God starts to use you as a vision of hope.)
I have been at Street Sense for five days, and it has been a blessing. I know people have different views, judgments, and opinions about homelessness. Some people care. Some don’t. I will tell both types of people to have a blessed day. I also want to know more about how I can help. Many children need advice and guidance, and we must care for everyone. We also need to remember we’re all human and we’re the children of God.
MELVEON HARP Artist/Vendor
MCLAUGHLIN Artist/Vendor
Collage courtesy of Rachelle Ellison
FUN & GAMES
Across
1. Cornerstone abbr.
6. What one described as “off his rocker” may actually be off of 10. Common soccer score
13. Don’t just call
14. “Able was ____ saw Elba” (classical palindromic phrase) (3 wds.) (1,3,1)
15. Tulsa sch. named for a televangelist (abbr./ initialism)
16. Phony scenario designed to obtain financial details and SSNs from vulnerable victims (3 wds.) (2,5,4)
18. Standard keyboard key above Caps Lock 19. Moray, e.g.
20. Critical campaign mo. (abbr.)
21. ___ bag
22. 1960’s fad that drew laughs at the expense of Dumbo’s and Babar’s fellow creatures (2 wds.) (8,5)
28. “Sure, no sweat. I could do it with my eyes closed!” (2 wds.) (3,4) (IT’S A YES anagram)
30. Man ____ (1’3) (1920 Horse of the Year)
31. Try to make a basket or sink the 8-ball
32. 60’s and 70’s protest folksinger known for songs like “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” and “Love Me, I’m a Liberal”
36. Attila the ____
37. English race place
39. Parisian’s likely answer to “Parlez vous francais?”
40. Somethin ordered either sunny-side-up, overeasy or broken hard (2 wds.) (3,5) (SOGGY ELK anagram)
43. Ballroom dance
45. “This is dedicated to the ____ love” (lyric from a big 50’s-60’s hit) (2 wds.) (3,1)
46. Notify (SAPPIER anagram)
48. Wash., D.C. site of the 1944 international conference that led to the creation of the U.N. (2 wds.) (9,4)
52. Bitter brews, for short (abbr./initialism)
53. A.C.L.U. concerns (abbr.)
54. Australian runner
57. Kick-____ (awesome)
58. Puffy pleated hats sported by restaurant kitchen honchos (2 wds.) (5,6)
63. Swing Era bandleader Brown or guitar master Paul
64. Companion item for a duck hunter’s call
65. “Of ___ Bondage” (W. Somerset Maugham’s classic, which is not about slavery)
66. Office address abbr.
67. Inanimate object with a tongue and heel
68. Bro’s gender counterpart in street slang
Down
1. One of a wet quintet that forms a boundary between a Canadian province and four U.S. states
2. Marquis de ___
3. Something movies like “Jailhouse Rock,” “Grease”, “Hair” and many other musical themed movies have, but straight dramas usually lack (2 wds.) (5,4)
4. Word with tray or Wednesday
5. Spring worker always buzzing about
6. Legendary conductor Zubin who was associated with the Israel, Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic Orchestras
7. Suffix with ranch or pistol
8. Fed. agcy. credited with takedowns of narcotics kingpins Pablo Escobar and “El Chapo” Guzman
9. Number with the highest number of possible ways it can be rolled using two standard dies
10. Like something un-P.C., taboo or verboten (2 wds.) (3,2)
11. About to explode
12. Garage jobs that, despite the continued use of the term, rarely entail the actual greasing of all joints and connections as it once did
14. In need of some scratch?
17. Fancily dressed guys
21. Foe for El Cordobés (Sp.)
23. DiCaprio, to fans
24. “Dig in!”
25. Shorthand for 2 artsy LA and NYC neighborhoods (OH, NO anagram)
26. Insignificant person
27. Carrier to Kyoto
28. “____ for real?” (“Can that guy be serious?”) (2 wds.) (2,2)
29. Gang boss’ henchman
32. Dells and Lenovos (abbr./initialism)
33. Old sports venues where gladiators clashed and lions roamed about
34. Quonsets or quarterback signals
35. King or queen, e.g.
37. A Blue Jay or an Oriole, but not a Cardinal (abbr./initialism)
38. “Laugh-In” or “Saturday Night Live” segment
41. British hooligans
42. “Not ___ bet!”
43. New Deal org.
44. Original tablet holder
46. Anxious
47. Announce
48 Disappearing phone features
49 Discomfit
50 Tricky billiards shot (Fr.)
51 “Who goes there? Friend ____?” (sentry’s query) (2 wds.) (2,3)
55 Word that can go before head or balls
56 Annapolis inits.
58 Parts of finan. portfolios (abbr./initialism)
59 Laugh sound
60 Common prefix with friendly or logical
61 Actress Sandra of “Sideways” and “Under the Tuscan Sun,” and kin
62 Who, in Le Havre (Fr.)
CROSSWORD
Okey Dokeys! Puzzle by Patrick “Mac” McIntyre
This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.
ILLUSTRATION
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Academy of Hope Public Charter School
202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE
202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org
Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., 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 // 202-929-0100 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 (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 4 Atlantic St., NW 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 North Capitol 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 foundryumc.org/idministry
Identification services
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 // 202-544-9096 1526 Pennslyvania Ave., SE jobshavepriority.org
Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Rd, SE
2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE
Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org
My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699
1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org
Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
The warehouse worker’s main responsibilities include receiving and processing incoming products, preparing orders for transport, and performing inventory and quality control duties. This person ensures the warehouse is clean and organized and, maintained in accordance with the facility protocols and safety standards.
REQUIRED: Two years of experience, ability to lift up to 50 lb and carry objects weighing up to 35 lb.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/AmtrakWarehouse
Retail Stocking Associate
Burlington // 3100 14th St. NW
Part-time
Stocking associates are critical to making sure our stores remain stocked with the merchandise our customers want! Daily tasks include receiving, ticketing, sorting, and moving merchandise into and throughout the store quickly, efficiently, and accurately.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/StockingBurlington Store Employee
7-Eleven // 3218 Pennsylvania Ave.
Full-time
Franchisees typically rely on sales associates to provide outstanding service, maintain a clean, customer friendly environment, stock and merchandise products, and operate the register.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/7ElevenEmployee
I must search for love!
QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor
Love…I’m searching for you!
You gave your life for me
Love… I’m searching for you
I’m told you’re HUGE, you’re high, you’re deep, you’re long, you’re incomprehensible and greater than knowledge
Love…where are you?
That endures long, that is patient, is kind, never envious, boastful, or inflated with pride
But consistent, secure, and so forgiving that nothing can separate me from you
Love… I’m searching for you
Love that takes no act of evil done to you, that rejoices when right and truth prevail, that believes the best of everyone, that is resilient and bears up under any and everything that comes your way
Love… I’m searching for you!
Love that doesn’t esteem itself higher than others, love that saved me from sin, love that transformed my life, love that calls me your child
Love… where are you?
That never fails, that is the essence of who I AM, that created me in your likeness and image, that wills me to fulfill your purpose, that makes me complete WOW, love, love, love
I found you
I found you in God, for God is love!
Adapted from a poem by Beverly Harper, with permission.
Lover
DARLESHA JOYNER
Artist/Vendor
He loves and cares about me I can always count on him. He keeps me smiling and happy. I can be myself around him despite my disabilities and all odds against me for everything they see wrong with me.
Loves of my life
DANIEL BALL
Artist/Vendor
Every day is Valentine’s Day
MARC GRIER
Artist/Vendor
Yes, my name is Daniel, and you might read one of my articles in our Street Sense paper.
Do you know Daniel likes a real woman, and a real woman likes Daniel? That’s because Sybil loves Daniel, and Daniel loves Sybil very, very much.
I, Daniel, have been at Street Sense for at least 13 years. And one day, you will see me wearing my orange and blue Street Sense writing vest. Now, Daniel says to our Writer’s Group, have a very nice day!
Valentine’s Day is when people show their love for one another. It’s a time to be loved, give love, and share love. But to me, every day is Valentine’s Day, because if you don’t share your love or give your love, then what’s the purpose? There’s the selfless love for others, the love for mankind, and compassionate self-love. But most importantly, God is love.
Love is
PEGGY JACKSON WHITLEY
Artist/Vendor
Love is beautiful
Love is sweet
Give love to everybody you meet
Sometimes people
Don’t treat you kind
So be pure as a dove
And always show them love
See, it’s this kind of love
No one else can give
Love that only Jesus
Would and could give
Listen to me, people
Understand with this love
He’s coming back again
That’s exactly what love is Just caring and sharing
That’s what love truly is
In love
ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor
With my God and my best friend my Mama I’m in love with God and my Mama
So… SPREAD LOVE!
